When he woke, Wolf was unsure of how much time had passed. He hoped the Trolls hadn't managed out get out of the so-called box of matches yet. He needed time to sort this out. He was so confused. Why had Virginia refused his attentions? He looked up at her window, or what he thought was her window. He wasn't sure anymore. Wait. Hadn't he had a mission? What was it? Before he had time to answer himself, a woman in large glasses approached him.
"Can I help you?" she asked. Wolf decided not to eat her then. She could help him figure out what he was doing here.
"Oh, I hope so," Wolf said. "I'm very confused." The woman smiled as if she expected him.
"You must be Paul's referral. He said you'd drop by to make an appointment. I'm Dr. Horovitz." Wolf nodded, still staring up at the window.
"Can you tell me what I'm doing here?" he asked, tearing his eyes away from where he last saw his Virginia. The woman, Dr. Horovitz, tsk-ed at him and smiled.
"Let's get to know each other a bit before we tackle the big question, okay?" She had a strange accent. He was okay with following her to her office. The room lit without her having to light candles. What? He looked around, confused. It was simply furnished with a bookshelf, a chair, and a brown leather couch. She picked up a clipboard. Wait. What had he been doing? He smelled of garlic, so he must have been cooking something. Dr. Horovitz gestured to the couch. She meant for him to sit on it. He did.
"It's better if you lie down," she told him. He looked at her, confused. Wasn't it improper? He guessed not. He took her advice and his spinning head was starting to alleviate. He remembered beautiful, creamy Virginia . . .
Dr. Horovitz sat in the chair opposite him, clipboard in hand.
"Now, then. I'm going to say a word, and I want you to give me the first word that comes to mind." He grabbed a pencil from a nearby table.
"Oh, good," he said excitedly, "a game!" Finally, something he understood! He could play this game of words. Easy. He nodded.
"Home," Dr. Horovitz said.
"Cooking," Wolf replied.
"Coward."
"Chicken!" He grinned, remembering the taste of chicken.
"Wedding."
"Cake!"
"Dead," she said.
"Meat!" He was chewing absentmindedly on the pencil now. Dr. Horovitz seemed hesitant to say the next word.
"Sexual," she said. Wolf gave her a knowing look, chewing on the pencil, and replied,
"Appetite." Her eyebrows shot up.
"Love."
"To eat anything fluffy!" he yelled, snapping the pencil in two with his teeth, panting. "Sorry. More than one word. Start again?" Dr. Horovitz was looking at him, astonished at his outburst. She leaned forward and he felt like a cub again. He almost liked the feeling. She was a doctor taking care of him, but at the same time he felt like the prey and he wasn't sure if he liked that feeling much.
"You like food, don't you?" she asked.
"Oh, yes," Wolf exclaimed. "More than anything!" Dr. Horovitz leaned back in her chair.
"I think you're still holding back. What is really troubling you?" she asked in her unfamiliar accent. Amazing. It's like she could see right through him. He could keep it contained no longer.
"Alright, alright," he blurted, "I've met this terrific girl, and I really, really, really like her. But the thing is. . ." He wasn't sure if he should tell her. Most people don't like wolves. She'd be no different. Besides, this was so personal. But she encouraged him anyway.
"Say it." Wolf leapt from the couch, kneeling at her feet and gripping the arms of her chair, trying to restrain himself.
"I'm not sure whether I. . . I . . . I want to love her or eat her." A confused looked crossed the doctor's face.
"Oh," she said simply. Wolf leapt to his feet, pacing the floor. She hadn't cringed from him. Maybe she wasn't afraid of him. She'd certainly be the first.
"Of course, I blame my parents. They were both enormous. They couldn't stop eating. Every day I would come home from school and it was, 'Eat this, eat that, eat her.'"
"You shouldn't punish yourself," said Dr. Horovitz.
"I should, I should," he whined. "I'm bad. I've done so many bad things. But that wasn't me, you see. That was when I was a wolf." He stopped pacing and faced her.
"Doc, I want to change. I want to be a good person." He was pleading now. "Can't the lion cuddle up with the lamb? Can't the leopard rub out all its spots?" Dr. Horovitz looked down at her watch.
"I really have to see my next patient now," she said. Wolf was disappointed. Was that it? She wasn't going to help him? He'd just bared his soul and she didn't even care!
"But I'm desperate, Doc!"
"You are going to need more than one session, dear," she said, steering him toward the door.
"But I'm in love and I'm hungry," he whined. "And I need help now. Throw me a lifeline!" She was practically pushing him out the door now. The woman controlled him and he didn't want to eat her. How odd. In one swift move she grabbed a piece of paper off her desk and shoved it into his hand, saying,
"Here is a reading list I'd strongly recommend. Now why don't you come and see me next week?" Wolf remembered his mission. Take the dog to the Queen.
"You don't understand! I won't be here next week." She shook her head.
"Ah, ah, ah. You're not going to intimidate me with threats of suicide." She smiled at him as she shut the door in his face. He felt dejected and lost. What was he supposed to do now? Virginia was with the Prince and the Prince had to be delivered to the Queen. Was she attached to the dog? Would she hate him? Of course she would! He couldn't live knowing his Virginia hated him. So would he risk the Queen's wrath? Maybe. He wasn't sure what to do. He glanced down at the reading list and decided that was step one. He would change for his Virginia. He'd be a good person and she wouldn't be afraid of him anymore. She would accept his love and be his mate. Determined, he set out to find a place that sold books.
It hadn't taken long to find the books. It was very easy to find things in this place, and the lights never went out – some kind of magical, everlasting candles? Dr. Horovitz had one in her office, too.
He handed the sales lady his list of books. She walked around, handing him the books she found for him. He ended up with quite a stack and was feeling elated. Whoever thought of having so many books in one place was a genius! There was an entire section on cooking. He almost grabbed one of those cooking books, but stopped himself, thinking, No, I'm trying to change and be a good person for Virginia. She would want a man, not an animal. And with that, he pushed the thoughts of food from his mind and focused mainly on the self-help section. His stack kept growing bigger, and his books kept getting away from him.
"You've been very helpful, miss," he told the clerk. "Thank you very much, and if my plan is successful, I will certainly invite you to the wedding!" He was positively giddy now, thinking of Virginia in a white dress and having a house full of children. Wolf wondered what Virginia would prefer – two girls and three boys, or three girls and two boys? Wolf didn't even notice when the clerk smiled at him uncertainly.
Suddenly the sound of breaking glass permeated the air. Wolf's grip on his books slipped as he turned and saw one of the strange metal carriages in the book shop, accompanied by the scent of Tony, Virginia's father. What had he done now? Wolf was strangely angry at him for giving a perfect stranger Virginia's location all-of-a-sudden. Virginia's safety was everything! But he dismissed his anger and leapt, books and all, after Tony as he ran straight for the forest, vaguely aware of the sales clerk yelling that he hadn't paid for them.
Tony was wearing handcuffs. Wolf chuckled to himself. That must be the effects of the dragon dung bean, he thought. He could smell Virginia and the dog prince coming closer, too. He hid amongst the trees. He wasn't ready for Virginia to see him yet, not like this, clutching self-help books like a lost pup. He wanted her to see him for the confident alpha he was. Instead, he watched.
"Dad?" she called. He felt like he could melt right there, books and all. Her voice was so lovely.
"Virginia?" Tony called back, looking both scared and ashamed.
"Dad!" Tony ran to her, not wanting her to draw attention. He was panting from all the running. Virginia looked down at his wrists, bound by handcuffs, and pursed her lips. Wolf almost chuckled. The child disciplining the parent. She was no longer wearing the ratty bathrobe, but instead had on a blue jacket and a skirt with some kind of tight black breeches and what looked like comfortable shoes. A small bag was strapped to her back and she was sporting a ponytail. He wished she would let it down. He liked seeing her with her hair down yesterday.
"You won't believe what's happened to me," Tony said, breathless.
"Don't bet on it," she replied. Why did she sound so . . . sarcastic? Bitter? Wolf wanted to run to her and restrained himself. No, it's not the time. She was standing by the dog, who at the moment seemed anxious to keep running.
"Is this the dog they want?" Tony asked, pointing. "Just give him back!"
"I don't think he is a dog," said Virginia. Uh-oh. Had she figured it out? "He's trying to talk to me, but I can't understand what he's saying." She did. This could potentially be a problem. Just then Tony's eyes lit up with realization.
"Hold on. Watch this." He crouched in front of the dog. "I wish to understand everything this dog is saying." Virginia smacked his shoulder, thinking it was a joke. Oh, to have Virginia touch his shoulder, Wolf sighed.
"It worked!" Tony suddenly exclaimed. Of course it would, it's a magic bean, thought Wolf. He'd never used it because he knew the price of magic was usually too steep to pay. Tony had found that out the hard way. Wolf had heard nothing and apparently neither had Virginia.
"What," she asked. A pause.
"He's talking. He's talking! Can't you hear him?" asked Tony, pointing to the dog. Virginia looked at him like he was crazy. Didn't they have magic beans in this land? Still, Wolf didn't blame her one bit for thinking her dad was a loon, as long as she didn't think he was.
"No, I can't hear him," was her hushed reply. Something was moving nearby. Move, move, thought Wolf. It was the Trolls. Three of them, siblings. Two were obviously male, from the sound of their voices. The third he wasn't sure about, but determined that it must be female, judging by the three ponytail puffs on her head. That was all he could see from this angle. They seemed to be running toward Virginia. Wolf almost lost himself and told them to run.
"It's over here," said the female Troll. "I marked the tree."
"Look out for the witch," said the shorter male. Virginia's eyes grew wide but she didn't utter a sound. Good girl, praised Wolf in his thoughts. She didn't seem surprised by them at all. Maybe she was the one who had trapped them in the wall. Wolf was impressed with her cunning.
"Okay, what's next?" asked Tony to the dog. Even Wolf had to admit he looked insane.
"A magic mirror?" Tony's voice had a hint of disbelief. Wolf huffed. He wished he could hear what the Prince was saying. The police were getting closer, judging by the smell, and there were a lot of them. No time to stop and chat! he mentally yelled at them. He wasn't going through the mirror until he knew Virginia was safe. He was still clutching his stack of books, trying to keep them from slipping all over the place.
"Why are the police after you?" Virginia finally asked.
"They think I did a major bank job," Tony said absentmindedly. "I'll explain later." The group began moving. Finally, thought Wolf, moving along with them. He intended to jump through the mirror after them.
"We're looking for a magic mirror," Tony called over his shoulder. He looked like he was having difficulty running with his hands behind his back.
"Of course we are," said Virginia under her breath. The dog stopped just in front of a patch of forest that didn't quite fit. Wolf could smell the Trolls and police getting closer. They had better hurry.
"Yeah, there's something weird. . ." Tony seemed to say to himself. He stepped closer and squinted. Wolf suspected Tony saw the cellar of the prison. Virginia was looking around nervously, bouncing on the balls of her feet. Wolf could smell the adrenaline coming off her in waves. It was making it hard for him to concentrate.
"What is it?" Tony asked his daughter. Wolf was glad he asked. He wanted to hear Virginia's voice again, but there was no time. The Trolls! They were here!
"Lookee look," said the female with the orange hair.
"There it is!" yelled the taller male. He looked fierce, carrying an axe and dressed all in black, chains dangling from his breeches.
Tony glanced over his shoulder and seemed to feel the urgency of getting through the mirror because he told Virginia,
"Do as he says. Quick," shoving Virginia toward the mirror. The Prince was already through, and father and daughter went through together. Wolf wasn't sure if the trolls had seen them or not. The three of them stepped through the mirror individually, thankfully not being smart enough to figure out how to turn off the mirror's magic. Wolf quickly stepped through, being careful to wait a decent amount of time and trying not to drop his books. He was home.
Unfortunately he was also in the cellar of the prison. He found a bag to carry his books in and looked back at the mirror, examining the frame. Of course it would have a hidden catch. He slid it back into place – the Prince must have activated it when he fell on it – and continued to follow Virginia and the dog, slinging the bag of books over his shoulder.
He wasn't concerned with pleasing the Queen so much any more. Now he wanted more than anything to please Virginia so she would see his love for her. He could still smell her faintly, the scent of troll unfortunately masking such a pleasant aroma. There was something still so familiar about it . . . and then he realized. She was the Queen's daughter! He frowned. Oh, dear. How should he handle this information? Should he tell Virginia, or not tell her? Which would please her most? In the end he decided not to tell her. Who wants to know that their mother is an Evil Queen who's sole mission in life is to carry out her predecessor's wishes of wiping out the House of Snow White? No, it was best for the time being that Virginia didn't know. He tried to determine the best way out of there. He looked around for a window or anything. He decided to follow Virginia's scent. He wanted to make sure she was safe from the Trolls. He tracked it all the way to the corridor housing the Queen's cell, which smelled strongly of Tony, dog, Virginia, and Troll. There was a sleeping guard on the floor. Troll dust. Oh, no! Had she been captured? Or was this the same troll dust that had been used to help the Queen escape? How long had he been gone? He could hear Tony yelling.
"Virginia!" Banging noises. It seemed he was trying to break open a door. "Virginia!" Wolf could hear the desperation in his voice. Virginia had been captured! He nearly dropped his books to run after her, remembering to hold onto them only because they were going to help him win her. He followed the scent of Troll desperately. It led him outside. He could smell Virginia better now; she was definitely outside. He slowed his pace and crouched behind a tree. The larger Troll had Virginia slumped over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Wolf wanted to rip out his throat. How dare he disgrace Virginia?! For a moment Wolf saw red and wanted to tear the world apart if only to keep Virginia safe from the Trolls. . . but Wolf was cunning and he knew that Trolls were stupid. He would outsmart them. But how?
More than anything, Trolls loved shoes, especially Royal Trolls. Their greediness for genuine leather was second to none. And what about Tony? He's in a cell, not in danger! I have to rescue Virginia! Maybe then she would love him . . .
The Trolls wrestled the owner out of a row boat and dumped a bulging bag and Virginia into it. Wolf winced. He hoped she wasn't hurt. Evidence of pink troll dust covered her jacket. She was sleeping.
"Shouldn't we go back for the dog," he heard one of the Trolls say. "The Queen will be very angry." The shorter male waved the objections away with a flick of his wrist.
"The Queen can suck an Elf as far as I'm concerned. We've captured the witch from the Tenth Kingdom. Let's go home and tell Dad." Wolf groaned. The Troll had said "home." That meant he'd have to enter the Third Kingdom. The others quickly agreed, eager to put some distance between them and the prison. Wolf guessed they had been prisoners, too. He glanced over his shoulder at the prison. Tony was in there with the dog, and Virginia was being carried away by Trolls. Well, I can't be everywhere at once, can I, he thought. He knew that the Queen would be displeased with him for letting the Prince go. But he's in a prison cell; he can't go anywhere. Wolf groaned. The Third Kingdom was dangerous, the Kingdom of the Trolls. He'd be risking his skin by going there, but he'd do it . . . for Virginia. When he was sure the Trolls were a safe distance away, he stole a smaller row boat, one he could handle himself, and began rowing.
Wolf smiled to himself. I have a chance now, he thought, to be Virginia's knight in shining armor. He looked down at himself, his books nearly spilling out of his bag, and frowned. Well, knight in blue coat in need of some serious self-help. Maybe he should read one of the books while he rowed. He picked up the first, entitled Breaking the Cycle, and began to read. It became more challenging to row a boat and read at the same time, so he alternated between the two for a while. He hoped by the time he reached the Troll King's castle he'd be a reformed wolf . . . and he still had to come up with a plan. A luscious scent reached Wolf's nose just then, and he sniffed the air. His stomach growled. He put down the book in favor of rowing to shore for some food.
It was a small village, nothing fancy. It wasn't even farming land, thank goodness. Wolf didn't know if he could resist the temptation right now. His nerves were shot to pieces and he usually gorged himself to the max when he was stressed. A little restaurant gave him the largest turkey leg they had, and he gobbled it up in no time. Wolf felt sad when he was gone; he wanted more, but he said his thanks and departures and was about to walk back down to the river when something caught his eye. Something pink . . . something that smelled strongly of leather. Wolf grinned and bought the bag, asking the vendor if it could be gift-wrapped. The man looked at him strangely as if to say, "Why are you buying a pink purse?" Wolf paid him and went back to the boat. He knew how to trick the Trolls.