Disclaimer: This chapter is once again based off of something Bruce Timm said during his commentary of, "This Little Piggy." Apparently, one of the earlier versions of the storyline had the guys of the original seven turned into animals and Diana had to find them. Bruce said that it got too complicated to work…but I think if he would have done it THIS way….hehehe….everything would have been JUST FINE.
This is set right before "Ultimatum."
WARNING: This chapter was written while partaking of a glass of FINE Pinot Grigio wine and a tube of M&M Minis……….
THOU HAST BEEN WARNED……
-Folktail-
Once upon a time…..
-Wally's POV-
Wally coughed out the dust in his lungs as he slowly dragged his body over to the pond just a few feet away from him. Every bone in his body ached. He couldn't even find the strength to stand as he clawed his way through the reeds and cattails surrounding the water's edge.
His muscles gave out just as he was about to bend down and take a drink.
As he laid there panting for breath, his mind began to wander back to how he got into this predicament.
Considering he had been in the middle of downtown Metropolis before he fell unconscious, his now rural surroundings were a complete mystery to him…….
-Flashback-
Wally had just received an urgent message from Jónn that Circe was back and causing chaos. Supes and John had already gone missing as the situation worsened…
Flash ran up and down every side street and alley searching for the magical harlot.
Just as he was about to round another corner, he heard a very familiar grunt followed by a painful gasp. He quickly turned down the alley, just as Circe pinned Bats' neck to the wall.
Wally charged at full speed, but Circe froze him in his tracks… his fist had been just an inch away from her head.
"My, my…how rude!" declared the seductress with an evil smile, "Here Bruce and I were, having a perfectly normal conversation and you just barged in!"
Circe gave Bruce's windpipe a squeeze for good measure.
Wally tried to move with all his might, but he couldn't move an inch.
It was his worst nightmare.
And Circe could see it in his eyes.
With a flick of her wrist, vines grew out of the wall of the brick building and bound Bruce in place as she approached Wally.
"Leave the kid alone, Circe. I'm the one you want. Diana will come for me."
Circe just eyed the Dark Knight critically as she turned back to her new found prey.
"Oh, but what fun is a game with only three players my dear, Bruce? Besides…" she said almost breathlessly, "this one intrigues me…"
Wally felt his skin crawl as she drew nearer.
"Why the HELL are ALL the villainesses attracted to me?!" thought Wally as sweat began to trickle down his jaw line.
Circe gently lifted her hand up to his face and wiped the droplets away…but her hand lingered on the edge of his mask.
"Let him go, Circe!" yelled Bruce as he tugged at his tightening bonds.
She of course ignored him as she pulled back Wally's mask to reveal his frightened face.
"Well, well…aren't you the handsome one!" she exclaimed and kissed him full on the mouth with unbridled passion.
Wally's eyes were still wide with terror as she pulled back with a gleeful laugh.
Her hand lingered on his head, playing with his hair.
"What lovely red hair you have," she purred with lust, "……Yes, my dear one……I think I have the perfect form for you."
And with that a crazed look entered her eyes and she raised her hand and his whole body became racked with pain. It felt like every bone in his body was being twisted and rearranged. He screamed in agony until he finally collapsed onto the ground.
"Kid!" came Bruce's yell as Wally heard Circe laugh, "Don't worry Brucie, you're next!"
The last thing he remembered was Bruce's scream as he drifted off into unconsciousness.
And now there he was….so weak he couldn't even get a drink from a pond without a rest.
Wally took a deep breath and bent down toward the water's surface.
What he saw shocked him.
Instead of his face…he saw a little blue eyed, fox staring back.
Wally yipped in surprise as he staggered backwards, tripping over his tail.
"Wait a second! Tail?" thought Wally as spun around franticly watching his newly grown tail twitch behind him.
"No, this can't be happening!"
He looked down and saw that his hands had been replaced by little padded paws and his whole body was coved in red fur.
"For the love of Pete, I'm fuzzy!"
Wally then decided to dunk his face into the water hoping that it would wake him up.
He whimpered as he shook the water off and checked himself again.
"Yup…still a furry."
With a sigh he plopped back down onto the grass.
Well at least he knew now why he had been in so much pain…she turned him into a dang fox!
That was when a groan from not too far away caught Wally's attention.
Then it hit him.
"Bats!" called Wally as he pushed away his lingering pain and jumped over the bushes in search of his friend.
"Bats! You there?"
"K-kid?" came Bruce's voice from a pile of dead leaves.
Wally bound up to the mound and dug at the leaves with his tiny paws.
As the leaves fell away, Wally suddenly stopped at gasped at the form of a small black bat lying in the pile.
"B-bruce?" whispered Wally as he touched the bat's head with his paw.
Bruce's familiar groan came from the small form in front of him.
"Bats, it's me. Please wake up, I'm freaking out enough already as it is."
Bruce lifted his head up and looked vaguely around the area.
"So…kid….where are we? Circe… dump us in a cave or something?" asked Bruce as he slowly turned his head around.
With a groan Wally put his paws on his head in grief. He had caught sight of Bruce's glazed eyes.
"Oh god …. bats can't see."
"What does that mean?" inquired Bruce as he glared in Wally's general direction, "Of course, I see. Now tell me what's going on!"
Wally took a deep breath and looked down at Bruce with sympathy as he softly said,
"Actually, no…you can't see….Circe turned you into a bat. We're out in the middle of a forest …It's daylight, Bats."
"…"
It was one of the few times that Wally had ever seen Bruce speechless. He watched as his friend started to feel around in his new form…then Bruce muttered, "Not, again."
"AGAIN?! You mean you get turned into animals on a regular basis?" exclaimed Wally as Bruce scrunched his unseeing eyes in pain.
"Wally, I have really sensitive hearing now. Please refrain from screeching like that."
"Oops sorry, Bats," said Wally as he sat there with his tail between his legs.
"Anyway, it's long story….but I'll handle this. So…. what did you get turned into?"
Wally sighed, "A red fox and before you ask, I have no idea where we are. Metropolis isn't exactly known for its rustic beauty you know."
"Hmm…" said Bruce in thought as he contemplated this information. "We might be just outside of Smallville….it's not that far…."
"Yeah but….what the heck is Circe up to? What could be the point in turning you and me into animals?"
"Well…it is her trademark after all. But I don't think it was just you and I. Remember, John and Clark disappeared before we did."
Wally used his hind leg to scratch behind his ear, "So you think she is gunning for the guys of the original seven?"
Bruce just shrugged his wings, "Could be…she might be sending Diana on a wild goose chase for us. In the mean time, I think you and I should search for the others."
"But…" started Wally as Bruce tried to stand up, "Bruce, you can't see anything."
"I know. You're point?" asked Bruce with a growl as he flapped his wings.
Wally just rolled his eyes.
"Trust Bruce to get uppity at the mere mention of his limitations. I'll have to word this carefully, or he'll just fly off and get himself killed."
"None at all," said Wally with a sly foxy grin, "It's just that, you really can't be very stealthy during the day. A bat flying around would stick out like a sore thumb…."
Bruce's ears twitched showing that he was listening and Wally continued, "So until it gets dark out….you rest up by riding on my back. Then when it gets dark, you can scout all you like, deal?"
Bruce's growl was as good as a yes to Wally. The bat then grudgingly crawled up onto his back.
"Hehehe…that is IF you can tell it's dar,". thought Wally as Bruce crawled up his tail.
Even though he knew Bruce had all the abilities a real bat contained, he was still worried. He really didn't want Bruce going out there and doing something stupid when he was this vulnerable.
Wally winced as Bruce wrapped his wings around his neck "Ow! Would you watch the claws, Bats! That hurt!"
Bruce grumbled an apology as the duo started out on their journey.
-Bruce's POV-
He couldn't remember the last time he had been this vulnerable.
And it irritated him to no end.
Wally's sporadic snickering wasn't helping the situation either.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"What are you laughing at?"
"I'm not laughing at anything!"
Bruce sighed, "Wally, I'm on your back. I can feel you laughing. Now what is so damn funny!"
"It's just…well….you don't make a very threatening bat, Bats."
"Excuse me?!" growled Bruce as his anger started to make his little body shake.
"I mean…come on! You're a Fruit bat! Who's afraid of a FRUIT BAT?"
"I am NOT a Fruit bat!"
"Are too!"
"Just because I can't suck out your blood with these damn fangs doesn't mean I can't bite you, Fox-boy!"
"OH! I'm frightened now! You're fangs aren't even a centimeter long, Fruit Bat!"
Bruce felt his eye begin to twitch as his anger grew, "For the last time. I. Am. Not. A. Fruit. Bat! I AM A MICROBAT!"
Even as Bruce yelled it he knew it was a mistake, as both Wally and he cringed at the sudden loud noise.
"Ow…now I know how Clark feels…" groaned the fox as he sat down to rest a bit.
"Sorry…." said Bruce softly, "Let's promise each other we won't yell anymore until we get out of this."
"Deal."
After a few more minutes of silence, Bruce actually WANTED Wally to continue talking. At least, arguing with Wally kept his mind off of other more pressing matters….like how they were going to get out of this.
Luckily, Bruce didn't have to wait long.
"So… how do you know you're not a Fruit Bat?" asked Wally nonchalantly as he began walking again.
"Hmm.." replied Bruce sarcastically as if he was thinking, "I have no idea! You know other than the fact that I'm blind!"
Bruce felt Wally's body shiver when he said that.
Looks like he struck a nerve with the Kid.
"What's that got to do with anything?" asked Wally as he sniffed the air.
"Fruit bats can see," said Bruce frankly.
"No way! I thought all bats were blind!" exclaimed Wally clearly surprised.
"Nope. Fruit bats don't use echo location either. They are also fairly large. Judging by my size, I'd say I'm Microbat all right. They eat insects. Just like the ones in the, Bat-cave."
"Well…….that kinda ruins the mystic of it all, doesn't it?"
"Which is why you shall never breathe a word of this again, right?"
"If I had human lips right now, they would be sealed."
"Good for you."
Silence fell over the pair as they continued to embark on their journey.
But of course, Wally wouldn't let it continue for long.
It started with a small humming noise..
"Oh no. Please don't tell me he's going to do what I think he's going to do!" thought Bruce, as the little swift fox leapt into the air, and burst into song,
"Tell every-body I'm on my way!!! New friends and n-"
"NO!" screeched Bruce now sitting atop Wally's head.
"But-" whined the cute little fox.
"NO! It's bad enough that we got turned into animals! But I'll be DAMNED if I let you make this anymore like some child's corny FAIRYTALE!!!"
"Folktale," said Wally with a sniff of his up turned nose.
"You're pushing me to the end of my rope, kid."
Wally just grumbled under his breath about how unfair it was, because he liked folktales.
"Why am I not surprised?" thought Bruce with a roll of his eyes as the duo continued to journey further into the woods.
-Wally's POV-
Several hours had passed since Wally and Bruce had started traveling. The sun was finally starting to set and Wally was getting worried.
Since they had started traveling there had been no sign of civilization anywhere. That and the fact that he had promised to tell Bruce when it became dark was weighing on his mind.
He looked over his shoulder at the little bat sleeping curled up on his back.
Would he be okay if Wally let him venture out on his own?
Just then, a sharp cracking noise snapped him out of his reverie.
Wally instinctively crouched low to the ground and concentrated on listening to the space around them.
"Pss! Bats…wake up. I think we got trouble!" whispered Wally as he tried to decipher just which direction the sound had come from.
"Hmm?" came the groggy question from his back.
But Wally tuned the bat out as he suddenly heard a loud rumbling noise getting closer.
"Kid? You hear that?"
Wally didn't reply.
"Whatever it is, it's gaining on us fast! Make a decision West! Hide or fly!"
Wally quickly ran a bit further into the woods and dove into a pile of leaves. He could feel the grip of Bruce's small claws tighten around his neck, as the romping noise came closer.
Wally peaked out of the cracks between the leaves. He hoped whatever it was would just run by and leave them be.
It was dark now, so the poor little fox couldn't see much of anything. Then a loud thump shook the pile of leaves as some shadowy figure stopped right in front of them. Wally shivered as he heard a sniffing sound just outside.
Suddenly, the silhouetted beast outside let loose a long drawn howl to the moonlight. It leapt onto the pile and pinned Wally to the ground before he could get away.
"Bats! Get out of here!" yelled the fox as he struggled under the massive paw.
But before Bruce could do anything, the beast suddenly……….laughed?
"Hey, there you two are! About time we found you guys. See, I told you Jónn. The nose, knows."
Wally and Bruce froze and slowly turned to look up at their assailant now bathed in bright moonlight.
"John? That you?" asked Wally as he stared at the large form of a hound dog sitting next to him.
"Yup. And I have a passenger, too," said John as he motioned to the lizard seated on his back.
It sighed, "Hello everyone. It seems we all have gotten in over our heads, doesn't it?"
"Jónn?" asked Bruce as he flew up and landed on John's head, "What on earth are you doing here? I thought you were back on the Watchtower."
"After you and Wally went missing, I got worried so I left Mr. Terrific in charge and came to help….but I was no match for her powers," said Jónn as his eyes started darting around in different directions.
"Well whatever happened, Bats and I are sure glad it was just you two and not some wild animal ready to eat us."
"Yeah well…you two shouldn't really be traveling at night anyway. Jónn and I were just about to settle down when I caught you're smell."
Bruce remained silent, but Wally could feel his glare on his back.
"Uh huh….let's see now, there's a small ridge over there. What do you say the four of us wait out the rest of the night under there?"
"Sounds like a plan, hotshot," said John as he and Wally made their way over to the resting place.
After Wally and John laid down, Bruce suddenly flapped his wings and took off into the air.
"I'll scout out the area using echo location," said Bruce coldly as he glided off into the night.
Wally just let out an exasperated groan and put his paws down over his pointy ears, "He's never going to let this one go."
"Let what go?" asked as John as he looked at the forlorn fox.
Wally then told John of the argument the two had had when they had first started out.
"Oooo…he's not going to let that go."
"This is what I said."
After several minutes of silence, Wally finally said with a toothy, sly grin,
"So…you got turned into Old Yeller?"
John gave the fox a low growl as Jónn chuckled a bit from the dog's back.
Wally then burst out singing, "You ain't nothin' but a hound dog
Cryin' all the time. You- "
"Wally, I'd watch it if I were you."
"Man! You and Bruce are sucking the fun out of this whole experience!"
"Fun? You find this fun?"
"Well…not particularly, no. But we could make the most of it!"
"And how do you suggest we do that?"
"Sing!"
Both animal-men glared at him.
"Oh, come on! It's fun."
"…"
"Spoil sports," grumbled Wally as he turned away from the two with a huff.
-Bruce's POV-
Bruce rolled his eyes as he flew away from them.
He was quite glad to get some alone time to think. The bat was still steamed that Wally hadn't told him that night had fallen.
"Like I can't handle being on my own," thought Bruce as he clicked his vocal cords a few times to take in more of his surroundings. It was really weird. He could picture the area really well in his head. His sonar picked up every tree, animal and leaf in the forest. It was like he could see, but without color. He glided on the air currents almost effortlessly as he sniffed the cool night air.
It was, in a word, exhilarating…..
But certainly not fun.
As Bruce alighted to a near by branch, his stomach gave a loud rumble.
"Uh oh…didn't think of that," thought Bruce as he realized that had used up a lot of energy flying around.
"The others must be hungry as well, especially the kid. He did do all the walking today."
Bruce sniffed the air and searched for any sign of food. As he landed at the base of a near by oak tree, he heard a small scratching noise. After a little digging, he hit the jackpot, a whole nest of large juicy beetles.
As he grabbed one in his fangs he gave a mental sigh,
"Great, I've resorted to eating insects. I'm never going to live this down."
After Bruce had eaten his full, he wrapped the rest in a large leaf, stuck it in his mouth and headed back towards the others.
It didn't take him long to find them. It wasn't everyday that a lizard, a dog and a fox stayed together at night.
Bruce glided down, but miss judged his landing and ended up crashing into a nearby bush.
He could feel the humor radiating off of Wally as he and John approached him.
Bruce spat out the leaf bundle he was carrying and said, "Not one word."
"I said nothing," said Wally calmly as he pawed at the branches of the plant trying to help Bruce out.
"But you were thinking it," growled Bruce as he picked up his leaf parcel and glided over to Jónn.
"I found us some food," said Bruce as he unwrapped the leaf.
"Really!" exclaimed Wally, "What- EWWW! Bugs?"
Jónn saw no problem with this at all and started devouring a beetle.
"Mmm…crunchy," mumbled Jónn as he started on another one.
"Don't knock it, hotshot," said John as he licked a few up with his tongue, "In the army, you learn you do what you have to, to survive. We're all going to need our strength tomorrow, so eat up. This maybe the only food we get in a long while, this is no time to be proud."
Wally put his tail between his legs and flopped down onto the ground.
"I know…" whispered Wally as he started munching on his food.
"Well," said Bruce as he hovered above the ground, "since I ate already, I'll take first watch. John, you and the others get some rest. I'll wake you in an hour."
Just as he was about to leave, he heard Wally say,
"Um…. Bats… thanks for the food. You really came through. And…I'm sorry."
Bruce gave a mental sigh, "How am I support to stay mad at him when he's acting this pathetic? Especially knowing that I'd do the exact same thing if I were in his shoes."
"It's okay, kid. I get it. Now get some rest, it's going to be a long night."
And with that he flew up into the trees, but down below, he knew Wally sent him a smile.
-Wally's POV-
The next morning, our heroes started out bright and early. Jónn and Bruce were once again sitting on John and Wally's backs. Wally still feeling ashamed at underestimating Bruce's abilities yesterday as he asked, "Are you sure you want to ride with me?"
"A ride's a ride," said the little bat as he hopped onto Wally's back.
This made Wally smile. He was glad Bruce had forgiven him.
Of course, Wally being Wally couldn't help but spread his good mood around to others.
"You know what? This reminds me of a folktale my grandma use to tell me called, 'The Musicians of Bremen.' It was one of my favorites!"
"Yeah…I think I remember that one. Is that the one where the old animals escape their masters and travel around singing?" asked John.
"Yup! That's the one. I always wanted to run off and have an adventure like they did."
John laughed, "Why am I not surprised?"
"Well, this is kinda like that story. I mean we have a dog….there was no fox or bat in that one….but….Hey, Jónn?"
"Yes, Wally?" replied the Martian as he trained his rapidly moving eyes on Wally.
"Just what in the heck are you anyway? Are you like Geico?"
"I….beg your pardon?"
"You know! Geico the gecko!"
Bruce sighed and tugged on Wally's ear with his wing.
"Wally he's not a gecko."
"Well he looks like a gecko…"
"No, he doesn't."
"Yes….he does."
"No. He doesn't!"
"Oh, this from the dude who can't see!"
"Well apparently my senses are better than yours even though I am blind!"
"Watch it, bite sized snack!"
"You want a bite? I can give you that!"
Wally snorted, "We had this conversation before centimeter fangs! You're in no position to threaten me!"
"Take that back, fuzz ball!"
As the argument continued to elevate, John and Jónn shared an exasperated look.
"There they go again," sighed John.
"How long do you think this one will last?" asked Jónn, curiously.
"Don't know. They both have such thick heads….this could go on for hours…"
As Bruce bit Wally's ear, the fox tried to kick the bat off his back as John asked,
"So Jónn….just what are you anyway?"
"I believe I am a chameleon actually…"
"Really," inquired John over the sounds of the fight. "Hey! Wait a sec…do you still have your powers?"
Jónn sighed, "Not really, I can change into other lizards and different colors but that's about the extent of my abilities."
The loud noise of, "GAAHHH! Bats! Let go of my tail!"
"No way in hell!" broke off their conversation for a second before it resumed.
"Well…my ring isn't on my paw so I can't use mine."
"…You think Wally can?"
"Uh…let's ask him later…" said John unsure as he watched the bat and the fox roll around on the ground, kicking up dust.
"Speaking of powers, where do you think Superman is?"
"Hmm…don't know. He went missing the same time I did, right?"
"Yes, maybe-"
"OKAY! That's it! I'm scouting ahead!"
"Bats! Wait-"
"No. We both need some space! You stay here with the others."
"But-" Wally was about to mention it was daylight. But he really didn't want to make Bruce anymore pissed at him.
With a huff, Bruce flew away into the trees….
"So…What were you guys talking about?" asked Wally as he turned back to his friends.
-Bruce's POV-
"Stupid kid. Getting into another argument with me…" thought Bruce as he flew through the air.
Just as he was about to land on a tree branch, when he heard a loud screech from above.
He flew quickly right. The diving bird missed him by mere inches.
"Shit! I should have known. I'm a big target out in the daylight," thought Bruce as he quickly flew back toward the others.
The bird of prey didn't take long to recover. Once again, it screeched and dove.
He swerved quickly to avoid the trees. The bird plowed into a large branch, but that didn't stop him. He took off after Bruce even faster than before.
Bruce knew time was running out and he had to think fast.
So he bobbed and weaved through the maze of trees, drawing the bird closer to the ground.
But the bird would not be deterred from its meal.
Just as its talons were about to close in on the innocent little bat, a blur of red leapt through the sky and tackled the bird to earth.
"Bruce! You okay?" called John from the ground.
The little bat just flapped his wings and hovered there, trying to slow his heart rate back to normal.
"Yeah…but what in the heck did you guys do to stop him?" asked Bruce as he flew back down to the ground.
"We figured out that some of our powers still work even though we're animals," said John as he led Bruce over to where Wally had the bird pinned.
"So Wally used his super-speed to leap into the air and tackle the bird once it got close enough."
Bruce used his echo location and saw Wally snarling at the bird.
"No one tries to beat up my friend, but me!"
That was when the most surprising thing of all happened….the bird spoke back to him.
"Wally?" the eagle asked innocently as if it had just woken up from a dream.
"What the- SUPES! Is that you?!" exclaimed the fox as he jumped off of his friend.
"Uh….yeah…um sorry about that Bruce, I was REALLY hungry," said the eagle knowing he was about to get it from the little bat.
"WHAT IN THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!" screeched Bruce at the top of his lungs making everyone cringe. "You could have killed me!"
"I WASN'T! I-I was just SO hungry! And then instinct took over….Well how was I supposed to know it was you! It wasn't like you were talking then!" yelled Clark in defense.
"WHOA! Wait a second guys," said Wally getting between the two, "If that's true Clark, this could be REALLY bad."
"What do you mean?" asked Jónn sitting up on John's shoulder.
"What I mean is…that our instincts are starting to take over…if it continues….we might not be able to change back."
This revelation was met with absolute silence.
"Then we have to find Diana fast," said Clark. "Come on, she's not that far away. She found me and sent me out to find all of you. I'll explain on the way."
-Wally's POV-
And so with the friends reunited, they now raced against the clock to get to Diana before their instincts took hold….and forgot they were human.
Apparently after Circe turned all the men of the original seven into animals, she gave Diana an ultimatum. She had 48 hours to find her friends before the spell became permanent. If she found them before the time limit was up, Circe would change them back, no strings attached.
But if not, she'd lose her friends forever.
With the aid of B'wana Beast, (whose flirtatious behavior she was barely tolerating) she had been searching the forest and had found Clark. After Beast told him what was going on, Clark went out to search for the others on his own, agreeing to meet at the rendezvous before night fall of the second day.
With Clark flying on ahead showing them the way, they were making pretty good time.
Bruce had been silent ever since he climbed onto Wally's back several hours ago.
Wally could tell Bruce didn't really know what to say to him after saving his life. So the little fox just let it slide and walked on in silence….
Until, Bruce broke it.
"So kid….What kind of bird did the Boy Scout get turned into anyway?" asked Bruce casually as if to stir up conversation.
Wally couldn't help but smile at the gesture,
"What bird do you THINK he got turned into?"
"Let me guess………Bald Eagle?"
Wally snorted, "Of course. What else would the all American Boy Scout be?"
"HEY! I HEARD THAT!" yelled Clark from the sky.
"YEAH, WELL WHAT YOU GOING TO DO? TAKE A PISS ON US?" was Wally's come back as Bruce silently laughed on his back.
"Hey kid…."
"Yeah, Bats?"
"Thanks."
"No prob."
And that was all that needed to be said.
Then from high above their heads Clark exclaimed, "Hey guys! Let's sing a song!"
Everybody groaned, but then joined in anyway,
"Tell everybody I'm on my way! New friends and new places to see! With blue skies ahead! Yes, I'm on my way and there's nowhere else that I'd rather be!"
John and Jónn carried the baseline while Clark and Wally sang tenor. And of course, Bruce stayed silent through it all, but Wally could tell he was having fun, too.
Suddenly, Clark called out, "GUYS! I see Diana! She's just over the next hill!"
The band of animals came upon a large hill covered in green grass with a great oak tree growing at the top. There Diana stood with B'wana Beast waving at them franticly as the sun was setting behind them.
The group had finally come to the end of their journey. John and Wally ran up and tackled Diana to the ground and licked her face.
"It's great to see you guys, too!" laughed Diana as she tried to push John and Wally off of her.
"See, I knew we'd find dem, hotstuff!" said B'wana Beast making a clicking noise while pointing his index finger like a gun.
"Hera, give me strength." whispered Diana as she sat up.
All her friends snickered as she brushed herself off.
"So…who's who…." asked Diana as she looked at each of her friends.
She gave the entire group the critical eye as she said, "Well…I know already that Clark is the Bald Eagle…..and since Mari told me John's favorite movie is "Old Yeller" I'd have to say the hound dog is you, right?"
John gave an affronted "woof" of admission as Diana petted his head.
"And the chameleon on your back has to be Jónn, because he just turned bright pink."
Jónn nodded his head yes.
"So that means there's just two possibilities left…" said Diana as a cute red fox with big blue eyes bounded up to her looking sad.
"Aww! Never seen a fox with blue eyes before, this little red haired guy must be Wally." said Diana as Wally barked his affection at being scratched behind the ear.
"And then all that leaves is-"
Diana stopped as she saw the head of a little black bat hide behind Wally's back.
Diana smiled and gave Wally a cunning look. "Wally…is that Bruce on your back?"
His foxy snicker and Bruce's anguished squeak was all the answer she needed.
Carefully she dislodged Bruce's claws from Wally's back and held him gently in her hands…then she slowly brought him up to her lips and sweetly kissed him on the top of his head.
The little bat squeaked in embarrassment just as Circe appeared out of the blue.
"Well my dear. You played the game very well. And as much as it pains me to admit it, you won," she quickly stated.
And with a snap of her fingers, all five men returned to their human forms,
………completely in the nude.
"GAHH!!" was the universal scream of the men as they discovered this fact. They quickly crouched down to the ground trying to maintain whatever dignity they had left.
The only one that didn't have a problem was Jónn, being that he could immediately shape shift his clothes back on.
"Damn Martians and their ability to keep their decency!" thought Wally as he and the other guys glared vengefully at Jónn. To this, the Martian merely shrugged.
Bruce though, was the unluckiest by far….having been in Diana's hands at the time, he now found himself completely naked, draped in her arms.
Needless to say, the Dark Knight's face was quickly becoming beet red.
"WHOA! Jeeze!" said B'wana Beast as he tried to cover his eyes, "Diss is NOT what I signed up for!"
"Have fun, Diana! ... You can thank me later," said Circe as she turned and gave Wally a hungry look.
The blushing red haired man gulped as he shifted a bit to make sure he was still covered.
"Toodles!" exclaimed the seductress as she disappeared.
"CIRCE!!" yelled Diana as she ceremoniously dropped Bruce's naked butt onto the ground.
"Umm…I'm gonna head back to the tower now, Di. See yah!" said B'wana Beast as he teleported out of there.
"BEAST! You'd better come back with clothes! Otherwise I swear I'll find you and kill you!" yelled Wally at the top of his lungs.
And they all lived… Embarrassedly Ever After….
"Mom?" asked the little fairy child as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.
"Yes?"
"That was the crappiest bedtime story I've ever heard."
-THE END-
Author's Notes: SEE, in the end it was a Fairy Tale! Get it? Hehehe. I love puns.
There! One BIG long chapter for you all! Hope you all liked this randomness. This was REALLY fun to write. Oh and I don't own the rights to any of the products or songs I quoted.
Now, I'm sure you're all wondering how long this story is going to be. In total, it will have seventeen chapters as of now. While updates will be a bit sporadic, I won't give up on this fic. I have big plans for this and the sequels, so stay tuned.
Next Time!
I go very dramatic on you. I won't give it away, but Diana fans, you'll REALLY want to read the next chapter:
"Immortal"
Write you all again later! And Please Review!
