Chapter 8- You're nothing but a coward

As the band of newly formed friends strode down the yellow brick road, the forest that enclosed the path grew darker and darker. Strips of light escaped through the branches, but it was not enough to brighten the surroundings. Molly felt cold sweat run down her spine as she became more nervous. She was in a world she knew nothing about, and her uncertainty of her surroundings made everything seem more dangerous than it really was.

Her paranoia reached its limit when a sudden loud noise made her pull back slightly. Tin Man and Scarecrow turned to her to see what was wrong. "Sorry...Its just...this forest, it rubs me the wrong way. That's all." Molly shrugged it off as if it was nothing and pressed on.

Disturbing thoughts crept into the back of her mind. What other creatures might be lurking here? She wanted answers. "Do you..." Molly turned to Tin Man to ask. "Do you know what other creatures live here?"she asked, trying to mask her fear.

"Hm...as I recall, mostly lions and tigers and bears," he replied. "Why do you ask?" he asked inquisitively.

Molly was not going to tell him the truth. "Oh, just curious." She smiled sheepishly. The tin man tilted his head back, and he looked at her suspiciously for a moment. The three of them continued further until a powerful, frightening growl resounded ahead. Impulsively, Molly grasped her hands tightly around the nearest arm of the tin man. He looked down and saw her clinging to his left arm. At first, he was tense and stiff from her touch. Then, he felt at ease. In fact, he even smiled at her.

Molly, too distressed by the situation, did not notice Tin Man's affections. Instead, she and Scarecrow were more concerned about the larger-than-life lion that was lunging toward them. With each jump closer, the lion let out a nasty growl. When he drew too close, the threesome detached. Scarecrow and Tin Man fell to the ground, and Molly took refuge behind a nearby tree.

The beast growled and snarled at each of them, terrifying them every time. None of them knew how to react. There was a threatening lion standing in their way. A lion?! What else could there possibly be?!

The animal bellowed a hearty laugh. "Ha, put 'em up, eh? I'll fight ya' both together if you want. Oh, pull an axe on me, eh. Scared, huh? Afraid, huh?" Molly recognized the voice, the accent. Lestrade?

While Molly's thoughts ran wild, Toby pounced on the lion and scratched at its fur. The beast flung the cat to the ground. Before he could do anything more, Molly slapped the animal across the face. "Don't you dare try and hurt him! Don't you dare!" Anger was building up inside her. "No one touches my cat. Do you hear me?" Scarecrow and Tin Man watched in awe as Molly set the lion straight.

"Oy! What was that for? I didn't bite him!" complained the lion.

"No, but you tried to." Molly watched as the lion kept howling in pain. "My goodness, what a fuss you're making. When you go on picking on people who are weaker than..." She stopped mid sentence. The lion's actions all made sense to her now. "Why, you're nothing but a coward."

"You're right. I am a coward. I haven't got any courage at all,"he admitted. Molly was stunned by his sincerity, and she pitied his lack of bravery. "I even scare myself! I've been a failure since I was a cub."

"What happened?"asked Scarecrow curiously.

"My father had given me a view of the forest I would survey, and it terrified me to take on that responsibility. So, I ran," replied the Cowardly Lion.

"Hm..too bad,"Tin Man added coldly. Molly gave him a disapproving look. "Sorry...um, that wasn't good." She smiled in response to his apology.

"Don't you think the wizard could help him, too?"asked Scarecrow quietly to Molly.

"I don't see why not." Molly turned to Lion. "Why don't you come with us? We're on our way to see the Wizard of Oz. To get him a heart," she said, pointing to Tin Man.

"And him, a brain,"he added, pointing to Scarecrow.

"I'm sure he could give you some courage!" Molly exclaimed, reassuring the frightened lion.

"Well, wouldn't you feel degraded to be seen in the company of cowardly lion? I would!"Lion commented sadly.

"No, of course not,"replied Molly, shaking her head.

"Thank you. Its just...My life has been simply unbearable."

"It's alright now. The Wizard will help us,"Molly said, trying once again to reassure the Cowardly Lion.

After a moment of a pause, the Lion had calmed down and questioned, "To Oz?"

Molly beamed, "To Oz!" She replied, welcoming the Cowardly Lion. All four of them continued the journey to the Emerald City, and Toby, too. Little did they know what the Wicked Witch of West had in store for them...


A/N: The gang's all here! Yay! Next up, poppies, Emerald city, and the wizard himself! Stay tuned, please leave a review, and thank you for your support.

To Oz! ;)