HAPPY NEW YEAR! And Chrismahannukwaanzika and all that. Just a little last-minute-of-the-year update for you all. I tried so hard to finish the next chapter of Fears in time, too, but you can't rush creativity—that update will have to wait for the next full moon. But for now, enjoy this little goodie. It's the first chapter written out of my brand new suede-covered journal.

Captain Rika Kisuktai: That is exactly the right question to ask. And I'm sorry, but if I answered it, I'd be giving away spoilers to the threequel. Huh? Threequel? What threequel? I didn't say anything about a threequel... :o

Disclaimer: The only copyright infringement you'll find is the musical soundtrack.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Land Inside Her Head

The next morning the lass was bouncing around on deck, as hyper as if she had had cheese and chocolate, obviously much rested. She was not fully up to par just yet as far as magic went, and it would take a few days for her to fully recover, but there was such a change in her energy that James, equally refreshed, was inclined to ask, "What on Earth have you been eating?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. The Doctor made my honeyed milk. He said it would help me feel better."

"Well it worked," he observed with a hint of disapproval. "What else has he given you?"

"Besides you?" A beat of meaningful silence. "Just the honeyed milk. Oi, you know what I've just realised? I haven't been random in ages." And she immediately dove into the Pirate Rap, causing James to roll his eyes and facepalm. "'Yo-yo-yo-ho-o, yo-yo-yo-ho. Yo-yo-yo-ho-o, yo-yo-yo-ho!

"'I'm a pirate, a pirate I be/ and just like Johnny Depp it is a pirate's life for me./ We sail across the ocean and we take the seven seas/ and we battle false authority and bring it to its knees. Yo-yo-yo-ho-o, yo-yo-yo-ho—arr—Yo-yo-yo-ho-o, yo-yo-yo-ho!

"'He's Chumbucket an' I'm Cap'n Slappy./ We gots ta keep it funky it we wants ta make ye happy./ We get yer toe tappin', tip-tip-tappy-tappy./ Be sure to use some lip balm or yer lips'll get all chappy. Yo-yo-yo-ho-o, yo-yo-yo-ho—They get chappy now!—Yo-yo-yo-ho-o, yo-yo-yo-ho!

"'We kick it with our crew, yeah we kick it at our leisure./ We're lookin' for adventure, but we really want some treasure./ And when we're swash-a-bucklin', yeah we're doin' it for pleasure./ We talk like William Shakespeare in 'is plays measure for measure. Yo-yo-yo-ho-o, yo-yo-yo-ho—With a thee and a thou!—Yo-yo-ho-o, yo-yo-yo-ho!

"'Some people say we're nasty and we're horrible and horrid/ fighting battles on the beaches and we always leave the shore-d/ with the blood of nameless families. Yeah we're taking what they store-d./ If they pummel and resist us, we'll just knock 'em in the forehead. Yo-yo-yo-ho-o, yo-yo-yo-ho—With a blunderbuss!—Yo-yo-yo-ho-o, yo-yo-yo-ho!

"'Fifteen men on a dead man's chest—yo ho ho and a bottle of—Ev'rybody!'" The Doctor and Harkness, who had since appeared topside and had been bobbing their heads, eagerly joined in, causing James to look skyward and ask God, most insincerely, why he was still here. "'Fifteen men on a dead man's chest—yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! Fifteen men on a dead man's chest—yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! Fifteen men on a dead man's chest—yo ho ho and a bottle of rum. Arrr...!'"

The Time Lord and his Companion applauded, Demon and James shared amused expressions, and poor Theodore was beginning to look uncertain about just what he had gotten himself into. The lass took her bows, quite delighted at the positive reception to her insanity. "Thank you, thank you. And on that bombshell, let's get my adoring fans back to their own Realm."

"Aw, so soon?" cried the Doctor. "It would be something, wouldn' it?" he said to Jack. "Being pirates an' all, eh? What d'you think?"

"Doctor. We need to get out of here. I've been ready to leave since I got here."

"You're right. We don't belong here. I'll have to settle for playing pirate in my own universe."

Jack put an hand on his shoulder in mock sympathy. "It's for the best."

"Now, just what are you planning on doing? Do you need any help, anything I can do?"

"I need to you think about where you were when I summoned you. Were you in the present?"

"Yes," they both answered.

She raised an eyebrow. "Convenient. I need you to visualize your world; where you were last. Got it?" They nodded. She entered their minds, and Harkness startled at the intrusion. "Don't mind me; I need that mental image for a reason. All right, everybody, join hands—or paws, or whatever. No offense."

"None taken," Demon sighed as Norrington scooped him up and the four humans joined hands.

"Oy. Here we go," she announced. "Three. Two. One. Blastoff." Silvery smoke surrounded them, filled the air, and made it impossible to see anyone or anything beyond a few feet away. The pitch and roll of the Ivalice grew choppier and more violent. "Keep a hold," the lass warned, and her companions looked to see that they could barely see her, only a few feet away. Suddenly, the deck plunged violently forward, and they all were thrown down, landing in a heap. Almost immediately afterward, the current smoothed, and the smoke cleared enough to see their beloved Ivalice.

"The sails," said Theodore, and everyone looked up to see them slackening, then filling again with a wind that came from a different direction than it had been mere moments before.

As their brave little boat. Sailed on through the fog, the cloud began to thin. First they saw the sun shining through, and then, like a veil, the mists parted and they found themselves afloat on a great river bordering an even greater, grey city. "Sorry for the turbulence– apparently our realms are twenty degrees different from one another. Please put your trays in the upright and locked position, and thank you for choosing 'Air Pirate'."

"I know this place," murmured James. "This is the Thames. We're in London!"

"You recognize it? It looks nothing like it did in your time period," replied a skeptical lass.

"It feels like the same place. And no other city could ever be that shade of grey. It is London."

"You seem rather excited about that shade of grey," commented the Doctor.

"I never thought I would see it again. Then again, I never thought I would see anything again." He steered them for the docks, then looked at the lass. "You brought the whole ship with us?" he asked belatedly.

"I've never been to London, you know. I thought a cruise on the Thames would be nice and relaxing after all the excitement." As they moored their little boat, a nearby fire hydrant exploded.

"Oh but the excitement's only just begun!" cried the Doctor with apparent glee.

"The Shadow Proclamation are on Earth?"

"No, but their lackeys are. They're having quite a large battle with the Judoon right now, acsh'ly; underground in the sewer system. You comin'?"

"Sounds like fun," she agreed. "But maybe some other adventure; I've got a mission of my own."

"Right. Well, come back and visit any time. And here, take this. Consider it a gift for an adoring fan." Playing with his ear, he reached into his pocket and handed her a small silver device.

She stared at it in awe as she took it from him. "But—won't you—won't you need it?" she stuttered.

"Nahh, I've got spares. The TARDIS is on the way there. Besides, you may need to use it. I'd love to chat, but I've got a planet to save. Now Jack—did you learn your lesson?"

"If the Doctor destroys it, let it stay destroyed," Jack grumbled. "Yeah, I get it."

"Molto bene!—Allons-y!" They took off into the city.

"Doctor!" He turned to face her, running backwards. "Thank you!" Even from the distance he had already put on, she could see his foxy grin.

"Amy," murmured James, "You don't suppose that the final one could be here, do you?"

"I don't know. He could just as easily be here as he could in the House realm, or Monk, or Psyche, or Burn Notice; but on most of those, every one and every thing you meet is an anomaly; it would be impossible to tell. We should go back and talk to Tia Dalma. Besides, we need to get you fixed up the rest of the way."

"I am as 'fixed up' as can be. You healed me."

She stopped dead. "What?"

"Well not entirely, but—."

"I healed you?"

"My ribs don't hurt, and the sprain is gone. My arm is not even broken any more. The only thing still hurts is my shoulder, but that is always a bother."

"James, that wasn't me."

"What do you mean?"

"All I did was drive out the poison."

"Yes, but you were so focused on making me better that you healed me also."

Deep down, she knew it wasn't true. Something else had healed him. "Well we still need to talk to Teacher. Besides, we need to introduce Demon."

"Speaking of whom, where is he? And where has Theodore gotten to?"

"Somewhere not here," she answered helpfully. They turned around to see the two standing a short way off, staring at the great city. "Hey guys, can we hurry this up? Got stuff to do."

"A different world," murmured Theodore. "I'm standing on a different world!"

"Cool, innit? But we've gotta split. There's only about a fortnight left to get Jack straightened out, and it we miss our deadline, we're dead."

"Aye, let's go." Demon took one last sniff at the city, then upped and trotted after them."

"Come on, Theodore!"

"I can't believe I'm in a different world," a dumbfounded Groves stumbled after them.

"All aboard!" the lass rand the ship's bell. "Let's do this." The sails were loosed, and the Ivalice moved back out into the river. "Here we go..." The fog rolled in again, and the little boat sailed off into another Realm. Once they were back in the Caribbean, Amy took out the sonic screwdriver and examined it. "You know," she said as she sat back to take the tiller, "it's gonna feel a lot emptier without those two around. They could fill a room."

"Oh please," James rolled his eyes. "You only say that because you've idolized the man. What is that thing, anyway?"

"It's a tool. A very handy tool. And I have absolutely no idea how to use it. Isn't that brilliant?"

"Fascinating. Two points to starboard, if you please."

"Aye-aye."

"If my calculations are as accurate as Theodore's charts, we should make the Patano by tomorrow morning."

"Great. I don't want to have to poof us there. I'm all poofed out."

"Which is why you don't transport an entire boat with us."

"Too late, mate. Call it practice for future possibilities."

"Speaking of possibilities, why didn't you transport us there when I was ill? I am sure Teacher could have found a cure, and then we'd be on our way."

"I was afraid to move you. I was afraid that any magic would only make you worse."

He stared at her very gravely for several moments. "You do not trust your own magic, no matter how well you can control it. If you wish to survive this war, you are going to have to start, do you understand?"

"Yes, sir," with downcast eyes, and he knew she didn't agree with him.

———————————————————————————————————————

When she emerged on deck the next morning, the great hulking shape of Cuba rose, a green-black shadow on the horizon not far off. Within an hour, they made port in the small town where Jack's crew had based themselves. "Well, Theodore, I guess this is goodbye," said the lass. "Thank you for all the help, mate."

"It's not goodbye just yet—I'm coming with you."

"What."

"It came to me as we were standing in that strange London—this is a chance to see other worlds. I want to see, I want to travel—I want to help you find Sparrow."

"You do realise you have just offered to assist a pirate."

"I don't care."

"Can't beat that logic," shrugged the girl. "Demon, what about you?"

"D'you even have to ask?"

"Right. And then there were four!"

They docked the Ivalice and rented some horses; they would be traveling to Teacher's by land. It felt good to ride a horse again—in Narnia she had been too small—and she was delighted to see how much improved James's riding had gotten. A little before noon, they arrived in the bayou. Leaving their mounts tied to a branch on firmer ground, they waded through the water—Demon perched on James' shoulders—and entered the shack. Amy had not been here since her brief visit to leave Curiosity. James had not been here longer. Theodore and Demon looked around in wonder at the odd things on the shelves and hanging from the ceiling—the latter's tail fluffed out at the sight of an albino anaconda big enough to swallow him whole.

"Tia Dalma?" the lass called. "We're back."

The mystic came out to greet them, with a small smile sent in Norrington's direction. But before she met them, she spotted Demon. "You haf bring a demon wit you," she cried. "Him must be expelled!" She lunged toward the cat, who crouched low against the floor.

Amy stepped between them, and the mystic halted, her eyes flashing with anger. "He's changed."

"A demon cannot change."

"He's a part of the team. He's here to help."

"I'm only a cat, mum. That's all I am. Nothing demon left about me, mum, not but my name."

"Whatever you planned on doing to him, it's not happening."

"Amy," James hissed, miffed at the lack of respect.

However, Tia Dalma's anger dissipated. "So be it. But take cyer o' de allies you choose," she replied, eyes running over Groves. "Come. You must bind Curiosity into de body."

"I can't. Not yet. I've been using a lot of magic lately—more than I should. I'm not at full strength just now, and if I were to bring them together now, it would take days for me to recover before we could go to whatever Realm the final manifestation is in. We need to secure the stability of our Realms before we can think about Jack."

"One is more important than de other. Perhaps you haf learned somet'ing after all."

"Quite possibly. We have about twelve days until the premier. That's not as much time as I would like, but there is still a chance, depending on the world we need to go to."

"Then we need to find that Realm," resolved James.

"To find it, first we mus' determine which emoshun is manifest."

"Which emotion is missing? We have found love and wisdom, pride, humour, self-confidence, fear and trust, and curiosity. What is left?"

"Each man'festashun embodies multiple traits, too. A human is made up o' more dan seven parts, but de Shatterin' limited ta seven man'festashuns. We mus' understand which emoshuns were manifest 'neath those we seen."

"Then it could be anything," the lass sighed. "I need a snack." She went into the back room.

"Now is no time to be thinking about your stomach," James called after her.

But she wasn't eating because she was hungry. He watched in bewilderment as she mashed up several herbs in a small wooden bowl and mixed honey with it. "For clarity of mind and memory." She dipped her fingers in and sucked off the sticky mixture. The herbs brought it a strange, spicy flavour that was not unpleasant. She sat on a table and ate, very slowly. When the bowl was at last empty, she crossed her legs and took up the lotus position.

"You meditate?" he asked incredulously.

"This would be the first time. Perhaps it would be best if you left me in peace."

"And this will yield you an answer?"

"Possibly." Without opening her eyes, she sensed him leave the room. Taking a deep breath, she allowed her mind to float to a higher level, where she began to explore the natures of each manifestation. As she was meditating on the connexion between Fear and Trust, something brought her back to earth, and she opened her eyes to see, sitting beside her in the same position, none other than Jack Sparrow. "Oh my God."

He opened his eyes and turned to smirk at her. "Ello, poppet."

"Jack!" Tears in her eyes, she threw her arms around him.

He laughed and returned the embrace. "I suppose you must know me."

"Don't you remember me?" she asked, perplexed.

"I don't," he answered with the same cheerfulness. "Can't remember a thing. Is 'Jack' my name? I like the sound o' that."

It suddenly didn't matter that he had no memory. He was here, and he was speaking; she was at last reunited with the man who had acted as a surrogate parent to her in the time that she had been without home. "How have you been lately—that you can remember?"

"Everything is new."

"And you're okay with that?"

He stroked the fox, which lay between them and was almost never apart from him. "Can't be anything but."

"But you have no idea who you are, or the legacy of the person you were. You're incomplete. Aren't you upset? Aren't you mad?" He only exchanged a confused expression with Curiosity. He didn't understand what anger was. "That's what's missing," she realized. "Anger." She bounced into the next room. "Anger is the final one," she announced.

"Your meditation told you that?" James asked with raised eyebrow.

"No. Jack told me that." And right on cue, the pirate followed her into the room, the fox at his heels. James inhaled sharply. This was the first time he had seen the man he called his brother since that day he had betrayed the Navy. But the innocent, Shattered amnesiac did not even spare him a glance.

"I tire," he told the mystic.

"You been tryin' t' remember, haven't you?" she scolded him. "You must not do this til complete. Mus' not even try."

"I want to know them," he murmured softly, and for all his strange innocence, the words did not seem out of place with the pirate they all knew.

"Than we'll find that last manifestation and bring it back to you," Amy promised.

"Go and rest," Tia Dalma ordered. "Give us time to t'ink." He did as bidden, the red fox trotting after him. "Now: Anger."

"How shall we go about finding this one?" James asked warily.

The answer, "Anoder Yume ritual," confirmed his fears.

"Are you certain there is no other way?"

"Is dat fear?" she asked with a teasing smile. "De great Comm'dore afear'd o' dreams?"

"No. The great commodore is afraid of becoming a violent, raving lunatic," the lass replied bluntly.

"We went mad while we were on the Oblivion," Theodore explained. "Nearly killed the captain—he deserved it of course—but he had a gun on the girl, too."

Tia Dalma's teasing expression was replaced with gravity. "I fear for her safety, should it happen again," Norrington confessed. Theodore was surprised: normally, James would wait until he was in private to express uncertainty or inconfidence. Perhaps it was because he no longer cared. Or perhaps it was because the lass already knew his fears.

"Anoder Yume will only make t'ings worse," the mystic confirmed.

"But then how will we determine the final Realm?"

"It doesn't matter. I already know where it is," said the lass in a low growl.

"Doo you?"

"One very close to me, innit. Get your armour on, James. You'll be needing it." Without giving them a chance to argue or ask questions, she was out the door, off to climb her favourite tree and sit, looking out over the jungle, to compose herself before facing the evils of her own imagination.

Theodore and Demon, neither having 'armour', and not knowing what to do with themselves, followed her outside. The former looked warily up into the tree, concerned the lass might fall, while the cat, completely unworried, lay down at its roots, his paws tucked under his chest, and stared with a contented purr out at the river and the bayou. James came out not much later, that leather armour once again in place. "You know, I really do hate this thing."

"It's helped you before," replied the lass from above.

"That doesn't mean I have to like it," he called back.

At the sight of him, Theodore could only laugh. "You know, it fits you, James. Ha. Watch out, Master Norrington is at the head of the latest wave of fashion! Leather? That must be so helpful. And a scarf! What lifesaving material!"

"It is," James replied solemnly, showing him the scores from the claws of Heartless, the slices from the swords and pikes of Narnia; even an arrowhead that was embedded in a plate on his chest. "Now, to have an important discussion." He scrambled up into the tree. "Come along."

"Wouldn't it be easier to simply call her down?" suggested Theodore.

"What? Can't you climb a tree?" James smirked. "She would not come down, should I ask. Stubborn creature," he muttered, and continued into the canopy. Exchanging bewildered expressions, Groves and Demon could only follow.

When at last they found a perch, they found the girl and former-commodore looking at them with impatient expressions. "You know, Rebecca, I would think that years of climbing into the shrouds would have made you a decent climber."

Groves rolled his eyes and muttered, "Piss off," under his breath.

"Oy!" cried the lass, who it seemed was remarkably keen of hearing. "Language!"

"Oy yourself, you. What about this world we're going to?" James steered them back on track. "How do you know that Anger is where you assume it to be?"

"It's the world I created. Anger is there because I made up that story out of anger toward humankind, and as you said, it's very likely now a real place."

"You are certain Anger will be there?"

She sighed. "Tia Dalma said it was all connected to me. Love was found in the Realm I love the most, as was Trust; Laughter came in a Realm that brings me delight; Curiosity in a land of wonder. Surely Rage would reside in a land that harbors my anger."

"No need to snap," grumbled Theodore.

"No. She is being influenced by the manifest emotion. This world is in her mind—which means that Anger is inside her as well," James explained. "Although—that does not explain why she has not been acting more angry the rest of this time."

"I haven't been thinking about it. I wrote about six pages in the beginning of a story back when I first made it up, then got writer's block and haven't thought about it since. Now can we please get going? We can waste time talking after we get there."

Theodore sighed. "And I only just got up here."

"Well who said anything about climbing down?"

"What?" The trees began to glow, until, brighter and brighter, they faded into light, and the bayou vanished altogether. There was a sense of floating, and the light grew brighter still, and warmer. The four were suddenly overcome with drowsiness, and soon even that unignorable light faded to black.

Perhaps hours later, Amy blinked her eyes open, and found herself lying on her back, staring up at a bright blue sky, puffs of white cloud sailing across. Two moons hung low in the sky; one large, and one small. They had made it. "Yes!" In spite of the situation, she was glad to be here. She sat up, looked around at the land, then looked down to see that she was a small, tan, rabbit-like rodent. "A pika? Since when have there been pikas? I never imagined that up—although...chubby, cuddly—also cute and fluffy! Yeh, pikas are allowed to be in my world." She heard a growl behind her and whirled around to face a dark leopard of browns and blacks, crouched with teeth bared, ready to pounce. In an instant, the real-life pikachu became a large silver wolf. She returned the snarl. "Back off!"

"You changed shape!" the cat exclaimed.

"Whuh—Demon?"

"Amy?" The tension died immediately. "But you—that wee little—I nearly—." and he just started laughing. "Have I changed looks like you have?"

"Yerp. I haven't named what you are yet, but it's a lot like a leopard or a jaguar, and a bit like a lion, too."

"Still a cat then," he sighed.

"I don't think even the world border can change that."

"If you both are quite finished," came a voice, and they both pointed their ears at a hollow in the taller grass. "I think something has gone very wrong. My legs—!"

"Are you all right? Hang on, Theodore." They sprang toward his voice. "Lookin' good, Teddy," she smirked when they came upon him. "You should go wigless more often."

"Why, he's a faun!"

"And you a cat, and you a wolf. Do you mean to tell me we are supposed to change shape?" he asked accusingly, struggling to sit up.

"I suppose a little warning might ha'been nice," Demon conceded.

"Oops."

"Goodness me," poor Theodore murmured as he looked at the black, furry goat's legs. "I'm a goat."

"Half-goat, thank you, and the real goats will thank you to make the distinction," snapped the wolf, although mirth danced in her eyes. "Come on. I haven't heard from James yet, and the Realms have been known to separate us before."

"He can't be far off; I can smell him," Demon informed them. "But it is impossible to see through this grass." Here they stool in tall grass that reached up to mid-thigh on Theodore. To the west, that grass grew shorter until it met dense forests not far off. To the North, mountains stretched up on the horizon. To the south, rolling green hills. And to the east, the plains stretched away. Black smoke rose beyond the horizon.

"I'll find him." Without a thought, the wolf became a great, golden eagle and took to the skies. Not long after, they saw the bird circling in the air and followed after it.

"She can change her shape?" Theodore asked as they navigated through the tangled grasses.

"Apparently."

"Is that what she has become—like the way I've become a faun? Or is that simply her magic, letting her do as she pleases?"

"I cannee say."

As they drew nearer, they saw that the eagle had landed at the edge of the woods and was staring intently in. "I wonder what James has become."

"Something interesting, else this in't the imagination of a young lass."

Upon their arrival, the eagle became a foxalope—that is to say, a cross between a fox and an antelope. The creature had the face, paws, and tail of a fox, and the body, ears, and antlers of an antelope, on a whole being about the size of a large goat. "Well, where is he? I thought you had found him."

"I have." She turned back to the trees. "All right, James, everyone is here. Let's get going."

The branches rustled, and a muted rhythm of footsteps came their way. What stepped out hitched breaths in throats. "A centaur," Theodore breathed. And so he was. A strong, rich chestnut horse's body had replaced James' legs, and horse-like ears poked our from his hair. Suddenly, Groves smirked. "What happened to your life saving armour?" All he wore was a belt round his girth, from which hung his sword—a claymore, by the look of it.

James retorted, but the sound that came out of his mouth was purely equine. "That is his armour," replied the foxalope. "This Realm has given him one of the toughest hides in the land. Centaurs are hardy creatures—unlike the fragile faun."

"Enough," Norrington interrupted. "We must keep moving if we are going to find Rage in time." Then he caught the sounds he was making. "I speak like a horse," he murmured. "Can you understand me?" All answered in the affirmative.

"Speaking of Rage," commented Theodore, "You seem to have a lot less of it than a few minutes ago."

"That is because she is in the world, rather than the world in her. Anger's influence loses strength with distance."

He exchanged expressions with Demon. "Does that make sense?" The dappled cat shrugged, and they set after the others. "Where are we going anyway?"

The girl—for she had become such, and had climbed on James' back—pointed toward the eastern horizon. "You see that smoke? That means people. Whether it's people-people or not, I don't know, but people they must be. We'll start there, and won't stop til we find him. And we will find him. We'll stop this world collision from happening. Let's ride!" With a neigh and a half-rear, James broke into an easy gallop, and Demon leapt after him.

"At last, some chest hair," the centaur observed with relief. It seemed very few other Realms were fond of it.

"You know, it's really sad that you notice this," Amy teased.

"Wait—wait—how do I run with these legs?"

"Come on, Theodore," the girl jested, voice continuing to grow fainter. "You're smart—figure it out."

At length he caught up with them—after all, James had an extra pair of limbs to contend with—and they halted at the top of a small rise. Ahead, though not the source of the smoke, a small town. "A human town," James nickered, muscles trembling with anticipation. "Am I to assume by the sudden urge to flee, that men are a danger to centaurs?"

"You are right to be cautious," replied the lass, sliding off his back and out of humanity. "Centaurs are hunted for sport, made into slaves, and in some places are eaten."

"But I am a man."

"Not anymore," interrupted what was now a gryphon.

"But I am half-man, am I not?"

"That is what I created in this world. No matter how human something may seem, man will only ever see an animal. He won't recognize intelligence, and he won't respect determination. They're just dumb animals."

"Still think Anger is so far off?" Theodore said to James.

"I do not think this is Sparrow's anger, if you don't mind me saying," Demon cut in. "I think it's her own. She made this world out of her anger, remember? It only fits that whatever she was angry at would be exaggerated here. That is how a young girl's mind tends to work—and please don't ask how I know."

"He's right. I was going to use this world to write a story about the ignorance of people, and the ecological battle being waged back home. Wolves are being slaughtered mercilessly when they pose no threat, and have long been at risk of becoming extinct. Wild horses are being taken from the wild—some are even being made into dog food. Whales are being harpooned, nearly a thousand a year, in a practice that most of the world has made illegal, but few are doing anything to stop. Rare rainforests are shrinking every day, putting literally millions of species in danger. And the polar ice caps are melting. That means no more Christmas Coca-Cola pola' bears, among others." Again she had worked herself into a mood. "I could go on and on—the rant has no end—but we don't have time for that. We need to get moving and find Jack."

"And you don't think, with all the rage of people, that he might be in that very town?"

She paused to consider. "A village this close to the Wilderlands means people who welcome the wild. It may be safe, but I am scouting ahead first. If they are peaceful, we'll check it out."

As it were, the people indeed were peaceful. They welcomed the creatures, offering food and rest—all kindness, no anger. Jack was not here. "Well now what?" asked Theodore when they met up again, after scouring the village for and signs.

"You didn't think it would be easy, did you?" whickered James. "We keep searching."

"Yes, but where? If there really is so much anger in this world like she said, how do we know which is Sparrow and which is just an angry person?"

"You know," the centaur conceded hesitantly, "he has a point."

The gryphon thought a moment. "He's right. Anger would not be where anger is."

"Come again?"

She turned back into a wolf. "What we are looking for is an anomaly; something that doesn't belong. If Anger were in a man-city, where anger is expected to be found, it would not be out of the ordinary. And besides, he couldn't be in a man-city anyway."

"Why not?"

"One of the manifestations was already a man. I have a feeling Shatterings don't play on repeat."

"So we look everywhere except civilisation," sighed Theodore.

"Wrong. We look everywhere except human civilisation," she replied. "My way's better—it gives us even more places to search."

James sagged. "Wonderful."

"We'll find him," Demon assured them with a determined expression.

"With a scant dozen days to scrutiny an entire Realm?"

"Amy, do you recall the way you searched out Laughter after our first try ended in failure?"

"It wasn't failure, it was a misreading of the casting."

"Yes, but in the end you hadn't needed the casting—you found him because you are connected with him."

She thought for a long time. "Let's go back to our starting place, away from the people here. We'll decide our next course of action from there."

"And waste time and energy? We should decide here," argued Theodore. But the wolf was already on her way. With dismay, he saw the centaur beginning to follow, and caught his arm to stop him. "Do you always follow her so blindly, James? Who leads, you or she?"

"The one who knows this world the best will lead. My only purpose is to protect," he replied calmly, and continued after the lupine. Demon followed, giving the faun a 'how-could-you-possibly-doubt-our-leader' look. With a sigh, Theodore could do nothing but follow after.

When they had reached their starting point, they stopped but briefly—only long enough for the wolf to become a ferret. "Keep going through the woods. This forest is all that separates men and beasts, and I will feel safer once we are out of human land."

"You fear your own people," murmured James. "You could become a person and join them, if you wanted."

"But I don't want to. I've been cruel in my characterisation of people, I understand that now. But I have also recognised their good—although people like those in the town we just left are very few. You're going to want to get moving soon, and once on your way, be swift. The black smoke on the horizon did not come from a town; it came from a hunting party. Black smoke always means men. They'd have a ball—not to mention a feast—if they found you."

"And where will you be in all this?" Theodore demanded.

"Somewhere not here." And with that, she curled up in James' arms and closed her eyes. She felt James spring into a center, and heard Groves grumbling about her taking a nap at a time like this, before her consciousness left that party and went somewhere not there. She felt herself floating up, up, until she soared through the sky, above the forest. Below, she could see the small party galloping through the trees. Satisfied that they would be safe, she left them behind, shooting far west.

She had never had the chance to map out her world, but as she shot through the sky, the land below her did not seem so foreign. The forest stretched out for leagues, and was the deepest at the place where her companions would make their course. Past those woods were more plains, their grasses tall, growing above even James's head. These hills and flatlands stretched as far west as the eye could see, to a distant shadow beyond the horizon. It stretched south to the sea, which from here could be seen—but only from the height of the tallest mountains. Ah, the mountains, always in the North, a jagged, treacherous, purplish-grey horizon stretching high, so high, and yet standing farther away than said mountains were tall.

A pang hit her. I should've put the mountains between the Wilderlands and the Men. Then there wouldn't be such problems. Perhaps I can have an earthquake that will raise a barrier—although that would mean destroying part of the forest. Stupid! You should have though it through back when you had the chance. No doubt the people would just get around it anyway. Persevering bastards. She caught herself. What was she getting so worked up about? There was supposed to be conflict—there had to be so that her story, if it was ever written, could resolve those problems. That seems like an unprovoked fit of rage, she thought wryly. I suppose I must be in the right place. Question is, where am I? While she had been on a mental rant, she had drifted toward the mountains. She looked down and saw what looked like a series of crop circles in the tall grasses. Gotcha. It had only been a few hours. She shot back toward the great forest.

But she came back to herself not peacefully, but with a jolt. Instead of the calm rhythm of a relaxed gallop, she found James sprinting all out, zigzagging between the trees. She couldn't see Theodore or Demon. "James!" she cried. "What's happening?"

"Men!" he whinnied. "Chasing us."

"Theodore? Demon?"

"Here!" She could hear them, but not see them.

That didn't matter, however. What she could see were black shapes flitting through the trees, and could hear the thunder of hooves; they rode horses. James sprinted for his life through the dark trees, the ferret desperately hanging on. Suddenly, a flit! Something flew through the air, narrowly missing the centaur. "They're firing arrows!"

"Run, James!" More and more arrows flew through the trees as they swerved to evade them. One caught the centaur in the arm, nearly causing him to drop the ferret. Without slowing, he tore it out of his flesh and kept running. She could see more black shapes galloping through the trees, at least two dozen. Could these be the same hunters who had made the black smoke beyond the horizon? If they were, then they were incredibly fast, and the little party of beasts would soon be overtaken. She heard Demon cry out in pain, and saw him shoot across James's path, running faster than ever. Another arrow struck the stallion in his horse-shoulder. He grunted, but did not slow. It seemed more arrows were finding their marks, and the rain of shafts was steadily thickening. Another drove deep into his flank.

"This is no use!" he cried. "We should stand and fight!" His good hand was already on the hilt of his sword.

"There are too many," she argued. "We wouldn't stand a chance."

"Then we are lost."

Thinking quickly, and recalling words of Tia Dalma, she made her decision. "Not yet. Theodore! Demon! To us!" The dark leopard and faun were beside them in an instant. "Go left, James! Now!" Another arrow lodged itself in his hindquarters, and he faltered. "Come on!" she pleaded. But he tripped up and fell to his knees. The hunters would catch them! Somehow finding the strength, he struggled back to his hooves and galloped on. Then he saw it. A cave far in the distance. But they still had to get there. With the hunters gaining—more and more arrows—they would be overtaken, they would be cut off and surrounded. With a great leap, he cleared a cleft in the ground he had not seen before, and the four of them continued as deep into the cave as they could. And it was a very deep cave.

They heard a few cries behind them as some of the riders fell into the fault before the cave's mouth, but the arrows did not stop. Amy screamed when one grazed her back. They met with a dead end. Trapped! Cornered! "Go right!" It wasn't a cave; it was a tunnel. Hooves and claws skidding on the stone, the three made the hard turn and disappeared around the corner, where they slowed to a stop. Behind them, the arrows still flew, breaking against the back wall they had nearly been cornered against. But there was no sound of anyone in the tunnel—one centaur, a faun, and a leopard were not so valuable that the huntsmen would risk the crevice in the ground to get to them. Soon, the arrows stopped, and the hunters were gone.

They had made it.

That last bit was written to "Once Upon a Time in Africa", from the second Madagascar movie.

So there you have it; a holiday present from me to you. Perhaps you could return the favour with a review?