As she slept, Amelia slowly grew aware of how hot she was. Soon it was too much to bear, so she woke up. It was still fairly dark out, yet already she could hear birds chirping. The sun would soon rise. The campfire had long gone out, so the heat wasn't coming from there...
Amelia crawled out of the bedroll, but was hampered by the big blue shirt she was wearing. She reached down to untangle the shirt, she realized that she was a wolf again. Amelia mentally sighed. It would have been too good to be true to remain human after the full moon. Amelia struggled out of the shirt.
As she was doing so, Amelia was startled by a sound. She turned to see Zelgadis slumped over, still sitting on the log from the night before. The sound she had heard had been him shivering.
Amelia felt a pang of guilt, realizing that Zelgadis had been exposed to the elements all night while she slept in his bedroll. She gripped the top blanket of the bedroll in her teeth, then pulled it over to Zelgadis. With some patience and a lot of effort, she was able to cover him successfully.
That accomplished, Amelia yawned, curled up at Zelgadis' feet, then went back to sleep.
"Hey Lina, are you awake yet?" Gourry poked Lina.
"Mmm?" Lina furrowed her brow, rolling over in her sleep.
"Come on, Lina, you need to get up." Gourry nudged her again.
"Leeme 'lone!" Lina swatted Gourry's hand away.
"I hate to do this..." Gourry pulled off Lina's blanket.
"Yikes! It's freezing!" Lina quickly woke up.
Gourry shook his head. "That's why you need to get up. It's starting to snow. We should head for that village before we get stuck."
"Are 'melia and Zel up yet?" Lina rubbed at her eye.
"Not yet, no." Gourry replied.
"Brr! Okay, let's get going before we freeze!" Lina rolled up her bedroll, as did Gourry.
Lina looked to see where the others were and suddenly broke out into a huge grin. "Aww, look at Zelgadis all bundled up! I hate to wake him." Lina winked at Gourry.
As Lina crept up to Zelgadis, Amelia lifted her head and looked at Lina.
"Oh, morning Amelia! I didn't see you down there." Lina patted Amelia's head.
Amelia in turn stretched, yawned, then stood up, still looking at Lina.
"I'd say it's about time Zel got up, don't you?" Lina grinned. She then bent down close to Zelgadis' ear. "Hey Zelgadis! Up and at 'em!"
"What? Where?" Zelgadis sprang up.
"At ease, Zel." Lina grinned.
Zelgadis looked about, confused for a moment. "Was I sleeping?"
"I'll say!" Lina replied.
Zelgadis scowled. "I was trying to keep watch." Zelgadis then saw Amelia, and sagged a bit.
"C'mon, Zelgadis, I think this cold air is just the thing to wake you up. Oh, and don't forget your bedroll!" Lina walked back to where she had abandoned her own.
"I can take care of myself, Lina." Zelgadis easily spotted his bedroll - minus the blanket! He quickly realized the blanket was wrapped around him. Odd! He didn't remember grabbing his blanket at all...
"We're sure making good time today, Lina. I can see that town already!" Gourry said.
"Hey, if you want to get stuck in this snow storm, by all means, slow down." Lina frowned. She wasn't in the best mood, having been rudely woken up.
"We'd better get there soon. I'm not sure how much longer Amelia can keep up." Zelgadis spoke up, interrupting any further conversation between the two.
Amelia growled quietly at Zelgadis. She was doing well enough to keep up! ...although she was still feeling a bit feverish, and she was getting awfully tired...
"We'll make it! I say half an hour more. Maybe less if this snow lets up." Lina replied.
Half an hour later they did indeed find themselves in the town, much to Lina's pleasure. Amelia was also overjoyed to finally reach their destination, and was quick to plop down in the snow to rest.
"Quaint place. I wonder if they have any shops or inns?" Lina looked around.
"Greetings, travelers. What brings you to the village of Ahrai?"
The group all turned to see a little old lady smiling at them from a nearby house. Lina was the first to respond.
"Oh, hello Ma'am. We're really just passing through, but were hoping to stock up on more supplies."
"Such a nice young lady." The woman smiled. "We may be small, but we have quite a few excellent shops here. They're all near the center of town."
"Thank you!" Lina smiled back in gratitude.
"You're welcome, dear. Oh, but where are my manners? My name is Eva, head of this village."
"You run this whole town?" Gourry wondered.
"Gourry!" Lina elbowed him in the gut. "Sorry about that, Ma'am. He likes to talk before he thinks. As for me, I'm Lina Inverse, and these are my traveling companions, Gourry Gabriev, Zelgadis Greywords, and A-" Lina froze. She couldn't give Amelia's name! It would be too risky.
Amelia glanced up at Lina nervously.
"A...Amia! This is my faithful dog, Amia!" Lina lied.
Eva didn't even seem to notice Lina's pause. "Lina Inverse! Yes, you're quite famous, aren't you? I'm glad to finally meet you in person."
"Oh, my pleasure." Lina laughed nervously. "Well, it was nice to meet you, Eva, but we need to get going. We're kind of on a tight schedule."
Eva was surprised by the abruptness of it, but watched the group of travelers make their way into town. Three of them, anyway, as Lina's dog was lagging behind.
"Miss Inverse, have you been on the road long?" Eva called out.
Lina looked back. "Yes, why do you ask?"
"Your dog seems awfully tired. You can leave her here with me if you'd like. Just until you're ready to leave, of course."
"That's probably a good idea, Lina. She hasn't been feeling well, you know." Zelgadis noted.
"What do you think, 'Amia'?" Lina asked.
Amelia did want to stay with Lina and the others, but she was feeling very worn out. On the other hand this Eva seemed very kind. Amelia barked at Lina and wagged her tail.
"All right, we'll take you up on that offer!" Lina grinned. She then handed Amelia over to Eva (she still needed to buy a new leash, the other having been destroyed.) "We'll be back in a few hours, so you be good."
Gourry and Zelgadis groaned quietly, wishing they could stay behind as well.
Eva led Amelia into her yard, closing the fence gate behind her, then waved to Lina's group. "We'll see you later!"
"Well then, let's get you settled in." Eva led Amelia to the porch. "I'll be back in a moment, so you stay right here." Eva went into her house, reemerging a moment later with a blanket. She spread the blanket out on the side of the porch.
"There you go, make yourself at home." Eva patted Amelia on the head, then went back inside.
Amelia gladly curled up on the blanket and fell asleep.
"C'mon, you go too slow!"
"You would too if your legs were as short as mine!"
Amelia was disturbed by two voices outside of Eva's front gate. She watched as the gate opened, revealing two young children.
"Do you think Grammy's home?"
"Where else would she be?"
"Look!" squealed the younger one. "Grammy got a puppy!"
"It looks like a wolf to me." replied the older one.
"Nu-uh!"
"Uh-huh!"
The two clambered up the porch as they continued to bicker. Amelia eyed them warily.
"Aw look, the puppy's so cute!" cooed the younger.
"Careful, wait until Grammy says it's okay to play with it." The older one knocked on the door.
Eva answered. "Yes? Oh, Billy and Jillian!"
"Hi, Grammy!" the two chorused.
"Mom went out shopping, but we wanted to see you instead." Billy (the older) said.
"When did you get the puppy?" asked Jillian (the younger.)
"I'm actually watching her while her owner shops. Be careful, she's not feeling well." Eva warned.
"Hi, puppy." Jillian put out her hand slowly.
Amelia sniffed at it, then nuzzled her hand.
Jillian squealed happily. "Can we play with her, Grammy?"
"Don't pull her tail or treat her badly." Eva said.
"We know, Grammy." Billy said, then he too walked over to Amelia. "Hey girl, how're you?" He patted Amelia on the head gently.
"Be sure to play nice. I'll go back inside to fix you something to eat."
"Thanks, Grammy!"
Eva smiled as she went back inside.
"So what kind of games do you know? Fetch, maybe?" Billy ran to a nearby pile of wood and pulled out a stick, then tossed it across the yard. "Go get it, girl!"
Amelia decided to humor the boy, ran into the yard and fetched the stick, then brought it back.
After a few minutes of this, Jillian walked up to Billy. "Where's the sled?"
"You left it at the gate, remember?"
"Oh yeah!" Jillian ran to get it. "Can you pull me, Billy?"
"Sure, climb on." After Jillian had done so, Billy struggled to pull her around the yard.
Amelia barked at him.
"Do you want to pull it, girl?" Billy asked.
Amelia ran up, gripped the lead rope in her mouth, then pulled Jillian around the yard. The two children took turns getting pulled on the sled, and even let Amelia ride while they pulled the sled!
"Hey, what'cha doin'?" A new voice interrupted.
Billy, Jillian, and Amelia looked up to see an older boy standing beyond the fence.
"Nothing Joey, just playing." Billy replied.
"Oh yeah? Can I give it a try?" Joey asked.
"Okay, but you better not be mean." Billy warned.
"Who, me?" Joey let himself in, then plopped down on the vacant sled.
Amelia was a bit unsure of this new boy, but began to pull him around anyway.
"You call this fun? This is too slow. I'll show you how to make him go faster!" Joey yanked on Amelia's tail.
Amelia yelped in pain, but instead of running faster, she turned and knocked Joey to the ground, pinned him under her weight and growled a warning.
"Puppy, no!" Jillian wailed.
Amelia quickly felt ashamed, got off of Joey and went back to the porch.
"Joey, I told you not to do that!" Billy scolded.
Joey looked in shock at Amelia. "That dog attacked me!"
"Serves you right for picking on her!" Jillian yelled.
"Who asked you?" Joey pushed Jillian into the snow.
"Hey!" Billy was mad now.
Amelia outraged at seeing this, jumped from the porch and charged at the boy. Joey in turn panicked and ran out of the yard. Amelia then trotted back over to Jillian, and gently nuzzled the crying girl.
"Why is he so mean, Billy?" Jillian sniffled.
"Some kids are just like that. Now come on, let's go inside." Billy helped his sister up.
"Okay. Be good, puppy. Don't let that mean Joey make you mad." Jillian hugged Amelia's neck, then followed her brother inside.
Amelia looked to the way Joey had fled and growled. Somebody wasn't doing a good job of disciplining that boy! No matter, he was gone now. Amelia curled back up on the blanket.
Piff!
Amelia was startled by a sudden noise, looking up to see snow smeared across the porch. As she was looking at it, something hard smacked her upside the head! Dazed, Amelia looked out to see that Joey had returned and was throwing snowballs at her! Even while she was figuring this out, another one smacked her across the face!
That did it! Half blinded by the ice in her eyes, Amelia charged at the gate, easily leaping over it, as she pursued after the boy.
Joey hadn't expected this! He screamed in fear as he ran away.
All of this was not lost on the residents inside the house. Hearing the commotion, Eva and the children stepped outside. They were quick to notice the empty yard, and the sounds of barking and yelling fading in the distance.
"Oh no!"
Amelia continued to charge after Joey, until realization struck! She had left the place she was supposed to stay in, and now she was lost! Amelia looked about to orient herself. Unfortunately everything looked pretty similar when you only stood 2 feet off the ground and everything was blanketed in white...
Amelia began to wander about aimlessly.
"There is it! That's the dog that attacked me!"
Amelia realized that Joey had returned, and with him was a rather tall, burly man. Amelia made to get away.
"Oh no you don't! No animal attacks my son and lives!" The man grabbed Amelia by the collar and hoisted her off the ground.
Amelia struggled to get free, finding it hard to breathe in the man's tight grasp.
"Hey! Let her go!"
The man turned to see a rather ticked off Lina, who just happened to be passing by.
"Nothin' doin'! This animal attacked my son! Any animal that would attack a human bein' must pay!" The man shot back.
"Attacked?" Lina said in shock. Surely Amelia knew better than to do that?"
Amelia continued to struggle, weakening with the lack of oxygen.
"Is there a problem here, Lina?" Eva and the children finally caught up.
The man visibly paled. "Lina? Lina Inverse?"
Lina eyed the man strangely. "Yes. Now let go of my dog before I force you to!"
"Oh, of course, I'm so sorry!" The man gently set Amelia back on the ground. "Please Miss Inverse, I didn't know it was you - that this lovely dog belonged to you!" The man bowed repeatedly as he backed away. "Come along, Joey, I think you'll be just fine!!" The man grabbed his son and fled down the street, screaming all the way.
"What...was...that all about?" Lina asked.
Eva walked up to Lina, the children running to the gasping 'puppy'.
"I forgot to tell you, but many of the folks up here are ex-bandits." Eva grinned. "Maybe now he'll teach that son of his some respect!"
"What happened, anyway? Did 'Amia' actually attack him?" Lina walked over to Amelia.
"It wasn't the puppy's fault! Joey pulled her tail, and he pushed me!" Jillian replied.
"Yeah, he's a real jerk." Billy continued.
"That, and I'm sure he egged her on. Unless your dog can throw snowballs." Eva said.
Lina looked at Amelia, who looked away in shame.
"I think I'll take Amia now. Thank you so much for watching her. I'm sorry for what she put you through." Lina pulled out her newly purchased leash, hooked it onto Amelia's collar, and started to walk off.
"Bye puppy, I'll miss you!" Jillian cried.
"Come children, let's go back home." Eva started to walk back the way she had come.
"Hey Grammy, do you think we could ever have a dog?" Billy asked.
"We'll have to see what your parents say."
Eva and the children disappeared from sight.
"So, what have you got to say for yourself?" Lina asked.
Amelia whimpered in response.
"Amelia, you can't go around attacking people. Especially small children! What if I hadn't walked by when I did?"
Amelia hung her head, not wanting to meet Lina's gaze.
"I guess we should be thankful, well, that guy should be thankful. Just think if Zelgadis had seen what he did to you. I don't think he would have left here alive!" Lina smiled.
Amelia looked back at Lina.
"Oh come on, I can't be too hard on you. You were doing what you'd always do, although this situation is radically different." Lina knelt down. "Now hold still, your face is covered in snow!"
You have just finished reading the chapter I never intended to write! (Don't you love surprises?) I've never actually been too fond of kids, but then my oldest brother and his wife just had to have an adorable little girl (and guess who did a lot of babysitting for them?) Needless to say I am now hooked and can't wait to have my own family...after I get married and all (but first I've got to find the right guy, and that's been pretty challenging. Oh well, it'll happen someday.)
Anyway...feedback! I hadn't really expected to get much (if any), especially since this story is radically different than what you usually see, but it's been a nice surprise overall. Special thanks to Tara-chan who has reviewed almost every chapter. It's nice to have someone give consistent feedback; it lets me know what people think (and whether or not I've gone too far!) ^_^
Also, Raven Summersong, I love your fanfics! (Especially Bird, which I also found to be out of the ordinary, but I've really enjoyed it. You need to update so I can read your story and put off writing mine!) ^_- Also, thanks for the idea. The whole transformation issue won't really be coming up that much, but you did give me some inspiration on what to do in later chapters. (Now I just need to write them up...)
Whew! Another chapter done, so I'm off to play Golden Sun: The Lost Age. (It's a wonderful sequel to the original GBA RPG, but I'll try to get another chapter up by the end of the week.) See you all then!