"Yes, please!" Nils said enthusiastically.
"Alright," Canas agreed, flipping to a new page in the book of fairy tales. "This next story is called 'The Three Little Pigs'."
"Did you say the Three Little Pegs?" Nils demanded.
"No, pigs," Canas replied.
"Oh. Okay..."
The Three Little Pegs, Florina, Fiora and Farina, came flying down from the clear blue sky on their pegasi, landing on the plush grass of a wide open field.
"Ah, the air is so fresh here!" Fiora exclaimed.
"This will be the perfect place to set up our summer homes," Florina agreed.
"Well, we may as well get started on building them then, shall we?" Farina said.
Florina and Fiora nodded.
Farina looked thoughtfully at her sisters. "Are you sure you don't need my help building your houses?"
"We'll be fine, sister," Fiora assured her.
"Come on, Fiora," Florina beckoned her sister, "Let's go into the forest and get some building supplies!"
Fiora agreed and the two ran off into the forest. The three sisters' pegasi grazed passively in the meadow.
Meanwhile, Farina pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and dialed a number, then waited for someone to pick up. "Hello, building contractors? I'm going to need you to begin construction on a sturdy summer home, right away. ...Yes, I know it's expensive. Don't worry, I've got it covered."
"Wow, look at all these daisies!" Florina cried, running into a clearing with a large patch of white and yellow flowers. She fell to her knees and began picking them.
"They'll look great in your new summer home, Florina," Fiora said, looking here and there for any tree branches lying on the ground.
"They're not just going to be in my house," Florina told her sister, "They're actually going to be my house!"
Fiora looked up, surprised. "Hm? So, you mean you're going to build your entire house out of flowers?"
"Yup!" Florina exclaimed with an armful of daisies. "It'll look nice and smell nice!"
"Not very sturdy, though," Fiora said doubtfully. "What will you do if there's a stiff breeze? Or rain?"
Florina looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'll reinforce it with saud, or wood. That should help."
"If you say so," Fiora said, still doubtful as to how her sister was going to live decently in a summer home built flowers.
"Well," Florina said, noting her sister's dubious tone, "What are you making your house out of?"
"Wood, of course," Fiora replied. "I'm going to collect a bunch of wood from this forest and build myself a nice country cottage." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded up picture from a magazine, and showed it to Florina. "See? This is what I want."
Florina looked at the picture, seeing it was a quaint wood cottage sitting in the middle of a forest. "Yes, that does look very nice. And if you use the right kind of wood, it might smell as nice as my house!"
"We can have the nicest smelling houses for miles!" Fiora exclaimed.
"Why have a pleasant smelling house when its owner possesses such a scintillating aroma already?"
Florina and Fiora searched the forest for the source of the voice, and fixed their eyes into the trees when they heard a rustling of bushes. Out from the spot they had pinpointed stepped a tall man wearing emerald green armour, a black shirt, white pants, and brown leather shoes and a belt. A black headband gave his light brown hair a ruffled look, especially around the pointed light brown ears on top of his head. A fluffy tail of the same colour swished behind him anxiously.
"Eek!" Florina screamed, recognizing this man as being a werewolf.
"No need for that, my dear," the werewolf said calmly, with a debonair step emerging further into the clearing. "What a lucky day for me! Two beautiful women have walked into my forest!"
"Your forest?" Fiora asked skeptically. She was frightened, but put on a brave show to spare her sister. Florina was mortally afraid of men anyway. The fact that this particular man could transform into a very threatening wolf-beast at will was not helping any. "And just who are you anyway?"
"My name is Sain, my fair maiden!" he exclaimed. "And what, pray tell, could be your heavenly name?"
Fiora was uncertain if stating her own name was wise. This man Sain was staring at her, eyes sparkling, but not with a light she found particularly comforting. She had never heard that a werewolf had any kind of power over the people whose names they knew, like some creatures. Sain apparently was curious simply for his own purposes.
"My name is Fiora," she said bluntly.
"And your name?" Sain continued, kneeling down in front of Florina. "What is your name, my angel?"
"Eeeeeeeek!" Florina screamed even louder. She ran behind Fiora and clutched her sister's shoulders, shaking like a leaf.
"There's no need to be afraid of me!" Sain assured her, rising to his feet.
"You don't understand," Fiora said, shaking her head. She put a hand beside her mouth and whispered, "Florina's very afraid of men..."
"Ah," Sain nodded, understanding perfectly. "She's intimidated by my masculinity! And I don't blame her one bit. Why, if I was her, I would be intimidated, too! But what a brave young woman you are to keep such a calm demeanor in my manly presence!"
Fiora quirked an eyebrow. "You're a weirdo."
Sain's eyebrows shot up. "Pardon? Oh, I see. You need only get to know me a little better. Just speak to any one of my friends, they'll tell you that I'm quite the charmer." His fuzzy brown ears tweaked cutely.
"Let's go home, Florina," Fiora suggested. Florina nodded with such force that her lavender locks shook furiously. Standing protectively between Sain and her sister, Fiora escorted Florina out of the forest.
Sain looked on after them, his face contorted with hurt. It soon changed to one of great annoyance. A disappointed growl emanated from deep within his throat, and his tail swished violently.
"Hmph..." he muttered. "That wasn't very nice..."
Later on that week, Florina sat in the middle of the meadow, chaining daisies together. She had already made a crown for herself and her pegasus, and now was set to work at the floor of her house.
As she was wondering whether to have hardwood or carpet, a shadow fell upon her, blocking the sunlight she was using to work. Thinking it was one of her sisters come to check on her, she glanced up without a second thought at the figure looming over her. It was not at all who she suspected.
"Good morrow, my beautiful enchantress!"
"ACK!" Florina screamed. "N-not you again! Please, keep away from me! It's not that I don't like you, please, mister werewolf... I-it's just like my sister said, I'm very shy—!"
"Don't worry your pretty head!" Sain enthused, kneeling down next to her. Florina shuffled away slightly. "Come now, I would never dream of harming you!"
"Yes, but it's not that..." Florina tried to tell him.
"Your voice, it's like the chiming of a pretty little silver bell!" Sain swooned. "I pray you, speak some more!"
Florina merely whimpered, leaning back as far as she could. She tried to get up and run, but her legs simply wouldn't respond.
"Don't be like that," Sain said in a husky tone, quite different from the tone he had been using. He leaned forward and caressed her cheek with his hand. She whimpered even more and leaned back as far as she could go without completely falling over.
Before Sain got too friendly, Florina's pegasus walked over and snorted. Sain looked up, surprised, and got a hoof in the face. It was the pegasus equivalent of a slap.
"Ow!" Sain yelled, falling onto his back and rubbing his face. He whined, and got up and ran away.
Florina clung to her pegasus's leg, still in shock. Her pegasus nuzzled her comfortingly.
"Oh, no," Florina moaned, after her tongue had become untied. "He was headed for Fiora's house!"
"This isn't turning out quite as I expected," Fiora said, fussing over the pile of twigs on the ground. "These things aren't going to make the nice log house I want... Hey, who's that coming?"
Sain ran over the crest of the hill, obviously fleeing from something. When he spotted Fiora kneeling on the ground next to her twigs, he stopped and began to saunter over to her.
"Oh, great," Fiora muttered. "Not this guy again. I hope he didn't just come from Florina's plot!"
"We meet again, my lovely knight!"
"Okay, skip the pleasantries," Fiora said sharply. She rose to her feet and met Sain as he walked and poked him in the collarbone. "You better not have just come from harassing Florina, or you're in for a world of hurt!"
"It's true, I did just come from your equally charming kin," Sain admitted. "As you said, she is shy, but I dare say we mutually enjoyed our latest encounter."
"How did you get that bruise on your face?" Fiora demanded suspiciously.
"Er... I'm afraid though we enjoyed our time together, her noble steed would not agree."
"Ah. Well then, Mr. Sain, I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist that you stay away from my younger sister. And I'm sure her pegasus would agree with me about that."
Sain took Fiora's hands in his own and looked deeply into her eyes. "I will abide by your wishes, and may I just say that your concern for the welfare of your sister is touching!" He waggled an eyebrow at her. "Are you sure you're not just weeding out the competition for a chance to be with me?"
"Quite sure," Fiora dead-panned.
"Beautiful, caring, and modest, too!" Sain exclaimed. "What a lucky man I am to have met you. And what a lucky girl Florina is to be your one and only little sister!"
"I have another little sister, actually," Fiora told him. She immediately berated herself mentally for having imparted this information when his eyes lit up.
"You have yet another beautiful sister?!" Sain exclaimed.
"Oh, no!" Fiora said quickly. "I was only joking! Hahahahaha!"
"Ah, you can't fool me," Sain said knowingly. "I can see it in your lovely sapphire eyes that you spoke the truth."
"D'oh...!" Fiora muttered. "I'm afraid you won't be able to see her just now. She's extremely busy with building her house. I heard a lot of noise coming from her plot of land."
Sain looked thoughtful. "Hm... Well then, I'll just have to spend my time in your captivating presence."
Fiora winced. 'The things I do to spare my siblings...'
"What are you doing?" Sain asked curiously, eyeing the twigs on the ground.
"Oh, I'm trying to build a house," Fiora explained reluctantly. "I want to make a log cabin, but I'm having trouble finding any logs. I don't really have the means with which to knock down a bunch of trees, and I don't want to disrupt the forest."
"All that, and you're a lover of nature," Sain sighed, looking into the sky dreamily. Though this was similar to all his other flirting techniques, Fiora thought she heard a tone in his voice that seemed more genuine. It probably had to do with the fact that he lived in the forest.
"All I found were these twigs," Fiora continued. "I don't think I'm going to be able to make my log cabin, unless it was miniature. Or if I found a lot more twigs."
"It's quite simple to weave twigs, if they're the right kind," Sain said. He approached the pile of twigs and crouched down next to them. His back was turned, but Fiora could see that he was quickly grabbing twigs and manipulating them somehow.
About a minute later, Sain stood and turned around, revealing a woven basket.
"Wow," Fiora said sincerely. "Even I must say, I'm impressed."
"Behold, a basket," Sain crowed, showing off his work. He laid it on the ground and grabbed one of Fiora's hands, stroking it softly. "To carry our first child in!" He gave her a hearty wink.
Fiora gasped and felt her face turn red. She pulled her hand away and stooped down to pick up one of the larger sticks she had gathered. "Alright, I've been polite long enough. Get outta here!"
Repeatedly beating him over the head with a stick, Fiora managed to chase Sain away quite effectively. After he was several feet away and obviously not coming back, Fiora went back to her pile of twigs. She shouted after him, "By the way, I'm keeping your basket, 'cause it's really cool!"
Sain stopped and looked back, a large smirk on his face.
Fiora hastily picked up her large stick and held it up threateningly. Sain's eyes widened and he hurried away.
Fiora sighed in relief. "He's headed for Farina's house now. She'll be able to take care of him, I hope."
"You call that an in-ground pool?!" Farina shouted to a group of contractors in the distance, holding a blueprint in her hands. "I said I wanted it shaped like a peanut, not a circle!"
The building site was filled with noise, concrete and men in hard hats. The beginning of a steel framework to the house was in the middle of it all.
"Hm..." Farina mumbled. "I wonder if I made it big enough..."
"Yes, size is always an issue, isn't it?"
Farina felt an arm drape around her shoulders, and someone's hot breath down her neck. She turned her head to see a man with light brown hair, and a tail and ears of similar colour. The debonair smirk on his face did not raise her initial opinion of him any.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Your dream hunk!"
"Yeah, in your dreams, maybe," Farina said bluntly, shoving him away. "Sorry, but I'm a little busy here. So, if you wanna come back later to flirt, that might be the way to go."
"But my heart cannot wait for someone quite so beautiful as you!" Sain gushed. "Let's build a sturdy relationship of trust on a concrete foundation of our hidden feelings for each other, with a cement mixer full of love!"
"And cement?" Farina wondered.
"Yes, that might be a good idea, too," Sain nodded. "A powerful mind on such a delicate- looking creature. What may I call you?"
"You shan't call me at all, that's what," Farina said adamantly. "Werewolves aren't my...cup of tea."
"My heart shall be forever empty if I do not receive your name!" Sain pleaded. "I'll waste away! If it helps, my name is Sain."
"Alright, fine," Farina conceded. "My name is Farina. I trust you've met my sisters?"
"Why yes, yes I have," Sain replied. "Florina and Fiora. I sense a bit of a pattern."
"You noticed," Farina said in false surprise. "How very clever of you."
"Though your sisters were some of the fairest maidens I have ever seen," Sain told her, "you are by far the fairest maiden that I have ever laid eyes upon!"
"That's sweet of you," Farina said. She paused thoughtfully, then turned to look at Sain, stroking her chin. "Y'know, I guess you're kinda cute..."
"Really?" Sain asked, eyes sparkling. Farina realized that this had probably been his most successful encounter. "You think so? Most women simply refer to me as annoying. Imagine!"
"I couldn't possibly," Farina said sarcastically. "I'll think about it. Do you have collateral?"
Sain frowned and tilted his head. "Pardon?"
"You know, collateral!" Farina repeated. "What's your financial situation?"
Sain shook his head. "I still don't follow..."
Farina sighed in frustration. "I'll be blunt: do you have any money? I don't have the time for you if you don't have the cash. If I'm going to be tied down to a man, I need to know if he's going to be able to provide for me financially, do you know what I'm saying? I need a man who can put food on the table, who can rake in the dough on a regular basis. Do you follow me now?"
Sain blinked. His eyes shifted nervously. "Um, who ever said anything about getting married?"
Farina put her hands on her hips and glared at him.
Sain thought hard for a moment. "Well, I have a...den! It's a very nice den. It's got...uh...furniture..."
Farina continued to glare.
Sain smiled weakly and gave a little laugh. "Eheh... Y-you're so beautiful when you're angry..."
Farina shook her head pityingly and went back to her blueprint. "Look, come back when you've got a steadily paying job. Maybe then I'll have some time for you."
"O-okay..." Sain stuttered. Moping, he walked degenerately away into the forest.
That night, Sain was sleeping soundly in his den in his fleecy blue sheep-print pyjamas, Fuzzy Wuzzy the bear tucked protectively under his arm. Suddenly, his eyes flew open, and he sat bolt upright in bed.
"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed. "I don't have to take this crap! Sure I'm an obnoxious flirt, but it's no excuse to whack me in the head or start prying into my financial affairs! This time, the ladies have gone too far!"
He smiled at his teddy bear and hugged it tightly. He pulled back and stared into its shiny button eyes. "Ooh, Fuzzy Wuzzy, I'll show those ladies yet! I'll be nice, of course, but I'll take no prisoners! Nope, not me!"
Speaking in the deeper voice of Fuzzy Wuzzy, Sain said to himself, "Why, you sure are a handsome devil, Sain. Clever, too."
Replying to his teddy bear, Sain exclaimed, "Aren't I though, Fuzzy Wuzzy? I must say, you have fine taste!" He lay back down, hugging his teddy tightly and nodding off to sleep. "Ah, time to dream of those lovely Little Pegs whose hearts I will woo..."
Several days later, the Three Little Pegs were lounged out on the crest of a hill, watching as the sky faded into deep shades of orange and blue. All three had completed the task of building their houses.
"Mine smells like daisies!" Florina exclaimed. "And it looks so pretty! But, I never got to use those reinforcements I wanted... So it's just one big chain of daisies. It's very comfy to sleep on, you know."
"Did you manage to build your log cabin, Fiora?" Farina asked.
"Well, not quite," Fiora replied. "My pegasus and I went out looking for dead logs, but the forest is so thick it's hard to see from above, and it would take forever to go through the entire forest. So I collected as many twigs as I possibly could and built a house out of them. I decided to keep the grass as the floor, since twigs weren't very comfortable. And I've got a nice basket..."
"Oh well," Farina said, a smug grin on her face. "They're just summer homes, right?"
"Why are you so happy?" Florina wondered.
"The contractors were finished the project really quickly," Farina explained. "I knew they would be. I decided to give them a little bonus if they could get finished within the week. Amazing what a little extra money can do, huh?"
"Money is the root of all evil," Fiora sighed.
"Yeah, probably," Farina said dismissively. "So now I've got a four-bedroom, two- bathroom, three-story summer home, complete with sunroom, sauna and pool. Oh, and laundry facilities in the basement! I've got a pop machine down there, too. If you ever want anything, just come on over."
"I could go for a Mountain Dew..." Florina said whistfully.
All three girls started when they heard a haunting melody from the forest, the sound of a wolf howling. They sat up, searching for the source.
"That sound reminds me of that creepy werewolf that tried to flirt with me," Fiora shuddered.
"Eep..." Florina muttered, the memory of Sain returning with renewed force. She clasped onto Fiora's arm and shivered.
"So he did go and upset you more!" Fiora realized angrily. "I thought as much. The next time I see him, I'm gonna kick his ass!"
"You may have more of an opportunity than you think," Farina told Fiora, pointing off towards the forest.
The Three Little Pegs looked off in the direction Farina was pointing and discovered a figure coming towards them very quickly, bathed in the light of the sunset. The light brown hair and green armour gave it away that it was Sain, and he was running at them down on all fours, ears perked forward and tail wagging enthusiastically.
"Yoo hoo!" he cried out, voice echoing through the meadow. "It's me, ladies! Your one and only Sain!"
All three girls screamed in horror and ran away down the hill towards their respective plots.
"Come to my house!" Farina called to them. "It'll be safe there!"
"Don't worry, we'll be fine!" Fiora assured her.
"If you say so," Farina shouted doubtfully as the three went their separate ways. "But if you need help, just come to my house, pronto!"
The first house Sain came to was Florina's house, a pretty little bungalow produced entirely of white and yellow flowers. It may have looked good— and smelled good— but it certainly didn't look very sturdy.
"Oh, Florina!" Sain called from just outside. "My sweet little Florina! Please, let me come in, my darling!"
"Not by the wings on my pegasus!" Florina shouted from within. "Go away!"
"You can't keep me out of there forever!" Sain taunted. "I'll come in there and take you away!"
"No!" Florina shouted. "Just go away!"
Sain looked thoughtfully at the house of flowers, then took a deep breath in. He exhaled as hard as he could, and the little house of flowers blew away, leaving a very frightened Florina and her pegasus standing in the middle of the field.
"Eek!" Florina cried. She hopped aboard her pegasus's back and flew across the field to Fiora's house, which was the closest.
Not to be perturbed, Sain ran after her, and though he was not able to catch her, he could see she and her pegasus pulled hastily into the house of sticks.
Sain stopped running and strode casually up to the house. He called in, "Florina! Fiora! My two dearest angels! Please, won't you let me come in?"
"Not by the wings on our pegasi!" they shouted in unison.
"You sure can't take a hint, can you?" Fiora yelled angrily.
"What hint?" Sain asked innocently. "All I hear are pretty ladies too shy to admit their feelings to a handsome wolf like me. Go on, you can say."
"We'll say nothing!" Fiora said adamantly.
"Tell me your true feelings for me!" Sain pleaded. "Or I'll just have to come in there and ask you face-to-face!"
"I'd like to see you try!" Fiora challenged.
Sain quirked an eyebrow, then filled his lungs. He exhaled with all his might, and twigs went flying everywhere. Florina, Fiora and their pegasi stood, scandalized, in the middle of the field. They quickly mounted the flying steeds and fled from the romantic-minded werewolf.
Sain pursued them all the way to Farina's house, that may have well have been called a mansion. He crowed, "Two down, one to go! Then they'll have nowhere to run!"
He could see the two get escorted into the large, fancy house. When he arrived at the front door, the three were poking their heads out from a bay window.
"Now I have all three of you where I want you!" Sain exclaimed happily. "The Peg Knight Sisters! Oh, how I have longed for the company of all three of you gorgeous women! I cannot begin to describe my joy!"
"Y'know, maybe if you hadn't come on so strong," Farina called down to him, "we wouldn't have to run away from you."
"Really? Damn!" Sain pouted. "Oh, well. Let me into your mighty fortress, Farina, so that you and your sisters can get to know the man behind the wolf!"
"They look like the same thing to me," Farina said, resting her chin on her hand.
"Alright then, I'll just have to blow your house away to get to you, like I did your sisters'!"
Sain took a large breath and attempted to blow the house away like he did the others. When he did, however, there was no reaction. The house didn't even budge, or sway. He took another deep breath and tried again, but the result was the same. He continued to blow as hard as he could at the house, but it was still having absolutely no effect, and he was getting light-headed. Finally, he blew one last time and passed out on the grass.
"A whole lotta hot air," Farina nodded.
"He passed out!" Florina exclaimed triumphantly. "But, he could wake up again at any time... What are we going to do?"
"Say, I've got an idea," Fiora said hopefully. "I've heard of someone who had a wolf problem before, but he seemed to be able to handle it flawlessly. Farina, may I use your cell phone?"
Farina handed the cell phone off to her sister, and Fiora dialed a number and waited for someone on the other end to pick up.
"Hello?" Erk said as he picked up the receiver in his room.
"Hello?" he heard the voice on the other end say.
"Hello?" he heard Pent's voice.
"I've got it, Pent," Erk said tolerantly.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Pent."
"Right-o, then!"
Click.
"Hello?" Erk tried again.
"Um, yes," the female voice on the other end said. "Is this Erk?"
"This is he."
"Hi, my name's Fiora. I've heard that you live near the Garoh's Forest, and that you had a problem with a werewolf."
"Still have."
"Oh... Well, my sisters and I have a werewolf trying to get into our summer home. He's a hopeless flirt, and he's kind of freaking us out. He's passed out on the lawn at the moment, but he could wake up at any time."
"I'd be glad to help you," Erk replied. "And I think I have just the solution to your problem. You're in the meadow just outside the forest, right?"
"Yes, how did you know?"
"I saw the building contractors go out there."
"Ah."
"Just give me a few minutes, and I'll be right there."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Erk! Bye!"
"See you in a while."
Erk hung up the phone and took one step. He dragged the other foot along the ground, and took another step. He continued like this for a while until he glared down at his hindrance.
"Serra, would you please let go of my leg?"
"No! Never!" Serra cried, gripping his ankle as if her life depended on it. "I'm never letting you go again! Ever!"
Erk sighed. "I'm trying to help some other people with their own pest problem. I mean, werewolf problem. I was hoping you could help. You may even know the guy."
"Well..." Serra said thoughtfully, drawing out the word. "Okay. I'll help."
"Thank you," Erk said. He added, "So, would you mind letting go now?"
"NONONONONO!!!"
"...Could you at least walk by yourself?" Erk suggested. "I'll even let you—" He paused to shudder. "—hold my hand."
"Hm..." Serra murmured, tapping a finger on her chin thoughtfully. She looked up at him hopefully, releasing his leg to reach out to him. "Carry me?"
Erk deflated, shaking his head sadly.
"Wow, I've never seen someone pass out five times in one minute, have you?" Florina asked her sisters. They replied in the negative.
Sain had woken up, but having discovered that trying to blow down the house was no good, since had tried head-butting it. This was only causing him to pass out more. But each time, he would wake up very quickly; just to pass out again.
He was on his sixth trip when Fiora looked out the bay window to the tree line and saw a strangely-shaped figure coming towards the house. As it came closer, she soon realized that it was actually two people, one carrying the other on his back.
"It's Erk!" Fiora exclaimed. "He's here! He'll help us!"
"He looks really tired," Florina pointed out. "I guess he would be. He's got someone on his back..."
"Literally and figuratively, I understand," Fiora told her sister.
"Not just anyone," Farina said. "Looks like a werewolf. Do you suppose that's his plan? To get the one werewolf talk to the other one? He may not be rich, but he's a clever one, that's for sure."
"Okay, this is where you get off," Erk told Serra. It was not a request. He straightened up and released his grip on her. She tumbled to the ground.
"Hey!" she shouted shrilly. "Help me back up!"
He looked at her and felt bad about dropping her. He berated himself for such feelings, but held out a hand just the same.
Serra grinned and accepted his offer. "Thanks, muffin!" Once back on her feet, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held tight.
"Do you see that werewolf over there?" Erk asked, after getting over the initial asphyxiation.
"Ya-huh."
"Well, apparently he's been disturbing the girls that live in that house," Erk explained. "Getting a little too friendly."
"Well, that's rude," Serra commented.
"Mm," Erk agreed, noting the irony in her reaction. "I was hoping since you're a werewolf, you might be able to talk to him. I think the girls in that house would really appreciate it."
Serra stroked her chin thoughtfully, considering her next move.
Erk tried, "I'd be forever grateful if you did this one little thing."
"Really?" Serra enthused, clapping her hands together. "Okay, I'll do it— for you." She pressed her index fingertips together and lowered her gaze. "But I'll only go over there if you hold my hand..."
Erk conceded, holding his hand out for her again. She clasped it in her own, and used the other to grip his entire arm.
Serra rubbed her face up against his shoulder. She cooed lovingly, "You're such a doormat!"
Erk sighed deeply as they headed for the large three-story house. He sang softly, "Wake me up inside... Wake me up inside..."
"What a splitting headache..." Sain muttered to himself. "Maybe I should stop the head- butt technique... But what to try next? Hm... I could try going through the front door. Yes! That's it! I'll go through the front door!"
"Pardon me, brother," he heard a female voice say behind him.
Judging from the use of a werewolf pronoun, she was probably a werewolf as well. He whirled around and found another of his kind clinging to the arm of a young mage.
"Hey!" the girl exclaimed. "You're kinda cute!" She ran up to him and began examining his hair.
"What vision of loveliness is this?" Sain asked. He clasped the girl's hands in his. "What may I call you, sister?"
"Serra, or sweetie," the girl replied. "Whatever mood I happen to be in." She chuckled giddily.
Erk sighed in a stunned relief. Serra had actually released him! But what was this feeling in the pit of his stomach? A sickening jolt when he saw the way the two werewolves were gushing over each other? It made his face hot, and his heart sink."The name of your brave hero is Sain, o beauteous maiden!" the male wolf continued.
"At least she's gotten his mind off of the three in the house," Erk sighed in relief. "Maybe I should sneak by and see if they're alright."
He was about to take off when he noticed that the sky had gotten very dark. He looked up and saw the ominous storm clouds looming just overhead.
Apparently, Serra noticed it as well. "Weather sure does change quickly around here," she commented. "Oh well. We won't get hurt here. Lightning strikes the tallest object in an area, and that's the house, and it's grounded."
"Um, actually," Erk spoke up. "There's a little something you should know about me..."
"What's this?" Serra demanded.
"Well, Anima magic attracts natural elements," Erk explained nervously.
"Wait," Serra said, realization dawning on her. "Aren't you an Anima Mage?"
Erk nodded fervently.
"So, what does that mean?"
"Well, basically," Erk replied, "I'm like a human lightning rod."
ZAP!
"Oh my Gods!" Serra exclaimed. "Erk, are you okay?!"
Erk stood in the same spot, looking rather miffed and still steaming from the lightning's heat. "It doesn't hurt me. It's just highly aggravating to be repeatedly struck by lightning."
ZAP!
"That doesn't look healthy..." Sain muttered concernedly.
"Really, I'm okay," Erk assured everyone.
His eyes suddenly widened and he reached up, palm facing the sky. A stroke of lightning that was about to hit him again was suddenly averted back up. It came back down a few metres away, striking the Three Little Pegs' house. It was reduced to cinders, and the three young women fell to the ground.
"What happened?" Florina demanded.
"Stupid cheap contractors!" Farina raged. "I knew I should have gone with the other guys, but no! I had to pick the one with the bigger ad!"
"Aha!" Sain exclaimed. "I didn't need to blow down your house after all! Mwahahaha..."
Meanwhile, Serra had run over to Erk to see if he was okay."People don't usually get hit by lightning twice and survive," she told him.
"I told you twice, I'm fine!" Erk snapped. He crossed his arms defensively and turned away.
Serra was a little surprised at his sudden outburst. Then it came to her. "Oh, I see. This is about me flirting with Sain, isn't it?"
"What are you talking about?" Erk demanded. "What does that have to do with everyone constantly being concerned for my well-being?"
Serra quirked an eyebrow. She smirked and elbowed him in the side. "You're jealous, aren't ya? Aren't ya!?"
"I am not!" Erk whined.
"I was only pretending," she told him. "Remember? You wanted me to talk to that guy and get him away from the girls in the house? I did it for you, remember?"
Erk slowly turned to face her again. "So, you didn't really mean that stuff you said?"
"Of course not," Serra shrugged. She wrapped her arms around his neck once again. "I only have eyes for you!"
Erk felt his heart lift a bit, but he kept a neutral outward demeanor. "Yes, well. You did a good job. Thank you."He heard screams coming from behind him, and he whirled around to see what had happened. Serra did the same.
Sain had all three Little Pegs sitting on his shoulders, and he was sauntering away happily.
"Wha— hey! He just got away with those three women! We have to do something!"
"Nah, it's okay," Serra told him. "I know that guy, but he doesn't know me. He's a bit of a scoundrel, but he won't harm them. In fact, I think it's a good idea."
"What's a good idea?" Erk asked nervously.
He got his answer when Serra picked him up around the waist and slung him over her shoulder.
"Ack! What are you doing?! Put me down!!"
"I'll do no such thing!" Serra replied. "Come on, Erk. Let's go home!"
"Since when did it become your home?" Erk demanded. His legs flailed wildly. "I want dooooooooown!!!"
"The end," Canas said in satisfied tone.
"That was a great story!" Nils exclaimed. "This reading thing is really fun. I'm so glad you wanted to tell me these stories, Canas. If it's alright, I'd like to hear some more."
"There are plenty more fairy tales in this book," Canas assured him. He flipped through the pages, coming to the next story.