Fairy Tales Don't Always Have Happy Endings Chapter 2: Too Old To Be a Prince and Too Unwanted To Be a Princess

"Jack?" I asked again. The look on his face made me very worried. I couldn't tell wither something I said upset him, or if it was about my mother, or if it was just something about this whole thing. "Jack, are you ok?" I asked again after sitting there for about 10 minutes. I could tell by the look in his eyes that about 1,000 different thoughts where going though his mind.

"Come on…" he said as he finally came out of his thoughts and stood up.

"Huh?" I asked confused.

"We are going to the city," he answered and walked away.

I was kind of worried. Did I make him angry… he didn't even turn to look at me… he just walked away… I thought to myself and began following him.

"We'll find her there," Jack said as he quickly walked.

"Wow really!" I squealed with delight.

"Yeah..." he replied with sadness in his voice.

"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked as I caught up with him and saw the look in his soft brown eyes.

"Nothing at all," he replied trying to convince me by giving me a smile, but still not looking at me.

"Are you sure?" I asked. I could tell by the look in his eyes that there was something wrong.

"Yes," he replied again. He still hadn't looked down at me. He just kept up his fast pace, eyes dead set on the road.

"Umm ok..." I said. I knew something wasn't right, but I didn't want to make him angry so I decided to keep silent and follow him.

How can I tell her? Jack thought as they walked down the snow-covered road. Why am I even taking her to the city... her mother is dead… why am I taking her to the city, there isn't anything there for her… should I tell her she is dead? What should I do with her now? She has no where to go…

"Huh?" I quietly asked myself as I looked up at Jack's brown face again. He is lost in thought again… I said to myself as I looked back down from his face and fixed my blue eyes on the road. "Are we almost there?" I groaned. It seemed like we'd been walking for hours and I was very, very hungry.

"Nope… a ways to go I'm afraid," Jack replied as he still kept his eyes on the white road.

"Man…" I said with a sigh. I was tried of being quiet and Jack seemed to be a little more relaxed now. "Can you slow down a little bit?" I asked as I tried to keep up with him. I was almost running behind him because he was walking so fast.

"Oh sorry, this better?" he asked as he slowed down a bit.

"I guess that's ok," I replied. I was going faster then normal but at least I didn't have to trot anymore.

"I guess I forgot your legs aren't as long as mine and you have to take more steps then I do," he said with a little smile.

"It's ok," I replied. I felt much better now that Jack was talking to me in his normal relaxed voice, but then again his eyes were still glued to the road. How can he just stare at the road like that? I thought to myself, it's so boring… so …white…but then again, I thought as I looked around the area. There isn't much here to look at… the road doesn't look much different then anything else. Everything else is white. There used to be a little bit of woods to look at, but we left those a long time ago. Now it's just empty fields. I saw a few houses a few miles back. I bet they were farmers and this is their land. When it's warm out here it is probably all cornfields, but now that it's cold, the fields are bare, white, and very boring.

"Are you tired? Do you need to take a break?" Jack asked me.

"Yes please," I replied. My paws where numb from walking on the cold road and all the muscles in my legs throbbed in pain as the cold wind seemed to tangle around them. The wind wasn't very strong, not even strong enough to carry and snow. It was just very cold and it stung when it touched bare flesh.

"Why are you shivering?" Jack asked as I lay down on the cold white concrete. "I thought you lived outside. You should be used to the cold shouldn't you?"

"Yeah, but I don't live over here. I live closer to the woods. When the wind got bad like this my mother and I would go into the woods and stay hidden in the trees. The trees shielded us from these freezing winds."

"Oh, I see," he replied as he sat down next to me.

"Are you going to stay with us for awhile?" I asked Jack as I looked up at him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"After we find my mother... are you going to stay with us for awhile or are you going to leave right away?" I asked hoping he would say he'd stay for at least a few days.

"I don't know yet…" Jack replied quietly.

"Did I say something wrong?" I asked as I noticed the tone in his voice changed.

"No," he answered.

"K," I replied with a little smile as I rested my black head on my front paws and closed my blue eyes.

"Are you going to sleep?" he asked.

"Nope… I was just thinking," I replied with my eyes still closed and a smile on my face.

"About what?" Jack asked curiously.

"Fairy tales…" I replied.

"Fairy tales?" he asked now even more confused, "What for?"

"Well I just feel like I'm in one right now."

"How so?"

"Well…" I began, "Just meeting you and being on this adventure… seems like one when you think about it, doesn't it? Little girl who was teased by other dogs, mother has been taken, and meeting you…" I replied with a little embarrassment in my voice.

"Oh yeah," he said with a laugh, "I bet it does from your point of view."

"You are a little old to be my prince, but oh well," I replied.

"Too old? What's that supposed to mean?" Jack asked, "Why, I'm not old at all… I'm in the prime of my life."

"No, no I don't mean old like that. I mean too old to be my prince," I replied with a laugh.

"Yeah, I guess that's true," Jack said as he looked down at me. "But I'm not too old to be your friend am I?"

"Of course not," I replied, "No one is too old to be friends with someone… or so I've heard."

"Well you heard right."

"You're too old to be a prince and I'm to unwanted to be a princess," I said with a little laugh.

"Hey now… you're not unwanted. Your mother loves you doesn't she?" Jack asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Then you're wanted," he said.

"That's not what I mean…" I replied, "In stories with kings and queens the princesses are always loved and wanted by everyone, not just their mom."

"Oh I see. Well then this is some strange fairy tale you have going," he said with a chuckle.

"Yep," I replied with a laugh, "A prince who's too old and princess who is unwanted. What a team, huh?"

"Too old… I still can't get over that part," he replied.

"Hey, I told you. I only meant physically... you know age wise… not mentally wise."

"Physically too old…." he said, "We'll see if I'm 'physically' too old," he said and took off running. "Come on, Kid... come catch me if I'm so old," Jack said with a laugh as he ran around in circles.

"Oh, so my name is Kid now is it?" I asked as I watched him run off the road and into the field.

"Yup," he replied and ran off.

"Hey come on, that's not fair!" I yelled as I got up and chased him around the field.

"If I'm so old then you should have no problem catching me!" he hollered back as he ran though the snow.

"Come back, that wasn't fair! No head starts!" I called as I followed him. He was well in the lead but I kept up well enough.

"I'm old so head starts don't matter!" Jack yelled back with a laugh.

"What do you mean head starts don't matter?" I asked as I followed, "Head starts matter a lot!"

"Not when you're old!" he replied and ran even faster.

"Hey, wait up!" I yelled and picked up as much speed as I could. The snow was deeper here then it was when we were on the road. "Not fair your legs are longer then mine remember? I'm knee deep in this and you're fine!" I yelled as he got farther ahead of me.

"Yeah, but my muscles are old remember!" he yelled back.

"Oh you…!" I playfully growled.

"Oh come on, Kid. I know you can do better then that!" Jack hollered as he glanced back at me.

"Yeah, you know it!" I yelled back and darted at him. "Yeah, you better run!"

"Oh yeah, I'm so scared of you! Look at me cry!" he said with a laugh.

"You'll be crying just wait!" I said as I ran as fast as I could.

"Not until you catch me I won't! If you ever catch me that is!"

"Oh, I will. Don't worry old timer I will!"

"Old timer?" Jack yelled back. "Oh now that really hurt! Don't insult the elderly!" he replied with a laugh as he began a wide right turn.

"I'm not insulting the elderly! Only you!" I replied as I too started making a right turn. Ha ha, I thought as I watched him, If he heads back to the road I can cut him off.

Time for an old timer's trick, he smirked as he watched me getting closer and closer to him as we made the turn.

"I have you now!" I said happily as I jumped up over his body ready to come down on him and tackle him to the ground.

"Be careful, Kid…" he said with an evil look in his eye. "Don't want to break an old dog's hip now do you?" he asked and just as I was about to get him he changed direction and darted straight back the way we had come, back to where my mother had been.

"No!" I cried as I saw him dart off and the ground below me. I didn't get him… all I got was a nose full of cold snow.

Jack was really enjoying himself. This is the most I've ever heard any living thing laugh.

"Ahhhhh brain freeze!" I cried out as I had swallowed some of the snow when I hit it face first. "Hey, no fair!" I barked as my head stopped pounding and I began chasing him again, Crap, I almost had him too.

"I guess an old dog can learn new tricks, huh Kid?" he hollered back with a laugh and took off at full speed again.

"I wouldn't know!" I replied, "I'm not old!" I barked as I ran after him. Hey, I thought to myself as we ran, We are going right back the way we came. There is the road right over there…

"What's wrong, Kid? Getting tired?" Jack asked.

"No!" I replied and sped up again. I wasn't too sure if he realized we where going back the way we had come, Oh well, we can always go back later... and I have to prove to him he's old.

I wasn't sure how long I chased Jack for or if he even knew himself. All I knew was it was getting colder and the moon was coming out.

"Are you giving up yet?" Jack asked as we ran.

"No," I replied though I was very tired. Jack was way ahead of me. I didn't think I'd ever catch up to him.

"Are you sure?" he asked. The sound of my voice was so far back he didn't even have to turn around to see if I was close or not.

"I'm sure!" I hollered as we ran through the night, We must be getting close to the woods now... this smell is very familiar, I said to myself. It was now dark out and I couldn't see very well, but that didn't scare me very much. I could still hear and smell so I'd know if something was near.

"Alright then," Jack replied and kept on running. He was running so funky… side-to-side, jumping up and down, speeding up and slowing down a little bit. I knew he was only doing it to prove he wasn't old… also to make me mad that I lost the chase but his tricks where so funny I couldn't help but laugh.

"You like that, huh?" he asked with a laugh as we ran. Now I knew we where back. I saw the woods on both sides of us but I didn't care I went right on laughing and running.

"Hey, what is that?" a big tan and white pit bull asked a black and brown rottweiler as they came to the edge of the forest to see what all the racket was about.

"It sounds like that little half-breed," the rottweiler replied.

"Yeah, it does," the pit bull said, "Should we take care of her?"

"I want to find out what she is doing first," he said as he stared at the happy cub. He hadn't seen Jack way out in front of her.

"Ok," the pit bull replied and turned to watch the cub.

"I'll watch her. You go get Buck," the rottweiler ordered. His voice was low and deep.

"All right, I'll get him Reily, don't worry," the pit bull said to the rottweiler then left to find Buck.

"Good and be quick about it," Reily replied as the pit bull ran into the woods.

"Hey, Buck," the pit bull said as he came to find a sleeping Doberman, golden retriever mix.

"What is it, Gangster?" he replied sleepily. He was somewhat of an odd looking dog. He had the body and markings of a Doberman only the color wasn't just black and brown. There was also some golden colored markings on his front right leg and chest. He also had the height and coat style of a golden retriever's not that of a Doberman's.

"Come on get up, Reily wants us," Gangster said as Buck began to get up.

"What for?" he asked the pit bull.

"We saw that little black half-breed again," Gangster replied.

"I see. Are we going to get her this time?" Buck asked as they quickly went back to Reily's side.

"I have no clue," Gangster replied, "But I hope so. I love the taste of her flesh. That's about the only part of her that's good and worth having around."

"Be quiet," Reily said as they came up beside him.

"Where'd she go?" Gangster asked.

"She's right over there," Reily replied keeping his eyes on the little cub. Not removing them for a second in fear he would lose her in the dark night. He could only see a black blur against the white snow. He knew that black blur was her.

"Where? I don't see her," Gangster said as he looked around.

"No kidding, she's black," Buck said as he too looked for the cub.

"How do I know where she is then?" he asked.

"Easy, just smell her. She stinks up the place with her half-breed sent. We should have no trouble finding her. The wind is in our favor as well. It's blowing back this way so she'll have no idea we are behind her," Reily said.

"How come she won't smell us?" Gangster asked. He wasn't the smartest member of the group.

"Because the wind is blowing back this way. It's not blowing her way so our sent will be carried away from her not to her," Buck said in a somewhat annoyed voice. He hated having to deal with Gangster's stupidity.

"So are we going to get her?" Gangster asked.

"Yeah," Reily replied, "We'll get her then we wont have to deal with her half-breed stench anymore."