An Awkward Predicament
"Hello?" Apple called again.
Rotbart could feel himself sweating bullets. He was injured, naked, and Apple White, queen bee of Ever After High and the girl who hated his guts most, was headed right this way! His mind quickly envisioned every conceivable outcome of this encounter, and none of them were good. Most of the scenarios he pictured involved terrible public humiliation or unbearable blackmail.
It would be just like her to make me be her manservant for a week! He thought bitterly as he imagined giving her pedicures against his will. And then she'd probably tell her friend Blondie anyway! No, there was no way he'd let her see him like this!
Unless, she didn't know it was me! Rotbart suddenly thought. He quickly concentrated his magical energy, and turned himself into an owl. He checked the feathers on his chest and rearranged them to hide his swan charm, which would have been a dead give-away. And he pulled himself up onto his now talon-ed feet and tried to look as innocent and owl-like as possible.
At that point Apple walked onto the beach. "Huh. That's funny..." she said to herself. "I could have sworn I heard something...".
"Who-Who." Rotbart said as he preened himself and tried to act natural.
And then Apple said something that Rotbart never thought he'd hear her say to him:
"Oh, you poor darling!"
Rotbart nearly jumped out of his feathers. "Who, ME?!" He said. But Apple only heard "Who-WHO?!"
"What happened to you?!" Apple asked.
Rotbart looked down at himself and remembered that he was still bleeding from his left wing and right foot. This hadn't escaped Apple's notice and she was all concern.
"Poor little fellow, something NASTY must have got a hold of you!" Apple said. Rotbart nodded his head slowly, unsure of where this was going.
And before he could object, Apple quickly scooped him up and put him in her basket.
"It's OK." She told him. "I'll take care of you."
""WHO?!" Rotbart said. But what he really meant was: "WHAT?!"
Things had just taken a turn for the awkward.