Author Notes - Lions and Guppies and Witches, oh my! I'm kinda tempted to put something involving the Kalidahs in this story, but considering what this story actually is I don't think that's necessary.
CHAPTER FIVE - A SCAREDY CAT
Most of Molly's group, including Molly herself, backed away and trembled at the sight of such a mean witch looking down on them. There was one exception, and that was Deema. Clearly, the scarecrow truly didn't have any brains if she wasn't scared of such a horrifying foe.
'No, not really.' She remarked. 'It was a lot more fun before you showed up.'
The Witch just gave her an annoyed look. 'Good to know. Anyway…' She smirked. 'So Molly, do you really think you and your little posse will make it to the Emerald Sydney?'
Molly gulped. 'W-We kinda hoped.'
'You wanna know I'm hoping for? That I'll get those Ruby Gloves off your blasted arms!'
Molly flashed that witch a nervous smile. Nonny lifted up his axe, while Deema stood in front of the pink-haired Guppy with her arms out straight. Perhaps not nearly as threatening as the axe, but it certainly did its job in making Molly feel a little bit safer.
'Unfortunate for me,' The Witch said, with many layers of frustration. 'My powers aren't so powerful outside of my domain. We're too far in the eastern land of the Fishkins. That goodie two-tails witch Oona has way too much influence on this place.'
Deema laughed. 'So you're just admitting that you can't do anything to us while we're here!'
Right behind her, Molly whispered to her about fifty times to shut up.
The Witch gave her a glare. 'Oh yeah? I can still do this!'
She fluttered her fingers about, and her hand emitted a green sparkly light. With just a point of her finger, a beam of lightning shot from her hand and zoomed towards the one the Witch cared about the least - the Tin Guppy. Unfortunately for her, Nonny's tin skin deflected the shot and it struck a nearby tree stump instead. Before Deema could snark at her further, the tree stump completely changed shape to that of a wooden frog.
'I CAN STILL TURN YA INTO A FROG!'
Molly gulped. 'O-Okay, we all see your point. If you could just kindly let us on our way, that would be nice…'
Every single member of the party, even Bubble Puppy, adopted nervous grins. The Witch responded by adopting a more malicious grin instead.
'Nah, I don't think so.' She said. 'I think I should get back at a certain little scarecrow who decides to run her mouth when she hasn't got a brain.'
'HEY!' Deema retorted. 'I know I don't have a brain, but you don't have to say it like that!'
The Witch seemed more fed up with the scarecrow than actually angry with her, but still she fluttered her hand around in a slightly different fashion than the first. Instead of green, it created orange light instead. Then, like it was a shotput ball, the Witch hurled a fireball directly at the ground where Deema's feet would been if she had any.
'OH GEEZ!' Deema cried as she jumped back. 'FIIIRE!'
The fireball just barely missed her dusty old fabric tail, but still it set the grass beneath her aflame. She swam backwards screaming until she tripped over a tree stump and tumbled to the floor. Molly and Bubble Puppy, just slightly less scared than her, backed away from the flames while Nonny approached them instead. Turns out that funnel thing on his head was removable, and he bashed the flames with the base of it until they were finally put out.
The Witch cackled once again. 'Be careful, scarecrow! You wouldn't want your plan to get a brain to go up in flames, now would ya?'
With a snap of her fingers, she disappeared into another explosive cloud of green and black dust. Nonny helped Deema get off the ground while Molly stared at the spot the witch disappeared into.
'Wow.' Deema said, rather calmly for someone nearly set on fire. 'That witch is mean.'
'Are you okay?' Nonny asked, looking her over for any burns.
'Yeah, I'm fine. If she aimed an inch higher though, PHEW! That'd be the end of me.'
Molly clenched her fists. Now, she was more determined than ever to make sure that her new friends got exactly what they wanted, and didn't go up in flames in the process of trying. She turned to her companions, and gave Bubble Puppy a pat on the head.
'Deema, Nonny, that witch may be following me but now she's decided to mess with my friends.' She said. 'I don't know how much farther we have to go, but I'm not stopping until we get to the Wizard. I need a way home, Deema wants a brain, and Nonny wants a heart. I will make sure you get what you want even if it kills me.'
'I hope it doesn't kill you.' Nonny said. 'If you died to get me my heart, I'd be really sad.'
'Well, let's hope I don't die then. Let's keep going before that witch comes back!'
'Okay, I'm regretting this now.'
The lovely calm forest of the Tin Guppy's domain ended after a while, but the forest itself continued. These trees had been left without a woodsman since they had first been planted, and thus grew out of control. They created a massive canopy that left the ground almost entirely in shadow, and the bushes were so plentiful some of them overlapped the yellow brick road. Some trees had fallen over, creating more obstacles for the clumsy Deema and stiff Nonny.
Molly gulped as she passed over another fallen log. 'W-Well, it can't be so bad in a dark spooky forest like this, right?'
'AHHH!' Deema screamed.
The other three members of the team snapped their attention to Deema, expecting to see her getting torn apart by a lion or a tiger or a bear - oh my - only to see that her shirt got caught on a little branch on the log. Nonny didn't even need to use his axe, and just unhooked her.
Molly groaned. 'Really?'
'Don't get mad at me!' Deema cried. 'Getting my loose clothing caught could make me an easy victim for the witch! Or at least cause a tear. Do you want my straw innards to spill everywhere?'
Molly sighed, and the quartet continued down the spooky dark path. Aside from Deema getting caught a few dozen more times, everything went just fine... until Bubble Puppy picked up a concerning scent. He sniffed at a bush, and zipped away with a yelp.
'You smell something bad, Bubble Puppy?' Molly asked.
Bubble Puppy nodded.
Deema scoffed. 'I ain't scared. I ain't scared of nothing but a lit match. Come on out, ya big scary monster!'
'RAAAWWRRR!'
'EEK!'
Something leapt out of that bush alright, and it was something much grander than the poor scarecrow could've anticipated. With its mane and sharp claws, it couldn't be anything else but a lion! It landed on its front legs at first, before it stood up onto its tail like a human Guppy. It bared all of its razor sharp teeth and deadly claws, growling at them all the while.
Deema tried to swim away, but she just tripped and tumbled over backwards. Before she could get up again, that lion towered over her with his teeth dripping with feline slobber.
'P-Please don't hurt me, lion!' The scarecrow pleaded. 'I-I'm nothing but fabric and straw. I couldn't possibly do anything to you.'
The lion scoffed. 'Put 'em up, Scarecrow. Put 'em up!'
Molly found it in her to roll her eyes and sigh. Of course the lions can talk too. Sure, why not?
The lion didn't look like a regular old lion though. His proportions were more in-line with a human's, for once, and his glorious mane was a rather unnatural shade of blue. His eyes were blue too, reminding Molly of yet another friend of hers.
The lion snapped his head to Nonny, who flinched so hard he nearly fell apart. He too tumbled over backwards as the feline beast approached him with a smirk on his face.
'What about you, Tin Can?' The lion taunted. 'Too scared that I'll crush you into scrap?'
Nonny shook his head. 'Please don't hurt me. All I wanted was a heart.'
Deema put on a fake smile. 'Hey, I've got a great idea! How about you try talking to him?'
'Why me?'
'Well, uh... I hardly know him!'
Bubble Puppy had just about enough of this mean old lion scaring his friends, and so he ran up to him while barking and growling. The lion had a cocky little smirk on his face as he turned to the little doggy.
'You'll make a yummy appetiser!'
'BUBBLE PUPPY!' Molly cried.
The lion snarled, showing off all of his teeth, and went for the kill.
*SLAP*
'Bad lion! BAD LION!'
Molly could only stare in shock as Deema leapt to her feet and slapped the lion right across the cheek.
'Go sit in the corner and think about what you did!'
Of course, a hand made of fabric and straw would hardly do any damage at all. You wouldn't have known that, however, if you saw that poor lion's reaction. He flinched away and began to weep like a kid who had his candies taken away.
'I w-wasn't gonna bite him...' He said between sobs.
'You were sure as heck trying to!' Deema scolded. 'Who do you think you are, trying to get your kicks from hurting those scared of you?'
'B-B-But the tin guy had an axe...'
'Well, he wasn't using it, was he?'
The lion backed away and got onto his hands again, crying quite profusely over an attack that really didn't hurt much at all. To see the mighty king of the forest break down crying was quite the sight, and it would've been funny if it weren't quite so pathetic, especially when he curled up into a little ball and hid behind his tail.
Molly crossed her arms. 'The scarecrow's right, lion.' She sighed. 'That's a sentence I just said!'
'Y-You didn't h-have to hit me like that…' The lion whimpered.
Deema rolled her eyes. 'Oh come. On. I'm a scarecrow. You just got lightly slapped by a pillow.'
The blue-maned lion continued to sob and weep while the girls and their puppy friend stared him down. Nonny got himself off the ground, but he did not join in on the angry stares like the others. Instead, he approached the lion with his axe lowered.
'Are you okay, lion?' He asked.
'N-N-No…' The lion answered with a sniffle. 'I-I wasn't gonna hurt anyone, I-I swear.'
Deema groaned. 'I'm sure you weren't. Going after people scared of you… you're just a coward.'
To her surprise, the lion nodded. 'I-I know I'm just a coward. I was born like that.'
If Nonny had a heart, it would've melted at that moment. He extended a helpful arm towards the crying beast, and the lion only took it after staring at him in fear for a few seconds. The scolding glares from Deema and Molly softened quite a bit too.
'It's okay.' Nonny said. 'I'm sure you are just exaggerating.'
The lion shook his head. 'B-But I'm not. I'm scared of everything! Of deer, bears, the planet Jupiter, chickens, the dark, lightning… even those Fishkins!' He trembled. 'Absolutely everything! I-I'm supposed to be the king of the forest, but all the forest animals just laugh at me.'
Nonny frowned a little as he gave the lion a soft pat on the back. The beast wiped his eyes with the back of his paw, but he didn't seem any happier. Or any less frightened, for that matter.
'I see.' The Tin Guppy said. 'So you were just bullying us because of your own insecurities.'
'Y-Yeah, something like that…'
Bubble Puppy whimpered. This lion reminded him of his owner, in more ways than one, and he never liked seeing his owner all scared and crying like this.
'You poor thing…' Molly said.
'Oh, you don't know the half of it, missy.' The lion said. 'It's so hard when you're born a sissy. I wish I could show my prowess, that I'm more than just a mow-wess. It's a fate that I don't deserve… I just wish I had some courage. You know, the nerve!'
Somehow, Molly knew exactly where this was about to go. She knew just where this conversation was going. She opened her mouth to just get to it already, when once again Deema beat her to it.
'Hey Mr Lion, I've got a great idea!' She exclaimed.
She must've spoken a little too loudly, as the blue-maned lion recoiled and hid behind his big fluffy paws.
'Oh, sorry. Anyway, that great idea. See, we were off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of Bu-'
'OKAY!' Molly yelled. 'We get it. We're off to see the wizard. Do you have to sing it each and every time we have this discussion?'
Deema held her hands up. 'Okay, I'll stop. We're off to see the Wizard of Bubbledom in the Emerald Sydney. I'm Deema, this little girl is Molly, and that tin man over there is Nonny. We each want something from the wizard, and someone so great and powerful is sure to make our wishes come true! I'm sure that guy could also give you some courage. Or, as you put it, the nerve!'
For the first time since the scarecrow slapped him – which is an interesting sentence indeed – the lion managed to smile.
'I-I always wanted to see the wizard,' He said. 'B-But I've never had the nerve to actually go and talk to him.'
'That won't be a problem with us by your side!' Deema said. 'Mr… what's your name?'
Gil opened his mouth to answer, but Molly cut him off.
'Wait, wait… let me guess.' She put her hand to her forehead, as if she needed some psychic power to possibly guess. 'I'm thinking your name is… Gil.'
The lion gasped. 'Yeah, my name is Gil! How did you know?'
'Call it a lucky guess.'
Deema slung her arm over Gil's shoulder. He didn't look especially comfortable with it, cringing and scrunching up his face a little, but that was probably because she slapped him a minute ago.
'Now we have a lion on our side!' She declared. 'A cowardly lion, yes, but a lion nonetheless. That witch will be no match for us now!'
'Wait, the WITCH?!' Gil yelled. 'The witch is after you guys?!'
Molly waved her arms about, signalling for him to calm down. 'It'll be fine. I'm sure that if we all stick together, then we'll get to the Emerald Sydney just fine. If you don't wanna come though, you're welcome to just stay here.'
Gil thought about this decision really hard, for all of two seconds. No way he'd let this opportunity slide. He puffed out his chest to make himself seem as courageous as possible.
'N-No matter how scary that witch is,' He said with a gulp. 'I-I'm coming with you! If I go with you to the Emerald Sydney and meet the Wizard, then I'd be brave as a blizzard.'
'I'd be gentle as a lizard.' Nonny added, placing his hand over where his heart would be.
'And I'd be clev-ver as a gizzard!' Deema sang while pointing to her head, which got her strange looks from everyone else.
'And, uh…' Molly tried to join in, rubbing the back of her head. 'Oh, there are not many words that rhyme with wizard, are there? Oh, forget it. And I'd finally be able to go home.'
Bubble Puppy joined in a few enthusiastic yips. Deema locked arms with Gil, whether he wanted to or not. Molly took the lion's other arm, and Nonny joined at the end.
'Now I'm sure to get a brain!'
'A heart.'
'A home.'
'The nerve!'
'Arf arf!'
'WEEEE'RE OFF TO SEE THE WIZARD, THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF-'
'Deema!'
'Sorry.'
And there the quintet went, still following the yellow brick road but as a big group now. Aside from everyone else having to carry Deema along as she nearly fell over about fifty times, it was far more enjoyable than Molly could ever have imagined. It felt just like one of those stories on the playground, albeit now her life was truly on the line. Still, her best friends made her feel that little safer. And it was even better now that Gil was here.
If only any of them knew that they were being watched…
Author Notes - I'm pretty sure Gil as the Cowardly Lion goes without saying, but I'll explain it anyway. Gil has been shown to be a very jumpy and sometimes timid kid, but when the going gets tough and his friends are in trouble, he'll be facing his fears head-on without a second thought.
