Carreract: Chapter 4 out already? What is this craziness? It's called bugging Madness til she gives in and writes another one of these chapters with me. All joking aside I hope you enjoy!
MadnessJones: LOL! Yeah, this chapter is short, but at least it's out in a timely fashion. I would like to thank Carreract for keeping me focused during the writing process, and he will be writing the next chapter. Thank you all for reading. If you feel like it please review :)
Chapter 4
Unafraid
As Wendy walked through the tunnel to the playground of The Brrrgh, she couldn't help but wonder what she had gotten herself into. She was serious when she said she wanted to work for the Legal Eagle and learn more about the Cogs, but now that her notion was becoming a reality she didn't know what she was going to do. Her parents would never allow her to do this. Her brother Tom would think she'd gone nuts. Would Frank even understand?
That thought made Wendy remember that she still hadn't located Frank, so she looked around the playground to see if she could find him. Surprisingly there were more Toons out than before. Day had turned to night, yet for some reason there were lots of Toons hanging around the fishing hole, running around collecting snowflakes, and ice skating. It was strangely beautiful.
Wendy cautiously looked around for Frank, which wasn't easy since he was a green dog. Surprisingly there were a lot of dogs out on this starlit night, and Wendy wasn't sure which one of them, if any, was Frank.
Where were all these Toons when Frank and I were in trouble? Wendy thought as she sighed tiredly; knowing that finding Frank in this sea of dogs would be difficult.
She tried tugging on the shirt of one of the dogs, only to see it wasn't him. That dog gave her a disgruntled look, so she moved on and tried again. The next dog was green, so that just had to be Frank! She pulled on the dog's arm, but...
"Hey, watch it!" Barked the annoyed dog.
"Sorry!" Wendy quickly apologized and moved on.
It took several minutes of fruitless searching before she located Frank. He was at the entrance to Sleet Street trying to communicate with a bear and a rabbit. Their clothes were normal, but Wendy could tell from their serious expressions that they were either ubers or police officers. When she saw the club attached to the bear's hip, she nodded to herself. They were definitely police officers.
Frank meanwhile was pantomiming and trying to explain that his best friend was missing, but neither cop understood what he was trying to say. They just scratched their heads and looked at him with glazed over eyes.
"Frank! Frank! Frank!" Wendy called out repeatedly as she quickly ran to him, "Frank, it's okay! I'm alright. We can go home now."
Frank smiled wide and grabbed Wendy in a big relieved Toony hug. Wendy was being crushed, but she didn't chastise him for his over-excitement. She was happy to see him too, after all. When Frank let go of her, Wendy's middle was smashed in tight with her head and feet being bigger, so she blew into her glove to reinflate her body back to normal.
Once everything was squared away with the police Wendy and Frank went down the tunnel that would lead them home. Frank sent a questioning look her way, wondering where she had been.
"Oh, um, I was just..." Wendy bit her lip, trying to think of something to say that wouldn't worry Frank, "I went inside an open shop to wait out the Cogs."
Frank quirked an eyebrow, as if asking which shop would be open so late.
"Oh, uh, I forgot the name of the shop," Wendy said quickly, just wanting the conversation to be over.
Frank knew Wendy was nervous, but he just assumed it was because of being chased by Cogs, so he let it go.
As they walked down the silent snowy streets Wendy was as quiet as Frank for once. She still had a lot on her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about the Legal Eagle and the job she had promised to do for him. On the one hand she knew she looked pathetic, following his every order and pleading to not be depressed. Her behavior around the Cog seemed silly now that she realized he never would have attacked first. She wished she had known that before.
On the other hand, despite feeling very small around that well dressed giant Cog, she also felt braver than she had in a long time. She saw an opportunity, and she took it. She knew her family was a problem, but for once she hadn't let the thought of their disapproval stop her. She also stood up to a Cog. Sure, he was a litigious Cog with little desire for battle, but still...a Cog! Wendy couldn't even stand up to her big brother and parents, yet her will managed to overpower the will of an unmovable machine! It was a good feeling.
It was almost morning before Wendy and Frank made it back to Wendy's estate. They tiptoed carefully in an effort to not wake anybody up and get Wendy back to her room unnoticed. When they made it as far as the front door however, a nasty surprise was waiting for them.
Leo's lawn chair had been parked in front of the door, but instead of Leo, Sophie Moggytom was sitting there holding a slingshot and looking at the duo with utter contempt. Her breath smelled of catnip. A lot of catnip.
"So...the little mouse returns," Sophie slurred bitterly, "You think you can run out on us like that whenever you want? Your brother had to finish the cleanup, which meant I had to take care of the baby! You selfish little mouse..."
"Um, pardon me, but you could have cleaned up while Tom took care of the baby," Wendy suggested, but then realized she was only digging herself deeper.
"What!? How dare you talk that way to me!" Sophie screeched, and Wendy cringed in preparation for whatever was coming, "Oh, I see. It's that dog, isn't it? Yeah Frank, I know what you are. I know what kind of...Toon you are. You whisper ideas into my little girl's giant goofy ears and make her hate her own mother. Admit it!"
Frank just gave her a quizzical look. After all, he wasn't exactly capable of whispering to anyone.
"Wendy Jinxsprinkles, you ain't allowed outta this house again!" Sophie declared as she pointed an accusing finger at her daughter, "And you ain't allowed to see Frank neither! Frank, get off my property! If I ever see you again I'm gonna use this slingshot and anything else I can find on you!"
Wendy squeaked in fright and scurried back into the house, while Frank balled his fists and growled challengingly at Sophie. Sophie, despite being hopped up on catnip, managed to load the slingshot and aim a little stick of lit dynamite at Frank. Frank, seeing that he wasn't going to win this fight, took off running down the road as dynamite crackled and exploded behind him.
"And don't you come back, you dirty dog!" Sophie screamed even as Frank grew smaller and smaller on the horizon.
Wendy meanwhile was sobbing into her pillow in her room, unable to believe the roller coaster of events that could happen in one day. First she got to go to a new playground, then she got trapped in Lawbot HQ, then she was employed to work for a Cog, and now she might've lost her best friend to her evil tyrant of a mother. She didn't know how this situation could get any worse.
Wendy then heard the door open, and saw her father standing in the doorway; his grey fur matted in clumps and his eyes lacking any spark of life. This was not what she needed right now.
"Hey, Wendy," Leo drawled listlessly, "I heard you crying."
"I'm sorry," Wendy sniffed, "I'll try to be quiet."
"I also heard your mother. Kinda hard to miss that," Leo replied in an attempt at humor, but Wendy was only wondering what the old grey cat wanted, "I know your mother can be a rough woman..."
"But?" Wendy prodded.
"No buts, just your mother can be a rough woman," Leo deadpanned.
Wendy laughed, and Leo came in to sit down on her bed. Leo wasn't good at giving comfort, but he wasn't exactly heartless; just uninvolved.
"Listen, I know it's hard," Leo continued, "I used to be young just like you. I wanted to explore the world too. You'll see though. Your mother making you stay in this house is a good thing. The world is dangerous now. You know what I found when I explored? Cogs. The world is full of Cogs, and has been for a long time. You go out there and you'll get saddened. Stay in here, and you don't have to worry about Cogs."
"But Mother made me sad now," Wendy protested, "She took my best friend away. Please, can't you talk to her? You're her husband."
"True, but she don't listen to me," Leo shrugged, "You want some ice cream? I can get you some ice cream."
Wendy nodded, and Leo got up and walked over to the door. Before he left however, he turned to Wendy one last time and said, "And remember now, you do what your mother says. Estates are protected from Cogs. It's better to be here where those giant ugly monsters can't depress you. Goodnight, Wendy."
With that Leo shut the door behind him, leaving Wendy alone with her thoughts once again. Just yesterday her father's warnings about Cogs would've scared Wendy enough to make her want to stay hidden away, but not this time. This time she had met a Cog, and leaving this house to return to him was something she wanted more than anything. She would find a way to keep her promise, one way or another.
The next morning Wendy woke up early. She hoped that she could sneak away before her family woke up. It was a terrible idea, and she knew she would be punished if her parents found out about this, but she had made a promise to her new boss and was determined to keep it.
As Wendy walked into the living room she saw her mother was barely awake and rocking the baby back and forth in her rocking chair. Wendy was surprised her mother could sleep off the catnip so quickly, but then realized it was more likely that Sophie had not slept that night. Sophie certainly looked cranky enough to have not slept, and Wendy was very nervous now that someone was watching her. She wondered how obvious it was that she was trying to escape.
"You got a lot of work to do, Wendy," Sophie growled, "First you got-"
"Um, excuse me, Mother?" Wendy interrupted softly, but it was still enough to annoy the orange cat, "Um, forgive me, but you mentioned work. I, um, I wanted to talk to you about that. You see...I was offered a job yesterday."
"A job?" Sophie asked derisively, "Wendy, you're just a stupid kid! What kind of moron would give you a job?"
"It's, um, a Toon shopkeeper...in The Brrrgh. Yes, a Toon!" Wendy stammered even as she made up the story in her head, "It is only part time work."
"Does it pay?" Sophie asked without skipping a beat.
Wendy gulped. She never actually worked out the details with the Cog. She didn't know if she was getting paid or not. To keep up the ruse however...
"Yes, I am getting paid," Wendy lied, "And he wants me to come in today, if I am allowed."
"You give me the money you make and I'll let ya go," Sophie demanded.
"Of course, M-Mother," Wendy stuttered; practically shaking due to her nervousness.
"Good. Now get going!" Sophie ordered, "If you're out earning jellybeans then I need to wake up your no-good brother to take care of the baby. TOM! Get your sorry meow outta bed!"
Wendy wasted no time seeing the results of this tirade. She took off running out of the house and down the dirt road. It would be a long walk to The Brrrgh, but she was ready for it. She had managed to keep her promise. She was going to make it to work on her first day!
That was when she realized something. She had never actually figured out the pay system, and she still had dug herself into a pretty deep metaphorical hole. Her employer was a Cog, so that meant he would likely pay her in cogbucks; assuming he would be willing to pay her at all. As a Toon she was taught that money was unimportant and should not be discussed during business transactions. Now though, she realized how foolish that was. She needed jellybeans to appease her mother, and she was likely to come home empty-handed...or else with incriminating cogbucks. What would she even do with cogbucks? Buy a Flunky suit?
With a mixture of trepidation and anticipation, Wendy marched on toward her destiny. She was still excited to get to learn more about Cogs and be useful to someone besides her family, but at the same time she knew she was playing a very dangerous game. If she was caught by her family or Frank, she could lose everything. If the Cogs decided they didn't like her and wanted her sad, then she was defenseless. This arrangement had to work out. She had to be smart about this. There was no turning back now.