Disclaimer, meh

Alex awoke to find himself alone in the room. The scepter floating in the corner, silently, the slippers next to them, still glowing. Alex got up and found he felt more awake and more aware than he ever had. He walked over to the desk and found Dorothy's satchel, her sketchbook open and a pen dripping ink onto it. he shook his head, picked up the pen, and turned to the last page of the sketchbook. Quickly scribbling something he closed the book and put the pen on top. She wasn't liable to see it until after he was gone, and he knew it. he could hear the voice of the beast echoing, whispering into his ears.

"come on, give in now, let go." He heard the beast say.

He fought it, watching as his hands began glowing. He quickly looked back, then left the room. He resigned to head for the forest. At least there he could change and disappear. The whispering calling to him. He walked along the hall but before he could get to the main entry way he found his path blocked by the jester and his father.

"what are you doing?" The jester asked curiously.

"I can't fight it, how long have I been out?" Alex asked.

"almost three full days, tomorrow is the last day of the festival." The jester said.

"I have to run, if I stay…" Was as far as alex got before his father cut him off.

"Alex, you aren't going anywhere, you're staying here, you can fight it, I know you can!" Mr. teak said sternly.

"Dad, please just this once, let me do this, if I stay, I could wind up killing all of you." Alex said, trying to fight back the tears.

"so, he's made his decision, not to stick around." Zinnia said appearing.

"ah, yes, the tribunal, Zinnia, I need you guys to promise me one thing." Alex said weakly.

"I will listen, as it is partially our fault you're in this mess." Zinnia said.

"wait until the sunlight has returned to start searching for me, don't let the beast get the drop on you." Alex said.

"his intelligence with a bloodthirsty wolf, its going to be hard to get the drop on him though," the jester said.

At that moment alex felt a surge of energy seem to punch him in the gut. He staggered back and clutched his stomach.

"Alexander Nathaniel Teak! You are not leaving this castle!" his father shouted.

At that moment the scepter could be heard, Bong, Bong, Bong

"Dad, for once, just listen to me, I'm not doing this for my sake, I'm doing it for yours, you are always either too strict or too sheltering. Its my turn now, and I have to run, I don't want to have any of your guy's blood on my hands, I'm going to try and make a break for the forest." Alex said pushing passed his father and the jester.

"It's a brave thing, abandoning them like that, but that won't stop her from coming after you." Zinnia said.

Alex stopped and turned, tears now welling in his eyes.

"you think I don't know that!?" He shouted, "I don't want to have to make this choice, I know if I stay odds are she'll be the first person I hurt, if I leave at least she's safe from the beast." He said as tears started to streak down his face.

"at least say goodbye to her." His father said.

Alex thought about it for a moment, the voice of the beast growing louder in his ear.

"If I stay, I might not be able to leave her, now I want all of you, to give me your word that you won't let her follow after me, I hear her coming, hold her back however you can, please." He said as he heard footsteps running down the hall.

"Alex, please, think it through!" His father started, tears forming in his own eyes.

Alex shook his head and hugged his father tight.

"Promise me, look after her, and Annabella for me, but don't let dorothy come after me, at least not now, regardless the magic they use, you can't contain her for long, but find a way!" Alex said sternly.

His father pushed him away and looked him in the eyes.

"alex…" But that was as far as he got before he was cut off.

"promise!" Alex shouted before looking over at all of them.

"You have our word, we will do whatever it takes to keep her from chasing after you, at least until the sun rises." The jester said.

"If that's the best I can get, I'll take it, zinnia, your word?" Alex asked choking back the tears.

"until the sun rises, unless you cause a problem, the hunt will not come looking for you." Zinnia said, she herself looking on the verge of tears.

The voice seemed to shout in his ears, zinnia shouted something but alex didn't hear it. he watched as she turned around, time seemed to slow as he watched dorothy turn the corner. His mother emerging quickly behind her alongside Glinda. Both of them would have been prepared for the eventuality that he would likely make the choice that would save all of them. They grabbed onto her as best they could. Alex met her gaze, their eyes made contact. And for a moment dorothy stopped. She knew she couldn't stop it, but she didn't want to let him leave either. He said nothing, he simply turned, his own heart shattering in this instance. He would see them again, that's what he told himself as he took off in the fastest run that he could.

Back inside the castle however dorothy was once more struggling against the grasps of Glinda and Mrs. Teak.

"LET ME GO!" she screamed, "ALEX!" she cried after him.

"Dorothy, listen to me!" Mr. teak said sternly, a sternness that would have made anyone, man, woman, child, or animal stop in their tracks.

Dorothy however didn't hear him. She wanted to chase after him if not to stop him, to at least promise him that she would find him. To say goodbye. But she knew, that they wouldn't let her go after him. However, this was not something she wanted to accept.

"She can't hear you." Madeline said coming up behind, "she's deaf to anyone all she can feel, is a burning sadness and desire, to go after him, I'm not skilled enough to put her to sleep"

"even if we put her to sleep, the moment she wakes up she'll go after him, either by clicking her heels or using the scepter, there's nowhere she can't get out of." Glinda said as dorothy managed to break from hers and Mrs. Teaks grasp with a kick.

Immediately however, she was met with the jester and rose's grasps. Strong than Glinda and Mrs. Teak the two of them fought to hold her back.

"well, an aha moment is called for, there is one place." The jester said struggling to hold her back as he became distracted by the banging from the vault door.

"LET ME GO PLEASE!" Dorothy screeched, her voice breaking.

Suddenly, a blood curdling scream, which quickly turned into a howl was heard as both a rush of energy was felt. The banging from the vault growing louder and harder. At that moment dorothy elbowed the jester in the stomach causing him to double back in pain. Dorothy broke free from him and rose and ran for the door. Only to be stopped finally by Mr. teak. She poked her head out the door and saw a glowing light in the distance that was the source of the howling.

"I'LL FIND YOU! I SWEAR IT ALEX! I'LL FIND YOU!" dorothy screamed before Mr. teak pulled her back and the door slammed shut.

Dorothy struggled for a few more moments, zinnia raised a shaky hand, binding a spell. Dorothy immediately slumped back in Mr. teak's arms, tears still rolling down her face.

"y-your hand, was shaking, you didn't think you could bind the spell to her." The jester said catching his breath and getting to his feet.

"powerful, emotional block." Zinnia said snapping her fingers causing a chair to appear behind her which she slumped back in.

"she just lost one of her best friends, if she didn't have a powerful emotional block, I'd be more than just extremely concerned." Rose said going to help Glinda and Mrs. Teak.

"I won't hold it against her, its not like we didn't know this would happen." Mrs. Teak said walking over to her husband.

Madeline sighed, walking over to the teaks and dorothy. Placing a hand on her forehead.

"jester, you said there was one place we could put her that she wouldn't immediately escape from." Madeline said.

"yes, and I figured it was obvious, however, I need at least one member of the tribunal to approve before I do so." The jester said looking over at zinnia.

"hmm?" zinnia asked before it clicked, "o-oh, the vault, why do you need my permission for that? We had a bet, you know, that you would bypass the locking mechanisms yourself, you should be asking forgiveness not permission." She added smiling.

"seriously, I'm that predictable?" the jester asked walking over to Mr. teak and scooping dorothy into his arms.

At that moment Fayth, Benton, and Fenrir appeared.

"you are, and now, zinnia, if you're coming?" Fayth asked before zinnia grabbed her wrist.

"Not until sunrise, I gave him our vow." Zinnia said shakily.

"you didn't!" Benton shouted.

"if I didn't he wouldn't have made it to the forest in time." Zinnia said.

"Blast it, Zinnia, this is irresponsible, even for you!" Fenrir said, his voice booming.

"I'm sorry, I had to, I wanted to tell him to stay, to wait for you guys, but he would have transformed in front of them." Zinnia said sighing.

"if he causes any problems, its on your head." Benton said vanishing alongside Fenrir.

Suddenly there was a banging on the door. Rose walked over and opened it, a man walked in.

"milady, the wolf, it ran into the forest, do you wish us to pursue it?" he asked.

"no, leave it be, was it a cursed one?" Rose asked.

"no, a normal one." He replied causing everyone who knew the odds to sigh in relief.

"he can't cause too much damage then." Fayth said as her sister completely nodded off.

"do you really think she'll react well to what she'll find in the vault, or rather who?" Glinda asked.

"I don't know, you wont even go in it, and I've offered, numerous times, to let you see them." The jester said, "rose, spot me on the stairs please." The jester added.

Glinda shook her head, and sighed. She would go in the morning, when dorothy awoke.

"what do they have for food and drink?" Glinda asked.

"the comforts of home." The jester said smiling as he descended the steps with his wife.

A few moments earlier.

Alex staggered to the edge of the forest. The voice of the beast now shouting in his head to give in. as he reached the tree line he felt a surge of energy seem to punch him in the gut. He fell to the ground on all fours. His hands now glowing a fiery gold exerting magical energy. He could feel a fire burning inside him, ready to burst out and consume him. He shook his head and looked around.

"Now!" alex started feeling for a branch to grab, "you wait a minute! I have a few things I want to say to you first!" he said sternly.

Immediately the feeling stopped, alex grasped a lower branch of a shorter tree and pulled himself back to his feet. He was in pain now, and he could feel the beast coming.

"I'm running, not to give you freedom, but to save them, you aren't going to win this forever." Alex said as his legs buckled beneath him causing him to collapse.

"what makes you think you'll win!?" the voice of the beast came ringing through his ears.

"they will hunt you down, and if they don't find you, she will." Alex said pulling himself to his feet again, "hate, is always foolish, and you are the qualities about me that I despise, no one hates me more than I do." Alex added.

This wasn't particularly true, he was hoping that since the beast was also him, that this would create a reaction making the beast rethink his actions.

"and if I find out, when I do eventually reawaken that you caused harm to anyone I care about, then you'd better prepare for a battle of control, because I know that if I wake, you won't sleep forever, but I have one last question for you." Alex said.

"speak." The beast seemed to shout.

"as you know, the hunt will come after us, and if they don't find us, then dorothy will try, so I have one question, one single, burning question for you!" Alex said, his face now twisting into a smile.

"WHAT QUESTION!" the beasts voice shouted, ringing in his ears.

"How fast, can you run?" Alex said starting to laugh.

The feelings returned, he couldn't hold it back any longer, he was about to change, and the beast about to burst forth. He was laughing not out of happiness, but out of triumph, even though the beast was still going to emerge, in Alex's mind, he himself had won. He was saving them from him. He smiled.

"alex teak, it's time to sleep, beast, I let you go." He said, as he closed his eyes, and let the fire consume him

All at once it felt like every part of him just burst into flames. The energy burst from him, he fell forward onto his hands and knees. He felt the physical change of his body started to morph. For a moment, the pain, became unbearable and he thought he was going to die. His back arching upwards, the last thing he heard was his own voice screaming and that scream morphing into a howl. His last thoughts were of dorothy, Then suddenly, for a while, nothing.

The next thing he knew, he was under water. Breaking the surface, he found himself in what he could only describe as a large, round pool of water in the middle of the day. He felt himself being lifted from it by several hands of various sizes seeming to struggle and grunt while doing so.

"I told you that wouldn't fix his transformation, to powerful." Came a voice familiar to him.

Alex looked around he was dizzy and didn't have any proper bearings. He managed to turn back to the surface of the water and look down at his reflection. His memory for a split second came flooding back as reflected before him, was a large, grey wolf.

"oh, brilliant." Was all he could say.

Well, that was Alex's transformation. Now, for some of my more, Ozian, followers. What do you think just happened? This last part at the end, with alex coming to his senses.