Fairly Oddparents copyright Viacom
Chapter 9: Into the Wilds
Written: 23 Jan 2005 – 31 Jan 2005
Posted: 31Jan 2005
Maria hesitated at the approach to the rope bridge over the clichéd chasm below. "Are you really sure that is a very good idea, Cosmo?"
"Of course it is. What could possibly go wrong?"
Glancing nervously at the frayed ropes, especially at the posts holding the bridge into the ground, and the rotten boards that formed the walkway, Maria could think of all sorts of disaster scenarios. "I can think of a few things."
"Just relax, Maria," Cosmo said. "Remember? We're fairies. We can float over the bridge."
Maria blushed. She did forget that she was a fairy, and, therefore, could fly. "Oh, right."
"Don't worry." He slapped Maria's back. "You'll get the hang of it." He floated over onto over the bridge.
Maria still hesitated. "Where exactly where we going?"
Cosmo stopped and shrugged. "I don't know. Why?"
"I would to know where we're going before we get there."
Cosmo nodded. "Into these mountains, I would guess."
Maria sighed.
-OOO-
"Why aren't we going after them, guys?" Timmy had stood up from his chair and was looking very cross at Wanda, who was unfortunately now in his mother's body. To tell the truth, it was starting to confuse him a bit.
"Sorry, Honey," Wanda said. "But we can't we just poof ourselves there. He have to prepare ourselves for the dangers to be found there."
"What dangers?"
"Well, Sport, you know about the gryphons, right?"
"Sort of. They're lions with the heads of ravens?"
"Eagles, actually. But you get the drift. But the point is, Timmy, that they're really territorial, and they don't too kindly to anyone who would invade their space… Like what Cosmo and your mom are doing right now."
"That's all the more reason to hurry."
"Timmy, gryphons are among the most ferocious animals known to fairy-kind. We can't just go in there all willy-nilly."
"Why not?"
Wanda moaned in exasperation. "Gryphons are very dangerous animals, Timmy. We need extreme caution when dealing with them."
"Just what makes them so dangerous, Wanda?"
"Let me take this one, Wanda." Juandissimo didn't even pause before continuing. "When they see someone encroaching on their territory, they lie in wait before pouncing on them, tearing them apart with their razor-sharp talons and beaks."
Timmy gulped. "Oh."
"So, Lucas, is there any way of getting into Gryphon territory?" Wanda asked.
"Well, not off hand," he replied after some thought.
"Oh my gosh," Timmy said. "I have to get my mom out of there. I wish she was here. In her original body."
"I don't think that's such a good idea, Timmy," Wanda said.
But a wave of Juandissimo's wand and a poof later, something changed in Wanda's eyes. It took a second for Timmy to realize what it was. "Mom, is that you?"
Mrs. Turner looked around in surprise. "How the heck did I get here?" But when she heard her son's voice, she turned to him. "Timmy, what are doing here?"
He leaped unto his mother's lap and squeezed her tummy. "Looking for you," he said with tears flowing.
"Of you were, honey," Mrs. Turner hugged her son back. "Of course you were."
"Sorry 'bout what happened to you, Mom."
"That's all right, Dear. It's not like you wished this to happen."
Timmy looked to Juandissimo, who shook his head in response. So Timmy didn't contradict his mother.
"This is bad," Lucas said. "If Timmy's mom is here, then where's Wanda?"
A moment passed.
"Probably where I was a second ago," Mrs. Turner said.
"Like I said. This is bad.
"How could it be bad," Juandissimo said. "With Wanda with ungrateful, self-oblivious lout, he could easily talk him out of the mountains."
"Yes, but Wanda was against the idea. Perhaps she knew something that we don't."
"What could that possibly be?"
-OOO-
"Cosmo, we have to get out of here. And since we can't just poof ourselves because of the anti-wish field, we have to go out the way you and Timmy's mom came in," Wanda said. But somehow Timmy's wish had worked. Wanda was beginning to suspect that there were things she didn't quite understand about this place.
"We can't." Cosmo kicked a pebble into the air.
"And why not?" Wanda had put her hands to her hips. They were in a very narrow canyon, with only enough room for three fairies to walk abreast in it. And their only exits were to the east and to the west.
"An avalanche back there," he pointed toward the setting sun, "blocked off our path."
Wanda sighed. "Of course." She looked to the east with a frown. A torn blue letter jacket rested on a branch there. Hardly ever a good sign. She hoped that whoever that kid was who owned that jacket was alright.
"But look on the bright side, Wanda."
"What bright side would that be, Cosmo?"
"There's a kid we get to save! Yay, Rescue Heroes!"
Wanda groaned. It was going to be a very long night. She followed her husband as they went east.
Once they had disappeared around the bend, a black poodle appeared and sniffed the ground over which Cosmo and Wanda had just recently floated. It didn't howl. The Hounds were trained to howl only when they got quarry subdued. And they always knew when that happened, and when it didn't.
It sniffed the torn jacket before continuing the hunt.