-1 Walking silently on a possibly long journey was not for Wolf. After a few moments where he could tell they were both turning things over in their minds, he began talking again.
"How's the food out here, anyway?"
Cinnamon smiled.
"Good if you can catch it." she replied, "I can get a rabbit if you're hungry?"
Wolf was a little surprised. He had never been asked a question like that before. Like he couldn't do it himself.
"I can catch a rabbit." he said a little indignantly.
Cinnamon heard his tone and realized she had accidentally bruised his masculine pride. She quickly covered. She wasn't used to talking to other people. She didn't meet many.
"I know. Sorry. I just figured that since I know the area…" she began, trying to explain.
Wolf shrugged, dismissing it.
"I'm always hungry, as my wife tells me. Feel free to catch a rabbit anytime you like." he said.
"Your wife?" Cinnamon asked.
Wolf nodded and got one of those dreamy looks on his face.
"Oh, yes. Virginia. Huff-puff, she's just so….succulent. She has the creamiest skin and the most beautiful eyes. And she has the most wonderful smell." Wolf sighed, "She is probably very mad at me right now. She didn't want me to go after the golden roses. I hope she listened to my note and stayed there."
Cinnamon shifted uneasily. It felt a little weird listening to him talk about his mate. She coughed a little.
"Virginia? That doesn't sound like a wolf name." she said.
"Oh, no. She's human. She's from the 10th Kingdom. King Wendell named her a hero for saving the 9 Kingdoms. He says I'm a hero, too." Wolf said.
Now Cinnamon was even more confused. She stopped, placing a hand to her head.
"10th Kingdom? Saving the 9 Kingdoms? I need to get out of these woods more often. When did this happen?" she asked.
Wolf looked surprised. She could understand why. The discovery of a new kingdom and the saving of the 9 they had and she hadn't heard a word of it.
"An evil queen was going to take over the nine kingdoms by poisoning all their leaders. She turned Wendell into a dog, well, actually she switched Wendell with a dog. That is, he was in the dog's body and the dog was in his…" Wolf began.
Virginia kept one hand firmly wrapped in the horse's mane. The other she used to steer. She kicked and kicked. She had asked for a placid animal, not a dead one. The stupid horse would stop moving if she stopped kicking. She knew she would be dreadfully sore when she reached Wolf. And he would be sorry for making her that way.
Virginia gritted her teeth and forced the horse to canter. For one thing, it was a lot less bumpy than the trot and it covered more ground quicker. Hopefully Wolf hadn't gotten too far.
Virginia was half filled with anger at Wolf and half with worry for him. She sighed. This wasn't the honeymoon she had had in mind.
Wendell didn't know what to do. He had to tell Tony at least. This whole mess with Wolf and Virginia had been totally ill timed. He needed them! And now that he thought about it, they had just discovered part of the problem on their own.
The witch that Wolf had gone to was most certainly the same witch who had sent a letter to every ruler in the kingdoms saying if they didn't sign over their kingdoms to her, she would destroy them. If she got the golden roses, she would be nearly unstoppable.
Wendell paced some more in his private audience room. He had sent for Anthony. Where was he? Wendell rubbed his temples. He was getting the worst headache.
That's when Tony entered, followed by the servant that had gotten him. Wendell waved the servant away and he closed the door after him.
"What is it, Pri…Wendell?" Tony asked.
He still had a tendency to call him Prince. Wendell didn't like it because it reminded him of his time as a dog, so Tony had tried to stop.
"I'm afraid I've got some bad news. I didn't want to tell Wolf and Virginia and interrupt their honeymoon, but I'm afraid they've discovered it on their own. That witch that placed the spell on Wolf has threatened the kingdoms and if she gets that rose…" Wendell shook his head, "Plus, she somehow managed to get an agent of her own through the mirror. I'm not sure what he is, I just know he's not human and that he's up to no good in the Tenth Kingdom. I need your help."
"Our help? Are you kidding?" Tony asked, incredulous.
"Yes. You saved the kingdoms once before, I can only hope you can do it again. You're the only hope for the kingdoms." Wendell said.
Tony covered his face with his hand.
"Ooooh, I don't like this. I'm going after Virginia. Do you have anything at all to help us save the kingdoms?"
Wendell stopped and thought.
"I'm not sure. I will send some more guards with you. I can't send many because most of them are protecting the borders. Queen Riding Hood is pretty upset about my pardoning of wolves and the Troll Kingdom is still in an uproar about the death of their king. It's just such a disaster, Anthony." Wendell finished.
Tony sighed.
"I really should have seen this coming. What did I expect? Peace and quiet? Oh, no. Of course not." he shook his head, "Life in the 9 Kingdoms."
"I can't believe I missed all that! A royal pardon for wolves! That's amazing! You are a hero!" Cinnamon said.
"Not really." Wolf said, a little embarrassed, "I just did what anyone else would have done in the same situation."
Not me, Cinnamon thought guiltily.
She wasn't the best example of a good wolf. She basically didn't care much for anything that didn't effect her personally. Listening to Wolf's story had awakened some questions that had never even occurred to her before. She balked away from them and concentrated instead on the actual story.
"You still loved this Virginia even after she was going to leave you to die?" she asked, "I don't think I would have even wanted to speak with her if it were me."
Wolf looked at her with surprise.
"She's my mate. Of course I still loved her. Besides, that's not the point. The point is she didn't leave me. She believed in me even if I wasn't completely honest."
Wolf didn't really understand Cinnamon. She asked some questions that just didn't seem right for a wolf to ask. He scratched his temple at the curious thought. She was a lone wolf, he had known that simply from the way she howled and the way she acted. He wondered if she had chosen to be that way.
It was none of his business. He was grateful to her for helping him and glad of the company on the way. Huff-puff, he even liked her. She really was like his sister. But she wasn't his sister and it wasn't his job to stick his nose in her life.
Wolf's stomach growled, making him forget his thoughts. The idea of a nice rabbit was looking more and more appealing. Fluffy, furry rabbits. Hopping right into his mouth.
Wolf shook his head, snapping out of it. He discovered his tongue had lolled out. He hurriedly wiped at the little bit of drool on his cheek and checked to see if Cinnamon had seen.
"You know, I think I'll take you up on that rabbit. Huff, I bet I can catch one before you, your territory or not!"
Cinnamon cocked her head, thinking over the challenge. She shrugged.
"Sure, but you'll never win. By the way, you still have a bit of drool by your mouth." she pointed, then spun and dashed off into the woods.
Wolf wiped at his mouth with a frown, then hurried off to find his own rabbit. He let his nose and his instincts lead him off into the trees.
Virginia let the horse stop and slid to the ground. Her muscles screamed at her, but she ignored them as she dropped on her knees next to the small brook and got a drink. She cupped the water in her hand and drank her fill, splashing some on her face, before struggling back to her feet. That's when she noticed the imprints on the ground. Someone had stopped for a drink here. She could only hope that it was Wolf and she was on the right trail. Something inside her though knew that it was Wolf's tracks. She wasn't an expert tracker, but she knew Wolf. He was close. She could feel it.
Virginia remounted the horse and hurried it to the fastest pace she could stand. She hoped fervently that she would catch Wolf before dark. She did not want to be in these strange woods alone at night.
The witch stooped over her scrying cauldron. In it she saw her Wolf running through the woods, chasing a rabbit. She was about to make him get back to work getting the rose, but stopped herself. She needed him to be in full strength. Let him have his rabbit.
She was a little more worried about that she-wolf. She could present a problem later on. It would be better to get her on her side. Yes, that was safer.
The witch turned and took up her spell book. She quickly mixed the right ingredients and turned back to her cauldron. She changed the picture to that of the she-wolf and sprinkled the mixture over it. She coughed out a few words. There was a flash and Cinnamon appeared.
Cinnamon jumped in surprise, then quickly crouched into a fighting position, a growl building in her throat. She backed away, trying for the door.
"Stop." the witch said and Cinnamon found herself frozen in place.
"Let me go, witch!" Cinnamon cried, struggling, but unable to move.
"I will. But first, I need your help. I want you to make sure that Wolf gets a golden rose and that he does not return to the Tenth Kingdom. Will you do that for me?" the witch asked.
"I'm not going to help you! Release me!" Cinnamon demanded.
"Fine. Go." the witch said, waving her hand.
Cinnamon felt herself released and went right for the door. But before she could reach it, the witch threw dust over her. Cinnamon fell to the floor, unmoving.
"Listen closely, she-wolf. You will make sure that Wolf gets a golden rose and that he delivers it to me. And you will make sure that he does not return to the Tenth Kingdom no matter what. You will do as I tell you without question. Now awake."
Cinnamon stirred and blinked uncertainly. She rolled up onto hands and knees, looking around, trying to figure out where she was. She began to climb to her feet, sniffing the air, looking for a familiar scent. She looked up and saw the witch and something snapped inside her. She stayed on one knee and bowed her head, making a small submissive whine.
"Good girl." the witch said, placing a hand on top of her head.
Cinnamon whined a rubbed her head against the witch's hand. The witch patted her hair once, then withdrew her hand.
"Stand up. I'm going to send you back. Do as I told you." she said.
Cinnamon jumped to her feet, her own eyes flashing. The witch said another spell and waved her arm and Cinnamon disappeared.
The witch smiled to herself and returned to the cauldron. She scanned the area, looking for her two pet wolves. Wolf had caught a rabbit and was preparing it with a careful, critical expertise. Cinnamon had joined him and they were talking and eating.
Something pulled at the witch's conscious. Something else was threatening her plan. Someone was following her wolves!
She moved the image until she found her. A girl riding a brown horse. It was Wolf's mate. She could prove the most dangerous of all to her plan. Something had to be done about her before she could reach Wolf. Her magic was strong, but true love was always stronger than any spell. Virginia might be able to talk Wolf out of doing her bidding.
"Deal with her, my she-wolf. Keep her away from Wolf." the witch said.
She waved her hand over the cauldron, switching to the image of King Wendell. She would check on the rulers. They should be getting worried. She smiled to herself. They should be.
Cinnamon's eyes flashed and she stood up. Wolf looked up from his hunk of rabbit at her.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"No, nothing. I just need…some privacy. I'll be back in a little while. Don't worry. Finish off the rabbit if you want." Cinnamon said in a slightly distracted tone of voice.
Wolf nodded and returned to his meal. He was surprised at Cinnamon's appetite. He hadn't thought that one rabbit would even close to feed two wolves, but she had been very skimpy about eating. She ate like Virginia had before he had insisted on her eating more for their cub's sake at least.
He shrugged it off. Maybe it had something to do with being a girl and that other cycle that girl's had. He didn't know and didn't particularly care to find out. More rabbit for him.
Virginia cursed the stupid horse under her breath. She was really beginning to hate this animal. She was getting close to Wolf, but if the stupid horse didn't move she could miss him.
Virginia raised her eyes to the sky in mock prayer when something caught her eye. She turned her head to get a better look. It was smoke! Someone was close by.
Virginia dug her heels into the horse, but the only response she got was a horsy grunt.
There was a rustling in the greenery to the right. Virginia's gaze was snapped to that area and she braced herself for anything. The horse snorted and plodded along, indifferent.
A form flew out of the brush and into Virginia, knocking her from the horse. Virginia screamed. She hit her head on the ground and her vision fuzzed. She heard a growling nose, then blacked out as something hit her hard in the temple.
Cinnamon felt fangs grow in her mouth and her eyes flashed again. Her mind blurred at the thought of hot, fresh blood, warm in her mouth. But another part of her fought it. She wasn't just an animal! She was human, too! She couldn't do this!
The glow in Cinnamon's eyes dimmed and she balked away from Virginia's limp body. The fangs shrank and she woke from the confusion of the moment. She backed away, then turned and ran before she could do anything bad. She had never done this before without it being a full moon. She didn't like it and didn't know exactly what it meant. She shook her head, pawing at her face with one hand. She needed to get away from here.
Wolf jumped to his feet. He was sure he had heard something. It had sounded like a scream. It had come from the direction Cinnamon had gone in.
Wolf started into the woods in that direction, hoping it had just been his imagination or some animal or something.
Cinnamon ran right into Wolf. Wolf put his arms out to steady her. Something was wrong. He could smell her distress. And something…
"Wolf! Sorry." she said, but wouldn't look at him.
"Cinnamon, is everything okay? Cinnamon. What's…what's wrong." Wolf asked, trying to get her to look at him.
She ducked her head, hiding in her hair. She tried to push past him, but he wouldn't let her.
"Nothing. Nothing. I…I'm just tired. We've got about another hour or so of daylight. You want to see how far we can get and look for a campsite?"
Wolf backed off. Something was very wrong, but she didn't want to tell him. He'd been there. He nodded, letting her keep to herself.
"Sure. Let's go." he said.
"So what am I supposed to do?" Tony asked.
"Whatever you need to do to stop this witch." Wendell said with a small shrug.
"Wendell."
"Yes, Anthony?"
"You owe me. Big time. And next time evil arises, go to the youngsters for help." Tony said.
Wendell tried to keep a smile from coming onto his face.
"Yes, Anthony." he said and knew he was grinning.
Tony mounted the horse Wendell had given him.
"I liked you better as a dog." he muttered.
Just as Tony was about to leave, there was a flash in front of them and a woman appeared. Guards sprang from all around, whipping out swords to point at her. She acted like they weren't even there.
"King Wendell." she said and bowed.
Wendell automatically nodded his head in acknowledgement.
"What are you doing here, witch? Why are you threatening the kingdoms?" Wendell demanded.
The woman laughed.
"I'm not that witch. Although, if I'm correct she may be watching right now. She knows of your plan to send Anthony, but I'm quite sure she doesn't know about me yet. I am a representative of the Major Coven of witches in the 9 Kingdoms. I was sent to help you." she said.
"To help us? Don't witches sit around in their towers thinking of different ways to curse people and that?" Tony asked.
He wasn't feeling particularly partial to witches right now.
"That is a stereotype and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't bring it up again. We witches are sick of the evil witch outlook. People assume that because we choose the path of witchcraft, we are into the black arts and things and should be killed before we can do anything wrong. The Coven sent me to help clear up this new mess. Marissa is doing nothing to improve our reputation. There are good witches, too, you know! Such as myself." she bowed again.
"Thanks for the speech, but I'm not buying it. Through her in the dungeon, boys!" Tony said to the guards.
They looked at Wendell in confusion.
"Not yet. I believe her. I've heard of the Major Coven. They usually keep to themselves and their practices, but they will show up in times of major catastrophes. Seeing as this witch wants to rule the kingdoms, it would make sense for them to send someone to rectify it. What was your name, my lady?" Wendell asked.
"You may call me Maive. And you're wrong. Her goal is not to rule the kingdoms." Maive said.
"Then what is it?" Tony demanded, tired of listening to this lady's longwinded explanations.
"First, she wants ultimate power. She will get close to that with the rose. Second, she wants revenge. When she gets her power she plans to destroy the kingdoms. From the inside out. The Coven can't let that happen."
"But why did she get Wolf to do it for her? And why tell all the rulers?" Wendell asked.
"Because she likes to control people. She's using magic to control Wolf. She's using fear to control the rulers. She needed Wolf. He is probably one of the very few people who could succeed in getting a golden rose. If she had tried herself, she would have died."
"Why do I have the feeling that something I don't like is about to happen?" Tony asked out loud.
"The only way to free Wolf from her power is through Virginia. And she knows this. She has attacked Virginia already. Don't worry, she is still alive. But she is in trouble. I am going with Tony to find her. Once we find her, we can cut off Marissa's chance at the roses." Maive finished.
Tony groaned.
"No. No you are not traveling with me. Wendell, please say she is not traveling with me." Tony begged.
"I'm sorry Anthony, but…." Wendell began.
"Ooooh! I hate my life!" Tony cried in frustration, kicking the horse into a trot and riding out of the courtyard.
The guards backed away from Maive and sheathed their swords. Maive looked at Tony, then to Wendell. She raised one eyebrow.
"Actually, I think he took that rather well." Wendell said quietly.
Virginia groaned and tried to move. She was bruised and battered, but nothing was broken. She opened her eyes and looked around. Her head throbbed horribly and when she reached up to touch it, partially dried blood came off on her fingers and she felt a growing bump.
Virginia climbed to her feet. She couldn't remember where she was or how she had gotten there. Or why she had come here in the first place. Now that she thought about it, she couldn't even remember who she was!
"Oh, no. This can't be good." she said out loud to herself.
She looked around. It was night. Very late. Maybe midnight. She needed to get someplace safe. At least she hadn't lost her common sense. There was bound to be all kinds of nasty things out here that would eat her up if they had the chance.
An owl hooted, making her jump. And she could hear rustling in the bushes, now that she was listening. Virginia started to walk along the almost path that wound through the woods. Hopefully she would find someone who could help her.
The dark forest was very frightening. She couldn't remember being this scared.
Virginia almost smacked herself in the forehead, but knew it would hurt too much.
"Of course you can't, idiot." she said out loud.
She tried not to let her mind play tricks on her and jump too much at every little noise, but she couldn't help it. She began to walk faster and faster until she broke into a run. The shadows of trees began to look like monsters and she fled off the path and into the woods. She beat away the branches that seemed to try to grab her and kept running until she was tripped by a root and fell. The fall jarred her head and she groaned with pain. She curled up on the ground, pulling her knees close to her body, shaking with cold and fear, and tried not to panic.
She was so grateful when the sun rose that she almost cried.
Maive had to hurry her horse to catch up to Tony. She was still trying to get him to listen to her. He wasn't hearing a word of it. The guards that trailed them were pretending not to hear them.
"Tony, would you please listen to me. This is very important. You have no idea of how to stop Marissa." Maive said.
"I don't need your help. She's just a very senile old lady. With magic powers. I can do perfectly fine without you blabbing the whole way there." Tony said.
"I'll have you know…" Maive began haughtily.
"No. I'll have you know. You people think that you're so tough dealing with trolls and stuff. None of you would last ten minutes in Manhattan. You stay there a while and then you talk." Tony said angrily, turning in the saddle so he could yell at her.
Maive was silent for one long (and for Tony precious) moment.
"You know, this is affecting your world, too." Maive said quietly.
Tony almost didn't hear what she said, he was so glad at having proved his point. He jerked in the saddle and turned to face her again.
"What?" he demanded.
"The person or whatever working for Marissa is affecting things in your world. Making confrontations build, people fight. If it keeps up, your world will break out in war. And ours will follow. There are many things about this you don't understand, Tony. Many that I don't understand either. This is more than just your routine wicked witch. You don't know the half of it." Maive said.
Tony sighed.
"And I suppose now you are going to tell me. Alright. I give up. Spill it."
"Spill what?"
"Just tell me the 'half of it' or whatever already!"
"Oh." Maive shook her head slowly. They spoke strangely in the 10th Kingdom, "Marissa was once a young girl raised like most girls in small villages. But she had a gift. Things happened when she was around and she didn't know why. When she got older, her power developed. But it was still erratic. She decided to become a witch. It was the only way she knew to find someone who could help her control it. She was a good person. She didn't want anything bad to happen to anyone. She came to a master enchantress by the name of Belinda. Belinda took her in and taught her all she knew. Marissa became her prize pupil. Belinda knew that one day, Marissa's power would exceed her own. She took her to the council of the Major Coven, asking for her to be accepting as an apprentice in the council. The council rejected her. There was a prophecy given against teaching Marissa any more magic and she was dispelled from the Coven and it was forbidden for anyone to teach her. Marissa was still young and she took the banishment hard. She needed the training to control her gifts. She turned to the only person she could find to train her. A dark witch. This evil witch poisoned her mind and soul to her own schemes of revenge and Marissa, already angry with the council, accepted it readily. She is not an evil person. Just a girl who sought guidance and was turned away."
"And so she decided that instead of becoming a good little hermit in the woods, she would try and destroy the kingdoms and ruin the little bit of peace and quiet I've had. Oh, you're right. That was important." Tony said sarcastically.
Maive sighed and shook her head. She was a patient person normally, but she couldn't seem to find any now. She just kept quiet. He didn't understand and she couldn't make him. She imagined how upset he would be if he found out that she wasn't a master witch.
"Are we getting close, Cinnamon?" Wolf asked, scratching his temple again.
"Not sure." Cinnamon said, shaking her head, "I've never been there. But yes, I think we are."
Wolf nodded. Cinnamon was feeling better, he could tell. But that noise he had heard was still bugging him. And that smell he had gotten from Cinnamon. He had been about to place it when she had distracted him. Something wasn't right and he didn't know what.
"Wolf?" Cinnamon asked, surprising him.
"Yeah?"
"Do you…do things…" Cinnamon sighed with frustration, "Do you do things sometimes that you know are bad?"
Wolf stopped. Cinnamon turned towards him. He looked a little shaken.
"Y...yeah. When the full moon comes…I can't control myself. It hits me really hard. And later, I won't remember almost anything of what I did. Or what I ate. And that scares me. Especially with my Virginia around. That's why I went to that witch. That's why I agreed to get her the rose if she did the spell." Wolf said, and almost seemed to have forgotten Cinnamon was there.
"What spell?" Cinnamon asked, now she was shaken, too.
Any dealings with a witch were bad. And if they were important enough that he would go after Gretel's roses, that was even worse. And something about him saying witch gave her a chill. Some kind of association that she couldn't pinpoint.
Wolf started and looked at her.
"A spell to free me of the moon." he said slowly.
Virginia knew she was definitely lost. And that it was her own fault. And she knew that wandering aimlessly like she was now wasn't helping. But what else could she do? She could only hope to find someone out here that could help her.
Virginia's stomach growled. She was so hungry. And for some reason she felt that she was hungrier than usual. She rubbed her stomach and, in surprise, looked down at it. She had gained some weight! She had no idea how she knew that, but she did.
Virginia shook her head. Not important. What was important was she needed to find food and water. She'd die out here without those regardless of what was in these woods.
She smiled a little. At least now she had goal that she could reach. With that thought in mind, she started to look for some water.
"Ooooh, I don't like this. I don't like this. I don't like this." Cinnamon said, her hands in her hair, pacing back and forth.
"What?" Wolf asked. He watched Cinnamon pace back and forth, "Huff-puff, would you stop that! You're making me dizzy."
"Something is very wrong. Something. Something." Cinnamon muttered to herself.
She started off into the woods and Wolf was forced to follow her.
"Cinnamon? Cinnamon! Where are we going?" Wolf demanded, but she didn't seem to hear him.
"I've got to do something. But what? What can I do? Oh, this magic stuff is bad." Cinnamon said.
Wolf was getting very exasperated with Cinnamon. He bounded in front of her, trying to force her to stop and say something to him, but she swerved around him without even glancing at him.
"Got to find another witch. That's it! No, but witches are bad. That'll just make it twice as bad. But can't go back to the first witch. Have to get rid of whatever spells are on us. Oh, Cinnamon, look what you've gotten yourself into." Cinnamon chided herself.
"Would you please tell me what you are babbling about!" Wolf yelled in her face.
Cinnamon looked at Wolf and blinked slowly.
"Gosh, what's pulling on your tail? No need to get mad."
Wolf made a low growl of complete frustration.
"What…are…you…talking…about?" Wolf asked slowly, forcing each word.
"We need to do something about this." Cinnamon said, continuing into the woods, "I just can't believe I let myself get mixed up in this. I know better. Why did I answer you? Why? I'm a lone wolf. I don't…do pack things. If I had just gone about my business, everything would have been fine. But, no. Cinnamon has to decide that the one time she's going to answer a strange howl is the time it belongs to a wolf that's mixed in with a witch. Cinnamon, you are as dumb as a dog."
Wolf's growl was building. He clenched and unclenched his hands and his movements became jerky as he followed after Cinnamon. She was really annoying him with this little episode of hers. If she would just tell him what was going on…
Wolf's nose smelled water. He realized that they were headed in the general direction of a river or something. He calmed a little. At least they could get a drink and rest a little before he strangled Cinnamon!
"Cinnamon, you should really just spit out what you are trying to say. I am usually a patient wolf, but you have pushed me a little too…" Wolf began.
"Do you think she'd find me if I holed up in a little remote den for a while? No, of course she would. She's a witch. She probably has a magic mirror or something to spy on people with. She could be spying on us right now! She could be listening to every word I say! Oh, cripes! We are two very dead wolfies." Cinnamon cried, and in her distress she almost yipped out the words.
She made a small whimpering noise and bit her lip. She was silent a moment before spinning on Wolf and shoving him against a tree. Wolf yelped in more surprise then pain.
"Cripes, Cinnamon! What was that…" he began.
"You! This is your fault! You had to come trotting into my territory with your little lost cub howl and get me pulled into this mess!" she accused.
"Me!" Wolf cried, "You think I planned this!"
"Maybe you did." Cinnamon said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
Wolf's growl returned.
"Listen you…you… bossy little fox-tail, if you think that I planned to throw my life on the line instead of snuggling up to my dreamy Virginia on our honeymoon you can just…go chase your tail!" Wolf growled.
Cinnamon began to growl, too.
"Do you know how sick I am of hearing about 'dreamy, creamy, oh so succulent Virginia'? She's not even a wolf! She's not even a person of the kingdoms! I wish you and your Virginia would jump off a cliff!"
"Don't you dare talk about my Virginia…"
"Oh, I dare."
Wolf's growl turned into a snarl. His eyes flashed dangerously. He grabbed Cinnamon's arms and flung her around and threw her up against the tree. Cinnamon snarled back, baring her still human teeth. Her eyes flashed back. She feigned a bite at Wolf, then threw her shoulder into his chest, pushing him backwards. Wolf and Cinnamon began circling wearily, growling low in their throats, ready for an all-out fight.
Marissa hurried to her cauldron, sensing something bad. She summoned a picture of her wolves and gasped in horror at what she saw. They were ready to kill each other. Something must have happened. Maybe her magic had influenced their behavior.
Something had to be done right away. She needed her wolves to cooperate.
An idea came to the old witch and she smiled evilly to herself. She quickly set about concocting a potion.
"My little puppies will soon change their tune. Yes, soon they will be very cooperative." she said to herself.