A/N: The group found Knuckle Joe. What will he be able to do for them in their current situation? And what about the problem of getting Sir Meta a lance and a horse?

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone except Clara. The others belong to their respected owners.

* * *

--Chapter 6: A lance and a steed--

Kirby, Fumu, and Bun sat with Sir Meta, Sword, and Blade on a barren street. It was raining again, but this time harder. The feathers on Bun and Sir Meta's hats sagged from the water. Kirby shivered from being in the cold rain.

"Now what?" Bun asked. "We don't even have a dry place to stay anymore."

Blade tried cheering the group up a little by taking out his lute and started playing a ditty when Sir Meta snatched the instrument and snapped it in half. He gave Blade the remains of his lute without saying a word. Blade slumped back against the wall and sighed.

The group was still sitting on the wet stone street when they heard a voice calling out to them.

"Dost thee need a place to stay?"

They turned around. A medieval Knuckle Joe waved to them from a door way. He wore a blackened apron and held a hammer in his glove. The group looked at each other before they followed him in. Inside, it was warm and dry from the large forge that rested against the far wall. A sink like object was right next to it. A large anvil was at the center of the room where a large sheet of bent metal was on it. Knuckle Joe resumed his work. Every time his hammer struck the metal, it made a loud ring.

"The name is Iron Joe. By the looks of ye, you could use a place to stay."

He struck the metal again and turned it over, examining it.

"This metal one day will be a great sword." He said quietly.

Iron Joe stuck it into the forge where the metal glowed red from the intense heat. As he rolled the metal slightly to make it from into the shape of a sword, Fumu asked,

"Will you let us stay here?"

Iron Joe blinked at her.

"Is thou a foreigner? You speak as one. I will let you stay here, as long as thee dost not get in my way. Thee also will have to help I, if I let thee stay here."

Bun glanced around the room until his eyes stopped on a lance that laid in the corner of the room, forgotten.

"Iron Joe? Do you make lances?"

"Yes I do. Dost thou take interest in them?"

Fumu pushed Sir Meta up to Iron Joe.

"He needs a lance to compete in the jousting tournament. Can he use that one?"

Iron Joe laughed so hard that he nearly dropped the flaming hot metal on Sword's foot.

"No one dares challenge Sir Galacta. However, if thou is truly foolish enough, I could repair that one for thou to use."

Iron Joe set the metal down on the anvil and took out the old lance.

"Thy father makes Sir Galacta's lances. He is the best at making lances. I think I could repair this one but it will take a while…and it will cost you."

"What? Can't we make a deal or something?" Bun exclaimed.

Iron Joe rubbed his nose just like his modern self would.

"How about this, if he wins even though that's not going to happen, he has to make I the castle's ironsmith. If he doesn't, I will just take thy lance back."

Fumu looked at Bun. They would have no choice but to accept.

"Fine. How soon can you fix it?"

"Mayhap in a few days. I should be finished just before the tournament."

Fumu sighed in relief.

"Now we have everything we need."

"Um...sis? Doesn't Sir Meta need a horse?"

"I forgot about that. We're going to have to find something fast. The tournament will be coming soon!"

"Why are we walking through the forest?" Bun asked tiredly.

The group had left Iron Joe's workshop the next day after they had done what Iron Joe said was 'help'. They had to clean off all the dust and ashes off of the floors and clean out the chimney. They were all tired from the day's work.

"We believe we know where Sir Meta can obtain his steed." Sword said.

She and Blade led the way. Finally, they came to a halt a distance off from a large cave that was at the bottom of the steep hill they were on. Nothing could be seen inside of the cave except for blackness.

"Shh! Dost thou know who's cave we're in front of?"

Kirby, Fumu, Bun, and Sir Meta looked at them confused.

"Rumor has it that a mighty beast dwells here in this part. We think that mayhap Sir Meta can tame the monster and use it as a steed."

Sir Meta's eyes widened.

"Thou art insane. I cannot do such."

Sword and Blade grabbed Sir Meta and gave him a rough shove. He tumbled down the hill and landed at the mouth of the cave. He got up and stared into the black depths. Two glowing eyes appeared.

"SWORD! BLADE! HELP!"

Sir Meta backed away as the eyes came closer. He was unarmed and would not be able to protect himself from the monster. He grabbed a large branch and held it in front of him as if it was a spear. The creature stepped out into the sunlight and Fumu and Bun gasped. The creature was a medieval Wolfwrath. It resembled the modern one in every way. The red wolf howled and circled Sir Meta, as if trying to figure out why food had come straight to it instead of running away.

Sir Meta kept backing away, never taking his eyes off of the beast. He moved back again when he suddenly fell from tripping over a root that poked out of the ground. Wolfwrath's natural instincts kicked in. Seeing prey that had fallen and was in a helpless state, Wolfwrath charged and leapt up into the air. Sir Meta rolled to the side just as Wolfwrath came crashing down on the spot he was in just a few seconds ago.

Wolfwrath growled, finding that its prey had escaped its pounce. Wolfwrath stood up on its hind legs and slashed out at Sir Meta with huge claws the size of chainsaws. As Sir Meta attempted to run, one of the claws dug into his back. He shouted out in pain as he was dragged back to the wolf. Wolfwrath had a look of triumph on its face as Sir Meta laid helplessly under its paw. Kirby, Fumu, Bun, Sword and Blade gasped as Wolfwrath lunged with its teeth opened wide. Sir Meta drew his fist back and punched the beast hard on the snout. Wolfwrath gave out a yelp and released Sir Meta for a second. That was all he needed.

Sir Meta was back on his feet by the time Wolfwrath had realized it had allowed his prey to get out of its claws. The two circled each other. Sir Meta had his back to the mouth of the cave when Wolfwrath charged again. The two tumbled into the darkness and the fight seemed to disappear. The others waited for a slight sound that would prove that Sir Meta was still alive but they heard nothing. Only silence...

"I...can't believe we...j...just sent him to his death!" Sword stammered.

The group stared down into the blackness. Wolfwrath nor Sir Meta had come out. It had been a long time since they disappeared into the cave.

"Look!" Bun nearly shouted. "He's alive!"

Sir Meta appeared out of the entrance of the cave, Wolfwrath trotting by his side as if there had been no fight at all.

"What happened?" Fumu called down.

"The monster speaks!" Sir Meta said. "She and I made a deal. If I win, she gets to have twenty servants feed her meat every eve. If I lose, she gets to eat I."

"She?" Bun questioned.

"Aye. It's a she."

Wolfwrath seemed to smirk. The others stared at the pair in disbelief. Never the less, Sir Meta had obtained a lance and a steed.

* * *

A/N: That was a little unexpected. Wolfwrath will be Sir Meta's 'horse' for the jousting tournament. I also like the idea of Wolfwrath being a female. Not many people would think of Wolfwrath as one. ^_^

Please review!