Chapter 6

Whampire led the way to the Vulpimancer brothers' room and knocked. To Harry's astonishment, a large red dog-like being opened the door. "What's up, Whampire?" He asked.

An orange look alike was right behind him and have a soft growl. "Sorry to bug you two, but this young man needs our help," the Vladat said. "He and his friends, along with their animal friends, landed here at the Mansion by accident. While we've located his human friends, we haven't seen their animal friends."

Ultimate Wildmutt looked at the young man and walked forward. Harry's curiosity drew him closer and he held out a hand to the alien, who sniffed it before nodding. "Alright, you seem harmless, but why should we help you find your animal friends?" He asked.

"Our animal friends are very dear to me and my friends," Harry said. "Our closest friends who have been with us through good and bad."

Wildmutt went up and nudged the boy's hand, to which Harry began petting him before seeing the orange Vulpimancer roll onto his back, making the young man smile before he began giving the alien a belly rub and gentle belly scratches.

"Looks like you won Wildmutt over," Big Chill said with a chuckle.

Ultimate Wildmutt came over and looked at Harry, who felt the alien giving him a look of 'you better give me belly rubs too', despite the alien having no eyes.

The boy smiled and reached over to him and soon the red Vulpimancer was on his back getting a belly rub and looking pleased as punch. After a bit, he sat up. "Alright, we'll help you," he said. "What do your animal friends look like and when did you last see them?"

"Well, one is a fox, one is a crow, and another is a chameleon. Their names are Spade, Dorothy, and Echo," Harry replied. "We last saw them before we ended up here."

"So you all were separated when you arrived," Four Arms said. "That's a bit concerning."

"And the mansion is huge," Big Chill said.

"How huge?" Harry asked.

"Three floors up here, counting the attic," Whampire said. "And then the basement and the area under the house, so...five floors altogether."

The young man blinked. "Sounds like you guys have more rooms than the Red Queen's castle," he said.

The aliens laughed at that. "First time we've heard that one," Ultimate Echo Echo said.

"Come on, let's start on this floor and work our way up," Upgrade said.

The Vulpimancers immediately got to sniffing, thankfully able to distinguish the scents of their family members. Wildmutt paused as he caught a new smell and perked up, giving a small growl. "Wildmutt's picked up a new scent," Ultimate Wildmutt said. "I'm picking it up too."

"Can you tell who it is?" Four Arms asked.

"Not yet, but it's close."

The two stopped outside of the exercise room and followed the scent to the treadmills. And sitting on top of one was a lump of something. "That's different," Upgrade said.

"It's got a heat signature," Whampire said. "I think that might be the chameleon named Echo."

The lump perked up at hearing its name and Harry smiled. "That's him alright," he said, going closer and extending his arm to the creature. "Hey, Echo. You okay?"

The chameleon climbed up his arm, changing colors again. "Wow, so they really can change colors fast," Big Chill said in awe.

Just then, a giggle sounded out and they turned to see it was Camryn, Alien X's daughter. "You found him!" She said, giggling.

"You were playing hide-and-seek with Echo?" Harry asked, amazed that a small child liked the chameleon.

"Yeah!" She said, going up and petting Echo, who nudged the girl's hand happily.

"Looks like Echo made a new friend," Whampire said, smiling.

"Camryn, have you seen a fox or a crow around too?" Four Arms asked.

"No, Uncle Four Arms," the girl said. "Only the lizard."

"Chameleon," Harry gently corrected her. "And thank you for being so nice to him. I know my friend will be happy to know his friend was well treated."

"The kids that live here have been taught to respect animals," Grey Matter said.

"That makes me feel a bit better, but I'm still anxious to find Spade and Dorothy."

"Let's keep looking," Ultimate Wildmutt said.

They walked down to the basement where the brothers had picked up another scent and they found a black crow that looked tired. "Dorothy," Harry said, but before he could approach, a teenage girl appeared and she had some food in her hand for the crow, who ate the food quickly. She turned to find her family and a newcomer standing there.

"Hi, guys," she said. "What's up?"

"Looks like our niece found Dorothy," Big Chill said.

"Is that her name?" The girl asked.

"Yes," Harry said. "What happened to her?"

"I think she was trying to escape through the window, but it was closed," the girl said. "I don't think she's hurt, but she's a bit tired. I thought maybe some food and water would help her recover."

"Good thinking, Courtney," Upgrade said.

Harry went up and petted Dorothy, who nuzzled his hand. "Hey, girl," he said softly. "You doing okay?"

Dorothy gave a soft caw before leaning towards Courtney, who gave her some more food. "Is she yours?" The girl asked.

"No, she's belongs to a friend of mine," he said. "And he's very protective of her, but he'll be grateful that you were kind to her."

"My mom is an animal lover and she taught me, my siblings, and my cousins to respect animals," Courtney said.

"Looks like we just have your fox friend to find," Whampire said.

"A fox?" The teenage girl asked. "I think I heard a scurrying earlier, like a small animal. Could it have been a fox?"

"Could've been," Harry said.

Wildmutt suddenly picked up a new scent and began moving towards another room. The others followed him and to their surprise, they found Rachel there, sitting in a rocking chair.

And in her lap was a beautiful fox.

"Spade!" Harry said, happy to see she was okay.

The fox's ears perked up and she jumped off the young woman's lap, running up to her owner, who scooped her up and petted her. "You okay, girl?"

The fox seemed to smile and Rachel stood up. "She found her way into the nursery and the babies were ecstatic to have a new friend," she said as she gestured to the three little ones behind her. Her nieces, Angel and Joy, and her nephew Noah, were sound asleep in their cribs. "They were fussy about taking a nap, but she cheered them up before they began to fall asleep."

Harry looked at her and smiled gratefully. "Thank you for being so kind to her," he said. "She's very dear to me."

Rachel smiled. "Alien X told me about you and your friends arriving and how you got separated from your animal friends," she said.

He looked up at her and blinked. "Who?" He asked.

"That would be me," came a voice as Alien X materialized into the room. "These three and their animal friends were transported here by mistake, Rachel."

"We didn't mean to intrude on your home," Harry said apologetically.

Rachel smiled. "Don't worry, kiddo. It's not the first time we've had someone pop up unexpectedly due to a portal going haywire," she said gently.

The others chuckled and Alien X's eyes suddenly glowed. "I believe this young man's friends are awake," he said.

"Then let's gather in the living room so we can hear their story," Whampire said.

"I'll get snacks and drinks," Rachel said before looking at Harry. "I think I speak for everyone when I say we're curious to hear your tale."

"Thank you, Miss. You and your family are most gracious hosts," the young man said as they headed for the living room while Four Arms and Ultimate Echo Echo went to get Scarecrow and Techno-Tune respectively.

Looks like the animal friends have been found. How will the Grant Mansion family take hearing the Grimtales story? We shall see. :)

Please leave Redbat132 and myself a review, but no flames!

GoldGuardian2418