In the 6th Kingdom, everything was slowly becoming a bore. No one could hear anything and everyone
was getting restless and uneasy. Villagers were walking around in a daze with chalk board slates hung around their
necks on a string.
Tony wandered around the tiny town while Princess Wendy slept the whole night away. He, himself
couldn't, even though every muscle in his body cried out for rest. His mind was just too busy worrying about Virginia
and the fact that they were still trapped.
Pip, the talking dove still hadn't returned with any news. Tony was getting anxious from all
his frustration. He decided to walk to the boarder by the edge of town and wait for Pip. All the waiting was driving
him up the wall. He wrote a short note on a slate and put it next to the Princess telling her where he was to be
found if he was needed.
The sun was coming up and the sky was a whiter shade of pale with a tinge of pink and gray. Tony
smiled to himself as he made his way through the small clearing by the village. He remembered the time on Mushroom
Island when he and Virginia had been sung to sleep by singing mushrooms.
"For the life of me, I will never know why I stayed in the 9 Kingdoms with all the nonsense
that exists here." He thought to himself.
He soon came up to wooden sign that said YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE 2ND KINGDOM on it. He tested
the boarder line by trying to pass through but something just invisibly shoved him back gently. Tony pushed again
but still there was resistance. He gave up and sat down on a fallen log. He smelled the air and sighed.
"At least I can still smell. And actually, I can still see too. Just think what it would
feel like if I lost all my senses." He said silently to himself and chuckled silently when he realized what
he had thought. He could smell the trees that were surrounding him and the grass that was growing. "Great
time to relax." He thought sarcastically.
Something tapped Tony on his shoulder gently and he whirled around so fast he almost knocked Princess Wendy off
her feet. She regained her footing and waved a silent hello to him and smiled. Tony smiled back and motioned for
her to sit down next to him.
THOUGHT YOU WERE SLEEPING. Tony took out his slate and wrote to Wendy.
I WAS. HAD ENOUGH THOUGH. GOT YOUR NOTE. THOUGHT I COME BY AND KEEP YOU COMPANY. Princess Wendy
smiled. This whole ordeal was teaching her great patience and endurance. But she still depended on Tony. She looked
up to him almost like a father-figure now.
Tony smiled down at the young princess and patted her hand. She reminded him so much of Virginia.
All of a sudden he caught a flash of movement in the trees. He ducked down behind the log and pulled Wendy down
with him. She gave him a startled look and he put his finger up to his lips to signal for her to be quiet, all
the good it would do since no one can hear anything anyways.
They looked out into the trees that were about 200 feet away from them. They didn't see anything
at first, but then Tony caught it again and he pointed it out to Wendy. They saw a small group of full grown men
jumping around and chasing after one another. They looked like hunters with their burly beards and long tangled
hair. Some of the men were sitting around and mixing sticks around in a pile. Others were running around with their
arms spread out pretending to fly.
WHAT ARE THEY DOING? Tony quickly wrote down on his slate and showed Wendy. She just shrugged and looked on. The
big burly men were silently playing amongst each other with no care in the world. They even saw one sitting all
by himself crying underneath a tree.
THEY ARE ACTING LIKE A BUNCH OF CHILDREN! Tony squibbled. Wendy nodded and suddenly pointed in
another direction away from the hunters. Tony squinted and barely made out dark hairy shapes moving around amongst
the trees. What in the world?!
TAZZIES! Wendy wrote on her slate.
Tony mouthed the word "What?" and continued watching the hairy creatures. They were
extremely fierce looking and they were also huge. But they were also participating in the most oddest behavior.
Two of them were skipping stones on the ground and jumping around on one foot. Another group seemed to have fashioned
some sort of jump rope and were skipping back and forth.
TAZZIES ARE TAZMANIAN WOLVES. THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO BE EXTINCT. GUESS I WAS WRONG THOUGH. Wendy
explained to Tony who turned to watch the hunters at their play.
WHY ARE ALL OF THEM ACTING LIKE CHILDREN? THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO KNOW.
I'M NOT SURE. Princess Wendy sat in thought for a moment and then quickly erased her previous
sentence and wrote down, THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH!
Tony raised an eyebrow at that and squibbled something onto his slate.
THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH! THAT THING EXISTS!?
YES. THERE ARE ONLY A HANDFUL OF THEM SPREAD OUT IN THE 9 KINGDOMS. MOST OF THEM HAVE DRIED UP
THOUGH. She wiped at her board and wrote again, BUT THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH DOES NOT MAKE YOU APPEAR YOUNG. IT MAKES
YOU YOUNG ON THE INSIDE.
BASICALLY YOU ARE A CHILD TRAPPED IN AN ADULT BODY. BUT USUALLY THE WATER ONLY AFFECTS YOU FOR
A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME UNTIL YOUR BODY DIGESTS IT AND GETS RID OF IT.
YOU ARE PRETTY SMART, PRINCESS. Remarked Tony with a grin. LET'S LEAVE THOSE "CHILDREN"
ALONE FOR NOW THOUGH.
Wendy nodded and smiled in agreement and they sat silently behind the log waiting for Pip to
return.
Tony frowned at this and looked back at the hunters and the tazzies. They all seemed to be playing
around and goofing off in their own little silent world. The fountain of youth could explain it but he had always
thought the fountain made you appear young. What a disappointment, he thought.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Virginia."
Virginia mumbled something in her sleep and turned her head.
"Virginia, love of my life, it's time to wake up."
"Mmmm....wha-what? Huh?" Virginia slowly began to wake up. She opened her eyes and
saw Wolf staring down at her with a smile on his face.
"Darling, even in the morning you look good enough to eat! Grrrr!" Wolf playfully tried
to bite Virginia on the neck. Virginia giggled quietly but then she remembered the kiss she witnessed between Melody
and Wolf and she stopped laughing. This was a good time as any to talk to Wolf, she thought to herself. She sighed
and laid still.
"What's wrong my sweet lamb chop?" Wolf said when he felt Virginia tense.
"Why aren't you kissing Melody Good Morning?" She knew that wasn't exactly what she
wanted to say but it was too late. It already came out of her mouth.
The little crinkle between Wolf's eyebrows deepened and he tilted his head slightly. He scratched at the stubble
on his chin and finally sat up next to Virginia.
"You saw, didn't you? Is that why you ran off into the woods by yourself?" Wolf whispered
sheepily. "You know wolves mate for life. And you are my mate. That kiss between Melody and I was nothing.
I didn't even feel anything. You didn't see me push Melody away from me, did you?"
Virginia shook her head and sat up also.
"I just saw what I saw and I just don't understand. I spoke to the singing ring that you
gave me."
"And what did he say?" Wolf asked and picked up Virginia's hand to stroke it. "You
have such soft skin." He added absentmindedly.
"Wolf, he said that something wasn't right. That something wasn't natural among the people
in our group here. I don't really know what he meant by that, but I do know that he's somehow right because I can
feel it too."
"I know what you are talking about. It's like I was forced. I was acting on auto, is that
the right term to use? I noticed that whenever Melody got brought up, I would start to get dreamy and my mind would
wander off. That's not like me." Wolf said. "Actually, it is like me. But I have only been that way with
one person and only one person. And that would be you, sweet Virginia." He scratched at his forehead. "Huff
puff, last night, when I heard you scream, I completely snapped. Something in my head just fell away and now I
don't feel that dreamy spacey feeling towards Melody anymore. When you say her name, it has no affect one me. I
was so scared for you last night that somehow I broke whatever had me entranced."
"Do you think it was magic then?" Virginia whispered.
"Definately. And if it is magic, who is behind it?"
"Melody?" Virginia asked.
"Maybe, but we can't be for sure. Maybe it's Patrick."
"But the whole thing started before we even met Patrick. It began right after we met up
with Melody. And also, somehow someone trapped me in the Pumpkin Patch and Patrick helped me out, it can't be him."
Virginia argued.
"Cripes, Virginia, for all we know, it can be both of them! Maybe they are in on it together.
But then, it might not even be them at all. Huff puff." Wolf sighed. "Come, we'll talk about it some
more once we're on the road again. Just remember, trust no one."
"Not even you, Wolf?" Virginia said with a smile. Wolf smiled back and gave her a hug
and they got up to make some breakfast.
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