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((Hahaha, awwwws... *pets Amaleth's heeead*))

Lok gave a vicious snarl when the prince knocked heads with him. He backed up a step, rubbing at his forehead. "Watch it!" He snapped and then looked a bit on the impatient side. "That's what I said, isn't it?" He snorted at his title. 'Good' Lok? That was an oxymoron if he ever heard one.

Though, for an instant he let go of his anger at the look in Percy's eyes. "What do you mean.. tingling? Is that bad?" He said with his face worried in a way. There was a frown in his swarthy face. "I don't like what you're getting at, Percy." He said lowly with a growl in his voice that wasn't directed at the prince himself.

Lok watched a little impatiently as Percy got himself properly dressed. He tossed a few looks at the door as though Sally might reappear there, bright, smiling, and intensly annoying. Lok gave a sound that might have been a whine and might have been a snarl; she didn't come.

Lok his threw his eerie eyes back onto Percy. "Yeah, yeah, I get the idea, let's stop yapping about it and get moving, Perc." He said darkly already heading for the door and at a quick walking pace exited the inn. Several bystanders were a little startled by his appearence.

When the prince offered his coin purse to sniff, he sneered at the fact he had a purse, and then gave it a whiff. It smelled just like her: spring, mornings, and other such annoying things. "That'd be her. What an IDIOT. She shouldn't just wander off on her OWN. She can't take care of herself!" He said with a snort, casting the prince an odd look. He felt sort of strange just then. He was working with the hero and he was surprised at how well it worked.

Though then, Lok smelled pork, and heard pork, and if it smells like pork and walks like pork then it must look like pork... Turning around Lok spotted Amaleth. He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"No you SHOULDN'T have come." Lok snapped quickly showing off his teeth in an ugly snarl. "And what I'll do to you is far worse than what the dragon would do so why don't you go back to your bed and cower there! Otherwise, I don't see why I shouldn't have bacon this morning, little piglet." He cried, but at the mention of Sally he quieted.

"She just wandered off is all." Lok said, and didn't say another word to Amaleth. He didn't seem to care he was there anymore.

((OKAY YAY!))

Honestly, despite the general gloom the sky cast over the place, it wasn't in too bad a shape. A bit poor perhaps, but well-kept. Though, any minute observations would have to wait until later. There was a tingling, an almost itch at the back of the Prince's mind that spoke of SOMETHING being wrong... And in a way, he thought that perhaps Lok could feel it too.

"Hey now, Amleth can come if he so desires..." Dash turned towards the Pigman, a bit of a smile on his face, "I just thought you'd rather stay in the safety of the Inn is all. I suppose you didn't see my note."

"Whether or not she SHOULD have is gone now, Lok..." The prince took a moment to stand on his toes, hoping perhaps to spot the bright red of Red's cloak behind a stand or through a window. No such luck.

A bit of a shiver ran down his spine, and something of a sick feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. Someone was here, and like them, not supposed to be. But this time, he had an idea of who. "Ooooh," Percy muttered, hand floating over to the hilt of his sword, "No, no no... This story... She shouldn't be in THIS story, should she?" He glanced from Amleth, then to Lok. "Either of you two ever worked with the Sorceress?" She was one of the more dangerous Evils. And Sally's disappearance was a bit too... Well, the frosty woman whom the Prince had time and again met... She had a certain way of doing things, and this was telltale of one of them.

And then there was the problem of the gigantic man climbing down the large beanstalk. "Oh gods..." Percy mumbled, a hand to his face. He'd just realized what story they were in. "We need to find Red, get Dragon, and get OUT of here." He looked to Lok, knowing between the wolf and pig, that the Wolf was a better choice to collaborate with under pressure.

((TAH DAH! *wonders why her computer is being laggy*))

And.

There he was. Just as she expected. She looked at his yellow eyes with her violet ones, contrasting colors, how fitting. At his obvious rage she only raised a calm brow and smiled. It was a smile that at first glance was polite, kind...almost motherly, but deeper it was full of hate and malicious cold.

"Funny." She said softly, in her smooth lavender voice and shifted the girl in her arms. Sally's head rolled against the woman's shoulder, mouth parted and soft shallow breathing emitting from her lungs. Her brows tensed slightly but relaxed again, like she was having a dream. "She's your's is she? To eat I suppose? You realize you're no longer in your own story wolf, you have no part here, therefore have no control over anyone here. Amusing, since I'm in the same predicament." Her eyes than lifted to see a more amusing sight. This made her smile widen into a sneer and a cold, icy chuckle emit from her elegant throat.

"Ahhhh of course. I figured as much. Prince Charming here to save the poor defenseless girl from the arms of harm and suffering. It's funny, since she's suffered already just by being with you and the pork-rhine. Suffered because of who she thought was her best friend left her. Interesting how fragile a female's emotions can be." She looked down on the sleeping girl as her brows furrowed and she squirmed a bit in the woman's arms, gasping in pain.

"Nightmares..." She whispered and ran a long finger through the short brown hair, tauntingly towards the wolf. Violet eyes peered through a curtain of lashes to him. "Evil siding with Good. How long is that going to last? How long until you turn against eachother like every other story? You going to eat him too, just like the girl? How can you want someone safe when you eat them yourself when their in your arms." She stopped abruptly when Sally's hands clutched tightly and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I talk too much don't I?" She laughed again and made a fast maneuver around the wolf and walked towards Dash, smirking at him with obvious disgust.

"I thought so much better of you. Siding with a beast like him? What's the world come to? Or at least...stories. There's no such thing as a never ending story. The writer dies sooner or later. Without an ending it just stops then, fails to exist." Finally she stopped and dropped Sally to the ground. The girl's eyes fluttered open as the witch started walking away. Pain swelled in her chest and her hands started to tremble. Anger filled her eyes and she scrambled to her feet, wobbling uneasily and falling face first into the ground.

"What...what did you do to me?" She gasped, voice like broken shards. "Why did you show me that?! Why did you show me those awful things?!" Tears began to stream down her face. "It was awful..." She looked up, dirt smeared over her face as she just noticed the other two nearby. Instantly shame spread on her face and she desperately tried to look strong. As she furrowed her brows, wrinkles spread on her forehead. "What are you two doing here? I can handle myself..." It was a complete lie...but as long as she sounded strong...sounded like herself. She turned her eyes to Lok cautiously, as if suddenly scared of him and at the same time intensely glad he was there. As she stared at him, wordless, her eyes became wide and her body suddenly convulsed, veins in her neck rising against her peach skin.

A shattering scream came from Sally's throat and she hunched over. The pain burned her chest more and more the farther away the witch got. She snarled, teeth barred. Her nails dug into the sidewalk, scraping the cement as though it would provide some relief. Her whole body tensed and she began to breath as fast as if she had just run 100 miles.

"You're wrong Mr. Wolf. She belongs to me." The witch laughed loudly and continued walking away as Sally screamed again, seemingly enjoying the high sound of pain. "If you try to save her, you'll just end up killing her. If you let her come with me, she'll end up forgetting all about you. She'll think you're the devil." She finally stopped and turned around, watching Sally as she crawled towards the woman, the pain growing easier and easier the closer she got.

As she got close enough, Sally turned her head towards Lok, eyes wide as saucer's, for the first time in her existence she was helpless...desperate. "I'm so sorry..."

((posty time, loves!))

Percy raised an eyebrow at Lok's muttering, but took off after him the moment he turned wolf and raced through the quickly filling streets. It was difficult to keep up, and he could only hope that Amleth would be able to follow, or find them anyway.

When they found what they had been looking for, Percy had to take a few steps away from Lok. He could smell the anger on him, and as far a the prince knew, he wasn't animal. That was saying something. Right? Yeah. Basically, Lok was PISSED. More so than normal. WAY more.

Upon approaching the Sorceress, he felt that familliar chill that came with her presence. dash glared, his gaze darting toward Lok every once in a while. This looked, and honestly, was, bad. "It'll last, Sorcereress, however long it has to." He was frowning. A sword was useless against Sorceress... How was it he'd always defeated her in the stories...?

His thoughts were disrupted by the woman's cold gaze coming dangerously close. "But if the writers are the story themselves, it never has to die. It never has to repeat, and never has to end." She reeked of magic... It made him feel just a bit ill.

And when Sally started screaming... He felt that pressure rise in his chest - the call to save her, to be the hero and defeat the evil. But this time... This time he had no idea how. He could SEE the magic Red was under, but he knew it was far too strong to break on his own... Nevertheless, he stepped between Red and her attacker, dropping his swordpoint into the thin, but impossibly strong string of magic connecting the two. He hoped, that maybe, it'd just snap. "What reasons do you have to hurt this innocent girl? You say we're all out of our story," A deep, rumbling vibration ran through the ground, followed by horrified screams. The giant had climbed down the beanstalk, and was now chasing... something. "So what more right do you have to do anything to us than we have?" Okay, so, that didn't make much sense, but Percy was scraping here... And Sally's gasps of pain didn't help.

((hahaha *HAS NO IDAE WHAT TO DOOO*))

((My turn, I guess!.... wooooWOOO!!! ))

Lok could hardly contain himself. He was seething with hatred, the emotion almost visibly coming off of him in waves. All of his rough fur stood on end, and his upper lip was pulled back to reveal all over his canines. His golden eyes were glowing with a fericious light and the stones beneath his claws were slowly being crunched into rubble in his powerful paws. There was nothing but hate in his eyes when he looked into her face.

"You shut up." He said dangerously, his voice lined with a growl that wouldn't cease. It rumbled through his throat, to his shoulders, and to the very tip of his tail. "She is mine to do with what I PLEASE." He said sharply. "There are rules and you know them, witch. I don't CARE if this isn't my story, you won't lay a HAND on her!" He fell short as she ran a hand through her hair.

His growls ceased and then redoubled. "Stop it." His voice was like a coming storm. "Shut it, witch! You won't MESS with me! I will NOT be toyed with!" Though, however his voice rumbled and no matter how he raged there was a light of doubt in his eyes and it was obvious to anyone the hateful woman had struck a wound in the old wolf's heart. He stirred uncomfortably beneath her eyes and stifled a hurt sound dead in his throat.

However, at the tear on Sally's face there came such a murderous growl and snarl. His teeth gleamed in his suddenly black face. His whole body was suddenly darker than night. A flash of death reflected in Lok's eyes. "STOP!" He bellowed and leapt in front of the prince almost protectively. He tensed on his powerful legs.

Though, then she dropped Sally. The movement was unexpected. Lok jumped a little, but his hackles instantly smoothed along his back and he relaxed. The feeling of relief was brief. She was shouting and upset. He never could see magic, but then he felt it... and then smelled it. His growl was back and he was glaring at the witch.

"I don't care if you CAN take care of yourself, Sally. I just want to rip this b***h to pieces. Magic casting little-" He rumbled, but paused and looked to Sally, who was staring at him intently. There was a line of fear in her eyes that hurt him somewhere. He backed up and ran into the prince. His tail drooped between his legs.

However, when she screamed he was at Sally's side. "Let her go!" He cried, crumbling stones beneath his claws. "LET HER GO!" He trotted in a helpless circle as Sally slowly crawled away. He tossed his head back and howled and at the small woman's apology he pressed his ears flat against his broad head and howled again: long, slow, and sad.

He was helpless. Evil never won... it had to be the prince that saved her. He was a despicable creature. Why shouldn't she go and just hate him? Maybe she was better off if she did. He truly was an evil creature hated just about as much as he hated himself.

He howled again, loping in a frustrated circle.

"What do you WANT with her?" Lok called. "Are you just doing this to SPITE me?!" He tossed his head as he ran in another circle. "You can't TAKE HER." He stopped in his run and trotted to her. "Not without taking me with you." He snarled and snapped at the witch's feet. "I won't let you take her." He said with an air of finality as he stood over Sally, face low.

He wouldn't let her.

"If I can't stop you, Percy sure as hell will."

((hahaha, I didn't know what to do either... HEOPFULLY THAT WOOORKS!!!!))

((I ASKED FRANKS IF I WAS BEING TOO BLATANT AND SELFISH! BUT SHE SAID I WASN'T! *sniffles* I am sorry Bob...oh my goodness. I can try to make the witch do something that involves little Amleth or something. XD I feel like I'm the one doing all the action now...and makes me so worried I am hogging it all or SOMETHING! So please tell me if you want me to do something with her!

I swear I don't want to hog anything at all...*shifts around and posts* And just so you guys know, I do have a reason for her actions and interference, but still...if you guys want to do something, let me know!))

The witch sneered at all of them with an amused glint in her eyes. She was enjoying this entirely, a little too much to seem any bit sane. "Awwwww..." she mused as she watched Lok howl and stomp around. "How sad, the dog worried for its master." She then looked over to Dash as he pointed his sword to her magic bond. "I have reasons. If you really want to know my reason, didn't you just hear what your good friend, Fluffy said? With her I can control all of you so easily. Is her friendship so important you'd give in to my wishes?" She raised a beautiful brow and started to walk off again. "Mr. Wolf, you're so selfish, it isn't always about you. It's about your friends too. All of them. None of this would have happened if you just stayed in your stories according to plan."

She finally saw Amleth, hiding as she expected and walked to him, smiling. "Ahhh the lost little brother. I had fun with the other two. You know...they're much more fun than someone as stupid as you. I can take you to them. They're so worried about you, leaving them so suddenly." She held out a hand to the short man, eyes mockingly kind and sweet, ignoring everyone else as if this man was the most important thing ever. "You won't have to be in the company of your mortal enemy. If you come...I'll let Sally go." She said it slowly, for everyone else to hear. "That's right, if you let me take you to your brother's you'll be able to help Sally be happy." Her violet eyes bore into the pig's, dazzling and strangely pure.

Behind her Sally opened her pained eyes, hazy gray over her dough brown. Sweat beaded her forehead as she narrowed her eyes at the witch's back. Her voice wouldn't come as she looked frantically over to Dash, begging him to help Amleth instead. "Don't...I'm fine..." She smiled weakly, rubbing a clammy hand over her forehead, trying to calm the tremors running up her spine. She turned her head towards the thunderous sound of the giant and she jumped, eyes wide. "Sh...sh...s**t."

((Ahhhh...hopefully that helps you my dear friend...I couldn't think of much else. XD Please don't make me the only one to control what's happening you guys! XD Once again, I don't want to feel selfish or something.))

((hahaha omggggg, Amleth... Poooor, poor amleth. *rubs his head* And no worries ,J! I just didn't want to like, step on your toes, YA KNOW? haha but if we're free to like, do things... I'm gonna take a chance here... I hope it's okay!))

Percy jumped when Lok perched in front of him. The wolf was frightening, especially in this form. But, this time, and it was hard to get it through his head, that anger wasn't directed at him... It was towards someone ELSE. The wolf was ON HIS SIDE.

It startled a laugh out of him - a laugh that was strained, out of place, but a laugh nonetheless. It was a laugh that brought forward that familliar courage he felt when he was in his place... The hero, the prince - the one who was to save the innocent, protect them. He was far from his own stories, but somehow that was okay. IT WAS OKAY. And he was QUITE able to help these people... he hardly knew them, but somehow felt connected. Even with the old, ancient, ORIGINAL evil that was the wolf... The meekness and fright that was the pig, and the bright innocence of Red. He had none of those traits... but TOGETHER, they made something completely different. And this something not only gave him a different kind of courage, but the want to help for the sake of helping, not because he was supposed to.

And Lok's words, his confidence in Percy to be able to stop Sorceress, it made him feel WELCOME.

"And why, might I ask, do you need to control us? You're just as out of your element as we are... We left to change things. You're here to ruin it?" He quietly sheathed his sword, eyeing the magical bond between woman and young girl. There HAD to be a way to break it.

But then Sorceress pulled something he HADN'T expected. She was trying to get Amleth to trade himself for Sally. And that... That was just downright cruel. "Don't do it, Amleth..." Dash ground out, blue eyes trained on the cold, unfeeling ones of the Sorceress. The rumbling in the ground grew more violent. Screams ripped the air - the giant was getting closer.

So he did the only thing he could think of. If it was this magic keeping Sally and Sorceress linked... He had to break it. So, unsheathing his sword, he gave Lok a hopeful look, then brought the point into the magic Lok could feel and smell, but he could SEE. And with a grinding motion, he spun the tip of his sword, winding it around the metal. Scooping it up, he twirled his own magic strings around it and gave a great tug. The Sorceress' magic snapped, bending his sword under the pressure, causing his own magic around it to be rent apart as well, bringing forth a shout of pain from the Prince himself.

Gasping, but still on his feet, he gathered Sally into his arms, and spared a triumphant smile at the Sorceress as he took off down the streets, shouting for the others to follow. The only problem was, he was heading TOWARDS the giant, whose footsteps had nigh but reached them. "RUN YOU MORONS! RUN!"

((haha... I HOPE THAT WORKS!))

The witch smiled at Amleth as he agreed to go. She already knew what would happen next, they would save both of the weaker ones and take off. It wasn't a problem though, she had thought it over before. She had showed Sally what she needed to already to make the girl a bit for lenient. "It's okay, Amleth." She said softly, using his name as if she spoke it many times before. "I'll take your offer later, when the time comes. Unfortunately a giant is about to pummel our sweet little chat." She frowned before patting the pig on the head and turned around as the prince cut the ties of her magic, with the help of the dog.

As it happened Sally screamed, pain pulling at her chest, extracting from her body like poison. When it was over, she somehow felt empty, as if along with the magic something was taken from her. She had no time to ponder this before Dash had swept her into his arms. She gave him a tired growl, obviously not wanting him to hold her like some little girl. The exhaustion in her bones made her still though, not bothering to squirm around. Instead she took a few heavy gasps and pressed her forehead against his chest, a head ache building in her skull.

"As I expected. Only with a price do you destroy magic. You of all people should know that, Percival." She flashed a grin at him and dusted off the top of her dress before a thick fog surrounded her. "Don't worry, we'll meet again. I promise. You won't have to be parted from me for too long." The fog thinned after she spoke and when it was gone, she too was gone from the area.

"I'm sorry..." Sally whispered again, trying to ignore the splitting head ache. "I just wanted to get food and clothes. Do something to help..." She trailed off and shut her eyes tightly, throat clenching in pain, sore from screaming. The pounding in her head drowned out the giant's footsteps. Really all she wanted at this point was to lay down and sleep another hour or so. Somehow she doubted it would happen until the night to come, maybe even longer.