"Alright. So behind this door is My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV. What he says is the law, so no talking back. If you put up any sort of a fight, we will restrain you. Ok?" Snappy raises an eyebrow, challenging us to speak up, but we don't reply. A flash of disappointment flickers across his eyes.

Dove starts to move after being shoved by Snappy, and they approach the double doors, closely followed by Screech. I trail a few steps behind them, choosing to break into a walk before Scorn pushes me. Just before we pass through the doors, Scorn leans in.

"It's best if you stay quiet," he whispers.

I keep my gaze straight ahead, and focus on looking bored.

Who knows if he's telling the truth or not. What would he get out of helping us? Everything someone does is for their own benefit- we're all selfish creatures.

In the center of the wall furthest from us sits a throne made of amethyst. It spreads across the floor like ooze.

Snappy, Screech, and Scorn all drop to one knee and lower their gazes to the marble at their feet. Scorn reaches up an arm to pull me to the ground, but I resist; Dove remained standing, so I'll do what he does.

"We have done as you asked, My Sovereign, My Excellency, My Honor, My Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV. We have brought Wolf and Dove to you as we promised." Snappy keeps his gaze focused on the floor as he speaks, and he gestures to us in turn with a hand.

King Garonda XIV is lounging on the throne with a leg thrown over the armrest and a pillow cradling his head on the other. He's wearing a purple suit, though a blanket has been draped over him. A golden crown embedded with amethyst gems sits atop his jet black hair. King Garonda XIV stirs from his slumber when he hears Snappy talking.

His eyes are also purple? How much purple can one handle?

When he focuses his gaze on the five of us, I can see the flecks of red in his eyes.

"Hey! How are you guys doing? I just woke up from a quick catnap, and even though I haven't slept in almost a week other than that quick catnap, I haven't felt better! You guys should really try it sometime: not sleeping for days on end. I got this awesome idea to build this huge extension to my castle... I should really do this more often. Usually I just sleep every three to four days, but this time I am going onto six. Almost a week! But back to you guys, my loyal Guard and Soldier. Why did you wait until this morning? I thought I said to have them in the cells by nightfall, and that was yesterday! What do you have to say for yourselves?" King Garonda XIV's eyes flash. 

Jeez. This is the guy who's going to be deciding our fate? He seems... I don't know. He seems, like, unstable or something. No. That's not the right word. He was, just, like, rambling on, and he switched from talking about how he hasn't slept in almost a week to shouting at Snappy.

"My Sovereign, My Excellency, My Honor, My Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV. If I may speak up," Snappy says slowly.

"Do I really want you to? Let me think. Oh! We can play a little game! But I don't really want to. Ah! The decision making! This is so hard. Fine. What are you going to say? And you'd better make it good. And don't you think I've forgotten about you, Wolf and Dove. I will get to you after I'm done with my Guard and Soldier."

"I thank you with all of my heart, My Sovereign, My Excellency, My Honor, My Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV. I was not aware that you wanted me to bring Wolf and Dove before you yesterday. I misinterpreted your instructions to mean that Wolf and Dove would be judged by your absolute fairness now. That was completely my fault, and I should never have made that mistake, but I swear upon my life that it will never happen again. I fully apologize to you, My Sovereign, My Excellency, My Honor, My Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV." Snappy bows even further to the ground, so that his forehead is almost brushing the marble.

"Fine. I accept. Don't think I won't sever your head from your shoulders if this happens again. But now to you, Wolf and Dove. First off, why aren't you bowing? I am your King of Ragdon." You made up that title, but whatever.

"You're not my King of Ragdon. That is a title you made up." Dove looks King Garonda right in the eyes as he speaks.

"Looking your King of Ragdon in the eyes is one of the worst offenses one can do. I am sitting upon the Amethyst Throne; I am the King of Ragdon!" King Garonda XIV stands up, taking a step forwards. But as soon as his fingertips leave the Amethyst Throne, he stumbles, his face contorting in pain, and he quickly sits down once more.

"You're no King of mine. You have been corrupted by the Throne you sit upon. All that power has twisted your mind. You have gone mad. I will never bow to you." Dove's grey gaze is darkened with anger.

King Garonda XIV is silent for a few minutes as he examines me and Dove with a calculating look on his face. Finally he speaks.

"But who to kill first?"

No one replies.

Snappy, Screech, and Scorn remain bowed with their heads hanging low, and Dove and I stay standing. Waves of anger roll off of my brother. Doves fingers twitch from where they're cinched tight behind his back.

"Eeney meeney miney mo. Catch a tiger by its toe. If he hollers, let him go. My mother said to pick the very best one, and you are it," King Garonda XIV says in a sing-song voice, and his finger lands on Dove.

No. No. No. No. NO!

My heart sinks to my toes as I look over to Dove, who hasn't reacted. He keeps the sort of calm yet angry face even as Screech forces him to his knees.

Snappy pulls an arrow out of the quiver on his back and nocks it in his bow.

No. Dove!

"DOVE!" I scream, straining against the binds on my wrists as I try to run to him, but Scorn holds me back.

King Garonda XIV's eyes flit between me and Dove. A crazed grin spreads across his face. Dove's eyes flicker over to me, and he smiles for a split second.

My whole body is trembling as I gasp for breath. My heart races in my chest at a million miles an hour. Scorn tightens his grip when I stomp on his foot in an attempt to break free.

Tears stream down my cheeks as I scream for Dove to be set free and for Scorn to let me go, but the Soldier's fingers refuse to give. The rope binding my wrists together digs into my skin, rubbing it raw until it draws blood. My fury reaches new heights.

Dove can't die. He can't. He won't just die. He can't die. He can't die. HE CAN'T DIE! There's no way. If Scorn would let me go, I'd kill every one of these Guard and Soldiers. I'd save King Garonda XIV for last, so he can watch his reign crumble to the ground.

My heart races faster in my chest. My fingertips tremble. Then my arms, and the tremors spread until my whole body is shaking.

"You're burning up," Scorn comments as Snappy pulls back the drawstring of his bow. I strain to break free of his grip, but the Soldier refuses to yield.

"Let me go," I snarl, trying to elbow the Soldier in the stomach, but he catches my arm.

"Lupetto,-."

"Don't call me Lupetto. I'm not a wolf cub." My fury grows to the point where I can only see red. I'm shaking more now, and something is rising from within me.

Then I explode. Literally. Scorn jumps back as the rope binding my wrists breaks. My teeth sharpen to points, and fur sprouts across my skin as my bones snap to reform. I fall down to the ground on four legs while my spine lengthens into a tail. Dove looks over to me out of the corner of his eye. He doesn't seem surprised.

On my first step, I slip, but I quickly right myself.

My claws dig into the marble, carving deep scores as I accelerate and slam into Snappy. The Guard skids across the ground, and I rip the bow from his hands, slashing at his leather armor and tearing at anything in sight. Blood sprays, coating my muzzle and soaking the fur on my chest.

"Oh! This is so amazing to watch! Keep it going!" King Garonda XIV claps his hands in glee.

He thinks this is a show? Well, I'll show him it's not.

I turn away from Snappy to race towards the King of Ragdon. A low growl rumbles in my throat as I sprint to the Amethyst Throne. The torchlight glints off of the purple surface.

Just as I leap to attack, Screech barrels into my side, and we skid across the marble just in front of King Garonda XIV who is now roaring in anger.

"Someone get the fluffy dog! SOMEONE GET IT!"

I am not a fluffy dog; I'm a wolf, thank you very much. And I am most certainly not an it!

I snarl when Screech lands a punch on my jaw. His eyes flash with seething anger as he settles back into a crouch to launch his next attack. Pushing off of the marble, I slash at the Guard with my forepaws.

"Wolf!" It's Dove. I look up, and he's waving me over to him. When I reach my brother, he jumps onto my back before I can react. "Go. They'll be down for a while."

"This is so exciting! I can't wait to see where it'll go. Let me know what happens! If you don't return to update me... Well, if that happens, I hope you're not too attached to your head." King Garonda XIV shifts in the Amethyst Throne so he's sitting sideways in it, his head resting on one armrest and his feet on the other.

"Go. Go. Go, Wolf." I break into a run, and I race through the hallways, changing direction every time I see a Guard or Soldier. Multiple times my paws slide out from beneath me, and Dove is nearly thrown from me as I struggle to regain my balance.

"There's Wolf and Dove! Get them!" A Guard shouts to his friends, violently jabbing a finger towards us. His dagger gleams in the bright torchlight.

"Coming! Someone shoot at them!" This time it's a Soldier who has his sword drawn.

"Go, Wolf. We're getting out of here, I promise." Dove ducks under an arrow. My paws scrabble on the marble. This offers no traction... It's so hard to run on this stupid, smooth rock or whatever it is.

After turning into hallway after hallway, it becomes apparent that the Guard and Soldiers aren't intent on attacking, though a few have shot an arrow or two at us. Dove curses. "They're herding us." That makes sense.

"Watch out!" Dove leans back. I skid to a halt, sitting back on my hind legs as a pack of Guard suddenly appear in front of me.

"Give up already, Wolf. You can't outrun us, and your brother isn't going to be any help."

"Really? You wanna test that. I might not be able to shift into a bird, but I-."

"Shut up. Come with us, and My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV might go easy on you."

"Wolf, let's go." Dove throws his head in the opposite direction of the Guard. I dig my claws into the marble, and I speed up into a sprint.

"Did you honestly think you could actually escape? That's sweet. It shows how ignorant you really are." One of the Guard clucks his tongue. A mob of Guard and Soldiers block our exit, trapping us in.

"Jump. Don't stop running. You can make it, trust me, Wolf."

Really? Can I really make it. No. You're overthinking it. Jump; Dove said you could make it. And you're dead either way, so what do you have to lose?

I force myself faster, ignoring the shrieks of complaint from my muscles and the way each breath burns in my chest, and I take one step, two steps, before launching myself up and out. The blade of a dagger or sword bites into my hind leg, and an arrow carves a shallow, but long, gash across my flank, as I sail over the Guard and Soldiers.

I don't look back when I land, and nor do I break stride; I keep running. Every time one of my paws hits the ground, a shock slices up my leg. My sides heave with each breath, and my tongue lolls out of the side of my mouth.

"Take a left," Dove says.

"Sorry. I know you're tired, but I can't shift; the ceiling is too low here. I'm trying to get to the windows. I can shift there." I only catch onto about half of what he's saying. The edges of my vision go slightly blurry, but I keep running. Dove keeps telling me to go up.

Stairs are officially my new least-favorite thing. I forgot how tiring they are. I'd take a hill over them any day. At least then you can pick how big your strides are and which path you want to take.

We've gone up countless flights of stairs, and everything still looks the same. The floors are marble, along with the walls and ceiling, and a few marble pillars are the only thing that adorns the walls.

"Stop! And this time you will." Wha-? What? This time you will?

"Wolf! Stop!" I dig my claws into the marble, carving deep scores, when I hear Dove telling me to stop. I blink a few times, and I see that we're right in front of a floor-to-ceiling window. Guard and Soldiers surround us on all sides, trapping us with them on three sides, and the window on the fourth.

Who knows how far it is down.

"Give up. Surrender yourselves, and My Sovereign, His Excellency, His Honor, His Highest of all Highnesses, King Garonda XIV might go easy on you." Neither of us reply. After a few minutes of sitting in a standoff, Dove leans down.

"Jump," He murmurs in my ear. So that's why he wanted me to run up all those stairs. So he'd be able to catch me before I get flattened on the ground.

"Freeze. Let yourself freeze. You burn to turn into a wolf, and you freeze to turn back into a human. Freeze, Wolf. You can do it." I nod slightly, and smirk at the Guard and Soldiers before turning around and break into a run again. I lower my head, and Dove stands on my shoulders, pushing off of my right as my hind paws leave the marble. The glass shatters into a million pieces.

Thank you for reading this chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! Please vote and comment!

Is Dove going to be able to catch her in time?

Why couldn't King Garonda XIV leave the Amethyst Throne?

Will Wolf and Dove be able to escape from King Garonda XIV?

Do you have any predictions for where the story is heading next?

-Werewolf14-