Post by Savage on Oct 22, 2011 21:46:32 GMT -8
There are Halloween chills and Disney cameos aplenty in this short story!
Warning: may or may not include actual chills.
When the Quiverwing Quack, real name Gosalyn Mallard, adopted daughter of Drake Mallard, AKA Darkwing Duck, had finally been officially inducted into Epcot City’s premiere superhero team the Dream League a month ago, she was the next youngest member after Sir Pendragon (who, in spite of his older appearance in his magically-empowered form, was in reality only eleven), and Dreamchild, who’s real name was Alice Liddell.
In spite of their shared ages (both were twelve), both girls couldn’t be anymore different from one other. But to everyone’s surprise, the two had managed to get along surprisingly well in spite of one being a sporty tomboy and the other a prim and proper young lady. Perhaps this was partly due to their both being young crimefighters, and finally having another girl around their own age to talk to about their secret identities. Alice liked most of her older teammates, but had to admit that it was nice to be able to spend time with other people who in her own age range.
When Gosalyn invited Alice and another Dreamer, as the Dream League had nicknamed themselves, the aforementioned Arthur Pendragon (otherwise known as Sir Pendragon), to come trick-or-treating and then attend a Halloween party with her and her friends from her school, they had been more than happy to accept the invitation. Before moving from Oxford, England to the state of Calisota on America’s west coast, Alice didn’t have many friends. Even at St. Blair Academy where she attended private school, some of the girls there weren’t particularly welcoming or friendly towards her. In spite of her experiences though, she was still interested in meeting other children.
In total, there were about eighteen children gathered at the farm of Honker Muddlefoot’s grandmother in the St. Canard countryside. Everyone was inside the barn, most either talking with their friends, playing games such as apple bobbing, or getting food from the refreshment table. The barn’s interior had been strung up with orange lights, and orange and black streamers festooned the ceiling. Other appropriately spooky decorations such as plastic tarantulas, bats, and skulls with light-up eyes further added to the spirit of the occasion. A long table had been set up and covered with an orange plastic tablecloth decorated with a haunted house scene, and a bounty of treats was spread across it.
“You kids take as much as you please, but keep in mind you’re supposed be sharin’ this with your friends.” Mrs. Muddlefoot announced as she stood in the doorway of the barn, watching the partygoers with a smile. The duck woman had a comforting, homey presence about herself. “If ya’ll need anything, just holler. I need to go check on my pies.” Turning, she left for her rambling one-story house that was on the property.
‘Bongo will have hated to have missed all this!’ Alice thought as she took everything in from where she stood. She resolved to bring both him and the Green Bone something back to eat. They had really wanted to come here with them tonight, but the presence of a Dalmatian puppy and a young bear in costumes would’ve aroused too much curiosity. Fortunately, Launchpad, Darkwing Duck’s pilot and sidekick, had been kind enough to volunteer to take the unusual duo out trick-or-treating for the night.
Arthur seemed quite overwhelmed by the whole thing. He indecisively hovered over a platter of caramel apples before glancing over at a bowl of popcorn balls. As strange as the modern era could be, he had come to discover that a lot of it was also fascinating and wonderful, especially the food. When he had lived with his previous guardians Sir Ector and Kay back in the Middle Ages, Arthur really didn’t get much of a chance to enjoy such delicious fare. Finally, the skinny tow-headed boy settled on a few cookies, chips, and a couple of popcorn balls.
Alice could hear a chorus of groans of defeat from some of the other pre-teens, then a very familiar voice rose in jubilation. She turned to see Gosalyn making her way towards her.
“No one can stop Gosalyn Mallard, winner of zombie tag two years straight!” The duckling triumphantly crowed. Her costume was the most unique one here. Unable to decide whether she should be a zombie or She-Wolf, the Dreamers’ resident wild girl superheroine, Gosalyn had simply decided to combine both costume ideas. A white furry cape lay draped over her shoulders, and she was dressed in a long dark blue tunic, over which she wore a white tabard and a belt, and dark blue bands on both arms. However, she had also applied dark smudges under her eyes and scars and fake bloody gashes on her face and bare limbs, along with the red triangular markings She-Wolf would paint on her cheeks and forehead. For once Gosalyn wore her red hair down, and it reached to above her shoulders – quite close to the same length that the real She-Wolf wore her hair. Instead of her standard tennis shoes, moccasins covered her feet. A dark blue headband ornamented with a white gem and a necklace of plastic pointy teeth completed the outfit. Alice had to giggle every time she saw the ‘zombified She-Wolf’, as Gosalyn had termed it. How would the real thing react to seeing Gosalyn’s costume?
Seeing Arthur stuffing his face, Gosalyn laughed good-naturedly. “Artie pal, relax! There’s plenty to go around.”
Arthur only nodded and mumbled something unintelligible around a mouthful of cookie. Still grinning, Gosalyn looked between him and Alice. “Is this party great or what?”
“I’m certainly enjoying myself.” Alice agreed before she turned to glance over at Arthur. “And I think I can speak for Arthur when I say that he is too.”
Another eager nod from Arthur before he swallowed and finally spoke.
“Oh yes! Maybe we should have one at the Overlook. You know, just for the team.”
Gosalyn caught his drift. “If you could get MM to agree to it, that’d be awesome.” She said, referring to the Dream League’s leader, the Masked Mallard. It was an awesome idea. What would superheroes dress up as for Halloween, she thought? “Well anyways, I’m gonna go do some apple bobbing. Wanna come with?”
“In a bit. I’m still a little worn out from dancing.” Alice told her.
“I’ll come as well. Go on over and we’ll catch up.” Arthur said, moving to get some punch.
“Step aside, losers.” A youthful yet harsh voice suddenly growled. Arthur had to quickly move to his left in order to avoid being shoved aside by a goose/duck boy wearing a Freddy Krueger costume. The bullying boy was followed by another boy around his age who strongly resembled a hound, right down to his floppy ears and ponderous nose. He was dressed as a zombified punk rocker. Tank, the first boy, started grabbing all of the popcorn balls until only a few remained. Satisfied, he moved on to another section of the table, while the canine helped himself to several cookies, stuffing them into his pockets.
For their parts, Alice and Arthur shot the duo dirty looks. Apparently they weren’t the only ones annoyed by their behavior. A pirate and Amelia Earhart – in actuality, a short but tough-looking human girl with Mediterranean features and a taller, fairer-skinned, bespectacled girl with prominent front teeth and auburn hair glowered at Tank when they approached the table with their plastic plates and saw the number he had done on the chip bowl.
“Hey Tank, I think your grandma said ‘take as much as you please’, not ‘inhale as much as you please.’” The shorter girl dryly said.
Tank unconcernedly waved her off. “Aww, relax Spinelli. It’s not like my grandma can’t get more.”
Alice and Arthur had both already decided that they didn’t like Tank. The dumpy red-haired boy was Honker’s older brother. Tank, along with his friend Eddie, had been antagonizing several of the other children and Honker in particular for much of the evening whenever Mrs. Muddlefoot wasn’t around. Gosalyn had warned them about him before the party had started. Alice felt bad for the shy but thoughtful Honker for having to put up with such a decidedly unpleasant big brother, while Arthur was reminded all too much of Kay whenever he looked at Tank. If he hadn’t sworn to use the power of Excalibur only in times of true trouble, the he would’ve transformed into Sir Pendragon right there at the party and given Tank what for.
Speaking of Honker, he walked over to where Arthur and Alice were. He had come as Luke Skywalker, right down to the plastic light saber replica he held in one hand. He peered closely at the Once And Future King and the Dream Come True from behind his thick round glasses.
“Are you supposed to be Link? And you’re the Childlike Empress, from ‘The Neverending Story’!” Honker asked in his nasally voice, looking between the two of them.
Arthur nodded, while the blonde Briton’s face brightened. “You’re the first person here to correctly guess who I was.”
“Uh, well, it’s one of my favorite movies,” Honker replied rather sheepishly. “I’ve seen it at least ten times.”
The trio continued to talk as they made their way over to where the apple bobbing was being held. Presently, several other kids watched a massive human boy with scruffy-looking blond hair try to grab an apple out of the water-filled tub, with no success. When the children eventually tired of games, someone suggested they tell scary stories. The idea was met with overwhelming approval. They moved out of the barn to the broad rolling pasture, where everyone gathered in a loose circle. Some of the youths sat on the ground, while others had chairs or hay bales to sit on.
Max Goof started them off with a timeless classic, the hook-handed murderer who was said to stalk couples at a lover’s lane right there in St. Canard. Gosalyn had heard this story (or at least ten different versions of it) before, and wasn’t exactly impressed.
“Y’know Maxie, I’ll have to give you a nine for style, but a six for originality.” She flippantly said from where she sat beside Honker. Alice was seated on her other side, while Arthur was next to Honker.
Spinelli glanced Gosalyn’s way. “So you got some good stories to tell or what?”
The hint of a knowing smile spread across Gosalyn’s bill. “As a matter of fact, I do. But this isn’t just any old story. It’s actually true. It’s about the werewolf that roams these parts…” She paused dramatically before continuing in an ominous voice. “The Werewolf of Greenhead Forest!”
“True, huh? Suuure it is.” Max drawled, rolling his eyes but chuckling slightly. Murmuring appreciatively among themselves, nearly everyone settled back to listen. Uncomfortable, Honker shifted around in his seat. He knew the stories that Gosalyn and the others would tell weren’t real, but that still didn’t make them any less scary. Tank and Eddie on the other hand just looked skeptical.
“Werewolf? What werewolf?” asked Eddie.
“You mean you haven’t heard of the Werewolf of Greenhead Forest?” Alice’s eyes widened. “I moved here three years ago, and even I’ve heard of him!”
Tank snorted. “Yeah, well I lived here my whole life, and I never heard of any werewolf before. Sounds like something you dorks just made up.”
“Think that if you wanna Tank, but what you don’t know could fill a warehouse. Now can I go on with the story?” Everybody laughed at Gosalyn’s crack. Angry, Tank flushed a deep purplish-red under the feathers on his face, but didn’t say anything else as Gosalyn grabbed a flashlight. Flicking it on, she held it up under her bill, aiming the light at her face. The weird angle of the light and shadows formed by the flashlight lent an extra ghoulish quality to the duckling’s made-up face.
“There was once a farmhand named Bill who lived on a farm in these very woods. One evening, he and his friend Paul went down to fish at the creek. They spent such a long time there that it had turned dark by the time they finished. When they saw how late it was, Bill was worried and wanted to get back before they got into trouble. Paul told him not to worry. ‘I know a shortcut.’ he says. So as they’re walking through the woods, the moon was big and full – just like it is tonight.” She emphasized the last five words as she pointed up at the gleaming white celestial body hanging over them.
“And that was when they heard it. The growling. So Bill and Paul decided to walk a little faster. Whatever was watching them still kept growling, and it sounded even closer to them. That was when Bill and Paul started running. Behind them, they could hear the creature following them, making the trees and bushes rustle. They ran so hard and so fast that when they stopped, they didn’t even know where they were anymore. ‘Now you got us lost!’ Paul shouted at Bill. ‘At least that animal stopped chasing us.’ Bill told him. Those poor guys. They spoke too soon.” Gosalyn gave a shake of her head and stopped.
“What happened?” P.J., a large chubby cat asked, wide-eyed and wondering why she had just stopped.
“The biggest wolf they’d ever seen jumped out of the bushes and attacked Bill!” Gosalyn roared, jumping up on her hay bale, raising her arms into the air and forming her hands into claws. Her outburst caused everybody to jump. “It started dragging him away. Bill screamed bloody murder, begging his friend for help. But Paul just ran, never once looking back to see what was happening. He didn’t stop running until he made his way back to the farm. When the farmer and everyone else asked him about Bill, he told them that a wolf got him and that he tried to help him, but he couldn’t save him and was forced to flee for his life. Search parties went out into the words, but no one could find any trace of Bill. He was given up for dead.”
“Paul eventually left town, but returned three years later. His motorcycle broke down on the side of the road, next to the forest, so he got off and started trying to fix it. When he heard someone coming towards him, he looked up, expecting to see a farmer or a hitchhiker. But it wasn’t. It was Bill. Only… he wasn’t Bill anymore. For the bite of the wolf had transformed him into bloodthirsty, man-eating werewolf! He grabbed Paul by his throat, staring into his eyes with his terrible glowing red eyes, and told him in a deep growly voice that he was going to make him pay for leaving him behind that day. After that, no one ever saw Paul again. But they say that sometimes, on nights like this, if you listen real carefully, you can hear howling on the wind.”
Once she finished, some of the children laughed uneasily, but others remained quiet, spellbound by the story.
“I bet Darkwing Duck wouldn’t be scared of a werewolf.” Arthur said.
“Darkwing couldn’t do anything in the first place, and that’s ‘cause werewolves aren’t real!” Eddie said.
Gosalyn looked straight at him, dead serious. “You know, old Billy boy doesn’t like to hear someone say he isn’t real.”
“Ooo, what’s gonna happen? Is he gonna come and get fleas on us?” Eddie replied, feigning fear. He and Tank laughed.
“What’s that noise?” Cody, one of the other children, suddenly asked as he looked out towards the woods that stood across the field from where they were.
“Maybe it’s a dingo.” Eddie cracked in a poor imitation of an Australian accent in attempt to mock Cody, who had recently moved to the area from Australia.
However, the other children quickly shushed the dog, listening closely for whatever had spooked the golden-haired human boy. In the still of the night, they had heard it too. Something was crashing noisily through the trees. Something much larger then a squirrel or a rabbit.
Tank couldn’t stand it anymore. “I’m not scared! It’s probably just a dog or something!” Getting to his feet, he marched over to the edge of the pasture, which was kept separated from the forest by a simple wooden fence. He bent down, picked up a rock, and stood up on the lower post to give himself a boost.
Realizing what he was about to do, Arthur warningly began, “Uh, Tank, I don’t think you should do that…”
“Aww, shaddup!” Tank snapped back before hurling the rock as hard as he could into the thicket. And considering that he played baseball on the local little league team, Tank had a pretty good arm. There was a hollow ‘clack’ as the rock struck some hard object, most likely a tree trunk. The thrashing suddenly came to a stop, and Tank looked back at his peers.
“See? Whatever it was, I scared it off!”
“AAAWWWWWWWRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOO!”
That howl had been frighteningly close to their location, everyone noted with alarm. Tank jumped, nearly falling off his perch. He couldn’t get back to the safety of the group fast enough.
Looking over at Tank and Eddie with wide green eyes, Gosalyn slowly shook her head. “Now you went and made him angry. We tried to warn you guys. We really did.”
Tank scowled at his rival. “You two are just messing with our heads! Guys, don’t fall for their crap!” But his voice was less angry then before, and there was almost a sort of plaintive whine to it now.
No one said anything. Everyone seemed to stop breathing as they stared into the trees. The moonlight created dark, deep shadows, turning the once bucolic forest into a sinister-looking place of shades and twisted shapes. Even the trees looked taller and threatening, their boney limbs reaching up to the sky as if poised to grab some unlucky soul. Somewhere out there, an owl hooted once, and then went silent.
Without warning, a large shaggy form burst from out of the brush. Clearing the fence in one mighty leap, it ran down on all fours, its ground-eating stride quickly carried towards the terrified gathering. Several of the kids leapt to their feet when they saw the animal’s approach. As it drew closer, they could see that it had a distinctly lupine appearance: a long pointed muzzle and triangular ears. It wore the ragged remains of black pants.
As the wolfish beast drew closer, its gleaming yellow eyes sized Tank and Eddie up like they were potential snacks. A trembling Tank scrambled to hide behind Eddie, using him as a shield. The rest of the children watched the werewolf with a sort of fascinated terror. But it seemed to ignore them however, intent on the two bullies. Opening its great maw to revealing a set of large glistening fangs, it snarled at them. “RRAARRRGH!”
The results were instantaneous. A chorus of terrified screams spilt the air as the children scattered in every direction, trying to escape. Tank was the first to race for Mrs. Muddlefoot's house, but not before tripping over his feet and nearly being stepped on by Eddie.
In short order, only Alice, Arthur, Honker, and Gosalyn were left. Honker really wanted to run too, but found himself rooted to the spot, incapacitated by fear. His hands tightly gripped the hilt of his light saber. He could only helplessly watch as the werewolf approached Alice, Gosalyn, and Arthur. He really wanted to help them, but what could he do against a werewolf? The muscular creature was easily bigger than any of them, with sharp curving claws that were at least five inches in length and large white pointed teeth.
Then the last thing Honker ever expected to happen happened. Gosalyn fell over, laughing raucously as she rolled around on the grass. “Oh man, that was so awesome! Did you guys see Tank fall on his big butt?”
Even the usually sober Arthur was doubled over with laughter. Alice was laughing heartily as well, but managed to compose herself and beamed up at the beast, who was standing upright and watched her and her teammates. “Thank you, Savage.”
Savage shrugged his massive shoulders in a seemingly nonchalant gesture, but there was a grin playing on his muzzle. “It was fun.” He admitted. “Especially seeing how fast fat boy and his little buddy could really run.”
Honker’s confusion was starting to win out over his fear. “W-w-w…”
“Are you alright Honker?” Alice asked, looking his way, the concern obvious on her face. “We really are sorry for scaring you and everyone else like that. We were mainly targeting Tank and Eddie.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll find some way to make it up to ‘em somehow.” Gosalyn casually replied.
Smiling reassuringly, Arthur turned to look at Honker, who remained where he was. The Once And Future King gestured to Savage. “This is a friend of our’s. You’ve heard of the Dream League, right?” At Honker’s nod, he went on. “Well, this is Savage. We wanted to teach Tank and Eddie a lesson on manners, so we decided to enlist his help.”
Savage. Honker recognized the name. He was part of the Dream League, and had a notorious reputation, rivaling She-Wolf as being one of the group’s fiercest members. While Honker was aware of Gosalyn and her father’s double lives as superheroes, he had no clue if Alice and Arthur did as well. But how else would they have known Savage? Had they been told like he had?
Putting aside those questions for the time being, Honker found himself being calmly regarded by Savage. Even when not threatening someone, he still didn’t look very friendly, but Honker had been bought up to be polite to adults… even if they happened to be seven-foot tall werewolves. Swallowing hard, he took a few steps towards Savage. “U-um, it’s good to meet you, uh, sir.”
“Kid.” Savage acknowledged Honker with a nod of his head.
The voice of Mrs. Muddlefoot suddenly interrupted them. “Honker, Gosalyn, what in the world is goin’ on out here? I heard howlin’, and then your classmates came inside the house screaming something about werewolves trying to eat Tank and Eddie --”
She froze when she saw Savage standing there. Likewise, he and the four children had stopped what they were doing as well, not sure how she would react to the feral super’s presence in her barn.
Slowly and deliberately, Mrs. Muddlefoot strode up to Savage until they only stood a foot apart from each other. Adjusting the spectacles perched on her bill, the much shorter avian closely sized him up.
“Why son… that is without a doubt the best darn werewolf costume I have ever seen! Except for those claws, they look kinda fake.”
Warning: may or may not include actual chills.
Bump In The Night
When the Quiverwing Quack, real name Gosalyn Mallard, adopted daughter of Drake Mallard, AKA Darkwing Duck, had finally been officially inducted into Epcot City’s premiere superhero team the Dream League a month ago, she was the next youngest member after Sir Pendragon (who, in spite of his older appearance in his magically-empowered form, was in reality only eleven), and Dreamchild, who’s real name was Alice Liddell.
In spite of their shared ages (both were twelve), both girls couldn’t be anymore different from one other. But to everyone’s surprise, the two had managed to get along surprisingly well in spite of one being a sporty tomboy and the other a prim and proper young lady. Perhaps this was partly due to their both being young crimefighters, and finally having another girl around their own age to talk to about their secret identities. Alice liked most of her older teammates, but had to admit that it was nice to be able to spend time with other people who in her own age range.
When Gosalyn invited Alice and another Dreamer, as the Dream League had nicknamed themselves, the aforementioned Arthur Pendragon (otherwise known as Sir Pendragon), to come trick-or-treating and then attend a Halloween party with her and her friends from her school, they had been more than happy to accept the invitation. Before moving from Oxford, England to the state of Calisota on America’s west coast, Alice didn’t have many friends. Even at St. Blair Academy where she attended private school, some of the girls there weren’t particularly welcoming or friendly towards her. In spite of her experiences though, she was still interested in meeting other children.
In total, there were about eighteen children gathered at the farm of Honker Muddlefoot’s grandmother in the St. Canard countryside. Everyone was inside the barn, most either talking with their friends, playing games such as apple bobbing, or getting food from the refreshment table. The barn’s interior had been strung up with orange lights, and orange and black streamers festooned the ceiling. Other appropriately spooky decorations such as plastic tarantulas, bats, and skulls with light-up eyes further added to the spirit of the occasion. A long table had been set up and covered with an orange plastic tablecloth decorated with a haunted house scene, and a bounty of treats was spread across it.
“You kids take as much as you please, but keep in mind you’re supposed be sharin’ this with your friends.” Mrs. Muddlefoot announced as she stood in the doorway of the barn, watching the partygoers with a smile. The duck woman had a comforting, homey presence about herself. “If ya’ll need anything, just holler. I need to go check on my pies.” Turning, she left for her rambling one-story house that was on the property.
‘Bongo will have hated to have missed all this!’ Alice thought as she took everything in from where she stood. She resolved to bring both him and the Green Bone something back to eat. They had really wanted to come here with them tonight, but the presence of a Dalmatian puppy and a young bear in costumes would’ve aroused too much curiosity. Fortunately, Launchpad, Darkwing Duck’s pilot and sidekick, had been kind enough to volunteer to take the unusual duo out trick-or-treating for the night.
Arthur seemed quite overwhelmed by the whole thing. He indecisively hovered over a platter of caramel apples before glancing over at a bowl of popcorn balls. As strange as the modern era could be, he had come to discover that a lot of it was also fascinating and wonderful, especially the food. When he had lived with his previous guardians Sir Ector and Kay back in the Middle Ages, Arthur really didn’t get much of a chance to enjoy such delicious fare. Finally, the skinny tow-headed boy settled on a few cookies, chips, and a couple of popcorn balls.
Alice could hear a chorus of groans of defeat from some of the other pre-teens, then a very familiar voice rose in jubilation. She turned to see Gosalyn making her way towards her.
“No one can stop Gosalyn Mallard, winner of zombie tag two years straight!” The duckling triumphantly crowed. Her costume was the most unique one here. Unable to decide whether she should be a zombie or She-Wolf, the Dreamers’ resident wild girl superheroine, Gosalyn had simply decided to combine both costume ideas. A white furry cape lay draped over her shoulders, and she was dressed in a long dark blue tunic, over which she wore a white tabard and a belt, and dark blue bands on both arms. However, she had also applied dark smudges under her eyes and scars and fake bloody gashes on her face and bare limbs, along with the red triangular markings She-Wolf would paint on her cheeks and forehead. For once Gosalyn wore her red hair down, and it reached to above her shoulders – quite close to the same length that the real She-Wolf wore her hair. Instead of her standard tennis shoes, moccasins covered her feet. A dark blue headband ornamented with a white gem and a necklace of plastic pointy teeth completed the outfit. Alice had to giggle every time she saw the ‘zombified She-Wolf’, as Gosalyn had termed it. How would the real thing react to seeing Gosalyn’s costume?
Seeing Arthur stuffing his face, Gosalyn laughed good-naturedly. “Artie pal, relax! There’s plenty to go around.”
Arthur only nodded and mumbled something unintelligible around a mouthful of cookie. Still grinning, Gosalyn looked between him and Alice. “Is this party great or what?”
“I’m certainly enjoying myself.” Alice agreed before she turned to glance over at Arthur. “And I think I can speak for Arthur when I say that he is too.”
Another eager nod from Arthur before he swallowed and finally spoke.
“Oh yes! Maybe we should have one at the Overlook. You know, just for the team.”
Gosalyn caught his drift. “If you could get MM to agree to it, that’d be awesome.” She said, referring to the Dream League’s leader, the Masked Mallard. It was an awesome idea. What would superheroes dress up as for Halloween, she thought? “Well anyways, I’m gonna go do some apple bobbing. Wanna come with?”
“In a bit. I’m still a little worn out from dancing.” Alice told her.
“I’ll come as well. Go on over and we’ll catch up.” Arthur said, moving to get some punch.
“Step aside, losers.” A youthful yet harsh voice suddenly growled. Arthur had to quickly move to his left in order to avoid being shoved aside by a goose/duck boy wearing a Freddy Krueger costume. The bullying boy was followed by another boy around his age who strongly resembled a hound, right down to his floppy ears and ponderous nose. He was dressed as a zombified punk rocker. Tank, the first boy, started grabbing all of the popcorn balls until only a few remained. Satisfied, he moved on to another section of the table, while the canine helped himself to several cookies, stuffing them into his pockets.
For their parts, Alice and Arthur shot the duo dirty looks. Apparently they weren’t the only ones annoyed by their behavior. A pirate and Amelia Earhart – in actuality, a short but tough-looking human girl with Mediterranean features and a taller, fairer-skinned, bespectacled girl with prominent front teeth and auburn hair glowered at Tank when they approached the table with their plastic plates and saw the number he had done on the chip bowl.
“Hey Tank, I think your grandma said ‘take as much as you please’, not ‘inhale as much as you please.’” The shorter girl dryly said.
Tank unconcernedly waved her off. “Aww, relax Spinelli. It’s not like my grandma can’t get more.”
Alice and Arthur had both already decided that they didn’t like Tank. The dumpy red-haired boy was Honker’s older brother. Tank, along with his friend Eddie, had been antagonizing several of the other children and Honker in particular for much of the evening whenever Mrs. Muddlefoot wasn’t around. Gosalyn had warned them about him before the party had started. Alice felt bad for the shy but thoughtful Honker for having to put up with such a decidedly unpleasant big brother, while Arthur was reminded all too much of Kay whenever he looked at Tank. If he hadn’t sworn to use the power of Excalibur only in times of true trouble, the he would’ve transformed into Sir Pendragon right there at the party and given Tank what for.
Speaking of Honker, he walked over to where Arthur and Alice were. He had come as Luke Skywalker, right down to the plastic light saber replica he held in one hand. He peered closely at the Once And Future King and the Dream Come True from behind his thick round glasses.
“Are you supposed to be Link? And you’re the Childlike Empress, from ‘The Neverending Story’!” Honker asked in his nasally voice, looking between the two of them.
Arthur nodded, while the blonde Briton’s face brightened. “You’re the first person here to correctly guess who I was.”
“Uh, well, it’s one of my favorite movies,” Honker replied rather sheepishly. “I’ve seen it at least ten times.”
The trio continued to talk as they made their way over to where the apple bobbing was being held. Presently, several other kids watched a massive human boy with scruffy-looking blond hair try to grab an apple out of the water-filled tub, with no success. When the children eventually tired of games, someone suggested they tell scary stories. The idea was met with overwhelming approval. They moved out of the barn to the broad rolling pasture, where everyone gathered in a loose circle. Some of the youths sat on the ground, while others had chairs or hay bales to sit on.
Max Goof started them off with a timeless classic, the hook-handed murderer who was said to stalk couples at a lover’s lane right there in St. Canard. Gosalyn had heard this story (or at least ten different versions of it) before, and wasn’t exactly impressed.
“Y’know Maxie, I’ll have to give you a nine for style, but a six for originality.” She flippantly said from where she sat beside Honker. Alice was seated on her other side, while Arthur was next to Honker.
Spinelli glanced Gosalyn’s way. “So you got some good stories to tell or what?”
The hint of a knowing smile spread across Gosalyn’s bill. “As a matter of fact, I do. But this isn’t just any old story. It’s actually true. It’s about the werewolf that roams these parts…” She paused dramatically before continuing in an ominous voice. “The Werewolf of Greenhead Forest!”
“True, huh? Suuure it is.” Max drawled, rolling his eyes but chuckling slightly. Murmuring appreciatively among themselves, nearly everyone settled back to listen. Uncomfortable, Honker shifted around in his seat. He knew the stories that Gosalyn and the others would tell weren’t real, but that still didn’t make them any less scary. Tank and Eddie on the other hand just looked skeptical.
“Werewolf? What werewolf?” asked Eddie.
“You mean you haven’t heard of the Werewolf of Greenhead Forest?” Alice’s eyes widened. “I moved here three years ago, and even I’ve heard of him!”
Tank snorted. “Yeah, well I lived here my whole life, and I never heard of any werewolf before. Sounds like something you dorks just made up.”
“Think that if you wanna Tank, but what you don’t know could fill a warehouse. Now can I go on with the story?” Everybody laughed at Gosalyn’s crack. Angry, Tank flushed a deep purplish-red under the feathers on his face, but didn’t say anything else as Gosalyn grabbed a flashlight. Flicking it on, she held it up under her bill, aiming the light at her face. The weird angle of the light and shadows formed by the flashlight lent an extra ghoulish quality to the duckling’s made-up face.
“There was once a farmhand named Bill who lived on a farm in these very woods. One evening, he and his friend Paul went down to fish at the creek. They spent such a long time there that it had turned dark by the time they finished. When they saw how late it was, Bill was worried and wanted to get back before they got into trouble. Paul told him not to worry. ‘I know a shortcut.’ he says. So as they’re walking through the woods, the moon was big and full – just like it is tonight.” She emphasized the last five words as she pointed up at the gleaming white celestial body hanging over them.
“And that was when they heard it. The growling. So Bill and Paul decided to walk a little faster. Whatever was watching them still kept growling, and it sounded even closer to them. That was when Bill and Paul started running. Behind them, they could hear the creature following them, making the trees and bushes rustle. They ran so hard and so fast that when they stopped, they didn’t even know where they were anymore. ‘Now you got us lost!’ Paul shouted at Bill. ‘At least that animal stopped chasing us.’ Bill told him. Those poor guys. They spoke too soon.” Gosalyn gave a shake of her head and stopped.
“What happened?” P.J., a large chubby cat asked, wide-eyed and wondering why she had just stopped.
“The biggest wolf they’d ever seen jumped out of the bushes and attacked Bill!” Gosalyn roared, jumping up on her hay bale, raising her arms into the air and forming her hands into claws. Her outburst caused everybody to jump. “It started dragging him away. Bill screamed bloody murder, begging his friend for help. But Paul just ran, never once looking back to see what was happening. He didn’t stop running until he made his way back to the farm. When the farmer and everyone else asked him about Bill, he told them that a wolf got him and that he tried to help him, but he couldn’t save him and was forced to flee for his life. Search parties went out into the words, but no one could find any trace of Bill. He was given up for dead.”
“Paul eventually left town, but returned three years later. His motorcycle broke down on the side of the road, next to the forest, so he got off and started trying to fix it. When he heard someone coming towards him, he looked up, expecting to see a farmer or a hitchhiker. But it wasn’t. It was Bill. Only… he wasn’t Bill anymore. For the bite of the wolf had transformed him into bloodthirsty, man-eating werewolf! He grabbed Paul by his throat, staring into his eyes with his terrible glowing red eyes, and told him in a deep growly voice that he was going to make him pay for leaving him behind that day. After that, no one ever saw Paul again. But they say that sometimes, on nights like this, if you listen real carefully, you can hear howling on the wind.”
Once she finished, some of the children laughed uneasily, but others remained quiet, spellbound by the story.
“I bet Darkwing Duck wouldn’t be scared of a werewolf.” Arthur said.
“Darkwing couldn’t do anything in the first place, and that’s ‘cause werewolves aren’t real!” Eddie said.
Gosalyn looked straight at him, dead serious. “You know, old Billy boy doesn’t like to hear someone say he isn’t real.”
“Ooo, what’s gonna happen? Is he gonna come and get fleas on us?” Eddie replied, feigning fear. He and Tank laughed.
“What’s that noise?” Cody, one of the other children, suddenly asked as he looked out towards the woods that stood across the field from where they were.
“Maybe it’s a dingo.” Eddie cracked in a poor imitation of an Australian accent in attempt to mock Cody, who had recently moved to the area from Australia.
However, the other children quickly shushed the dog, listening closely for whatever had spooked the golden-haired human boy. In the still of the night, they had heard it too. Something was crashing noisily through the trees. Something much larger then a squirrel or a rabbit.
Tank couldn’t stand it anymore. “I’m not scared! It’s probably just a dog or something!” Getting to his feet, he marched over to the edge of the pasture, which was kept separated from the forest by a simple wooden fence. He bent down, picked up a rock, and stood up on the lower post to give himself a boost.
Realizing what he was about to do, Arthur warningly began, “Uh, Tank, I don’t think you should do that…”
“Aww, shaddup!” Tank snapped back before hurling the rock as hard as he could into the thicket. And considering that he played baseball on the local little league team, Tank had a pretty good arm. There was a hollow ‘clack’ as the rock struck some hard object, most likely a tree trunk. The thrashing suddenly came to a stop, and Tank looked back at his peers.
“See? Whatever it was, I scared it off!”
“AAAWWWWWWWRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOO!”
That howl had been frighteningly close to their location, everyone noted with alarm. Tank jumped, nearly falling off his perch. He couldn’t get back to the safety of the group fast enough.
Looking over at Tank and Eddie with wide green eyes, Gosalyn slowly shook her head. “Now you went and made him angry. We tried to warn you guys. We really did.”
Tank scowled at his rival. “You two are just messing with our heads! Guys, don’t fall for their crap!” But his voice was less angry then before, and there was almost a sort of plaintive whine to it now.
No one said anything. Everyone seemed to stop breathing as they stared into the trees. The moonlight created dark, deep shadows, turning the once bucolic forest into a sinister-looking place of shades and twisted shapes. Even the trees looked taller and threatening, their boney limbs reaching up to the sky as if poised to grab some unlucky soul. Somewhere out there, an owl hooted once, and then went silent.
Without warning, a large shaggy form burst from out of the brush. Clearing the fence in one mighty leap, it ran down on all fours, its ground-eating stride quickly carried towards the terrified gathering. Several of the kids leapt to their feet when they saw the animal’s approach. As it drew closer, they could see that it had a distinctly lupine appearance: a long pointed muzzle and triangular ears. It wore the ragged remains of black pants.
As the wolfish beast drew closer, its gleaming yellow eyes sized Tank and Eddie up like they were potential snacks. A trembling Tank scrambled to hide behind Eddie, using him as a shield. The rest of the children watched the werewolf with a sort of fascinated terror. But it seemed to ignore them however, intent on the two bullies. Opening its great maw to revealing a set of large glistening fangs, it snarled at them. “RRAARRRGH!”
The results were instantaneous. A chorus of terrified screams spilt the air as the children scattered in every direction, trying to escape. Tank was the first to race for Mrs. Muddlefoot's house, but not before tripping over his feet and nearly being stepped on by Eddie.
In short order, only Alice, Arthur, Honker, and Gosalyn were left. Honker really wanted to run too, but found himself rooted to the spot, incapacitated by fear. His hands tightly gripped the hilt of his light saber. He could only helplessly watch as the werewolf approached Alice, Gosalyn, and Arthur. He really wanted to help them, but what could he do against a werewolf? The muscular creature was easily bigger than any of them, with sharp curving claws that were at least five inches in length and large white pointed teeth.
Then the last thing Honker ever expected to happen happened. Gosalyn fell over, laughing raucously as she rolled around on the grass. “Oh man, that was so awesome! Did you guys see Tank fall on his big butt?”
Even the usually sober Arthur was doubled over with laughter. Alice was laughing heartily as well, but managed to compose herself and beamed up at the beast, who was standing upright and watched her and her teammates. “Thank you, Savage.”
Savage shrugged his massive shoulders in a seemingly nonchalant gesture, but there was a grin playing on his muzzle. “It was fun.” He admitted. “Especially seeing how fast fat boy and his little buddy could really run.”
Honker’s confusion was starting to win out over his fear. “W-w-w…”
“Are you alright Honker?” Alice asked, looking his way, the concern obvious on her face. “We really are sorry for scaring you and everyone else like that. We were mainly targeting Tank and Eddie.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll find some way to make it up to ‘em somehow.” Gosalyn casually replied.
Smiling reassuringly, Arthur turned to look at Honker, who remained where he was. The Once And Future King gestured to Savage. “This is a friend of our’s. You’ve heard of the Dream League, right?” At Honker’s nod, he went on. “Well, this is Savage. We wanted to teach Tank and Eddie a lesson on manners, so we decided to enlist his help.”
Savage. Honker recognized the name. He was part of the Dream League, and had a notorious reputation, rivaling She-Wolf as being one of the group’s fiercest members. While Honker was aware of Gosalyn and her father’s double lives as superheroes, he had no clue if Alice and Arthur did as well. But how else would they have known Savage? Had they been told like he had?
Putting aside those questions for the time being, Honker found himself being calmly regarded by Savage. Even when not threatening someone, he still didn’t look very friendly, but Honker had been bought up to be polite to adults… even if they happened to be seven-foot tall werewolves. Swallowing hard, he took a few steps towards Savage. “U-um, it’s good to meet you, uh, sir.”
“Kid.” Savage acknowledged Honker with a nod of his head.
The voice of Mrs. Muddlefoot suddenly interrupted them. “Honker, Gosalyn, what in the world is goin’ on out here? I heard howlin’, and then your classmates came inside the house screaming something about werewolves trying to eat Tank and Eddie --”
She froze when she saw Savage standing there. Likewise, he and the four children had stopped what they were doing as well, not sure how she would react to the feral super’s presence in her barn.
Slowly and deliberately, Mrs. Muddlefoot strode up to Savage until they only stood a foot apart from each other. Adjusting the spectacles perched on her bill, the much shorter avian closely sized him up.
“Why son… that is without a doubt the best darn werewolf costume I have ever seen! Except for those claws, they look kinda fake.”
The End