• Hours went by and the storm still didn’t pass, thunder and lightening raged on while I was stuck in the mans cabin, I had stitched up the fluff plushie and left a whole big enough for my fist so I could shove in the cotton until it was nice and fluffy and then I sewed it up with white thread, then it was on to the garlic plushie. I took the rag and rubbed against the plush while I ignored the thunder, the man looked up every now and again and whistled whenever there was a bad one, causing me to jab a needle into my finger or enough to make me jump and drop the rag.

    I finished up the garlic plushie and sat it on his desk; he looked up from the golden thing and smiled, “Looks good as new!” He looked up at me and smiled, “Thanks, um…”

    “Toni.” I said with a smile, “My name is Toni.”

    “Tony?” He gave me an odd look and looked me up and down, as if he wasn’t sure about me.

    “Toni! With an I!” I snapped with an irritated face, I couldn’t believe he thought I was a guy! The man laughed and smiled at me, trying hard not to laugh again.

    “Name’s Nicolae, call me Nicu.” He held his hand out and I reached out to shake it but he snatched up the plushie’s and squeezed them, “Good job, I’m surprised. I think this will fetch a pretty penny.” But I wasn’t listening, the storm had finally passed over and the sun was coming out again. Nicu put down the plushie’s and stared blank faced out the window, “Times up sweetheart, time for you to leave.”

    I turned on my heel thinking finally! but I stopped myself at the door, turning I bowed and smiled, “thank you Nicu for letting me stay with you until the storm ended. I owe you one.”

    “Yes you do.” He looked around and then smiled, “Here.” He threw the plushie’s at my head and luckily I caught them without them hitting the ground after I spent so much time cleaning them. “Take ‘em. There’s no way I can get them to sell, kiddy stuff. Its not what people want.” He showed me that charming yet cocky-a** smile and got up from his chair, “So since you put so much work into them, keep them. Their taking up space in my store and I really don’t have time to fool with them.” He gave me a shove and I nearly fell to my knees on the road, “Bye Tony.” He said and closed the door.

    “It’s Toni!” I yelled at the door and nearly threw the plushie’s at the door. Again, with luck, I stopped myself and looked at them. Surely they would be worth something on the market. I turned on my heel and walked back to the tree across the street where I had left my bike. I put the plushie’s in the basket and sighed. Today had been a long, bad day. I hopped on my bike seat, glad that it hadn’t gotten wet in the rain, and started off to my house, I didn’t know why but I thought about those rumors about the animated…they couldn’t be true…could they?

    ~+~

    “This is ridiculous.” Nero said shaking his head, “Inanimate objects coming to life and attacking people on sight? No way.”

    Ian nodded and carried Rufus on his shoulder, “It’s true! Rufus and I ran into some on our way to Gambino Island to see Sasha when these Flamingo’s started coming at us, then garden gnomes came…after that it was outlaw pups…plain fluff plushie’s and a few other things…right Rufus?”

    “Yea!” The blue cat exclaimed while waving his paws, “It was horrible! We were chased all over Durem and then back to here!” He rubbed against Ian, “I can’t believe this is happening!”

    “Well I for one won’t believe it till I see it.” Nero said stubbornly and looked down at his hand, “don’t you have some of those rings their handing out?” he showed them his fist, where two rings were, a solar ring and a healing halo ring.

    “No.” Ian said sadly and hung his head as Rufus filled in: “We’re to chicken.”

    Nero laughed a little and looked up as the sun split the clouds, “Well…guess that’s a sign to get walkin.” He nodded to Ian and Rufus as they started through the woods, heading toward the north gate in Barton.

    ~+~

    The ride back wasn’t so bad I guess, I found the rock I flipped over but my shoes were no where in sight. Oh well I thought, go with the flow…might as well considering all that’s happened today…. I sighed and looked up, seeing Ian and Rufus go into the woods as another guy went in a different direction.

    I opened my mouth to call out Ian’s name, maybe this was my sign to tell him. But when I took in a breath my call turned into a scream, a big pink flamingo came running at me with its wings flapping and its head swaying up and down like an axe, its beak looked sharp.

    I yelled and started pedaling faster, thanking the heavens that my bike was a mountain bike, I kicked it down to the loosest position for the chain and worked the pedals as quickly as I could, my heart already hammering from the scare, was that one of those animated things that people in town where talking about?!

    My luck seemed to be looking up a little more, the flamingo disappeared down the road, I turned and looked over my shoulder to make sure, but when I looked back I jerked the handle bars to the left when I realized there was a garden gnome right in the middle of the dirt road.

    But I saw the tree

    ~+~

    Nero turned his head when he heard the scream, and then the crash. He took off running in the direction he heard the sound, was there a wreck on the road? Was someone hurt?

    He ran around a tree and saw a girl pick herself up from a trashed bike; she grabbed two plushie’s from the basket on the back and looked at the bike, a sad look on her face. There was no way she could ride it, the frame was bent and the spokes had totally shredded the wheels.

    She cursed something under her breath and turned to start walking back to the road when a flamingo came at her, swinging its head and flapping its wings, calling out as it tried to hit her.

    ~+~

    “Get away from me!” It was the first thing I thought of, not the bravest thing to yell or the smartest but hey, it was something. Without thinking I swung the garlic plushie at it to try and swat it away, luckily for me I caught it in the side of the head and it turned, unharmed and charged at me again. “Leave me alone damn it!” I swung the plushie again but missed, I heard a yell in the distance

    ~+~

    “Leave her alone!” Nero yelled as he ran out into the opening where the girl was, if this thing was indeed one of the animated then there was no way a plushie was going to hurt it or make it go away. The flamingo backed away before charging again and calling, running around wildly. Nero looked over his shoulder as the girl stood there, staring at him wide eyed. No wonder with the clothes he was wearing. His hair was messy and dark as night with bright red fox ears sticking up in alert, he was also wearing the somewhat bulky zOMG monster armor, his fox like face turned to her over his shoulder.

    His fox tail flick and snapped her out of her trance, “Get going! Run!” At first she looked scared, like she wanted to run but wasn’t sure he was about to turn back to the flamingo when she grabbed his hand and pulled.

    ~+~

    I wasn’t about to let the guy get mauled! I grabbed his hand and pulled, “Come on! We’re not far from my house!” I pulled again as he tried to resist, and nearly dragged him, “I mean it!” I turned and pointed, “Just past those trees!”

    “Alright…lead the way!” He turned and started to run with me, he was a lot faster than I thought he would be with all that armor, I’d seen a few people in the market place trading off armor like that before, they usually bought stuff like that when they were going to go fight something.

    The flamingo was still raving behind us, following us, but at a distance. I had to jump over a rock and duck under a low lying limb to align myself, so I wouldn’t be thrown off on the way to the house. It was the only way I could remember. There was a rustle in the bushes as an outlaw wolf pup, something I’d always adored jump out and try to knock me off balance, I yelled out and thankfully smacked it with the fluff plushie that I had in my left hand.

    I don’t even know why I was still holding on to the stupid things, oh well, if they could act like shields I was just glad it was them and not me. I was turning my eyesight back to where the house should have been when a different outlaw wolf pup jumped at me and knocked me over, bouncing up and down on my chest hard, knocking the breath out of me and making my head spin.

    ~+~

    Nero saw the pup before she did, he yelled out about the time she turned to look, and got knocked down. “Back off!” He yelled and swung a punch at the doll as it jumped on her chest, there was a flash of light and the pup went running away. Nero stopped and looked around to see where the light had come from but he couldn’t figure it out, the girl’s eyes fluttered open and she groaned a few bad worse under her breath before jumping to her feet and swaying.

    “You ok?” He asked as he put a hand on her shoulder to steady her,

    “Y-yea.” She said and shook her head, but her eyes still seemed unfocused. Nero squeezed her shoulder and felt a warm feeling; he looked up above the girls head and saw a halo, he blinked and a shower of light rained down on her. She blinked and steadied herself instantly, “I feel better…thanks...” She smiled at him and he removed his hand what was that?

    ~+~
    I’m not sure what Nero did, but when he squeezed my shoulder I felt really warm, and then the dizzy feeling I was having vanished and I could see straight again. He looked just as confused but I shook it off by saying, “Just past those two oak trees. Hurry, before more of those pups come!”

    I saw him nod and run with me again past the two trees, I can’t explain it but I felt so much lighter and faster too. As if I had been healed not only from the headache but from my rut as well.

    My one story house with the tan outside came into view and I don’t think I’ve ever been happier, I ran to my rust red door saying a thank you prayer as I unlocked the door, Nero stopping at my steps. “Don’t just stand there!” I said as I opened the door, “Get in here! I don’t think their smart enough to open doors yet!” I stepped back and waved him in, “This is my house.”