Tale Spinster

EP 7: THE DEAL

"It's... It's... a wolf!!" Van Dich cried out. He hid behind Margeritha who hid behind me, who was down on the floor.

"Hello?" I reminded them, "I am the Princess here... aren't you supposed to protect me?" My words tremble as the wolf kept growling.

"How... is a wolf here??" Margeritha's voice soared at the end into a shrill. Even the wolf cringed when it heard her voice. But it was not enough to repel the wolf.

Instead, the wolf takes one foot forward.

I crawl backward while Van Dich and Margeritha ran to hide behind a pillar. "Don't leave me!" I looked around, hoping to see knights, or perhaps, Adam, from the dungeon. But no one was passing by. And the wolf just took another step forward.

"No!" I cried out, channeling my experience of working in a dog shelter. "Stay!"

The wolf stopped growling to look at me as if I was the weird one. Then it growled at me again.

"Staaaayyyy!" I repeated the word.

From behind the pillar, Van Dich cried out, "Princess! Maybe you should try howling."

Seriously? I thought, this is the man that is supposed to tutor me?

Even the wolf turned his attention to Van Dich because of how bizarre his suggestion was. But Van Dich thought the wolf looked at him because the wolf wanted to communicate using howls. And so Van Dich howled.

"Auuuu.... Pleaasssee... lettt.... Ouuurr... princesss....gooouuuu.... aauuuuu!!"

My fear hit pause right then. Hearing Van Dich howl while trying to communicate with the wolf made my jaw drop. I was more embarrassed than afraid, it was crazy! My face reddened with shame.

"Auuuu!!!" When Margeritha chimed in, I felt like I almost died of embarrassment. I slapped my face with my palm and hoped that the earth would swallow me whole.

No wonder Diana turned out the way she did! Look at these two clowns who were supposed to teach her. At this rate, I could have died out of shame before the wolf get to me.

But then the wolf stopped growling. I took a peek at the wolf from between my fingers. It sat in front of me. And it howled to the ceiling.

"AAAAAAuuuuuu!"

My jaw couldn't open any wider.

"It works!" Van Dich cried out in excitement.

It worked? How on earth... wait, I forgot that it wasn't Earth anymore.

"You're a genius, Van Dich!" Margeritha claimed. Both of them started howling again behind the pillar. "Aaaauuuu...."

When the wolf replied with another howl, I was so sure that somehow Van Dich's howling was working. Maybe I judged him too early. After all, those two knew this world better than I did. So perhaps Van Dich did know what's best to do in this situation. Maybe it was something about this world's wolf's instinct. Like a shark who becomes 'hypnotized' when you rub its nose –I saw it on National Geographic Channel, it looks awesome– the howling might be 'hypnotizing' to the wolf.

So I howled too.

"Aaaauuuu..." My voice sounded hoarse because I was concentrating on crawling backward while I howled. I thought I could get to a safe distance away from the wolf when it was preoccupied with 'talking' with van Dich before I could start running away.

"Aaauuuuu..." the wolf was still responding to Van Dich's and Margeritha's howls. I looked behind me for just one second. I was so ready to jump up and run... when I heard a chuckle.