FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Well, here we go. Chapter 6. We are almost to the end of the story. Enjoy!

Chapter 6

Things were great. Cinder, since she woke up that Wednesday morning, had been walking through the town in her human body, just marveling at the outside world. She knew that the prince's ball wasn't until later, so she figured she would just try to get to know a little more about daily life in the kingdom. She wore a blue dress that hung down to her ankles, and wore her hair in a ponytail. Again, she had the pendant that allowed her to change, and had the pendant tucked into her dress.

"You smell funny!" a small blond dog said, sniffing her ankles. Being a dragon, Cinder understood the language of both beast and man.

"I bet I do." Cinder growled, causing the dog to jump.

"How do you understand me?" The dog barked, looking up at her.

"I'm really a dragon." She said, patting the dog

"What is a dragon doing here?" The dog exclaimed, in confusion.

"I live in that house over there." She said, pointing at the house she had been held captive in. "I just gained the ability to transform, so I came out here to see what the people were up to." She said, smiling.

"So, are you here to eat people?" The dog asked, looking at her.

"No way! I'm a vegetarian!" Cinder responded. "I'm actually trying to learn more about humans for a big party.

"Yeah, have fun with that." The dog said, walking away. "I smell cooked meat, and I'm not passing that up!"

"Okay. Bye." Cinder said, walking away. As she walked down the street, a man suddenly ran into her, knocking her down. As she stood up, she realized that she was starting to change back to her dragon form! The man stole her pendant! Dashing frantically into a back alley, she fell as her body morphed to its reptilian form. "Grreat. Jusst great." She growled, looking around the corner. The man had long brown hair, and red eyes.

"A dragon?" A pigeon cooed above her head.

"Really?" A cat asked, peaking out of a trashcan.

"This is terrible!" Cinder growled in beast language to the two animals. "That man stole my pendant! Without it, I can't change back into a human!"

"Maybe we could help you!" The cat said, jumping out of the can. He was scraggly and matted, with oily black hair, and green eyes.

"Why would you help me?" Cinder asked, looking at him.

"Simple. You can turn into a human. We animals can't. You could get us some human food!" the cat said, rubbing her ankles.

"But I don't have any money to buy human food!" Cinder cried.

"Well, then, no deal." The cat hissed, starting to walk away.

"Wait! What if I promised to get human food for you! I can get some money! I'll even get a part-time job! Anything! Just please, help me!" Cinder cried in desperation.

"Sounds like a deal to me." The blond dog said, walking around the corner. "I couldn't get any meat from that cart at all, and I haven't had a good meal in weeks!"

"Fine, but, if you cheat us, my friends and I will poop on your head every time we see you!" The pigeon cooed from above, sitting on a street lantern.

"So... did you see him?" Cinder asked, looking at the cat.

"Yeah. He walks through the market twice a day. If we wait until the 8th bell tone, he'll come through.

"Eight o'clock?" Cinder cried. "I'll miss a half an hour of the ball!" Cinder cried,

"Either that, or you can miss it all." The dog barked.

"Fine." Cinder grumbled. "I just hope Elias doesn't get mad." She walked behind a dumpster, and waited. Several hours later, the large clock at the center of the town began ringing. Just as the animals had said, the thief ran buy on the eighth tone.

"Get back here!" The blond dog barked, chasing him. The man stopped to grab a watch at a merchant's stand, when the dog bit onto his right ankle.

"Get off!" The man yelled, trying to kick the dog off his feet.

"I want that food!" The cat hissed, leaping off the roof onto the thief's head. As he fought the two animals, the pendant slipped from his pocket, and clanked on the ground. The pigeon swooped by, snatching it, and flew off.

"What in bloody he..." he tried to scream, when suddenly, an old lady smacked him over the head with a frying pan. He fell to the ground, unconscious, as people gathered around him. The animals quickly jumped off, and ran away.

"That's the guy who stole my urn!" The old lady yelled.

"And my watch!" a young nobleman grumbled.

"And my money sack!" Another boy yelled. The people began tearing at his clothes, claiming their stolen goods. Meanwhile, several blocks away, Cinder sat in a back alley, waiting.

"Looking for this?" the pigeon chirped, landing on her forehead. He dropped the pendant into her waiting paw, and, before he knew it, he was standing on a red-haired girl in a blue dress.

"Thank you so much!" Cinder happily growled.

"Remember, you owe us!" the dog barked to her.

"I promise, I'll pay you back!" Cinder responded, running off. "I got to go!" She ran all the way to the castle, and, before stepping in, clutched her amulet, and watched as her dress changed to a sapphire-studded gown.

"Elias!" She cried, running up to the prince, who sat patiently at the bridge where they first met.

"Ella! I thought you weren't coming!" He said, running up to her, and hugging her. Realizing what he had just done, he turned bright red, and let go of her, stepping back.

"I apologize." He said, bowing his head in apology.

"That's alright!' Cinder said, hugging him. "I needed a hug."

"Really?" He asked, putting his arms around her.

"I have had a rough day." She said, sighing. "A thief stole my pendant in the market today."

"Really? Are you alright?" He asked, stunned.

"I'm fine." She said, thinking about the incident. "I owe some people who helped me, though. I don't have anything to pay them back."

"How much? A couple thousand?" He asked, looking at her.

"Well, I owe them a bunch of food." She said with a sigh.

"Peasants?" The prince asked. She couldn't say that a bunch of animals helped her take down the thief.

"Uh... yeah! A bunch of peasants helped me. I told them I would get them a very large feast." She said, smiling.

"You could just give them money. You are from a noble family, aren't you?" he asked, looking at her.

"I am recently down on my luck." She said, trying to think of an excuse. "I was traveling to this country when bandits attacked. All my stuff except my dresses and a few accessories were stolen," She said, feeling bad. She hated lying, and she hated it even more that she actually was being convincing.

"That's terrible! Just tell me how much you need!" The prince said, looking her in the eyes.

"I can't accept money from you." Cinder said, lowering her head.

"Ella... if you can't accept the money from me now, than can you make me one promise?" he asked, taking her hand.

"What?" Cinder asked, feeling nervous.

"I think I love you." Elias said, blushing. "I don't know why, but every bit of me is saying you're the one."

"I... uh... I can't. I'm sorry." Cinder said, turning away. Strangely enough, she felt something for him. He was sweet, and very understanding. She figured a prince would be a snob.

"Please, Ella. Just let me... kiss you one time." Elias said, looking her in the eyes. "Not tonight, though. I want to wait until tomorrow. I want to earn it."

"But I..." Cinder stuttered nervously.

"I will try my best to earn your kiss. Just give me until nine o'clock tomorrow. If I can't earn your love by then, then I will move on." He said, smiling.

"Fine. I accept your offer." She said, looking at him. She figured that, by 9:00, she'd already be fighting Zallgonis. Ella would be gone. She liked Elias, but, in all honesty, this would be the last night she could be around him, for, once she revealed her dragon form, she would drive him away forever.