:: Seven ::

It was early the next morning when they left. The sun had just begun its slow ascent over the horizon and birds were chirping merry songs, oblivious to the existence of the small rescue party just leaving the castle. The party gathered first in the stables to make preparations to go. King Wendell had insisted they ride most of the way, for the sake of speed, and send the horses back to the castle once they reached the mountains. There was barely time for the horses to be loaded, the goodbyes to be said and hugs to be exchanged before they rode through the gates and off to adventure.

Tony, surprisingly, proved to be the best rider among them. This was probably due to the practice he'd gained over the past three months spent living in the Kingdoms, where the only mode of travel --short of magic-- was by horseback or carriage. Wolf proved the worst, since he by nature didn't get along well with horses and the horse seemed to sense his animosity --or possibly his wolf alter ego-- and acted accordingly. Virginia found herself riding a sturdy mare and due to multiple pony rides in Central Park as a little girl, the two got along quite well.

So it was at this time that they found themselves wondering where to go first. Virginia was navigating, as Wolf had enough to do trying to control his horse and no one trusted Tony to give directions. She had a map of the Kingdoms spread across her lap --rather a difficult task whilst riding a horse, but her rounded belly helped wedge it against the saddle-- and held a compass clutched in her right hand.

"So Wendell said we need to head east, which would be—" she hesitated to double check herself, "—left, it looks like. Apparently when we get there, we'll need to head more north to find Avalon, but for now, directly east is our proper course."

"Directly east will take us straight through the Goldilocks Forest," Wolf mused thoughtfully. Virginia slanted a questioning brow at him.

"Goldilocks Forest? Is that named after—" she broke off at Wolf's nod. "Oh I see."

"Its not really dangerous," Wolf assured her gently. "Its just strongly recommended that travelers do not, under any circumstances, wander into any cottages and eat cooling bowls of porridge -- no matter how temperature perfect they may be."

"That's ok," Virginia muttered. "I don't have much of an appetite for porridge."

"That's because you've never tasted bear porridge before. They can do more with a bowl of porridge than most people can do with an entire thirteen course dinner." Wolf paused to lick his lips in appreciation. "It's the highlight of the Red Riding Hood Memorial Picnic. The bears bring their porridge and every year they are begged for the recipe. But bear porridge is a well guarded family secret that's passed down from bear family to bear family. They will never give it up."

"He's right," Tony added. "We had bear porridge for breakfast twice a week at Wendell's castle. Its hardly recognizable as porridge, it's so good. But apparently only the bears can do it. It has to be hand-delivered to the castle from Goldilocks Forest. Still, waking up to a bowl of fresh bear porridge --not too hot, not too cold-- just right—," he groaned and rubbed his stomach, "—it's the best part of the morning. Better than coffee."

Virginia stared at the two men in her life in disbelief while they compared the finer points from different variations of bear porridge. Apparently the side of the forest the porridge came from affected the flavor and there was a southern, northern, eastern and western type of porridge. Virginia rolled her eyes as the conversation grew prolonged. Trust the guys to focus on food rather than their mission.

They were deep in the woods before they knew it, and though they did glimpse the occasional bear family between the trees, the bears left them well alone. And apparently there weren't nearly as many out right now as there could be because, according to Wolf, it wasn't 'Sabbatical Hour', which followed the 'Cooking Hour', when most of the bear families did their cooking, then went out for a 'sabbatical' whilst the porridge cooled. Not every bear family held to the same mealtime, but there was a common time established throughout the forest (though time zones tended to change depending on which side one was on) and they had hit midmorning time, too early for lunch, too late for breakfast. So the scarcity of bears made it easier for Virginia and Tony to relax and Wolf regaled them with stories until they reached the other side of the wood.

A few feet from the line of pine trees which marked the other end of Goldilocks Forest, Wolf raised a hand, bringing the party to a halt. His green eyes narrowed and he sniffed, then scanned the foliage surrounding them. Virginia tried to say something, but he waved her silent.

"Someone is following us," he hissed, in a tone low enough so only Virginia and Tony could hear it.

Virginia's eyes widened. She darted her own glance around, but all she could see was lush green trees and brush, swaying gently in the wind. The air was filled with the sound of birds chirping and the occasional rumbling of bears speaking to one another as they walked by in the distance. But nowhere could she see a sign of anything amiss.

"Are you sure," she whispered back to Wolf. He nodded.

"I can smell them," he murmured, low and tense. "I've smelled 'her' since we entered the forest. It's a woman -- that much I can tell you for sure. And she's alone. But who she is or what she wants with us, I couldn't begin to guess. But she is very close now."

Suddenly, so suddenly in fact that no one had time to react, there was a bloodcurdling yell from above them. A figure flew down mysteriously from midair, screaming as it landed. It hit Virginia's saddle, startling her horse considerably and gripped. The maddened horse whinnied and reared back, pawing the air, flinging Virginia free of his back as it bolted. The figure clung to its back resiliently and tried to rein it in, but the horse would have none of it. It ran like the dickens, the mystery attacker still riding it, clinging wildly to the saddlebow.

Tony, showing amazing fortitude for him, but it would seem time spent in the Kingdoms had served to greatly sharpen his wits, raced after the horse to catch the flying reins. Wolf leapt free from his own horse and ran to assist his wife, who was stunned but unharmed. Good fortune it would seem was with them, for Tony's bigger horse caught up with Virginia's mare rather quickly, possibly also because the mare was a pert little thing and tired easily. She didn't really want to run, nor did she have anywhere worth running to. She made a half hearted attempt to race from the woods, but when Tony caught her reins and urged her to a stop, she allowed herself to be coaxed into calming down and meekly followed him back to Wolf and Virginia. Not so for the figure atop the horse. It proved to be a small, wildly dressed thing, which was, as Wolf had predicted, quite female. She was also in possession of an excellent pair of lungs and used them to shriek like a banshee and fling curses at Tony in an unknown dialect as he marched her and the horses firmly back. But, small as she was, she could neither break Tony's grip on her, nor overpower him so willingly or unwillingly she was made to return to the rest of the party with Tony.

Wolf glanced up at them as they came back and he looked suspiciously at the girl, but directed his question to Tony.

"Who is she?"

Tony shrugged. "I really don't know. I haven't been able to get a word out of her that I understand—" he began, but broke off with a howl as the vixen he held kicked him petulantly in the thigh and yanked free of his grip. She let out another ear-splitting shriek and leapt at Virginia, flipping neatly head over heels, which landed her practically ontop of the other woman. It was a whip-fast, brilliantly executed move and the girl would've reached her goal, if not for Wolf's animal reflexes. He was ready for her this time and moved just as fast, sticking out an arm which blocked her flip and knocked her clean on her back. She was surprised, but not too winded and flipped back up to her feet with amazing speed, but Wolf wrapped his arms around her slim waist, preventing another attack. She screamed at him and struggled for freedom, but Wolf only held to her tighter, giving her a slight shake to shut her up.

"Stop it," he ordered. "Huff-Puff! You fuss worse than a piglet on the dinner menu. No one is going to harm you here. Now what do you want from us?"

"Mă lăsa în pace!"

Wolf looked sternly at her. "What was that? Speak English."

The girl glared at him and spat, "Du-de dracului!" Just the way she said it made the air turn blue, even though no one knew what it meant. Wolf scowled and shook her again, though not unkindly.

"Speak English. I know you can."

The girl glared holes through his forehead, but finally muttered sulkily in a thick accent, "What do you wish to know, intrus?"

"First of all, why are you following us?" Wolf demanded. "And who are you? Why did you try to attack my wife? What's your problem?"

The girl glowered and twisted the edge of skirt in her hands without answering. Though she was a wild little creature, she was dressed simply in woodland tones, which was how she camouflaged herself so expertly in the tree before leaping down on them. The most remarkable thing about her was a tossup between her skirt, hunter green, but dotted here and there with bright, shiny sequins and her eyes, which were a startling shade of clear violet. However, they were narrowed suspiciously at the moment and abruptly the girl stomped a small brown foot and spat.

"You are not welcome here, intrus! Necredindos! Cotropitors!" She pointed at them accusingly and hissed, "I curse you! I curse you! Calca che vacca!"

"We are not outsiders," Wolf insisted. "Well, I mean, Virginia and Tony are not originally from around these parts, but I am. And they are welcomed by King Wendell himself, which makes them guests, not outsiders."

The girl snorted and tossed her head back. Sunlight filtered through the trees, hit and reflected off a gold hoop dangling from her earlobe. "I know who you are," she snorted. "You are lup-bărbat; 'man who is wolf'. But that does not make you one of us."

Wolf looked solemnly at her. "One of us? Who are you?"

The girl snorted again. "Do you not recognize me? I am Madalina Iulian, greatest tracker of all the Rom. I would've outwitted you, were it not for your nose, lup-bărbat."

"You are a gypsy?"

The girl nodded. "Da. I can disguise my scent, but alas, I did not know you were a part-wolf. I did not bring the proper herbs to hide from you and I couldn't lose track of you to find some."

"Why are you following us?" Tony interjected. He'd been silent 'til now, as puzzled as the rest of them by their diminutive attacker, but was determined to reach the bottom of it. "What have we ever done to you?"

The girl glared dark threats from stormy violet eyes. "It is your fault," she cried. "My family, they did nothing to anger the Huntsman. You killed them. It is you, even you, who has killed them all."

Then, just as quickly as it came, the fire in her eyes died and she started weeping noisily, burying her face in her hands. The trio remaining exchanged surprised glances. Too late they remembered the gypsy kumpana they stumbled upon in their last visit to the Kingdoms. Because the gypsies had given shelter and food to the strangers and didn't turn them over to the Huntsman as ordered, the Huntsman killed the entire kumpana in retribution. None survived -- or at least the assumption was that none survived. Apparently, they were proven wrong on that score.

Now granted, the gypsies were not without blame. They'd taken their vengeance against Virginia by cursing her with hair that grew indefinitely after Virginia robbed them of some of their spoils. But it wasn't much consolation now as Virginia stared at the grief-stricken girl who'd had her whole family slaughtered. A few split ends weren't much competition to that kind of betrayal. She found herself unable to blame the little gypsy girl for her anger. All things considered, if the tables were reversed, she'd doubtless be doing the same thing.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered. "How horrible for you. Of course you want to blame someone. I can't even imagine how much pain you must be going through." She stood with an effort, placing her hands around her rounded stomach. Once she reached her feet, she slipped over to where the gypsy was, still being restrained by Wolf. She scowled at him and pushed his hands free of the gypsy's arms.

"Wolf really, she's just a child," she scolded, forgetting how only moments ago, that 'child' was throwing itself about like a wild, maddened animal. She pulled the girl awkwardly in her arms and patted her back, letting the girl cry into her chest.

"There, there honey. Let it all out," she insisted, hugging the gypsy girl. The girl sobbed into Virginia's chest until there were no sobs left, only the occasional sniffle. She still let Virginia cradle her for a moment, all the fight gone out of her.

"I do not cry," the words came muffled and defiant out of Virginia's chest. "I am Rom. I am strong. I do not cry."

Virginia tried not to smile. "Of course not," she crooned. "Just rest now. Take deep breaths. You are going to be fine."

The girl looked up at the older woman, her eyes calculating. "Why are you being so kind to me, outsider?" she demanded. Virginia smiled sadly.

"I know what its like to lose a family," she replied softly. "My mother died a few months ago. I miss her very much. Just as I am sure you miss your family." She hugged the girl's thin shoulders, then tsked. "My goodness, you are skin and bones. You must be famished. Wolf, would you get some bread and cheese out of the saddlebags. We need to feed this poor girl."

The gypsy girl poked herself in her small chest. "I live off the land," she bragged. "Madalina knows the best places to find nuts and berries. Madalina not starve. Nici!"

"Well, it never hurts to have some extra food in your stomach and we have plenty," Virginia replied gently. She took the food Wolf reluctantly handed her from their provisions and handed it to her. "Madalina -- that's your name right?" At the girl's nod, she added, "Well help yourself, Madalina." She grinned. "And how about if we call you Maddy? It's a bit easier to say."

Madalina paused from her ravenous chewing to think it over. "Maddy?" she mumbled, tearing another hunk of bread apart and shoving it in her mouth. "Da. I like it."

"Virginia," Wolf protested. He sounded pained. "We don't know anything about this girl. We can't just pick her up like we would a stray cat. Besides, she's a thief."

Virginia gasped and glared hotly at her husband. "Wolf! How could you say such a thing? Just because she's a gypsy doesn't make her a thief. That's a horrible and completely unfair stereotype!"

"It has nothing to do with stereotypes," Wolf argued. "Believe me, I understand completely about unfair stereotypes. No, what I am referring to is the fact that she stole Tony's pocket-watch."

Tony gasped and checked his vest, where sure enough, a gold chain dangled conspicuously devoid of a timepiece. Maddy looked unusually serene. She cocked her head to one side and studied Wolf.

"How do you know I took it," she asked calmly. "How do you know it didn't just fall off somewhere in the forest?"

"Because I can see it hidden there in your hand," Wolf returned, just as calmly. Virginia and Tony both looked and he was right. Rays of sunlight from above caught snatches of gold clasped between her fingers. The girl looked down and grinned. Without a trace of remorse, she handed the watch back to Tony and looked at them all proudly. Her eyes twinkled merrily and she danced back and forth on her tiptoes. She was actually preening over the theft.

"Pretty good, da?" she asked happily. "Fastest hands in the whole 4th Kingdom. The other Rom, oh they try. But no one is faster than Madalina."

"But you were caught," Wolf objected. Maddy waved that away.

"But you did not see me," she pointed out. "You saw the watch later, da? But you did not see me grab it. I am too fast to be seen. Even the eyes of lup-bărbat do not see me." She spun on her toes and applauded herself. She shrieked delightedly, startling the others considerably. "Aiyee! I leap for joy! Extraordinar! Fabulos! I am good. I am magnific!"

Virginia exchanged a puzzled glance with the others. She wasn't used to seeing anyone so self-confident. Wolf had a lot of poise and passion, but even he had a tendency to beat himself down when he did something less human and more wolf-like. But whatever morals this gypsy girl might be lacking, self-esteem wasn't one of them.

"Well, yes -- it was impressive certainly," she ventured cautiously. "But stealing is a crime, Maddy. It's not right to take things from others."

Maddy nodded. "Da. Yes. Stealing is a crime. But gypsies must eat, no? I travel with you now, I eat with you. This 'steal', it displeases you. I cut it from my life," she made a firm chopping motion with her hand. "Nici! Never! I steal no more."

Virginia exchanged glances with her companions again. "Er, yes. Well, yes good," she stuttered, not sure how to take this excitable child. "Right. Well, that um works for me. Satisfied everyone?" She darted a look at the others. Tony nodded, a bit helplessly. Wolf still didn't seem convinced.

"Well," he drawled reluctantly. "We are on a time table Virginia. We cannot really afford to have a child along with us, slowing us down."

"Madalina no child," Maddy argued. "I help you, yes? I am best tracker of all the Rom. You look for something beyond your reach. Madalina help you find it."

Wolf scowled. "How do you know we are looking for something?"

Maddy grinned. "Madalina know many secrets. I help you now. For free, da?"

"Why would you want to help us?"

Maddy lifted her chin. She settled back on her heels, her mercurial mood swinging from effervescent to serious in an instant. "You are friends with King Wendell," she spoke simply. "My people, they are hunted like dogs, scattered all places. I help you, you tell King Wendell and he listen to me. He make a refuge in the 4th Kingdom for us, a place we can go, be free from harm. My people, the Rom, they like that. We have been running for too long. We need a place we can rest, da? We are like the wind, always moving, always free. Yes, the Rom is the wind, but even the winds need rest when the storm is over."

Virginia's eyes softened with sympathy. "Well, that certainly sounds fair to me," she said with a warning look at Wolf. Wolf rolled his eyes. It seemed to him that his wife was still very much what her father frequently referred to as a 'soft touch'. But he had no choice but to capitulate.

"Fine," he grumbled, still not completely trusting this gypsy girl. Maddy beamed back at him, her violet eyes shining radiantly.

"Uimitor! You follow me now, da? We must hurry or the tracks will get cold. Come now. Come!"

With that she went skipping off down the path, leaving Wolf, Virginia and Tony no choice but to follow. Which, after securing the horses and getting Virginia at least safely mounted again, they did.

A/N :: For the OCD readers (much like myself), who will drive themselves crazy trying to figure out what our Maddy said -- I will translate. Our little gypsy is speaking (as quite predicable) Romanian. The first thing she says is (roughly), "Leave me alone." The second thing is (as you probably guessed) a swear word (not particularly vulgar, but don't go repeating it around the house or to any Romanian friends you may have). She calls them intrus (outsiders/strangers), necredindos (infidels) and cotropitors (invaders). And finally the curse she levies on them is: "May you be trampled by a cow" -- a Romanian favorite.

Just FYI. Not being Romanian in origin myself, I translated as best I could, but my grammar probably sucks. So if you are a Rom, know that I have the highest respect for you and your language and go easy on me, ok? (grins)

-- Diana