Running With The Wolves (A Nuts-and-Dolts Wolfwalkers AU)

Chapter 7

It was a rough morning for Penny, she was tired from lack of sleep caused by weird dreams and she was completely dreading the work she'd have to do in the scullery. She was also upset that he uncle wouldn't listen to her. The two didn't exchange a single word as Clover helped Penny pin up her long ginger hair, then placed a bonnet on her head, covering the majority of her hair. They also walked to the scullery in a dead silence.

"Oh, nice to have a new girl joinin' us." the old woman who was in charge said.

"Keep an eye on her. She's easily distracted." Clover told the woman.

"Love you, Penny, see you at dinner." he said before kissing his niece's forehead.

When Clover left, the old woman turns her attention to Penny and notices her somber expression.

"'Tis alright, child. I was only half yer age when I started here. Just do as yer told now and ye'll be grand." the old woman told Penny.

This did nothing to cheer her up, all day the young girl frowns as she completes her duties. Most, of which, were cleaning. As the rain poured outside, Penny stands alone in and empty hallway, mopping when she accidentally knocked over the mop bucket, spilling water everywhere.

"Dang it." Penny muttered.

Most of the spilled water had went under a door into another room. So, Penny opens the door to soak up the water in that room. The room was dark and mostly empty...except that there was something big in the center of it. The object looked like a large cage-like thing covered with a thick red tarp. There was a very faint growling sound coming from it, drawing Penny to it. Penny was almost in arms reach of it, but was pulled away suddenly.

"What in the world?! Get yerself out of this room, girl! The Lord Protector has forbidden anyone from enterin'. Sure 'nuff I thought I had the door locked." the old woman fussed, grabbing Penny's shoulders.

"Yer lucky 'tis me that found ya, child, not the general. Put ye in the stocks, he would. The Lord Protector expects his rules to be followed." she said as she leads Penny out of the room.

Penny didn't know what it was, but there was something about whatever was under that tarp that didn't sit quite right with her. With all her work done for the day, Penny walks home in the rain. Before going home, she stops by where Robyn is still locked in the stocks.

"Hey, kiddo, did you see your new friend today?" Robyn asked.

"No. I can't get out...I have to work in the scullery." Penny replied sadly.

"Ah, sorry, kid." Robyn frowned in sympathy.

Penny says bye to Robyn then continues her way home at a slow pace, practically dragging her feet.

"Penny! Come on in, you'll catch your death out there!" Clover called out from the house.

Coming inside, Penny hangs her cloak near the fireplace to dry. During dinner, Penny picked at her food, pouting.

"Are...you not hungry, sweetie?" Clover asked.

"No." Penny mumbled.

"Look, Penny, I know working in the scullery isn't exactly what you wanted..." Clover began.

"Of course it's not what I wanted, I hate it!" Penny interrupted.

"I can get the wolfwalkers to leave. You just need to listen to me." she said.

"Penny Polendina, enough of your stories." Clover told her.

"I can go look for my wolfwalker friend." Penny suggested.

"You must do as you're told! No more fairy tales!" Clover argued.

"But..." Penny tried to argue back.

"No 'buts'! Wolfwalkers are not real!" Clover said sternly.

"Now, go to bed." he told his niece.

Angry that her uncle still won't listen to her, Penny stands up from the table, roughly pushing back her chair, and stomps over to the ladder to her bed. When Penny gets to her bed, she rips off her bonnet, then lets down her hair and flops face-first into her pillow.

"Wolfwalkers are real." Penny grumbled into her pillow.

Later on, in the dead of night, Penny has the weird wolf dream again, waking her. Though, when she woke up, she felt different. She, again, had that weird vision where she could see what she was smelling. Then Merlyn starts to make a bunch of chirping noises and flies all around the room.

"Shhh! Merlyn, be quiet! You'll wake up Uncle Clover!" Penny told her pet bird.

"...huh? Penny?" Clover yawned, waking up.

Penny hears the ladder creak as her uncle climbs it to check on her. She's confused when Clover is startled by the sight of her and falls off the ladder. Next, he scrambles for his crossbow, notches an arrow, then points it at Penny's direction.

"Wait! Uncle Clover, it's me!" Penny shouted, but it seemed like he didn't understand her.

The arrow barely brushes the top of Penny's head as she ducked out of it's way. Then she looks down and realizes that she was standing over her own sleeping body...but how could that be? And then she catches a glimpse of her reflection in the window and sees a ginger wolf with emerald green eyes.

"Is that...m-me!?" Penny gasped.

She hears Clover notch another arrow into the crossbow and decides to hightail it out of there. Penny pushes open the window and jumps out, and runs through the town.

"Wolf! There's a wolf in the town!" Clover called out, rushing out of the house.

Now the townspeople are alert and are either running away from Penny or trying to attack her. As long as she was in this form, it wasn't safe for Penny to be in the town, she had to get out, she had to find Ruby so she could help her figure out what was going on with her. She was able to get over the wall without being seen, and runs into the forest to search for Ruby. Penny wandered through the forest not knowing where to look for Ruby, that is until she caught her scent and followed it's trail to the den.