✨Ever After✨

Chapter 6- The Animals

He woke up again lifting the blanket that he put on his head, and he found himself staring right into the face of a chipmunk, squirrels, birds, and rabbits. He got up startled, moving to the edge of his bed, leaning on the frame. He sat up and saw more animals; raccoons, skunks, and deer. He got up, "H -Hi . . . what are you guys doing in here?" The chipmunk moved closer, quickly climbing on top of Levv's knees and leaned in up to his face. "AHH! WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" The chipmunk moved closer. "PLEASE!" Levv yelled, with his eyes closed, cowering. At this point it was staring into his soul. Levv leaned backwards but yet again it moved closer.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT! WANT DO YOU WANT?! WHO SENT YOU?! WHO?!" Levv yelled.

They stayed face to face for a while before it turned around and back again. It seemed to be waiting for something to happen. Levv looked around again, feeling very uncomfortable in the animal's presence. They were all staring at him. Lucifer on the other hand was still sleeping. "LUCIFER?! LUCIFER GET UP! GET UP!! PLEASE!!" Levv yelled, but to no avail.

Suddenly someone looked in through the door, it had been opened. Cassandra walked into his room and came up to him. "Are you ok?" She asked, looking at him. He had his eye's closed so he didn't see her. He opened his eyes looking at her. "NO." He said, pointing to the chipmunk in his face. "Why, they don't want to hurt you. They just want to be friends . . ." "They do?" "Yeah, go ahead, talk to it." "Talk to it?! How does it talk to me?" Levv said, looking back at it. "Just, think about what he's saying, and what you're going to say back, and focus." She said, encouraging him. "Okay . . ." Levv said, looking hard at the chipmunk, the chipmunk opened its mouth, but only chatters emerged, he tried harder. And the chatters turned to gibberish, and the gibberish turned into words.

"You're kind of weird, you know that?" The chipmunk said to him, tilting its head. Levv backed away, surprised that he had just spoken to him. "Y - You can talk?" Levv said, waiting for it to speak again. "Well yeah I can speak . . . " "Can you understand me?" Levv said, leaning closer." No, it's the other way around. You can understand us!" "We could always understand you." The chipmunk responded. Levv stopped tensing his body and got comfortable with them. Suddenly he heard a growl, a large growl. It came from the edge of his bed. A large figure came up inside a bed sheet, it slowly fell revealing a large bear. Levv and Cassandra gasped quietly. The bear leaned in closer next to the chipmunk, it opened its mouth as if it was trying to communicate, but the only thing that came out were little snarls. It lifted up its paw close to his face. Levv, still terrified, closed his eyes, preparing for his life to finally come to an end . . .

Instead, he had his hair being messed with.

The bear took its paw and curled his hair through its claws, as if it was mesmerized by its soft, salmon pink color and texture. He opened his eyes back up looking up at the bear. Cassandra giggled. He wasn't afraid anymore, but surprised now. The bear looked back at him with a sort of happy look to its face. It continued to use both paws and cupped his face in its paws. It moved his face, examining him, like a mother looking at a child. Its paws were much bigger than his own head and he was squished in between them. The bear let go and tapped his nose with one claw, moving away from him again. The chipmunk looked at the bear, and chattered a little, the bear responded with a nod and multiple growls again. The chipmunk looked back at Levv and came closer, face to face again.

"Well, you heard what Mother said! She thinks you're the perfect princess for me!" "I am?'' Levv said, confused. "Yeah! Every princess has a little buddy with them!" Levv looked at Kiki lying beside him; still sleeping. ''I already have a buddy . . ." "You do?" The chipmunk said, looking around. "Yeah," Levv said, picking up Kiki; waking her up. "This is Kiki!" He said, holding her up to the chipmunk.

Kiki didn't like the chipmunk . . . .

The chipmunk didn't like Kiki . . . .

Kiki tried to wiggle out to get the chipmunk. She barked and squirmed to bite him. "AYE GET YOUR DOG LEVV!!" The chipmunk screamed, backing away from her mouth. "Well, that's a pet you know, I can be your buddy! Oh, by the way, the name's Pip!" Suddenly a bell rang throughout the whole school. It surprised Cassandra and Levv, along with the animals. "We should get going, I don't want to miss breakfast!" Cassandra said, grabbing hold of Levv's hand. Kiki followed behind Levv and Pip climbed on his shoulder looking back at Kiki. "Breakfast?" Levv said, following her down the stairs. "Yeah! Or? Do you not eat too?" She said, slowing down, looking back at him. "I do eat -'" "Well then come on!" She said, pulling him again; running. Lucifer was still asleep, even after the bell rang multiple times, so they left him to it.

Cassandra stopped every few minutes to look at the signs around the school telling them where they were going. She stopped suddenly to look at a big sign. "Ah- that's where the banquet room is!" She continued down a hallway and past a few butlers. Kiki was still following behind them while looking at Pip. She didn't like him at all. Cassandra finally found the banquet room and walked in. She walked him up to lots of people sitting at tables, there were lot's of princesses, but at the far side of the room, there were other boys. Princes in fact. They all sat and talked as they pleased without a problem. It wasn't that loud either, quite peaceful actually. "Come on." She said, taking Levv to get food.

"Umm, so what can I get? Levv said, following her in a line of people. "Anything actually -" "Really?" Levv said, grabbing everything. "Yeah, just don't get too full of yourself." She said, smiling. After getting their food they sat down to talk. Levv ate some of his food along with Kiki and Pip. "So, where are you from?" Levv said, eating his food. "Oh, I used to live in a big palace, the tallest room in the tower! I was always up there waiting for my prince to come get me, but he never seemed to come for me . . . my father sent me here to protect me from our enemies. He says this place is for protecting royalty like me from evil." She paused.

"I really miss my dad . . . I don't really want to be here . . ." She said, looking down.

"Me too . . ." Levv said, understanding her.