Tales of the Disneyverse

Lost and Found

            After an hour of wandering endlessly through the jungle and getting absolutely nowhere, Ellison's leadership proved to be more questionable than Panda, Anne-Marie, Katie, and Mickey realized. It got so exhausting walking through the dense, humid jungle that Mickey abandoned skipping and walked to the point where he was just dragging his feet across the dirt. Ellison continued to be ever the optimist, skipping with more energy and width than she did earlier.

            Anne-Marie's patience wore very thin. "I'm about to destroy her."  

            Hearing her comment (which sounded a lot like a vow), Panda panicked and spoke up to Ellison. "Uh, M-Mistress?" Ellison immediately stopped skipping when she heard him address her. "Perhaps magic could assist us in helping move things much...quicker?"  

            "That's very sweet of you to suggest, Panda." Ellison said with a smile. "But I have a strong feeling right here," she pointed to her heart, "that we're very close to where we need to be."  

            Anne-Marie gritted her teeth; she could take the nonsense no longer. "Oh, really? Because I think where we need to be is the location of the rift that will rip the two worlds apart in a matter of minutes – not sightseeing!"  

            Ellison giggled. "We're not sightseeing. And we have plenty of time to get to the rift before things get nasty. You just need to have patience and not be such a Grumpy Lil' Gus." Her tone again shifted to baby talk on the latter half of her address to Anne-Marie.  

            Beneath the bangs of Anne-Marie's auburn hair that covered her forehead was a large vein that popped from beneath the skin in response to her growing anger. "My patience was lost the moment you showed up. And, right now, my restraint is about to disappear as well!" She had gotten threateningly close to Ellison, practically right in her calm, smiling face (which heavily contradicted Anne-Marie's stressed, pulsating one).  

            Sensing a different kind of rift developing between the two of them, Panda quickly separated them. "O.K., O.K.! L-Let's just take it easy, shall we? If it will save time – and lives – I'll simply use my magic to light our way."  

            For the first time since they met her, Katie and Mickey saw how Ellison's demeanor moved from tranquil and happy to great fear and concern from what Panda had suggested to do. "John, no!" Calling him "John" was further proof of this shift in attitude. "You know that using your magic will destroy you." Katie and Mickey were caught off guard by this warning. Was Panda's magic so powerful that even he could be a victim to it? Or was there some other reason that Ellison advised him against it?  

            "Only casting powerful spells will destroy me, Mistress." Panda assured. "I'd be merely casting a tracking spell, which requires minimal, harmless magic."  

            The trepid look on Ellison's face was enough evidence to show how she was still against this idea; but she allowed him to do it as an act of trust. She backed away while he clapped his hands together in front of him and shut his eyes, taking in a deep breath. To the others, it appeared that he was meditating while standing. Unfortunately, this mediation had broken as soon as they heard the shouts of help from a nearby elderly gentleman. They all rushed in the direction of the screams and came upon a clearing where Mickey discovered a cane with tennis balls.  

            "Where the heck did this come from?" The mouse questioned as he picked the cane up off the ground.  

            "Hey! Up here!"