The Animagem (Complete)

Chapter 7, King Chris

"Welcome to New south Wales, we hope you enjoy your stay!" Alex read out the sign above the bridge as they crossed the Murray River.  They were now in Albury. Going so fast that they zipped past all the shops before Alex could even get a glimpse of them. She didn't really want to anyway. Something like the smell of pizza would've made her pass out. She looked over at Jamie while keeping the corner of her eye on the road. She was going to ask him about something but thought better of it. He wouldn't be able to hear her even if she used a megaphone. The sound of 5 motorcycles roaring in their ears as they went way over the speed limit.
According to Kiarah they should reach Sydney in about 4 hours. 4 hours of people stopping to stare as they sped past. 4 hours of no food. 4 hours of sitting on a motorcycle with a half wolf to the back of you.
Then they past a pizza restaurant and Alex couldn't take it anymore. She skidded to a halt in front of the pizzeria, and everyone else did the same. The smell of freshly baked pizza wafted through their noses.
"Why are we stopping here, is there something wrong?" Jamie asked.
"Why do you think we're stopping here?" Alex replied sarcastically.
The restaurant was rendered green and had a big sign on the top saying, "Mr Italiano's Pizzeria," Huddles of customers sat at big, round, wooden tables eating large pizzas while chatting to themselves. Alex could see Jamie drooling. They leapt off their motorcycles, turned them back into pens, and discussed a plan on how they were going to get food.
"We could beg?" Vic suggested.
"We could ask nicely?" Mingyu asked.
"We could... Steal?" Squidbrain said.
"I like the first option," Alex decided, "Huddle,"
They gathered in a small circle and chatted about their plan to get fresh pizza. Their plan would work. It had to, Alex wasn't leaving without at least a slice.
Alex, (cat,) strutted up to the back door, and clawed at it, meowing desperately.
"Meowwwwww," She meowed, "Meowwwwwwwwwww,"
The door swung open. A man with a thin moustache, and a chef's hat poked his head out and looked around.
"Stupido kids, alaways looking to play a joke on a me," He said in an Italian accent.
Alex meowed. He looked down. Alex took her chance and gave him puppy dog eyes. Well Kitty cat eyes in this instance.
"Awww! Boss!" He called back through the door, "Look a at this a little a kitty cat, it a wants some food,"
Now a middle aged man came up behind him and looked at Alex.
"Naww, come inside little one. We will a give you some food," He exclaimed in a thicker accent.
Alex walked over to the curb, and revealed that a falcon, bee, German shepherd, alligator and a girl in a wolf costume. The boss was a bit stunned by the alligator, but went along with it when he saw the girl brave enough to be hanging around with it.
The man looked at his boss and asked,
"Please???"
"Oh fine, they can't be that a hungry anyway, girl, you must be the owner of these animals,"
Kiarah looked up and replied, "They take care of me, so I just wanted you to give them something in return."
"So sad, come on a in," Kiarah walked inside with Alex, Squidbrain, Jamie, Vic and Mingyu behind her. Inside was a tiled floor with a few stoves, benches and pizza ovens. A pizza scooper hung on the wall. The boss lead into a separate door at the back of the room. In the next room was a small office. A desk was situated in the middle while a pen was held in a blue pencil holder. Everyone hopped onto the desk while the chef's prepared their pizza. Alex didn't even care that she didn't get to choose what toppings, as long as it was pizza.
Thy soon came back with 6 medium sized pizzas, one with fish, one with just cheese, 2 with steak, one with garlic and one with ham and pineapple.
"We'll leave you to it," The boss closed the door behind him and went back to making pizza for his customers. Luckily there were no windows that led out to the kitchen, otherwise the chef's would've been paralysed with fear if they saw animals change back into humans. Before they scoffed their faces, Alex pulled out her motorcycle, making it very cramped in the room, and put away the ham and pineapple and garlic pizza in the saddlebags. Then changed her motorcycle back into a pen and let herself and the others go to town on the pizza. It was greater than anything Alex had ever tasted. The tomato sauce was like eating all the sweets or lollies in the world. I don't even want to begin on the cheese. When the only evidence that they had eaten was the plates, everyone changed back into animals and Kiarah peeked out of the office door. What was outside had stunned her so much that she stumbled back. She whispered in Alex ear,
"The chef is talking to Aidan, his nose is all healed and everything! What are we going to do?!?" Alex changed back and told everyone to peek out the door as Kiarah had done just seconds before. They all stumbled back just as she had done. Then they all looked at Alex for advice. Alex thought for a while before coming up with a great idea. She had no idea where these ideas came from, but at least most of the time they worked.
"Get out your motorcycles and speed right through that wall there," She pointed to the back wall. "It should be just frames and plaster, and if we're lucky, no insulation."
Alex went first revving the engine, forgetting that Aidan could hear it, and made a big Alex on a motorbike hole in the wall. Everyone else went after her.
Alex looked back and saw Aidan squealing in protest as they sped away into the carpark, and back onto the road.
By mid-afternoon they had reached Bowral. A town only an hour away from Sydney.  They would make it by sundown. Good. They were making good timing. Then Alex thought about her dream. Smoden had finally figured out a way to kill Lords and keep them dead. How had he tested this? Hopefully not on a previous Lord, or one that they captured. She shivered at the thought. Her parents. Alex hoped they weren't Lords like herself, otherwise, well Alex didn't know what she would do if Smoden killed them. They had to hurry. No more stops to stretch their legs. Then again, how should Alex know if that dream was fake or not? She had to trust it. It had seemed too real. Her parents faces, struck with worry.
"How much longer?!!" Squidbrain screamed over the sound of motorcycle engines.
"We can't rest, it will take too long, and we have a deadline!" Alex replied.
"Since when?!!" Vic exclaimed.
"Since I had a dream! It was my parents, they told me that Smoden had finally figured out a way to get rid of us, for good!"
"What?!?" Alex heard Mingyu scream from the back.
"How do you know that it wasn't just another dream, Alex?! We all have them! Well most people do. I can't. But it's not like when we go to sleep we have prophetic dreams!?" Jamie pointed out, "Do we?!?"
Alex wondered about that, she had never really dreamed before. It just felt normal because everyone supposedly has one almost every night they go to sleep.
"Have any of you ever dreamed?!?" Alex cried out, hoping at least someone would hear.
"Nope," Vic exclaimed, "Don't think so," Squidbrain cried, "Good question," Jamie screamed, "What???" Mingyu replied, still having no idea as to what they were talking about.
"Well then, I guess we have prophetic dreams!" Alex concluded, "If anyone has a dream, make sure to remember it!!!"
"Can do!" Jamie replied back.
The end of the day came soon enough, all Alex wanted to do was rest. But she knew she couldn't even a quick pit-stop would take up too much time. How on earth had she even gotten herself into this mess? Oh yeah, she was a Lord of the Wild. They were about 10 km from Sydney when Alex heard a high pitched squeal from the back. Alex turned just in time to see that Vic had fallen of her motorcycle. The bad thing was that they were on a highway.
"EVERYONE STOP!!!" Alex cried out.
They all pulled over, and Alex ran to Vic who was laying on the highway. Unconscious. A truck was coming towards her at lightning speed. Alex changed into a cheetah. She would never be fast enough. The truck was only a few feet from hitting her now. It's horn blasting in Alex ears. But then out from the trees came a big black gorilla, and pushed Vic on to the nature-strip. Just in time to save Vic and itself from getting squashed. The monkey settled itself next to her and changed. Into a human. He was tanned with brown hair and He stood in with his chest puffed. Mingyu ran over to Vic and put his hands on her forehead. She soon awoke. Vic whispered something to Mingyu and Mingyu pointed to the boy. Vic then sat up. The sight of him must have alarmed her, because she fainted at the sight. The boy watched the whole thing and then asked,
"Who is the leader of this group?"
Everyone stepped back except for Alex. She stood there awkwardly, trying to find a comfortable way to put her hands. Behind her back, to her sides. She settled to behind her back.
"Erm, I'm Alex and these are my friends, Jamie," she pointed to everyone as she introduced them, and everyone did a weary greeting to him, "Squidbrain, Mingyu, Kiarah," Alex didn't bother mentioning Vic. It's not like she would've responded anyway.
"I am King Chris, but you may call me Chris, do not be alarmed, I am a Lord of the Wild. This may make no sense to you normals, but-" Chris began until Alex changed into a cat in front of him. "Oh, I thought I was the only one, sorry. Um, are you like me? If so then what am I?"
"You are Lord of the monkeys. We're Lords of the Wild, a group of people with special talents such as yours and ours." Alex explained. They sat in the emergency lane and told their whole story, and tuh it was long. As soon as Chris was filled in, he began to tell his story.
"My mother and father raised me in the jungle,"
"What jungle? We live in Australia," Jamie pointed out from behind.
"In Africa,"        
Jamie made an understanding face, and Chris continued on.
"We lived the life of kings, until strange men and women raided our village. I was only 6 at the time. I hid in the trees while watching my parents and innocent people be slaughtered. I though I was hidden until my foot slipped on a branch. It made a loud sound like a whip cracking, and the one with the pig face turned. "There!" He said, "In the trees!". I used my family's gift to swing from branch to branch. It was like playing tag with a tribe of hunters. They followed me all the way to the borders of Africa my continent. I had no where to go. I prayed to someone. I didn't know who, but to someone. Asking for help. Then all of a sudden, the whir of a helicopter filled my ears. I waved to it and threw sand. The hunters were only a few hundred metres away. Then one of the hunters shot the helicopter down. Making it rotate in a circle and crash to the ground, right at my feet. It was my only chance, and I took it. I scrambled into the helicopter and kick-started it. The windscreen was smashed, but it at least it got off the ground.  I threw the diver into the co-pilot seat and took off, having absolutely no idea what I was doing. I eventually figure out how to fly forwards backwards, down and up. I flew blindly and eventually landed here in Australia." Chris concluded, "In a tree. By the way you did not mention this maiden's name," He pointed Vic.
Alex glanced at Vic and said, "That's Vic, urr, Queen Vic," He strut over to where Vic lay and lent over her. He shook her awake and offered her his hand.
"Are you ok, Queen Vic?" He asked.
"Fine," She replied and took his hand.
"Alright you two love birds, we need to go find the Sharma," Jamie exclaimed.
Alex just then realised something. They had found all the Lords. All that was left to do was to meet the Sharma, and... and, face Smoden. The thing that Alex had least looked forward to. Smoden. She felt like one of those people from superhero movies. She didn't know what was around the corner. Only that it would probably reach her first.