Adventures In Malila: The Ivory Princess (Book the First)

Taming the Beast

Sophie

Sophie clutched the dolls to her as Shagfry gave another bound. The roar of the Snozzleangeraur was deafening. Her heart beat thudded in her ears. She'd never been this afraid. Not even when she thought Shagfry was a terrible monster in her closet. This was a real monster. The stuff of nightmares. And she could literally feel its hot breath on their heels.

Shagfry sailed through the overhanging tree branches. Sophie tried to duck, but she couldn't shield her face because her arms were full of Cindi and Katie.

Suddenly a branch snagged her sleeve [I just realized I haven't given any thought to what Sophie is wearing. I suppose she's still in her nightgown! Lol...like Wendy Darling]. It jerked her back as Shagfry leaped forward. He lost his balance. With a cry, he tried to right himself. But his arms were full of Sophie and Ami. He pitched forward and everyone went tumbling and sprawling in different directions: toys, girls, and Kangapen.

Sophie landed face down in dead leaves and fallen pine needle. Everyone was yelling. And she could hear the thundering tread of the Snozzleangeraur coming closer. It roared again.

She raised her stinging face. The gigantic creature plowed through the trees like they were grass stalks. She was the closest and it was headed straight for her. Again it roared and flickers of flame leaped from it mouth and played around its long snout.

Sophie rose to her feet,breathing deeply to steady her wildly thudding heart. Her thoughts were back to the other night when she had called out to the monster in her closet to face her. And it had only been Shagfry. But she hadn't known that. She had been just as scared then.

And this was only another monster.

The Snozzleangeroar towered over her. It lifted its head and shout flames into the sky. A few tree branches caught fire.

Sophie frowned and lifted a trembling arm. She pointed a finger at the creature.

"That's enough!" She yelled as loud as she could.

The creature stopped mid-roar.

Wow, she thought. That worked? Maybe its no different from my puppy at home.

"Bad Snozzle!" She yelled, shaking her finger. "No flaming! Stop that! Bad Snozzle!"

To her shock, the Snozzle let out another sound. A whimper. A few puffs of smoke drifted from the sides of its mouth and around its long snoot.

She pointed to the flaming trees. "Shame on you, burning down the forest. Put that out now!"\

The Snozzle whimpered again. Then it raised its trunk, and turned. With a few leaps it cleared the trees and reached the lake shore. It stuck its trunk in the water and gulped. Then it clattered back to the flaming trees and squirted the water from its trunk.

Sophie gave a sigh of relief. The creature wasn't as fierce as she'd thought. It could be reasoned with.

"Good Snozzle." She said. "Good boy!"

The Snozzle gave a happy sounding yip and lowered its head to her. It wagged its gigantic tail back and forth. Hesitantly, she laid a hand on its head and scratched between its horns. The creature gave a low purring noise of delight.

She laughed. "It's friendly you guys!" she said.

Silence greeted her, so she looked over her shoulder.

Shagfry, Ami, and the toys all gaped out her, mouth's open.

"A tame Snozzleangaur?" Ami whispered.

"As a kitten," Sophie said, rubbing the Snozzle's trunk. It made a hooting, trumpeting noise and wriggld its trunk ecstatically. "What made you think it was so ferocious?"

Ami shruged. "I've never seen one. I've just heard about them. They're a legend. I don't know if anyone's ever seen one."

"Kind of like dragons," Sophie said. "I mean in my world. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find them here."

"Oh dragons are as common as kittens," said Ami. She was now edging up beside Sophie and giving the Snozzle a wary look. "Do you think it'll let me--?"

"Of course," she said. "Snozzle, this is my good friend and mysterious look-alike, Ami. Be nice to her and I'm sure she'll give you treats and scratches between the ears as well."

Ami and the Snozzle got along famously and the rest of the company crept up around them.

"Why do you suppose it was so growly and roary earlier?" Katie asked.

"Yes, it was scary," Cindi said. She hung back more than the others.

"I think it must be hurt somewhere," said Aster.

"Like the lion in the old story," said Sophie, "With the thorn its paw. Snozzle is anything wrong?"

The Snozzle whimpered, and held up its paw.

Sophie took the giant paw in her hand and looked it over. There was indeed a big muddy, bloody gash down the side of its leg. "Aster you're a genious!" sh e said. "Come on Snozzle. We'll clean it off in the lake, and find something to bind it with."

After they had cleaned up the Snozzle everyone argued over what to do with it.

"It's going to be a Frigantic Guisance," Ears sniffed. "It can't come along!"

"But its just a baby!" Sophie insisted. "Can't you tell?"

"Baby!" Ears bellowed. "Babies are tiny. Babies are cute. Babies are Indorably Afintesimal. Babies are not as big as a house or a tree or a frentire orest!"

"I mean he's a baby Snozzle," she said. "He can't help his size."

"Don't wanna see a grown Snozzle-ozzle then," Shagrfry gulped. "That's for sure. If baby Snozzle roars like that when hurt, how do grown Snozzles go when angry?"

"Yes, yes," Ears said. "If its a baby what will the mother Nozzlesnaggor do when it finds it missing?"

"Snozzleangeraur" Ami corrected.

"That's what I said. But what will it do?"

"Oh fooey," said Sophie. "I'm sure it'll thank us. Besides the Snozzle can't talk but it obviously understands us and can be reasoned with. I'm sure its mother would too. The point is, we can't leave it behind but we need to get going. Therefore, it has to come with us. End of story."

And it was. They consulted the map, argued for a bit and finally decided to cut straight through the Forest. They could skirt around it, but it would be a shortcut to go straight through it. The only trouble was it was supposed to be a very big forest, with lots of vines and underbrush and...well it would be easy to get lost in there.

"Lost Shlost," Ears said scornfully. "I'm a great tracker and sniffer. I'm a dog you know. You can't get lost with me at the head of the party!" And wagging his ears about his head, he started for the forest.

Aster shook her head. "He's just as stuffed as I am. How can he be a good sniffer?"

"True," Sophie said. "I know I never can smell a thing when my nose is sntuffed. Surely having your whole body stuffed can't be any better. But lets not say anything. I think we hurt his feeling whenever we try to correct him all the time. I'll just try and keep an eye on the sun. Oh, what I wouldn't give for a good compass right about now!"

And so they all started off into the forest.

And of course with Ears in the lead, its not surprising that within an hour they were lost. It seems its hard to really get a good look at the sun when you are surrounded by thick trees, whose boughs crowd out the sunlight and cast a thick, dark gloom over all of the forest. But do not be too hard on Ears. He was a bit full of his own importance perhaps, but he meant well. And it can't be easy to be Mayor one minute, and an outcast the next. Let's not forget that!

What will happen to them in the forest? Will Ears find the way out? Will the Snozzle's mother show up? Find out tomorrow! (Or possibly the day after...lol)

Also, I'm wanting to make a sketch of the Snozzleangeraur. May take me a bit to get to it, but when I do I will upload it to the next chapter to go up!