WOLVES DON'T TALK

Chapter 13. DAPHNE REFUSES

The wily fox stood next to the towering white rabbit, who leaned over, offering one of his floppy ears to the evil animal's mumbling. The two-faced rabbit sat on its haunches right next to the fox. They were like a relay team; the rabbit communicated to the fox and the fox passed the message onto their leader. The huge rabbit sat very still with a deadly serious look on his bunny face as he listened to the sharp-toothed creature. The fox did not look serious. It grinned broadly beneath its ridiculous furry mustache as it emitted a serious of short guttural sounds alternately to the white rabbit and then the two-faced traitor. They consulted for the longest time beneath the towering redwood.

I felt the blood draining from my face as I watched the story I'd just told my phony new friend being shared. I couldn't understand the conversation, but knew it had to include my tale about getting lost in the forest and meeting the wolf and Pythia and finding the first piece of her key. The great diviner inside me knew it did not contain any good news for the wolf.

The grin under the fox's mustache grew bigger and bigger as the conference went on and on. Its long sharp teeth stuck straight out as it smiled, sending chills down my spine, adding to the impending sense of doom I felt growing inside me. I'd been stupid enough to make friends with a two-faced creature. Now the wolf and maybe even Pythia would pay for my thoughtlessness.

Finally, after eons spun by in the crazy world I had wandered into, the white rabbit turned his attention to the full company of weird misfits. He smiled upon them and they basked in the warmth of his love, grinning back at their leader and nodding in contentment, already agreeing with a proposal they hadn't even heard.

The white rabbit started his speech with a few short snorts. He pointed at me by extending one of his front paws and then at Pythia, whom I was surprised to see standing up and shivering.

I swallowed hard when I spotted her. She looked ready to collapse onto the ground at any second but didn't when the huge rabbit leaned in her direction and grinned as if commanding the oracle to answer its bidding. She walked slowly to his side and rested her head against his heaving breast.

"The rabbit thinks they have been poor hosts," she told me as I came rushing over, thinking to save her from ... whatever. "He is concerned that you and I came to them needing help and they let us down. He wants to make up for that now. He wants to help," she said, shivering uncontrollably as she spoke.

I reached out to steady her and help her sit down, fearing she'd fall.

"Stop!" the wolf barked at me from across the clearing, warning me to not interfere.

I halted and froze in place as a sinister murmur passed through the crowd. The wolf's command had reminded them of his presence and the purpose of the meeting. A low rumble echoed across the clearing. I could feel the anger rising as all heads turned once more toward the huge white rabbit, demanding he tell them what they thought they wanted to hear.

He beamed understandingly at them, twitching his whiskers furiously as he did so. The crowd murmured menacingly back, but with a little less anger than before.

Pythia continued translating.

"He says they will deal with the wolf later. But first, they need to help me and you," she said, closing her eyes and gently caressing the huge beast as she rested her stony head against his breast. "He's asking for their assistance."

The disgruntled murmur faded away as the shiny white rabbit paused to let his words of generosity and kindness sink in. The animals responded, bowing their heads toward the ground as if they were ashamed of their prior anger.

His effect was amazing. He could have been a preacher or even a politician. I started feeling a whole lot better. The great white leader could cure all ills.