Jazzy - In the Shadows

Tony and Wolf wasted no more time. They gathered their things and hurried out of the Deadly Swamp. Surprisingly, they found the exit fairly easy, only having to make a few turns down the path. Both had some remembrance of how they had left last time.

Wolf slowed a bit behind Tony, taking some time to himself to think a bit. When they came to an intersection, splitting one path in half to go around another pool, he instantly remembered it to be the spot where Virginia had told him she loved him.

As much as he wanted to keep that precious thought in his mind, he shut it out. The memory only served as a harsh reminder that she had been taken away. He had to put his thoughts to happier times, ones that didn't make him think of her. It was becoming too painful.

Finally, the swamp exit dumped out onto a beautiful field, filled with daises and daffodils. Having their eyes on dead and grotesque things for so long, it was strange to see life and beauty again. Tony couldn't think of a time that he was so happy to see flowers. To see a color other than green was a nice turn of events. Wolf inhaled a deep breath, and was so pleased to smell fresh air, not that humid and thick swamp scent. He turned back and glanced at the swamp, wondering how he'd lasted for so long without gagging.

Both Tony and Wolf looked at each other and smiled. They had gotten all the crystals. Now they could find Virginia and bring her home. Neither of them wanted to think of who took her, trying not to dampen their hopes of rescue.

Tony grabbed at his sack and pulled out the mirror. Wolf watched quizzically. "Why do we need that? We have all the crystals. There's nothing more it can tell us."

"Well ... hold on." He brought the mirror up and cleared his throat. His face paused for a second, trying to word his sentence correctly. He pursed his lips and then asked the mirror; "Mirror, how much time do we have left before the mirror locks?"

Wolf was amazed; he hadn't even thought to ask the mirror that. "Nice, Tone," he whispered to him, trying not to talk over the mirror.

It hummed quietly and then came to life. "Your quest is running very short on time, you have until the clock strikes the twelfth chime." It was shorter than any other rhymes it had supplied them with, and yet it was enough.

"What!?" Tony yelled. That wasn't ample time, they needed at least a day to make it there on foot. Wolf looked desperately at the sun; it was already set. The pink haze still filled the sky, but a few stars were all ready making themselves known. Time was a virtue they didn't have. Wolf looked at the mirror once more, praying that it was joking, just a little prank, but no, it hummed once more and was silent.

"That's not enough time! We've got, what? Maybe four hours to make it back to Wendell's!?" Tony asked hysterically. Tony dumped the mirror back in his sack and sighed. Where were those damned horses when he needed them!? Wolf looked apologetic at Tony as he grabbed his bag and then dashed off through the field. Tony watched him run off and let out an exasperated sigh; this was going to be a long run.

"Ooh, I need a beer," Tony mumbled and then set off after Wolf, jogging at a rapid pace.

Wolf ran so hard and fast, he felt every muscle in his legs stretch and pull, trying to run faster than he could. The back of his legs, all the way up his spine throbbed with every foot he gained. Wolf heard Tony behind him yelling for him to stop, but he ignored it. Wolf ran past the field and into a forest, speeding quickly by everything. He ran over logs, splashing through creeks, under branches, trying to ignore the steady fatigue he was acquiring.

He had a vague idea of where he was heading. If his bearings were correct, he had only a few miles left until he would see the castle. Wolf needed to stop; he needed to rest and he cursed his body for giving out at him at a time like this. He pulled on every reserve he had within him and ran harder and faster than he ever had done before. Air burned in his mouth, and every time he inhaled he felt it sting his lungs. His mouth was dry and his throat was sore. Sweat began to pour down his forehead and back; his face was hot and red. Water - he needed a cool sip of water. Every creek and river he ran through or over, he had to pull himself away from. He couldn't waste time.

Wolf's mind kept drifting back to a stream he'd passed with crystal clear water. He knew it was cold, due to the fact that his foot went underwater in the soft soil, sinking his leg down and into the freezing creek. It was ice cold and extremely inviting. He kept telling himself not to stop, but it was so hard to keep running without a break.

Don't stop, you can't! She's depending on you. You can drink it later. Think about later. Virginia in your arms and all the water you can drink. Later. Now you have to run. Run. Run. Run!

He summoned everything he had and began to sprint once more. Branches whacked in his face, tall grass sliced at his arms, insects bit him and buzzed in his ear, and he tuned it all out, only thinking of how close he was.

Tony became totally faint behind him, probably not saying much at all to save breath. Finally, when Wolf felt he was going to double over in pain from running cramps and lack of air, he saw a small farmhouse.

Horses!

Wolf slowed himself to a jog and hurried to the farmhouse. His joints and muscles were weak and worn out, each throbbing in beat with his heart, amplified in his head. He hadn't slept fully in days and the side effects lingered. He felt lightheaded and on the brink of collapsing.

When he reached the barn, the horses reared back and went to the opposite side of the pen, neighing and huddling together. Horses never had liked him for some reason. He opened the gate door and stepped inside. He approached them slowly at first, but soon gave up as they kept dodging him, and ran after them.

"Come here .... you stupid horse!" he said between breaths. Wolf jumped and grabbed the mane of a black horse. He easily jumped onto the back and made his way out the pen. It felt so nice to give his legs a much-needed rest. He shut the gate door from atop the horse and galloped into the field.

Tony ran as hard as he could through the forest, breaking his jog and pushing himself faster. He could see Wolf, who was a small speck, still running at full speed. He could hear his heart pounding and how his clothes clung to his body from sweat. He needed to rest, badly, realizing Wolf must be feeling as tired as he was.

When he entered another clearing, he saw Wolf take off through the rest of the field on a black horse. He took a moment and put his hand against a tree and leaned on it, taking heavy breaths to try and calm his heart down. Good thinking Wolf! Thank God, Tony thought and made his way for the pen that two horses remained in. He opened the gate and ran inside, choosing a nimble brown horse.

He grabbed the mane as he expected Wolf had done, and tried to jump on, but had no such luck. After a few attempts, he pulled the horse over to where several stacks of hay were placed and climbed them, carefully like stairs, keeping his grip on the horse for leverage. After he was sure the horse wouldn't move from under him, he jumped on and made his way out the pen.

"Hey! What are you doing with my horse!?" an old man shouted behind Tony. He came out running from his house, waving his arms around wildly.

"Sorry! Official duty for King Wendell!" was all that Tony could think of to say. He kicked the horse to reach full speed and led it towards the forest he'd seen Wolf enter. "We'll return your horses soon!" Tony shouted over his shoulder. The old man stopped running after Tony, dropped his arms and watched him leave with a perplexed expression on his face.

Tony soon lost sight of the man and the farmhouse. He kept his attention on Wolf, whom he was steadily gaining on. Obviously, Tony had picked the faster horse. As they approached another forest, Tony was only a few yards behind.

Tony noticed that it felt like a relay race between them, having to do obstacles, trying to reach the castle first. The only difference was the lack of time they really had. Tony glanced over his shoulder at where the sun had set. It was already gone into the horizon and all that remained was a weak golden reflection and stars.

Wolf clung to the mane of the horse and kicked it like crazy. He didn't want to hurt the horse, but right now some things were more important than whether or not the animal acquired a few bruises. Behind him, he could hear Tony yelling, but it wasn't to him. He rolled his eyes, couldn't he do anything without getting in trouble? Wolf felt a grin creep across his face at the thought. As the horse picked up speed, he made his way through the field and into a thinner forest.

Wolf's grin left his face as he remembered the forest. He'd been there almost an exact month ago with Virginia. It was where they had proven their love for one another before battling the Evil Queen.

Wolf shut his eyes, not wanting to remember anymore. It pained his heart too much to think about it. Everything was reminding him of her, and it burned inside him, not knowing if she and their cub were all right. He let the horse run on, trusting it to take him closer to the castle. When he reopened his eyes, he saw before him Wendell's castle.

His face brightened and he turned around to see how far Tony was behind him, and found that he was only about twenty feet back. He saw Tony's face light up as he saw the castle in front of them as well. They were so close.

Wolf glanced up at the sky. The stars were all out and the crescent moon was illuminating the small part of the night sky. He hadn't noticed how much time had passed since they had left the swamp; his thoughts had sidetracked his keep on time. He wanted to ask the mirror how much time was left, but was dreading the answer. He knew it was going to be tight, but he was hoping that fate was on their side.

Tony and Wolf raced on their horses through the royal gardens and past the stables. Both split at the enormous fountain in the center of the main walkway but soon were back together at the other end, past the flags that flew in the cool night air and up to the main steps of the castle.

Tony and Wolf leapt off their horses and ran up to the door. As Wolf reached for the handle, it flew open; Wendell standing behind it. His face was filled with worry and concern for them and Virginia. He led them inside, having a thousand questions to ask, but Wolf beat him to it.

"How much longer do we have?" Wolf asked anxiously, both to Tony and Wendell, not caring who answered him. He dug into Tony's bag and pulled out the crystals.

All three looked at the large grandfather clock that was displayed in the middle of the room. If on cue, it began. All the clocks in the castle began to chime for twelve.

One. Two.

Wolf's eyes shot wide open and he tore through the castle not wasting another moment. He clutched the crystals in his hands tightly, two in his left and one in his right. He raced up the grand staircase, skipping every other step the whole way up.

Three. Four.

The dreaded chimes echoed through the halls and rooms, but were the loudest in Wolf's head. It pounded without hesitation, making him wince each time they rang. Wolf couldn't see around him - all of the hall and guards nearby were clouded and foggy - he could only see the long stretch of hall that extended on forever. It didn't seem that it ever stopped.

Five.

His legs sped as fast as he could; he whipped down the hall and the only sound was his feet pounding the floor as he ran and the echo of chimes.

Six.

The damn chimes rang, faster and faster. Wolf snarled despite his harsh breathing. It wasn't fair. They were going too fast. Oh, what Wolf wouldn't give for time to stop for just a few moments, that's all he needed.

Seven.

His breathing was getting more ragged; again his breath was hot and stung his throat as it came out. He needed to stop - his body was calling him too - but he wouldn't, he couldn't.

Eight.

He could hear Wendell and Tony shouting for him to run faster, it was so faint, their voices seemed to be mere whispers to him. They were far behind. It was up to him.

Nine.

Three more seconds. That's all he had. He saw the end. He saw the door. He sprinted even faster down the last section of the hall, straining his legs and body until he thought he would fall from running too fast.

Ten.

It was the only thing he saw: the long white, wooden door with golden frames and beautiful swirl designs. He slammed into the door, breaking the hinges, and letting it fall haphazardly to the floor. He burst into the room, not breaking his stride after jumping over the broken door.

Eleven.

Not enough time! I need more time! Wolf thought desperately. He flung his body into the curtain blocking the alcove and listened, terrified, as the clock struck twelve. It was a loud and horrible sounding chime, ringing in his ears and making him wince. Wolf froze.

His heart stopped. He watched, in complete horror as the Spying Mirror began to crack. It wasn't because it was preparing to speak to him, but rather because it was dying. They'd run out of time. Wolf could do nothing but stand there and watch.

The mirror made an ear-splitting crash as it shattered and fell to the ground in thousands of pieces. Wolf did not move. He didn't flinch. He couldn't; he didn't know what to do or how to act. It seemed like a dream to him - something that wasn't real.

That's right! Maybe he would wake up out of this horrible dream and find Virginia sleeping peacefully next to him. He shut his eyes and prayed, "Oh please, let this be a dream. Don't let this be real." When he opened his eyes, he just saw the same hollowed frame, and the thousands of mirror pieces that reflected his crestfallen expression.

Wolf felt his muscles go limp and his hands unclench. One by one, the crystals fell to the floor as if in slow motion, each making a slight ping as they hit the floor. All his faith had shattered with the mirror and fallen to the ground in broken pieces, no possible hope of being put back together. All was lost. It was impossible. He had lost Virginia. He had failed her.