The Vorelock chapter 4

(Re uploaded to my account so readers can catch the whole story in one place)

Ann sat, some what tense, in the chair she had been in when she sent Toby away, having intended to wait right there until he got back. That was her intention, until the one she shared this room with had begun to grow restless, having moved to sit just three feet from her, staring her down with an unshaking gaze, causing a growing urge to move in her. ~W-what does he want? Why is he just.....staring at me like that?~

Ann made a conscious effort to hide any sign of fear or weakness, trying to sit as upright as possible to make herself seem imposing. Grumbling a bit, Fangs opened his muzzle and licked his chops, his long, pink tounge coming up over his nose and swiping over the side of his muzzle before coming back in, the sight causing  Ann to shudder violently, her posture going rigid.

This awkward and silent exchange continued for a few minutes until, tired of feeling like she was backed into a corner again, Ann decided to make the first move by confronting Fangs head on, shuffling a bit in her seat as she worked up the courage to do so."Wha-" Just as Ann began to speak,  she was cut off by Fangs, who spoke in a whiny, child like tone

" I'm booooreed....." Ann's courage deflated, but into exasperation rather than fear, somewhat embarrassed at herself for being afraid of something that would act like this. "So what do you want me to do about it?" Ann spoke in a sort of haughty tone, feeling like Fangs had licked his lips before just to get a reaction out of her.
"Well..." Fangs stood up and began to slowly inch closer, his tone of voice becoming more sinister "You could feed me..."


*THUD* The wolf stopped cold in his tracks as the book that Toby had brought in before, a good two inches thick with a nice solid binding and cover, came down upon his head, his ears folding down as it did.

"Don't even think about it you....." Fangs let out a little whimper as Ann brought the book back up, reaching back behind her and putting it back on the table where she'd grabbed it from when she predicted what Fangs was going to do when he stood up.

"I was only playin'....ya' didn't have to hit me. The master's books are so hard, they hurt my head rather they're on the top or bottom" Ann gave a mild chuckle at this, easily able to imagine Fangs laying with his head resting on a stack of books. Standing up,
Ann turned the chair she sat in around and pushed it back under the table. "....you're right though...just sitting around is getting pretty dull...." Turning and looking around the room a bit, she noticed that the mess of things that had spilled out of the closet when she'd been discovered still lay in a heap flowing out of the door.

"Well...I guess that is my fault....so it's only right that I clean it up..." Ann started over toward the closet, Fangs following behind her, his eyes widening a bit when he realized what it was she was talking about. "Well you're brave.." Ann looked back over her shoulder a bit as she walked to look at him as she responded

"What do you mean? It's just a little mess, nothing to be afraid of." Stopping just before the pile of things at the doorway, Ann looked down, her mouth scruntching to the side a little bit  "Though...I guess maybe little isn't the most accurate term...." As Ann looked down at the clutter at her feet, she had a hard time actually making out what all of it was. "...Alright. Let's get to work!"


Within fifteen minutes, Ann's enthusiastic outlook on the task she'd taken on had thoroughly faded, having had no idea how much more lay in store for her if she were to actually put the things that had fallen out in any kind of a stable order, the things still inside in complete disarray and looking like more could fall out any minute.

"Phew....it's amazing this stuff didn't fall out and burry me the moment I opened this door. So...what's this?" Ann sat crosslegged in front of the closet door, having pulled everything out into a massive pile with several smaller, much neater piles all around organized. Reaching out to the main pile, Ann took hold of a heavy iron caldron about the size of a large cooking pot, holding it by a handle that attached to the neck of it at either side.

"Interesting..." Ann sat the caldron in her lap, looking down into it and taking note of the hardened residue caked onto the sides as she brought it closer to her face "A Caldron...Toby must use this for brewing potions! I wonder what kind of potion this residue is from....".

Fangs had been Laying next to Ann since she'd taken a seat and began sorting things, helping her to identify what was what and where each thing should go, having been entertaining himself by telling embracing stories involving Toby and some of the objects she sorted. Reaching over with his head, the wolf took a few strong snout's full of the objects scent.

"Nope...well, it is a caldron, but no.....Toby tried to cook fondue in it once and burnt it so bad he could never get the cheese off again!" Ann suddenly moved the caldron sharply away from her face, closing one eye and sticking her tongue out in disgust "YEP.... ANOTHER ONE CLAIMED FOR THE THINGS THAT NEED CLEANED PILE...." Ann's voice was comically gruff with disgust as she leaned over and sat the caldron down next to the largest of the smaller piles with a dull *tink*, accompanied by dirty cloths, tableware, dishes and other soiled containers such as bottles and candlesticks. "Alright then...what's next?"

Turning back to the pile, this time Ann reached deep into the pile, hoping to find something of a magical nature again, as these objects and Fangs' explanation of them were the thing that really broke the tedium of the task. "annnnddd it's a-" Ann withdrew her hand, find the object she'd grabbed hold of to be a small ball made of rubbery material, not entirely unlike a tennis ball though it had a darker, more tanned color and lacked the peach-fuzz.

"Hmmm...nothing too special here...." Ann looked over to Fangs, a toothy, mechanical grin and sinister look coming to her face. "Oh Fangs? Fangs? You want the ball? You wanna' get the ball?" Ann spoke in an energetic, enticing tone as she would have to a common dog in her own world, a sort of unamused, half-lidded expression coming across the wolf's face.

"What do you think I am, some ordinary house pet?" Ann began to wind her arm back as Fangs continued to speak, his gaze never losing the dead on lock his eyes had on the ball since Ann had unburied it. "I'm not just some dog who can talk you know. I'm a wolf! I'm proud and strong, and I do not chase BAAALLLLLL!~ "

Fangs' chastising tone quickly changed to one of extreme excitement, his thick black nails scraping against the smooth stone surface of the floor wildly as he hurried to a stand and then ran as Ann tossed the ball across the room. As Fangs drew close, he leapt into the air and dove at the sphere, having watched it bounce off the floor and then the far wall and back toward him, twisting mid air and catching it  firmly in between his powerful jaws as he landed, trotting back to Ann with an air of content pride in himself for his performance, stopping just before her as that look quickly faded to one that could only be described as the 'oh shit' face, dropping the ball which bounced a few times, the soft thump of it's rubber against the floor the only sound breaking the awkward silence, Ann continuing to grin at Fangs in a playfully jeering manor. "......don't tell Toby".


Meanwhile, Toby rushed around the lower sections of the keep like a man possessed, running back and forth between various rooms, but always returning to the kitchen as though it were the central hub where he'd receive quests to go to the other places, always mindful to open the stove and check on the food he was cooking before taking off again.

"Alright....the food's looking good, but still has some time left....OH! I should get a plate! Ann shouldn't have to hold her food the whole time!" Toby was honestly excited to be catering to Ann like this, both for the relief of her affirmation that she wasn't holding his overeager misunderstanding as a grudge and for the simple pleasure of having company other than Fangs, a pleasure he didn't often get to enjoy.  

Retrieving a fairly standard looking ceramic plate from one of the nearby cupboards, Toby sat it on a counter beside the stove, then turned and swiftly made his way back out of the kitchen, this time heading toward the entrance hall. With the exception of the cluttered, bachelor pad-esque manor in which it was kept, Toby's keep was a fairly grandiose place by modern standards, the floors made of smooth, flat cobble stone, slate gray in color and usually feeling as cold as they looked, which explained the lush floor rugs sat down in several of the rooms.

The walls were made of cobble as well but nicely smoothed over with plaster light tan, though some of the rooms were painted. All the furniture looked antique, ornately carved from what looked to be rich mahogany, though in truth even Toby had no idea if that were true. The front doorway was perhaps the most fantastically medieval, outward opening double doors made of arched timbers bound in dark iron bands standing a good eight feet tall and half as wide.

Hurrying to the door, Toby pressed his hand flat against the it, bending his arm at the elbow as he pushed hard against it, grunting a bit at the door's weight as he did. Sunlight burst into the entryway as the door swung slowly out with a loud yet dull creaking noise, Toby quickly making his way out into the grassy yard before the keep where a wash bucket and clothesline still stood, various articles of clothing pinned to it fluttering in a gentle breeze, Ann's shirt among them.

"Alright then.....i've got her shirt but.....what to give her for pants? Hmm'...." Toby looked over the various articles of clothing on the line, settling on a billowy, wide legged pair of flannel  trousers, not entirely unlike the Japanese hakama in design. Closing his eyes for a moment, Toby focused his mind's eye on the image of a wicker laundry basket sitting on the floor of the keep's wash-room, concentrating for a moment before reaching out with his right hand, held outstretched at first.

Suddenly, Toby turned his hand upright, bringing all his fingers together, then giving a loud, dramatic *SNAP*. As Toby's fingers parted, the basket he'd been concentrating on suddenly materializing a foot or so over the ground and dropping onto the grass. Reaching up and taking the cloths pins off the line, Toby began to fold each article of clothing before he would drop it into the basket, leaving Ann's shirt and pants on top for easy access.

After inspecting the job he'd done for a bit, Toby turned and began to hurry back into the keep, snapping the fingers of his right hand again as he did with a great deal less concentration this time, causing the basket and it's contents to be sent back to where it had been summoned from.

Stopping off for a moment to check on the progress of Ann's meal again, Toby darted off again from the kitchen, this time heading to what was one of his favorite places in his home, his personal library. This room was a bit darker than the others, mostly due to the bookshelves that covered the walls, only a fireplace  and a single window breaking up the shelving. Filling these shelves were endless books of every sort imaginable.

Pulling the door open, Toby walked calmly into the room, a light smile on his face as he looked around himself at his collection of information. In the back half of the room, it's back to the window, was a heavy desk with a plush chair sat behind it, an especially thick tome sitting on the lower right corner of the desk. ~What to bring, what to bring....I'd like to show her some of my favorites buutt.....what would she want to see?~

Toby rushed over to the desk, stepping halfway behind it and carefully pulling back the hard cover of the book laying on it, flipping though a few pages and stopping every so often to run his finger down the massive list of titles written on its pages.

"Ahhh....yes, I think these will do quite nicely" Toby said to himself with a little smirk after what he felt was a light review of his collection, tapping his finger on a few of the titles, the letters of their names begining to glow with a soft yellow light.

Mimicking the light on the pages, Toby looked up to see several of the books in the shelves glowing as well. Giving a light nod, Toby slipped his fingers under the cover of the book, flipping it quickly shut. As the book was shut, those that bore the yellow aura floated gently from their resting places on the shelves and piles and floated silently though the air, forming a neat stack on the center of the desk, the light fading from them as they came to rest.

Taking the books in his arms, Toby made his way out of the library with a slightly excited look on his face, stopping just outside the door and looking back, pulling his head forward again in a sort of "come here" motion, the door shutting of it's own accord as he did. Humming lightly to himself, Toby made it all the way to his first two steps up the stairway to the study when he suddenly stopped cold, blinking a few times.

~I'm....forgetting something....but what? Oh damn I KNOW i'm forgetting SOMEthing...~



Carrying part of one of the various piles of things she'd sorted into the closet, Ann paused for a moment, looking down to Fangs, who was pulling another stack that lay on a folded tablecloth. "Do....do you smell something burning?"



His teeth grit in nervousness, Toby hurriedly grabbed the cloth pot holders from the plate he'd gotten down and left them on earlier, pulling the door to the oven open as a bit of smoke began to roll out. The smoke caused Toby to recoil a bit, his eyes stinging as he reached in and pulled the pan he'd sat the four turkey legs he was cooking in out, setting them down on top of the stove with a relieved sigh, seeing that they weren't ruined. ~Oh man...that was a close-~ Toby's train of thought was quickly derailed as a small plume of fire suddenly rushed out of the open oven door, causing his eyes to go wide as he quickly backed up in reaction.



"Hey! Toby? Is....is everything alright down there?" Toby could hear Ann's voice calling down from the staircase, slightly faint with the distance and obstructions between them. "UH.....NO..I MEAN, YES! YES! EVERYTHING'S JUST FINE, I'LL BE BACK WITH YOU IN JUST A MINUTE!" Toby's voice was nervous, though he tried his best to mask it as he frantically searched through cabinet after cabinet. "Master! You lit the food on fire again didn't you?"

Now it was Fangs' voice calling down, causing Toby to mutter under his breath in agitation as he continued to search. "MASTER?" Fangs' voice was louder this time, causing Toby to verbally snap back at him "NO, FANGS, I DIDN'T. EVERYTHING IS FINE".

Toby's tone caused Ann to feel a little awkward, looking over to the wolf standing beside her at the top of the staircase "He sounds kinda' mad....should...should I be worried?". A grumbling whimper at a sit was Fangs' only response.

~Oh WHERE IS IT?! I KNOW I KEPT IT IN THE KITCHEN JUST IN CASE THIS HAPPEND AGA.....AHA!
~ Reaching far back into the back of the cabinet he was currently riffling though, Toby retrieved an object that consisted of a pair of wooden handles connected by a central plank about an inch and a half wide and half an inch thick, with a rod in the middle. a hallow octagon was held in place by this rod , with four small, painted stone discs suspended at it's corners by wire, another suspended in a ring of wood that sat dead in the middle, breaking up the length of the rod. Holding the device in both hands, Toby scrambled over to a kneel in front of the stove, taking a deep breath and pointing the device at the mouth of the stove like a gun and blew hard into it.

As Toby's breath rushed over the device, the blue, white and green discs began to spin, the magic woven into the device amplifying the force of his breath while simultaneously condensing and freezing the moisture of it, causing a jet of frost to spew out the other end and douse the fire coming from the stove with a loud *HISSSSSS*.

Sighing in exasperation, Toby's head dropped to look at the ground for a moment as he let go of the front handle of the device he held, starting to stand up. About halfway though his standing, the gout of flames suddenly burst forth from the mouth of the stove again, Toby quickly dropping back to one knee and blowing into his device again, firing off a second blast with another loud *HISSS* standing up more quickly and kicking the door closed this time.

"Damn blasted stove is possessed...." Toby sat the device in his hands down on the counter as he inspected the food, his mood improving a bit as he realized he'd managed to save it with only a very light singing. Carefully transferring the food over from pan to plate, he took it in both hands and made his way back to the staircase, where he'd left the books in a panic before.

Stopping for a moment to stare at the books, he focused his mind on them and, after a few seconds, the stack rose into the air and followed silently behind him as he made his way back up to Ann and Fangs.


As he approached the doorway, a mild confusion came to Toby's face, still not seeing Ann as more and more of the room came into view. He was just about to call her name as he walked though the doorway and was greeted by the sound of Ann's voice, stopping and turning his head just in time to see her figure disappearing into the closet "Welcome back! Be with you in just a second."

"Oh Ann....you didn't have to clean that up! I'd have gotten to it later on..." Toby's voice was somewhat apologetic as he started walking again, not wanting to put his guest to any trouble. As Toby started toward the closet, Ann quickly stepped out, twirling around quickly to put her hand against the door "...No you wouldn't" her voice was half joking with a sort of mater-of-fact undertone to it as she gave the closet door a quick push, the door shutting with a loud *KA-THUNK* causing Toby to jump and stop cold, rigid with fear for a moment as his hair stood on end.

It wasn't until Ann started giggling at him that his posture relaxed a bit, his expectation of the closet's contents crashing down again subverted and prompting him to rush up to the closet and quickly open it in disbelief, popping his head in as he still held the door with one hand. Slowly, Toby's head came back into view, wearing a look of mortification at her having done all that work. "Annnn....you're supposed to be my guueeest" his words were drawn out and his voice slightly whiny.

Ann just shrugged lightly as she made her way back over to the table, taking a long wiff of the delicious smell the turkey legs were putting off. "Where's Fangs?" Toby asked in an almost concerned voice, taking note of his absence from the spot he'd been in when he left as he shut the closet door.

"Oh he's moving some things that needed to be cleaned for me, since I didn't want to move around until I was more dressed....speaking of getting dressed, where's my cloths?" Ann's voice was somewhat excitedly eager, as she looked back to Toby, still feeling a little out of place in the clothing she was in.

"Ah, of course. Just a moment..." Toby quickly recalled the image of the basket in his mind again, bringing his right hand up and snapping his fingers, the basket and its contents popping out of thin air a few inches over the floor and quickly falling to it, Ann's eyebrows raising in surprise as it did. ~Oh wow, the hologram globe thing he did earlier was neat but that was awesome!~

Moving over to the basket, Ann picked her shirt up from the top of the pile, looking over the pants below them a bit "I hope they're not too dissatisfactory....I thought you might want something emphasizing comfort..." Toby watched Ann with his usual soft smile as she flung her shirt over one shoulder then picked up the pants and let gravity unfold them for her, turning them over  as she investigated them.

Toby's expression quickly turned to one of surprise However as he noticed Ann bend over and step through the legs of the pants. "D-don't you want me to turn around or something? I thought girls generally don't want to be seen while they're dressing!"

Ann paused for a moment and turned her head back to look at him, her crimson hair falling down and hanging between her and the floor, the light from the window behind her making it glow a brilliant scarlet at it's edges, the silvery blue of her eyes standing out like a pair of sapphires against her shadowed face, the sight bringing a flush of red to the bridge of Toby's nose.

Ann's eyes half closed in an sly manner "That's because those girls don't know how to do it right" Ann's voice was equal parts playful and bragging as she slid the waist of the pants up under the robe then pressed against where it was behind the robe, pressing against it with either hand and sliding the clothing the rest of the way up her body all without ever showing more  than just a little bit of her calf.

Toby couldn't help but be impressed by this display of cunning, skill and confidence, wondering to himself  ~...but how is she going to put her shirt on?~ As Ann pulled it from her shoulder, turning her head to face the window. Suddenly, one of Ann's arms disappeared into the sleeve of the robe, carrying the shirt with it, the other quickly following  and then suddenly, leaning back and bending forward a bit, her head followed suit, the robe bulging a bit in all directions and rustling around before suddenly falling to the floor,  a bit of Ann's mid back showing for just a moment as she rolled her shirt the rest of the way down, having already tied the built in drawstring of the pants and pulled her shirt most of the way over her torso.

"So....what'd ya' bring?" Ann pointed to the books As she sat down in "her" chair again, scooting it around and grabbing a turkey leg, sinking her teeth into it's soft, juicy meat, the deliciously savory taste sending a tingle though her whole body as her tongue pressed up against the tender food, glad to quell the hunger that had been steadily growing in her.

"Ah, I brought some introductions to magic usage, since you've never done it before, OH, and I also brought some books on magical theory and lore, and...." Toby's voice trailed off a bit as he excitedly went and retrieved the books, carrying them back by hand.



Several hours later, the sun had already set, a cool breeze blowing through the night. Logs burning in the fireplace light the study. Ann sat with her legs curled up into the chair she sat in, quietly fixated on a book in her hand, reaching over without looking and picking a piece of turkey off the plate, having deboned the food earlier. Fangs sat silently beside Ann having not left her side again since he'd returned from the staircase of the tower.

Every now and again, Ann would take a piece of turkey and slip it to Fangs, who would gently and carefully take it from her hand, even though Toby had told him to stop mooching Ann's food from her earlier before bidding the two farewell for the night and retiring to his quarters, explaining that he'd have to get up early to start work on preparations to send Ann home.

As Ann continued to read, she could feel her eyes growing heavy, the warmth of the fireplace and the feeling of food in her stomach making her feel drowsy. Grumbling a bit, Ann rubbed her eyes as she moved her legs out from the chair, standing up and raising her arms above her head, stretching her body out before looking down to Fangs, reaching out and petting his head a few times. "I think it's time for me to head to bed..."

Fangs just nuzzled Ann's hip lightly in response, watching her from where he sat as she made her way over to the staircase, pressing her hand against the doorway to brace herself as she turned back to Fangs and gave a smiling wave, Fangs reaching up with one paw and waving back as best as he could before standing up and walking over to the fireplace, circling a few times and curling up in front of it, his tail pulled around him.

The path back to Ann's room was lit by several small orbs of soft, dim white light, about an inch in diameter, something she would have marveled at with more  enthusiasm if she weren't so sleepy. As she opened the door to her room, a slightly brighter light poured though the doorway, emanated by a six inch diameter crystal orb set on her desk.

~Huh...I don't remember that being there....~ Ann thought to herself as she stepped into the room, closing the door behind her and noticing a note written on a piece of paper next to the orb. Picking the paper up, she began to silently read it, her mind's voice repeating what she read.

~Dear Ann, I sincerely hope your first day here with me has been a pleasant one, despite the misunderstandings. I also hope that the things you've learned and read today were satisfying  to your  curiousities. I've taken the liberty of preparing a basic light enchantment for you, all you have to do to brighten or dim the light is run your finger up or down the edge of the orb. I also left you something on the bed to help you if you have trouble sleeping. Sleep well.... your friend, Toby~

Looking from the note to the orb, Ann reached out and pressed her left index finger against the center of it, gently running it downward and causing the light to fade down to near total darkness before bringing it back up. "Neat" Ann sat the note carefully back down beside the orb, looking over to the bed and noticing a shaggy, grey stuffed wolf doll sitting near the pillow, cocking a single eyebrow at the sight.

~He's sweet, but what does he think I am, a little kid? I haven't slept with dolls since I was eight~ turning  the orb down again, Ann pulled back the blankets, which she figured Toby had re-made since he'd left the these things for her, and slipped between them and the soft mattress setting the stuffed doll near the edge of the bed.

Closing her eyes, Ann laid flat on her back for what felt like an hour, desperately tying to let her mind drift into a sleep but simply unable to. Slowly, deliberately, Ann opened her eyes again, staring for a moment at the ceiling through the dimness of the room. ~It's.....its just all so much. It's not bad but....It still feels strange....being so far from home...heck, i'm not even in my home WORLD anymore....and find out magic is real....and so much to learn about it.....and, ugh....what am I going to tell Mom and Dad when I get home? What if they've got the police searching for me right now! They must be worried sick.....~

Ann's mind continued to race for a bit, a grizzled expression on her face as she turned her head to the side to look out the window, her gaze instead fixing on the doll at the edge of the bed. "........"

After a brief hesitation, Ann reached out and snatched the plush doll up, pulling it underneath the blankets with her and snuggling close to it, surprised both at how soft it was, and how much better it was already making her feel to cling to it. "....your name is Scruffy now....goodnight Scruffy...." Ann quietly whispered as she closed her eyes again, slowly drifting off into a peaceful slumber.












Meanwhile, in Toby's chamber.....

~Damn you Fangs you devil! You told Ann you were taking all this to be cleaned.....SHE'D HAVE STOPPED YOU IF SHE KNEW THIS IS WHAT YOU MEANT AND YOU KNOW IT!~ Toby fumed as he shuffled about, trying to get comfortable with the cloths, dishes and sundries that Fangs had strewn about all over his room, mostly on his bed.