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*Our story begins on a dark snowy night in the realm of the impossible, Pipwolf is walking through the Spookwood Forest all by himself*
Pipwolf: Gawrsh, what a purty night. It’s so nice out here, I think I might…
*He howls at the three moons in the sky*
Pipwolf: Heh. I’m always gettin’ mooned.
*As he chuckles to himself, his ears perk up as he hears a spine-chilling screeching sound from afar, he curiously tilts his head at this strange sound*
Pipwolf: What’s that?
*He follows the sound as it gets louder and more intense, he then hears a distressed voice*
???: No! Please! Leave me alone!
*Pipwolf’s eyes widen and he begins to run to see what’s the matter, he dashes through the forest as he follows the sound of the screeching, until finally, he sees something in the distance, he gasps when he sees a woman being surrounded by shadow-like creatures*
Pipwolf: What in the-?!
*The woman is shaking in fear and covering her eyes*
Woman: Somebody! Anybody! Help me!!
*They begin to advance towards her, until they hear Pipwolf’s voice*
Pipwolf: Hey! Get away from her!
*The shadow creatures turn around to face him, the woman uncovers her eyes and looks at him in surprise*
*Pipwolf growls and runs towards the shadow creatures on all fours, he tackles one of them, it shrieks as it hits the ground, a few more sneak up on Pipwolf from behind, but he just punches them without even turning around, the woman watches in amazement*
Woman: Oh my..
*The shadow creatures jump on Pipwolf, but he stands up and shakes them off with a roar, he kicks them and sends them flying into trees and rocks, one of them gets up and starts to advance towards the woman, she screams and huddles against a tree*
*Elsewhere in the woods, we see a muscular figure in a hood covering their face, they appear to be looking for something, and then they hear the woman screaming, the figure gasps softly in concern before running off to follow the sound*
*Back with Pipwolf, he turns around and sees the shadow creature approaching the woman, he lets out a monstrous growl and tackles it before it can maul her, he sinks his claws into it and throws it across the thicket, he approaches it menacingly and it trembles upon seeing him*
Pipwolf: Get outta here!
*He turns to the other shadow creatures, who freeze when he lays his eyes on them*
Pipwolf: And that goes for you too!
*He lets out another roar, the shadow creatures squeal in fright and immediately fly away, yelping in terror as they do, the woman looks surprised by this*
Woman: H-How did you-
*Pipwolf turns and looks at her*
Pipwolf: Are ya okay, miss? Those nightfallers are real menaces.
Woman: Y-Yeah. Thank you for saving my life.
*Pipwolf takes a closer look at her, he realizes that she has pale blue skin with what looks like scales on her arms and legs, she has dark greenish blue hair that covers one of her eyes, and she has a blue snake eye*
Pipwolf: Gawrsh! Are you…a gorgon?
Woman: Uh..well..
*Suddenly, the woman's hair rises and a bunch of snake heads stare at him*
Woman: Mm-hmm.
*She pats her snakes on the head*
Woman: Don’t be afraid. He seems friendly.
Pipwolf: Holy…! I’ve read ‘bout yer species in my books, but I never saw one myself!
Woman: Uh, yeah, guess there’s a first time for everything.
Pipwolf: My name’s Pipwolf, how ‘bout you?
Woman: Well, I’m-
*And right then, the hooded figure bursts in and sees Pipwolf with the woman, they clench their fists and run at Pipwolf*
Pipwolf: Oh, howdy, who might ya b-
*The figure tackles Pipwolf to the ground, the woman shouts in surprise and her snakes squeak in shock when they see this*
Pipwolf: Whoa! What in tarnation?!
*The figure raises their fist and snarls, only for the woman to grab them by the wrist*
Woman: Wait! Stop! Stop! Stop!!
*The figure turns their head and looks at her, Pipwolf looks scared and confused by this*
Woman: Let go! He didn't do anything wrong! He saved my life!
*The woman's snakes squeak in protest at the figure, the figure then puts their hood down, revealing themselves to be another gorgon woman, her skin is a paleish peach color and she has green scales on her arms, her snake hair is green and curled up, and she has red eyes instead of blue, she’s wearing sunglasses, Pipwolf is stunned by how beautiful she is*
Pipwolf: Holy howlers… *He whispers in awe*
Second Gorgon: He did…?
Woman: Yes, Madi! Pipwolf saved me from a swarm of nightfallers!
*Madi’s eyes widen at the mention of such fearsome beasts, she lets go of Pipwolf and gets up and becomes exasperated*
Madi: What?! You shouldn’t have let yourself get separated from me! They could’ve ended you!
Sadie: I’m sorry, Madi.
*Madi sighs and shakes her head*
Madi: Are you okay, Sadie? Nothing broken?
Sadie: No no, I'm fine, I promise.
*Madi sighs in relief*
Madi: Thank goodness..
*She turns towards Pipwolf and gives him a stern look*
Madi: If you ever lay a hand on my kid sister, I won’t be afraid to sic my snakes on you! You got that?!
*Her snakes unravel themselves and hiss at him*
Pipwolf: Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it… *He says in an enamored tone*
*Madi cocks an eyebrow at him*
Madi: Good! Nobody messes with her on my watch.
*Pipwolf snaps out of it and shakes his head*
Pipwolf: What were ya doin’ out here, anyway?
Madi: Why do you need to know?! Do you have to be that nosy?!
Sadie: Hold on, Madi, it’s not that personal. We came in to gather petrifade powder from the petriflowers.
Pipwolf: Oh! I read about that! It turns people who’ve turned to stone back to normal!
Madi: Someone’s a real bookworm, huh?
Pipwolf: It was part of my guide studies, but I still do the occasional studyin’ even after I graduated.
Sadie: Fascinating! I'm actually interested in ancient history myself, like artifacts, wizards and witches from long ago, and…I’m rambling again, sorry.
Pipwolf: No prob. How’d ya get separated?
Sadie: I was distracted by some fairies, and by the time I turned around, Madi was gone.
*Madi then gives her a frustrated look*
Madi: You know you gotta stick by me, Sadie! You never know when you’ll come across…them.
*She looks terrified at the thought of the nightfallers and wraps her arms around herself, trembling*
Sadie: I’ll stay focused, I promise.
Madi: And we still haven’t found any petriflowers! What if we come across them again?!
*Sadie looks nervous*
Sadie: Oh, you’re right! And they’re immune to petrifaction!
*Pipwolf looks at them in concern*
Pipwolf: Are ya scared of ‘em?
*Madi looks flustered and gets defensive*
Madi: What?! Don’t be ridiculous! I’m not scared of anything!
Sadie: Well, I am…
Pipwolf: Well, how ‘bout I find ‘em with ya so ya don’t hafta be alone?
Sadie: Oh, thank you, we could really use the extra help.
*Madi thinks to herself for a moment*
Madi: Maybe he isn’t so bad… *She thinks to herself*
*Still, she doesn’t want him to see her vulnerable side, so she crosses her arms*
Madi: Fine! But I’m only keeping you here to protect Sadie! It’s not because I need the help or anything!
*Pipwolf tilts his head in confusion*
Pipwolf: Ok..?
Sadie: S-Sorry about my sister, she’s rather intense, but she’s quite nice once you get to know her.
*Pipwolf offers his hand to Madi*
Pipwolf: If it’ll make ya feel better, you can take my hand.
*Madi is tempted, but she doesn’t want to look weak*
Madi: No way! I don’t need to!
Pipwolf: If ya say so.
*Sadie and her snakes look at Madi in concern, and then they press on, Sadie whispers into her sister’s ear*
Sadie: You know, it’s not weak to be a little vulnerable, Madi..
*Madi looks down at the ground when she hears this*
Madi: I just…I can't… *She whispers back*
*Her snakes nuzzle her, she once again puts on a tough face, and then they come across silver flowers that are growing out of the ground*
Pipwolf: Yeehaw! It’s even better to see these beauties in the flesh!
*Sadie tries to pull them out, but she starts getting tired*
Sadie: Phew…they’re harder to uproot than they seem.
*Madi pushes up her sleeves*
Madi: Leave it to me, Dee.
*She starts pulling some out of the ground, with a tremendous yank, she manages to tug it out*
Madi: Aw, yeah, baby!
Pipwolf: Lemme try.
*He reaches out and starts yanking on it with all his strength, it pops out of the ground*
Pipwolf: I got it!
*Sadie’s eyes widen and her snakes squeak in surprise, Madi looks at him with her mouth hanging open, she’s impressed, her snakes look equally as shocked*
Madi: H-How did he-?
Sadie: Wow! That was incredible!
Pipwolf: I’ve been workin’ out, I learned from another fellow werewolf.
Sadie: Hey! Madi does that too!
*Madi snaps out of her surprised state and looks smug*
Madi: I-I mean, how’d you think I got so buff?
Pipwolf: That strength of yers is mighty cool.
*Madi looks flustered, but she tries to hide it*
Madi: Put those in the bag, Dee, and let’s just go.
*Sadie giggles, she places the petriflowers in some jars before putting them in her bag, and they start to move on, just then, they hear a voice that makes Madi’s blood run cold and Sadie’s heart skip a beat*
???: Madusa…Sadie…
*Madi stops dead in her tracks, Sadie looks around anxiously, Pipwolf looks alert*
Sadie: Is…is that…?
Pipwolf: What? What’re you talkin’ ‘bout?
*They hear the footsteps pattering, followed by the snapping of a twig, Pipwolf and Sadie instantly whip their heads around, while Madi slowly turns with a look of dread on her face, right behind them is a much taller nightfaller with horns, he is flanked by two other nightfallers and he is smirking*
Big Nightfaller: Well, well, well, look who came crawling back.
Madi: Not you again…! *She says in a horrified tone*
Pipwolf: Again?!
Sadie: Lord Kieran?! What are you doing here?!
Lord Kieran: Isn't it obvious? ..you've destroyed most of my army, so with that in mind, it's only fair that I finish what I started. Now, you’re going to join your parents.
Pipwolf: What?!
*Madi’s pupils shrink in horror and she breaks into a cold sweat, her snakes hiss at him, Sadie hides behind her, her snakes squeakily whimper and faint*
Sadie: N-No!!
Lord Kieran: Go, you two! Finish them off!
*The two nightfallers run towards them and screech, Madi is frozen with terror and has shut down, everything around her resembles a black void from her point of view, tears start to go down her face*
*The nightfallers lunge at Madi and Sadie, but Pipwolf stands in their way, taking the full brunt of the impact*
Lord Kieran: How foolish, putting yourself in danger for them! Looks like I’ll have three casualties!
*Pipwolf then kicks the nightfallers off himself*
Pipwolf: Not tonight! Not ever!
*Sadie looks up and watches him as the fight ensues; Pipwolf claws one in the face, another jumps on his back, but he just throws it to the ground, he then whips one with his tail, throwing it into a rock*
Lord Kieran: What?! How could such a scrawny werewolf fight back so well?!
Pipwolf: Don’t let my looks fool ya!
*Madi is still too distressed to pay attention, she wraps her arms around herself and continues to weep*
Madi: No, please, no…!
*A bunch of visions are flashing through her head, she has a vision of herself and Sadie as children, they’re lost in these woods*
Young Madi: Mama! Papa! Where are you?!
*Young Sadie clings to her older sister*
Young Sadie: I’m scared, Madi.
*They hear an ominous voice*
???: Hello, little girls.
Young Madi: What?! Who’s there?!
*Lord Kieran steps out of the shadows, a horde of nightfallers is right beside him, Young Sadie shouts in fright and hides behind her sister, her snakes squeal*
Young Madi: Who are you?! What do you want?!
*Lord Kieran scoffs*
Lord Kieran: You haven’t heard of me, Lord Kieran, the leader of the nightfallers? Pathetic. Nobody enters our turf and makes it out alive..
Young Madi: Not if I can help it!
*She whips off her shades to try to turn them to stone, but nothing happens*
Young Madi: What?!
Young Sadie: How’s this possible?!
*Lord Kieran chuckles and rolls his eyes*
Lord Kieran: Oh, you poor fools. Nightfallers aren’t affected by that. Now, men…destroy them!
*The nightfallers screech and chase the sisters, the girls scream in fear and run for their lives*
Young Sadie: MOMMY!! DADDY!!
*Their parents are looking for their daughters*
Father: Oh, Sue, where could they be?
Mother: I don’t know, Gordon.
*Her snakes look down in worry, and then they both hear their daughters screaming*
Young Madi and Sadie: HELP!!!
*Gordon and Sue gasp in horror and then follow the sounds of their daughter’s cries for help, they find them being pursued by Lord Kieran and his horde*
Gordon: Girls!!
*Sue’s eyes narrow, her snakes hiss angrily*
Sue: You stay away from our daughters!!
*They then run into the fray, Gordon punches a nightfaller in the face and Sue gives another a roundhouse kick, the girls stop running and witness this in shock*
Lord Kieran: How stupid! Two simple gorgons like you are no match for us!
*Gordon slams one nightfaller to the ground and Sue face-slams another, but it isn’t long before the nightfallers overtake them, they scream in pain and distress and collapse to the ground, Young Madi holds Young Sadie close and covers her eyes with her hand to spare her the sight*
Young Sadi: Mommy?! Daddy?!
Young Madi: No!!
*Gordon looks up weakly*
Gordon: Go on without us.
*Young Madi’s eyes well up*
Young Madi: We can’t!!
*Though Young Sadie still can’t see anything, she starts to tear up*
Young Sadie: What about you?!
Sue: Go. Live your lives.
Gordon: Please…be brave for us.
*He takes Young Madi’s hand and smiles at her one last time, before he and Sue are finally completely covered in the nightfallers, finally, with tears in their eyes, Young Madi and Young Sadie finally run out of there*
Lord Kieran: Cowards!!
*We go back to the present, Madi is hyperventilating and clutching her aching chest*
Madi: Papa…Mama…no..! *She says through her sobbing*
*Pipwolf shoves the nightfallers to the ground and claws them, they lie there weakly and start to fade into nonexistence*
Lord Kieran: No!! You cheat!! I’ll have to do things by myself!
*Sadie turns to her sister and wraps her arms around her to calm her down, her snakes nuzzle her face, but before it can do anything to snap Madi out of it, Lord Kieran grabs Sadie by the snakes, she screams in fear and pain*
Pipwolf: Sadie!
Sadie: LET ME GO!!
*Only then does Madi snap out of her shutdown and she sees her sister being held up in front of Lord Kieran’s face, he snarls at her*
Lord Kieran: It’s time for you to go!
*Pipwolf then lunges at Lord Kieran and claws him in the face, he roars in pain and drops Sadie to the ground, she tries to crawl away, but he steps on her snakes to keep her from getting away, they shriek*
*Pipwolf attempts to claw Lord Kieran, but he just lifts him up, Madi stands there, unsure of what to do*
Pipwolf: Do somethin’, Madi!
Sadie: We…we need you!
*Madi gets a look of pure rage on her face, she and her snakes hiss at the shadow monster*
Madi: Get your filthy claws off my sister!!
*She screams and finally punches Lord Kieran in the face, causing him to stumble backwards and lose his grip on Pipwolf, he unknowingly frees Sadie and her snakes as well*
Lord Kieran: Why, you!!
Pipwolf: Aw yeah, baby!
*He howls loudly, the others cover their ears, and while Lord Kieran is incapacitated, Pipwolf and Madi both lift him up and slam him into a rock, Madi then has her snakes bite into his leg, causing him to scream, Pipwolf then headbutts him, knocking him into the dirt*
Sadie: I’m helping too!
*She then bites Lord Kieran on the arm, he then gets up and throws them all off*
Lord Kieran: ENOUGH!!
*He pants heavily, Madi glares at him and gets in front of Sadie protectively*
Lord Kieran: Impossible! You were terrified of me, but then you faced me head-on!
Madi: Well, you didn’t leave me any choice in the matter, did you?!
*Lord Kieran growls at her*
Lord Kieran: I never thought I’d be outmatched, but no matter! One of these days, you will go down! I will see to that! You-
Madi: Just GET OUT! GO!!
Lord Kieran: Fine!
*He disappears into the forest, Madi’s indignant look becomes one of concern and she turns to Sadie*
Madi: Oh, gosh, you’re not too hurt, are you?
Sadie: N-No, a little anxious, but.. I'm fine.
*Madi sighs in relief, but then her smile fades and she looks guilty*
Madi: I almost lost you. Just like we lost our parents. And it’s all because I shut down.
*Pipwolf whines softly*
Pipwolf: Madi?
*Madi’s eyes start to sting*
Madi: Okay, fine! You were right! I am scared of nightfallers! They freak me out, but I didn't wanna admit that I was afraid! I didn’t wanna be weak, and then I was!
Pipwolf: And…what Kieran said ‘bout your parents, is it true?
*Madi tries to keep it in, but she’s clearly struggling to*
Madi: I…I…
*She starts to cry, her snakes hang their heads*
Madi: Yeah! It is!! I couldn’t do anything to save them!!
*Pipwolf looks at her like a sad puppy, he feels awful for her*
Madi: Mama and Papa would be so disappointed if they saw me like this right now! *She says through her sobbing*
*Sadie and her snakes look saddened by this*
Sadie: Wha- Madi! Mommy and Daddy loved you! They'd never be disappointed in you!
Pipwolf: And…it’s okay to be afraid.
Madi: No it’s not! Papa told me to be brave for him, but I wasn’t! *She says through her sobbing*
Pipwolf: Madi, bein’ brave doesn't mean yer not allowed to be scared. If anythin’, it's much braver to admit that you're scared, than it is to keep yer fears hidden.
*Madi looks at him in surprise*
Madi: …You.. really think so..?
Pipwolf: Yep. And bein’ brave is workin’ through it no matter how scared ya might be.
Sadie: And you helped save me from Kieran, that’s amazing.
Pipwolf: I couldn’t have taken him down without ya.
Madi: And…about that…thanks for protecting my sister. Sorry I jumped you earlier.
Pipwolf: No prob, Marble.
*Madi blushes, she’s looking all flustered*
Madi: M-M-M-Marble?
Pipwolf: Well, it suits ya, considering yer ability and all.
*Madi’s snake flusteredly squeak and curl up, Madi quickly hides her face with her hands*
Madi: …Y-You know what? I think we gathered enough petriflowers for one night.
Sadie: Maybe we should only find them during the day so we don’t have to run into Kieran anymore.
Madi: Good call.
*She looks around nervously*
Madi: But what if there are more out there?
Pipwolf: We can fight ‘em off together.
*Pipwolf offers his hand to her*
Pipwolf: By the way, would this help?
*Madi hesitates for a second, but she takes it, and she does feel better*
Madi: …Yeah.
*She smiles at him, and with that, they walk through the woods together*
(The end)