Ambrose

KNICK APPROACHES THE CASTLE, AND FINDS HERSELF ALONE AT THE BASE OF IT. SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THE LAST SMOL WAS. SHE HADN'T SEEN IT, EITHER. SCANNING THE AREA, SHE SPOTTED WO PUSHING HERSELF TO HER FEET AGAIN, FACE BLEEDING SIMILAR TO KNICK'S, AND SHE WAS GATHERING ALL HER SMOLS AGAIN. THE RED ONE WAS BITING AT HER ANKLES AGAIN. POOR WO. OR, ACTUALLY, NOT POOR WO FOR NOT HELPING KNICK WHEN SHE WAS DROWNING. REVENGE. KNICK SUDDENLY GLANCED AT THE RED PAW ON HER NECK FROM THE SMOL THAT HAD BOWLED HER OVER. THE SMOL WAS NOW CLINGING TO HER NECK, CREATING A SMOL CAPE WITH THE THREE CLINGING TO VARIOUS PLACES. OF COURSE, THE LIGHT GREEN SMOL CONTINUED PADDING ALONG QUIETLY- IT SHOULD HAVE STOPPED, BUT INSTEAD WALKED IN CIRCLES AROUND KNICK. IT SEEMED TO BE FULL OF MORE ENERGY THAN SHE'D REALIZED. WO APPROACHED, BUT SPOTTED THE RED SMOL AND KEPT HER DISTANCE. KNICK TOOK A FEW STEPS BACK JUST IN CASE. NOBODY WANTED TO BECOME BURNT TOAST TONIGHT. THE SMOLS, HOWEVER, THOUGHT OTHERWISE. FROM OUT OF THE CASTLE STRUTTED THE FINAL SMOL, AND QUICKLY THE LIGHT WASHED OUT THE SHADOWS, REVEALING TO KNICK AND WO'S DESPAIR THAT THE FINAL SMOL WAS RED. THEY KNEW THE LEGENDS. IT ECHOED IN THEIR HEADS. KNICK QUICKLY COUNTED THEIR SMOLS. WO HAD 4 AND SHE HAD 4. THAT MEANT THAT THE FINAL SMOL COULD GO TO ANYBODY. BUT, EITHER WAY, A FIRE WOULD BE SPROUTING. THE FINAL SMOL LOOKED AT BOTH OF THEM, BEFORE SETTLING ON WO.

IT RUSHED FORWARD, TARGETING WO'S OTHER FREE ANKLE- AND, CONSECUTIVELY, WO'S FEET SET ON FIRE. THE REST OF WO'S SMOLS SCATTERED AND GATHERED A DISTANCE AWAY. KNICK'S SMOLS SUDDENLY VANISHED, TOO, APPROACHING THEM. EXCEPT, OF COURSE, FOR WO'S TWO MINI ARSONISTS; THEY WERE BUSY CLINGING TO HER ANKLES AS SHE RAN TRYING TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. KNICK WOULD HAVE TO DO SOMETHING. WO HAD LEFT HER TO DROWN, BUT SHE DIDN'T WANT TO LEAVE WO TO BE BURNED ALIVE FROM THE FEET UP. SHE RUSHED FORWARD, LUNGING FOR THE FINAL SMOL- AND YANKING IT AWAY FROM WO'S FEET AS SHE PAINFULLY HIT THE GRASS. AT LEAST IT WASN'T ASPHALT AGAIN. THE SMOL SQUIRMED IN HER HANDS, BUT AT LEAST WO WASN'T ON FIRE ANYMORE. SUDDENLY, THOUGH, WO SAID SOMETHING AND LOOKED UP. KNICK DID TOO. THEIR SMOLS WERE GATHERED IN SOME WEIRD CIRCLE, AND SEEMED TO SHARE A MOMENT OF TELEKENISIS WITH EACHOTHER. THEN THEY STOOD UP ON THEIR HIND FEET. AND DANCED. THE LAST TWO SMOLS RACED AWAY TO GO JOIN THEM, LEAVING THE SMOLS TO DANCE AWAY IN THE FLAMES. IT APPEARS THAT KNICK WOULD HAVE TO JOIN STORM IN THE HOMELESS-BECAUSE-OF-RED-SMOLS-CAMP. OH WELL. WORTH IT.