The sun rose on a new day as the coach started to slow down, and voices woke up Bubbles and Flora from the slumber that had been inevitable for both of them to fall into. The wolves exchanged a few words outside before the coach continued on inside the camp. "Nothing special to look at," one of the wolves said, but Bubbles could easily hear that he was joking. They were most definitely something to look at.
The door to the coach slammed open, and a cold wind blew inside, messing up their hair. They had come a great deal further away from the Kingtree, Bubbles realized as she felt the outside wind. The air was colder, and she could spot the leaves on the trees outside – they were orange and red. Luckily, there was no snow on the ground yet. They had not reached the Ice-kingdom yet. Thought… in the current situation, being saved from the wolves, even if it was by the Ice-kingdom, might be favorable. Of course, there was no use pondering hypotheticals, she reminded herself.
"Come on out, my sweets," one of the wolves said, "and meet your new captors."
At least he did not hide their intentions, she thought, and started to step out of the coach, but Flora stopped her. "Let me. I should be the first."
Bubbles nodded, and Flora stepped out of the coach, her head held high, though her height was nothing special to a pack of wolves, who were far larger than any fairy. Bubbles had heard that a wolf cub was as big as a grown fairy. The thought shook her to the bone. One thing was running into a grown wolf; another thing was running into a cub who did not have its bloodlust under at least some control.
Bubbles quickly followed Flora outside, who had taken position a few feet away from the coach.
She looked around to take in the sight of the camp. Hedges of blackberries spread out over the entire camp, making navigating around the camp difficult. In the center of the camp, surrounded by a circular arrangement of blackberry hedges, was a huge pile of food, in no particular order. Bubbles thought it rather unhygienic but did not comment on it. And was that the smell of raw meat? She thought and almost threw up as the scent hit her.
A group of wolves from the camp was quickly starting to gather around them to get a good look. They did not approach too close, though, as the ones that had brought them in were keeping them at a distance. "Wait until the pack leader is here. He will decide what to do with them," one of the wolves said.
Just as he had said that the crowd started to spread down the middle as a large wolf walked towards them. He was bigger than any of the others, with shining silver fur and deep green eyes. His ears were tall, similar to a fairy in shape, Bubbles thought, and wondered if he had a mixed lineage. His muscles flexed as he walked, a stark contrast to both hers and Flora's bodies, soft in shape, both due to their female and fairy characteristics.
"Sit down," the tall wolf growled at them, but there were no chairs, so Bubbles and Flora found themselves looking around for a bench or something similar, before one of the wolves that had brought them in gestured to a pile of hay.
"You have to stay here for a while," the leader told them with stern eyes piercing through them. "We have enough trouble without having to deal with the death of a fairy princess and… another fairy."
"You are having issues?" Flora asked, which immediately turned the expression of the leader into a softer look.
"Issues are an understatement," the leader sighed, "our cubs are being kidnapped by goblins. They come into our camp during patrols where we are the weakest, and steal our kids from right under our noses," he growled. "It is an embarrassment and a tragedy."
"I am so sorry," Bubbles said, not knowing how to continue from there.
"Sorry!" the leader snapped at her, "sorry! Those disgusting little demons are ravaging our women and eating our children. Sorry doesn't cover the feelings I have boiling over in me, and it sure doesn't make it any better that you only feel sorry!"
She wanted to repeat herself but made sure to keep her mouth shut.
"Do you fairies even bother to think past yourself or your little tree?" the leader snorted and continued before they had a chance to answer. "But them in chains and drag them away." He paused. "But don't harm them – for now."
They were brought away by the two guards who had picked them up in the forest, who finally introduced themselves as Markus and Martin. "Our mother named us something similar to keep track of the cubs from the same litter," Martin explained.
"Ah, you are brothers," Bubbles concluded, trying to cement their partnership with some small talk.
"Obviously," Markus said with a grin, "explains the similarities in our ugly features, does it not?"
Martin grinned at the comment, and Bubbles carefully laughed as well, though she did not know if it was appropriate for her to laugh at their self-deprecating jokes.
"I don't feel so good about this," Bubbles whispered to Flora when they were alone in the room, or rather, the prison cell they had been lodged in.
"Me neither," she answered, "but I have no way out of this situation."
"Do you think the pair of wolves will honor our deal?"
"I don't trust it, but they might be our only hope."
Bubbles sighed, "I wish we could have had them promise something else. A promise to free us if things go awry in our plans is not exactly… ideal."
"I agree," Flora said, "though I prefer to look at our situation as an opportunity."
"Opportunity?" Bubbles asked, "What are you planning?"
Flora looked at her for a moment, and as their eyes met, she wanted to spill all of her secrets to her. She touched her hand, "I wish I could tell you, but alas, I dare not. Someone could overhear us."
Bubbles felt her heart sink. She had thought for a second that Flora had truly let down her guard with her, let her in, despite their differences in the past. "I understand."
Flora leaned forward, "But perhaps I can give you something else," she said, their lips almost touching.
"Divide them," they heard the leader say from outside their prison cell, before the door was yanked open and Flora was pulled out.
"You will have to stay somewhere else, sweet princess," Markus, the wolf who had captured and struck a deal with them. "Though it would be a shame to have your friend here be alone for the entire evening, would it not?" he asked and looked towards Bubbles with an evil grin.
"Let me go, you beast," Flora struggled to get out of his grip. "I can walk myself, thank you very much."
"Alright, alright, princess," Markus said and put her down. "Just don't even think about flying away."
"Hmpf," Flora said as she strutted away, keeping in mind not to use her wings, which would likely result in a wolf pouncing on her, to keep her from flying away.
"Wrong direction, princess," he said and pointed in the opposite direction to the one she had been heading towards. "You are going to have dinner with our pack leader."