the Tortoise and the Princess

In a story written by "mindlovemisery" entitled "The Princess and the Wolf"  it seems apparent that the wolf is going to end up as a dashing prince and win the fair hand of the homely princess Willa.

Of course this will break the heart of her faithful companion, 'the tortoise' who has cared for her and protected her while he carried her all about her father's kingdom through her developing years.

Now that she is ripe and ready to emerge from her homely acne years and develop into the 'fairest maiden in the land', a sneaky low down silver wolf appears from the bowels of the earth with a grin that would put the Cheshire Cat to shame.

A glib tongued rascal that has practiced his sneaky chicanery on many a fair maiden, the wolf has all the right words to confuse the budding damsel, Princess Willa, and trick her into who knows what.

Well the tortoise knew because he was not a fool. He had seen many of these tricky wolves and had seen many a maiden's heart broken and lives ruined by the silver tongues of this pack of evil wolves.

"Beware Princess Willa. I knew his father, his grandfather and his great grandfather.  They do not turn into handsome princes that will treat you with love and kindness. The turn into handsome devils that will trick you into submission. Once you  submit to their bite you will forever be their slave."

"But Tortoise, he does not seem as you say. He speaks clearly and I can detect a kindness in his heart."

"The only thing he has in his heart is the sole of the greatest devil wolf of them all. His great grandfather was the wolf that you have heard your grandfather whisper about, the wolf who slaughtered children and then bayed at the moon in defiance of all that is good. His grandfather was 'Garulayn the Terrible'. The only thing that could kill him was the bite of a tortoise and I am the tortoise that bit him."

"Ha, cried the wolf. No one as slow as you could get near any wolf let alone the great Garulayn. You are to slow and clumsy."

"I tricked him as I have tricked you. Come on Princess Willa let's leave this vile place lest his his stench transforms us into the likes of him"

The wolf howled a wicked evil noise that sounded like a banshee from the devil's own private guard and transformed his body into that of a man. But that man was not a handsome prince but a terrible brute that looked more like an ape than a man.

"Tortoise," he grunted. "I challenge you to a fight. Let's see if you really are Tortoise enough to defeat the grandson of the mighty Garulayn."

The tortoise, although wise, made what seemed to be a mistake of accepting the challenge and rose to his hind legs to fight the wolf-ape man. But, before the tortoise could get to his full height the wolf-ape charged him knocking on his back which was the most vulnerable position a tortoise could find himself in.

All the tortoise could do was lie helpless as the wolf-ape man bit off one of front legs.

"I should destroy you now but I will leave you here to die a slow painful death."

The wolf-ape man grabbed the horrified Princess Willa and carried her into the forest.

The tortoise warned her never to agree to let the evil wolf creature bite her.

An owl that was sitting in a tree watching the entire scene flew down and landed on the Tortoise's belly.

"That wasn't very smart. Now look at you. One front leg missing and you're on your back. What are you going to do."

"That evil creature is as dumb as his grandfather. He fell for the same stupid trick".

As the tortoise spoke he began to transform into into a man. He became twice as big as the wolf-ape man but he was without an arm.

"You cannot fight the wolf-ape with only one arm. He will destroy you."

"Maybe, but I cannot allow the Princess Willa to remain a slave to those foul animals.

He followed the trail of wolf-ape. It was not hard for the wolf-ape did not carry the princess. He pulled her by his hair as his cave-man ancestors once did.

to be continued...