Sophie shook her head, watching the wolf’s ears follow the source of the sound. Presently, he sprang off the path and bounded into the forest, forcing Sophie to run after him.
Just as quickly, the wolf stopped and signalled to Sophie to stop and stay quiet. Pointing towards a clearing, he showed Sophie what he had heard from the path. Three men were sitting around a campfire, arguing. The focus of their argument was a young woman, not much older than Sophie herself, who was tied to a tree and dumb with fear.
The three men were arguing about whether to kill her and eat her straight away or to wait and see if her father sent the ransom they had demanded for her return. One felt that they should kill her now as well as any who came to deliver the ransom. The youngest felt that they should wait another day for the ransom. While the eldest, who seemed to be the leader of the group, broke into the bickering, saying, “The boss will be here in a few days, he will tell us what to do with her. We wait for him.”
“What should we do, Wolf?” said Sophie.
“We could try to save her,” said the wolf.
“I hope you have some sort of plan in mind,” said Sophie, looking at the wolf. “You don’t have a plan at all do you.”
“Saving her is my plan. I am a big picture thinker; I leave the details up to others.”
Sophie looked at the wolf through narrowed eyes for a second, deeply unimpressed by his evident lack of leadership skills. Still, he was a wolf, albeit a very fashionably dressed wolf and that could be used to their advantage.
“Wolf take off your suit, and put on your overcoat, said Sophie, as the sceptical wolf complied. Without his fine suit, the wolf, who was looking a bit bedraggled from his day hiking, was a much fiercer sight.
“Now what we are going to do is this, you are going to go to the camp and talk to the men.”
“What about?”
“About what ever men like that talk about.”
“Well how am I supposed to know what men like that talk about?”
“Wolf, you can talk about the Italian opera for all it matters, just keep them occupied while I release the girl.”
“Won’t they notice that she is gone?”
“Your job is to make sure they don’t notice. Besides you are a wolf, do what wolves do," said Sophie.
Reluctantly the wolf agreed, and standing up from his hiding place approached the camp.
“What do you want, stranger?” asked the eldest kidnapper.
“Just a seat by the fire and a bit of company for the night,” said the wolf, his glittering yellow eyes catching the fire. “Surely you can spare that.”
“What brings you here?”
“Same as you, a bit of robbery, bit of extortion. The usual,” said the wolf, watching as Sophie crept along the tree line making her way to the captured girl. “I see you have a job in the works.”
“Yeah, we’re waiting for the boss to tell us what to do with her,” said the eldest kidnapper. “He’s got a castle up in the mountains, and he likes his girls young, if you get my drift.”
“Indeed, and what do you get for your troubles?”
“He’s promised us treasure. They say that the banks of the lake around his castle are made of jewels.”
“I should like to see that,” said the wolf, watching as Sophie untied the girl and slipped with her into the forest.
“Well you can’t, the boss won’t like us talking about it, and he certainly won’t like us to bring a tagalong,” said the kidnapper, reaching for the axe leaning against the wood pile.
“Well, it has been lovely to talk to you gentlemen, but I have just remembered an important appointment that I have to make. So, if you’ll excuse me,” said the wolf, leaping up and bounding after Sophie and the girl.
Seeing that the girl had disappeared the kidnappers chased after Sophie and the wolf, gaining on them with every step. Sophie could almost feel their grasping hands as she ran, half dragging the frightened girl behind her. She felt sure that they would be captured, when out of the forest came the sound of gunfire. Sophie and the girl hid behind a fallen log. The wolf soon joined them, as a detachment of soldiers burst through the undergrowth, and felled the kidnappers with a volley of musket shot.
Looking up at the officer who stood by their hiding place, Sophie recognised her brother.
“You came just in time,” cried Sophie, hugging her brother. “You can take the princess home.”
“The king will want to reward you for rescuing his daughter; he will find you a lord for a husband.”
“Or you can have the reward brother, and we can have another adventure,” said Sophie, looking at the wolf.
“Yes, we have a lake with shores made of jewels to find,” said the wolf, who had completely forgotten about being sad.
Just as quickly, the wolf stopped and signalled to Sophie to stop and stay quiet. Pointing towards a clearing, he showed Sophie what he had heard from the path. Three men were sitting around a campfire, arguing. The focus of their argument was a young woman, not much older than Sophie herself, who was tied to a tree and dumb with fear.
The three men were arguing about whether to kill her and eat her straight away or to wait and see if her father sent the ransom they had demanded for her return. One felt that they should kill her now as well as any who came to deliver the ransom. The youngest felt that they should wait another day for the ransom. While the eldest, who seemed to be the leader of the group, broke into the bickering, saying, “The boss will be here in a few days, he will tell us what to do with her. We wait for him.”
“What should we do, Wolf?” said Sophie.
“We could try to save her,” said the wolf.
“I hope you have some sort of plan in mind,” said Sophie, looking at the wolf. “You don’t have a plan at all do you.”
“Saving her is my plan. I am a big picture thinker; I leave the details up to others.”
Sophie looked at the wolf through narrowed eyes for a second, deeply unimpressed by his evident lack of leadership skills. Still, he was a wolf, albeit a very fashionably dressed wolf and that could be used to their advantage.
“Wolf take off your suit, and put on your overcoat, said Sophie, as the sceptical wolf complied. Without his fine suit, the wolf, who was looking a bit bedraggled from his day hiking, was a much fiercer sight.
“Now what we are going to do is this, you are going to go to the camp and talk to the men.”
“What about?”
“About what ever men like that talk about.”
“Well how am I supposed to know what men like that talk about?”
“Wolf, you can talk about the Italian opera for all it matters, just keep them occupied while I release the girl.”
“Won’t they notice that she is gone?”
“Your job is to make sure they don’t notice. Besides you are a wolf, do what wolves do," said Sophie.
Reluctantly the wolf agreed, and standing up from his hiding place approached the camp.
“What do you want, stranger?” asked the eldest kidnapper.
“Just a seat by the fire and a bit of company for the night,” said the wolf, his glittering yellow eyes catching the fire. “Surely you can spare that.”
“What brings you here?”
“Same as you, a bit of robbery, bit of extortion. The usual,” said the wolf, watching as Sophie crept along the tree line making her way to the captured girl. “I see you have a job in the works.”
“Yeah, we’re waiting for the boss to tell us what to do with her,” said the eldest kidnapper. “He’s got a castle up in the mountains, and he likes his girls young, if you get my drift.”
“Indeed, and what do you get for your troubles?”
“He’s promised us treasure. They say that the banks of the lake around his castle are made of jewels.”
“I should like to see that,” said the wolf, watching as Sophie untied the girl and slipped with her into the forest.
“Well you can’t, the boss won’t like us talking about it, and he certainly won’t like us to bring a tagalong,” said the kidnapper, reaching for the axe leaning against the wood pile.
“Well, it has been lovely to talk to you gentlemen, but I have just remembered an important appointment that I have to make. So, if you’ll excuse me,” said the wolf, leaping up and bounding after Sophie and the girl.
Seeing that the girl had disappeared the kidnappers chased after Sophie and the wolf, gaining on them with every step. Sophie could almost feel their grasping hands as she ran, half dragging the frightened girl behind her. She felt sure that they would be captured, when out of the forest came the sound of gunfire. Sophie and the girl hid behind a fallen log. The wolf soon joined them, as a detachment of soldiers burst through the undergrowth, and felled the kidnappers with a volley of musket shot.
Looking up at the officer who stood by their hiding place, Sophie recognised her brother.
“You came just in time,” cried Sophie, hugging her brother. “You can take the princess home.”
“The king will want to reward you for rescuing his daughter; he will find you a lord for a husband.”
“Or you can have the reward brother, and we can have another adventure,” said Sophie, looking at the wolf.
“Yes, we have a lake with shores made of jewels to find,” said the wolf, who had completely forgotten about being sad.