The girl walked along the forest path, swinging her basket and humming to herself. She stopped frequently as her fancy struck her, to smell a clump of flowers, or look at a bird flitting about among the trees. Watching her, you might have thought that she was simply lost.

Which was, in fact, what the one watching her thought. He licked his lips in anticipation of easy prey. This one looked like it would be simple to take down. It wasn't even paying attention. He crouched down, ready to pounce, when suddenly the girl turned around and looked straight at him.

"Hello? Who's there?" she called, her voice sweet and clear.

He froze, unsure of what to do. She took a few steps towards him, and he decided that further hiding was useless. He'd have to try a different approach. Standing up, he walked clear of the bushes and out onto the path. As he revealed himself, the girl gasped a little, her eyes widening.

"Oh! You're a wolf! How pretty!"

He stopped walking, and blinked at her. This was an unusual reaction. Usually when humans saw him, they turned around and ran screaming from him. He repressed the urge to chuckle. This prey might be easier to fool than he thought. He smiled at her and said, "Yes, I am just a wolf passing through this forest. I saw you and thought you looked lost. Might you be in need of help?"

The girl shook her head, and the hood covering it fell down a little, revealing long hair, with one wisp sticking straight up on the top of her head. "No, I'm just on my way to my grandmother's house. She's sick in bed, you see, and I'm taking her some food." The girl indicated her basket, and the wolf took a sniff. Indeed, it seemed like the basket contained some meat, and some other type of food as well. He tried to stop his mouth from watering and focus instead on the larger prospective meal in front of him.

"Ah, I see," he said, forcing his voice to be congenial. "And where does your grandmother live?"

The girl waved her hand vaguely. "Oh, just down this path. I've only been there a few times before, but I remember it was pretty easy to find."

The wolf paused. Here was unexpected news. She had a sick grandmother, who would undoubtedly be slower and weaker than this girl. And she was close by, even. Perhaps he should switch to this other prey. Giving his toothy grin again, he said in a syrupy voice, "Well, as long as you aren't lost. It's rather dangerous in this forest, after all. You never know when you might run into trouble."

"Oh, I'm fine! I'm sure I can find my way from here. Thanks for your concern, Mr. Wolf! See you!" She waved at him cheerfully, then turned around and began to meander down the path again.

The wolf melted back into the shadows of the forest. He silently sped alongside the path, quickly passing the oblivious girl. As he was unfamiliar with the forest, he decided to follow the girl's directions and stay next to the path. Soon, he reached a small clearing in which stood a solid little cottage. He slowed down, and approached the window cautiously, standing up on his hind legs to peer inside.

The cottage was dark, and the wolf saw no traces of anyone being at home. He sniffed the air. There was a scent of a human female, but it was faint. It appeared as if she had left her house some time ago.

He sat back down, disappointed. There went his easy lunch. Unless...the girl was still coming to the cottage. He grinned. Maybe he wouldn't have to miss out on lunch after all.

Pushing open the door of the cottage, the wolf looked around the space inside. Spying a bed, he quickly clambered into it and covered himself with the blanket as fully as he could, hoping that the girl was as airheaded as she had seemed.

A scant few minutes later, a knock sounded at the door. The wolf cleared his throat, trying his best to sound like an elderly lady as he called out, "Come in."

The door creaked open. Light streamed into the room, followed by the girl with the hooded cape. She approached the bed slowly, smiling as she said, "Are you awake, Grandmother?"

Damn. She hadn't said her name. He would have to wing it. "Yes, I am. Is that you, dearie?"

"Yes, I brought you some food, Grandmother." The girl held up her basket, and the wolf tried very hard not to let himself drool. He was getting very hungry indeed.

"Put it on the table there, dearie, and come see me." He watched in anticipation as the girl set down her basket and came towards him.

As she approached, however, her steps slowed. She squinted suspiciously at the form on the bed, and said, "My, Grandmother, what big ears you have."

The wolf cast his thoughts about frantically for an explanation to his undeniably lupine features. "Uh...all the better to hear you, my dear."

Taking another cautious step forward, the girl said, "Grandmother, what big eyes you have."

He just needed her a little closer. "All the better to see you, my dear."

She took one more step, and the wolf grinned. She was within striking range. The girl gasped, "My, Grandmother what big, sharp teeth you have!"

Giving up the charade entirely, the wolf leaped from the covers and snarled, "All the better to eat you with!" He lunged.

But the girl jumped back, just as his jaws snapped in the air where her neck had been moments before. With a scream, she tore out of the cabin, and ran back down the path. Cursing his luck, the wolf struggled to disentangle himself from the blankets of the bed, howling in fury as the girl got farther and farther away.

Finally, he freed himself and ran down the path after the girl. Although his long legs ate up the ground quickly, he still didn't catch up to the girl until the end of the path. He was just in time to see her run into a gate enclosing a walled town. Snarling, he hurled himself after her, barreling through the gate and into sudden darkness.

Slowly, Fakir opened his eyes. The world was still in the blacks and greys of a wolf's vision. Blinking rapidly, he shook his head, and the world restored itself to color. Hurriedly, he looked around, hoping fervently to see a girl standing in front of him.

A questioning quack sounded from his feet. Looking down, his hope faded as he saw a small yellow duck sitting on the ground in front of him. He schooled his features so she wouldn't see his disappointment, and bent down to scoop her up into his arms. She looked up at him questioningly, and he gave her a reassuring smile. "It's all right, Ahiru. This was just the first try. This story didn't work, but I'm sure that I can figure something else out that will. I'll just have to write you a better story." Unconsciously, he squeezed the duck's little frame. Ahiru quacked again, and he gathered himself up, saying briskly, "Come on, let's get going home. Karon is probably wondering where we went all of a sudden."

He set his feet towards home, trying to ignore the disappointment in his heart, and the fear of his own powers. He was scared to admit that, while he had been the wolf in the story, he'd had a hard time controlling the baser instincts that went with such a character. He had barely been able to stop himself from actually trying to attack his love. He cursed himself silently as he walked. Ever since Drosselmeyer had disappeared, Fakir had been writing the stories of the people in Gold Crown Town, and hadn't had any issues with them.

Ahiru, however, was another story. He was determined to keep his promise to her, and make her back into a human. He simply couldn't bear to see the sadness in her eyes every day as she watched her friends and the other residents of the town go about their days, stuck in her spot next to him at the pond. He couldn't keep letting her be in pain, when the greatest pull of his heart was to give her anything in the world that she wanted.

He had spent over a month agonizing over the best way to do this, and had finally come up with this fairy tale story that seemed like it would work. All he had to do, he'd reasoned, was get her to enter the town as a human, and the magic of Gold Crown Town itself would do the rest. However, it seemed like that was not going to be the case. Shaking his head, he steeled his resolve. It wouldn't do to wallow in self-pity. He simply would have to try again. He began to sift through his head for new story ideas for Ahiru.

He had to find a way to change her back. He just had to.