SWNOVELS Chapter Visit From Dorothee
“Hey Dorothée...?” Ijimicko asks, while walking next to his favorite girl.
“Huh?” Dorothée asks.
“Which house do you think Eeko stays at?” Ijimicko asks.
“I have no clue, actually,” Dorothée says.
“How can we visit him, then?” Ijimicko asks.
“We’ll find a way...” Dorothée says.
Dorothée caries her present for Eeko gently. They enter Town of Rules and look around. Everywhere they look, a wolf is slaving away at pointless tasks.
“I don’t see Eeko...” Dorothée says, sounding really disappointed.
“Me neither... I wonder what they’ve done to him!” Ijimicko says.
“Looking for someone?” a Wolf Girl asks.
This Wolf Girl stands at the edge of her property, but even though there appears to be nothing stopping her, she doesn’t cross a particular point. Dorothée and Ijimicko can tell right away that this girl is pregnant and yet she is still working just as hard as everyone else.
“Shouldn’t you be resting?” Dorothée asks.
“Can’t. My master won’t allow me to rest,” the Wolf Girl replies.
“That’s a shame...” Dorothée says.
“I’m due next month. Us Wolf Girls give birth in two months each time. Every 14 months, we are forced to get pregnant again,” the Wolf Girl says while gently stroking her belly.
“Horrible! Your master deserves a punch in the face!” Ijimicko says.
“Please don’t... At least he gives us a whole year to bound with our babies before we have to get pregnant again...” the Wolf Girl says.
“Anyways...have you seen a boy with medium length black and gray hair?” Dorothée asks.
“Yeah. He lives on that property over there,” the Wolf Girl says.
She points to a piece of land a little while away.
“Okay, thank you so much! I wish I could do more for you!” Dorothée says.
“Thanks... Our hero will arrive!” the Wolf Girl says.
Dorothée and Ijimicko run to the land where Eeko lives. When they get there and cross the line, they are greeted by a litter of pups who eagerly lick their hands and shoes.
“Awwww! They’re adorable!” Dorothée squeals.
“Don’t forget they’ll be slaves in a few years...” Ijimicko says.
“But they’re so cute and innocent!” Dorothée says, “Can we steal them?!”
“No, not a good idea...” Ijimicko says, “They’ll grow up into a bunch of Eeko.”
Dorothée pouts.
“Let’s just find Eeko and give him his birthday present,” Ijimicko says.
“Yeah... Sorry, pups... We’re on a mission...” Dorothée says.
“Aw man!” they cry out and run off to find their mother.
“Do you hear that?” Dorothée asks suddenly.
She halts and holds her arm out to prevent Ijimicko from going any further. The wolves in the storm cellar are singing again and their song carries on the breeze.
“Yeah, sounds like a bunch of dogs with stomachaches...” Ijimicko says, rolling his eyes.
“No, no. It may just be howling and whimpering, but if you ask me, I’d say it sounds rather musical. It’s as though someone is trying to sing!” Dorothée says.
“Well, I still think that it’s dogs with stomachaches,” Ijimicko says, stubbornly digging at the hard ground with his foot.
Some dust flies up and they both cough.
“Yuck. I definitely wouldn’t want to live here!” Ijimicko shouts.
“Shhh...Not so loud, someone might hear us...” Dorothée says.
The two follow the sound of the wolf song to where the storm cellar is, but they stop short and gaze around, not seeing anyone.
“I could have sworn the music was coming from here...” Dorothée says.
“DOROTHÉE!” Eeko cries out from the storm cellar.
“Oh! Why didn’t I think of that?!” Ijimicko asks, grabbing the storm cellar lid and opening it.
“Iji, you’re here too?!” Eeko asks.
“Are they going to save us?” one Wolf Girl asks Eeko.
“Yes, but only temporarily,” Eeko says.
Dorothée and Ijimicko climb down the ladder into the storm cellar with the chained up group.
“How will you get our chains off?” a Wolf Girl asks.
“Where’s the lock?” Ijimicko asks.
Eeko uses his tail to point to a lock.
“Heh, and I can tell you’ve had a bath, Eeko. You look slightly clean for once! Hah!” Ijimicko says.
Ijimicko goes to the lock and fidgets in his pocket for a while before producing a lock pick.
“This was originally used for if I ever get my door stuck, but I think this will also fit into this lock,” Ijimicko says, “Just because I’m saving you guys doesn’t mean I like you.”
The girls giggle and blush.
“Ijimicko saves us again!” one squeals.
Ijimicko blushes.
“It’s no big deal, really!” Ijimicko says.
The lock breaks and so does the lock pick. The chains fall off and the Wolf Girls excitedly get up and stretch.
“How did you end up down here anyways?” Dorothée asks.
“We refused to participate in Eeko’s coming of age party. He refused first,” one Wolf Girl replies.
“It was horrible!” Eeko says.
“We came to visit...We made you a present, too,” Dorothée says.
Ijimicko looks away in embarrassment as Dorothée hands Eeko his present.
“Thank you, this means so much to me! I haven’t had a gift in years!” Eeko says.
His tail is wagging excitedly and he starts ripping the wrapping paper off. He gets to the paper box they constructed and he slowly lifts the lid. He smiles and pulls out his new shirt.
“A shirt!” he says.
After the longest time of suffering, this small gift is enough to return the sparkle to his worn tires eyes.
“It says something on it, Eeko,” Ijimicko says.
Eeko turns the shirt around and reads the letters.
“Hope,” he says.
“Yes. All hope is not lost,” Dorothée says.
Eeko’s ears twitch and he frowns. A look of fear crosses his face.
“You two could get in big trouble for freeing slaves from a punishment...” Eeko says.
“What’s the worst they could do to us anyways?” Ijimicko asks, cracking his knuckles.
“You could be sent to the Snyvolon Castle Dungeon...” Eeko says.
“Well...they’ll never know it was us...” Ijimicko says.
“Go, go now! I don’t want to hear later that you’ve been hung in the dungeon!” Eeko says, hugging his new shirt.
Ijimicko and Dorothée flee the property as quickly and quietly as they can. Eeko cries and puts his new shirt on. To keep others from seeing he got a new shirt, he transforms into a wolf to hide it.