Animal Kingdom Come (Chapter 4)

by

Shadow Bunny Dragon

"Be right there!" A light feminine voice called out from a back room shortly after the bell above the front door jingled. Elliott looked around at all the bright and rather loud colors that blended and swirled about. Bolts of cloth in so many different colors could be found just about everywhere in the shop. The outside of the building had been a light brown, with the whole structure looking as bland and uniform as possible to all the other buildings around it. This could not be further from the truth in relation to the interior.

"Oh, hello there, Melody!" An excited chipmunk in a lavender dress walked over to give Melody a hug.

"Hi there, Annie! We're here for Elliott's appointment." The older mouse lady casually pushed the nervous, and still soaked, Elliott forward. The chipmunk named Annie took one look at two thirds of their group and gasped.

"Oh my goodness! What happened?"

That is when Eliana proudly marched forward and smiled. "I accidentally fell into the water and my new big brother, Elliott, jumped in to save me! And then Daddy jumped in to save the both of us!"

Julius snickered as Sasha scowled while looking pointedly at the former human among them.

"Oh dear! Well, not to worry, I have plenty of fresh towels that you are all more than welcome to use!" Annie scampered over to a nearby desk, pulling out three neatly folded fluffy white towels, quickly returning and handing them to the wet rodents. "Please feel free to dry off in the changing rooms. And as for you, young Elliott," the mouse boy in question froze as a single one of her manicured claw-fingers pointed right at him. "When you're all dry, you can head into the room in the back, and we can begin getting your measurements!"

"Uhm... o-okay..." Elliott squeaked out, unsure of why he felt so nervous, especially since the chipmunk wasn't even a head taller than himself. Yet... it was as though he felt some sort of... force just radiating from her at all times. Somehow, he knew that despite her... harmless appearance, that Annie the tailor was not someone to mess with. With more of a shuffle to his gait, Elliott trudged into an open changing room, having seen Sasha escort Eliana into another that was right next to the one the king had chosen for himself.

"Now, Melody, have you reconsidered the light blue number that I think would just look adorable on you?"

"Oh no. It's a cute dress, but definitely something more for a young lady."

Annie and Melody's voices drifted in through the closed slats of the door. Elliott stripped off his clothes, glad that they were no longer dripping, and handed the shirt and the trousers on a pair of nearby hangers. Seeing a full-length mirror, Elliott looked himself over again, still amazed at the transformation. A sudden gentle knock to the door to the changing room causes Elliott to jump and instinctively wrap the towel around his waist.

"Elliott, honey," Melody's voice called out. "I found you a spare pair of trousers as a loaner. When you're ready, come on out and we can get started on getting you some properly fitting clothes!" A pair of folded brown pants is suddenly hung over the top of the door. Sighing, he takes and pulls them on, to find that they are definitely a few sizes too big for his frame. Grumbling, having always hated going clothes shopping with his previous caretakers, he rolls up the pant legs and exits the room, holding the pants up as he walks over to a private room Melody is standing right outside of, beckoning him towards it. Entering it, he finds shelves stuffed full of bolts of cloth, in all conceivable colors, reaching all the way to the ceiling.

"Okay, Elliott," Annie said, scribbling something down on a clipboard. She smiled and motioned to a slightly raised platform in the center of the room. "Hop on up, and we'll have you looking fashionable in no time!"

Elliott frowned and walked to said pedestal, seeing it was an upside-down plastic cup. Rolling his eyes, Elliott hopped on top. He wasn't sure just how much time overall passed through the process, just that it felt like it went on forever. He was measured all over, being gently poked and prodded into standing in the best positions for the measurements. He was asked about colors he liked, colors he didn't like, and even what his favorite color of all was, with the answer of it being green seeming to suffice.

"Alright, I think I have a good feel for what you would like to wear," Annie said in a triumphant voice. She then snapped her fingers, and a bunch of different strips of cloth separated themselves from their bolts and began to swirl around a confused and worried Elliott, most of them some color of green, with some golds and silvers and even brown earthen tones also making an appearance. Annie snapped her fingers again and the cloths all froze mid-air. She motioned with her finger over to a miniature sewing machine, and got to work. Elliott watched as the cloths flowed like water, quickly reshaping and resizing. Jumping when Elliott felt a hand be placed on his shoulder, he turned and looked up to see the excited smile on Melody's muzzle.

"Annie will have an outfit just for you whipped up in no time!"

"Uh... th-thanks," Elliott said, feeling awkward. He'd had to go clothes shopping before, but rarely was he asked what he wanted, often having to get his clothes off of the bargain racks. Sometimes he wasn't even asked what he wanted, and was simply told what he was going to wear.

"Of course, Honey-pie! Why, we can even get you the beginnings of a whole new wardrobe!"

"Huh?" Elliott asked, not immediately receiving an answer, as Annie was soon at his side, holding up some folded bundles of cloths.

"Ta-Da!" Angie sing-songed, practically shoving the clothes into a confused Elliott's arms. Before he could ask anymore questions, he was being herded back out the door. "Quick! Back to the changing room! I wanna know that this fits for sure and what you think about it ASAP!"

Sputtering, Elliott was struggling to keep his pants up as he was walking past Sasha, Julius, and Eliana, the latter two having dried off and were still wrapped up in their own towels. Elliott gulped after he entered his changing room. Not bothering to actually inspect his new clothes first, Elliott instead quickly started to pull the shirt on, it being a deep forest green. Next came the pants, these ones a much darker shade of brown than the pair he had just pulled off. Elliott stopped for a second to admire how the clothes didn't feel too loose or too tight. The final piece of his outfit was some kind of dark brown vest. With that on, he looked back at his reflection, his breath catching in his throat.

The shirt was more of a tunic, with a short v-shaped opening down the front of the neckline, inside of which was a criss-crossing drawstring to help close it. Encircling the cuffs and the collar, including the short v, was an intricate series of circular symbols that alternated between silver and gold. The pants came with basic black belt already threaded through all the belt loops. It had a gold and silver belt buckle on the front. It was a match to the similarly colored buttons that went up the front of the vest. Elliott had no trouble in securing them all, and was soon exiting the changing room in his new outfit.

"OOOOH! Unless I'm mistaken, it's a perfect fit!" Annie cooed, scribbling more things down on her clipboard.

"What do you think, Elliott?" Melody asked.

The more he examined himself, the more the smile playing at the corners of his muzzle became more frequent.

"I like it... it's really comfortable, and I like the colors."

"Yay! I can take that into account for the rest of the wardrobe outfits!" Annie chimed in, making more drastic scribbles on her clipboard.

"OH!" Eliana began bouncing on her father's knee in excitement. "He'll need a fancy outfit for the upcoming ball!"

"Princess..." Sasha hissed, only to be waved off by the king.

"That sounds like a great idea, princess," Julius said with a wink to Elliott and Melody.

"How far off is the ball again?" Melody asked.

"It will be next month," Julius answered simply, yet causing Elliott to freeze for a moment.

"A month?" He mumbled to himself. He turned to regard Melody. "Uhm... h-how long will I be stuck like this?"

Melody looked away, rubbing her left forearm. "Oh dear..."

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"M-Melody?"

"Elliott... Argus is working to find a way to reverse your transformation... but he has theorized that it may take... some time to figure out..."

"H-how much time d-did he estimate?"

Melody couldn't meet Elliott's gaze.

"A year... maybe several..."

That rang out in a hollow echo in Elliott's mind. "S-several years?" He was quickly pulled into a hug by Melody, who kept whispering how sorry she was about all of this.

"I promise, sweetheart, that Argus and I are going to do our best to help you." Melody looked so somber as she said it, yet with a twinkle of determination in her eyes.

A deep voice cleared their throat nearby, and Elliott turned to see Julius, standing there with just a towel wrapped around his waist, yet an air of regality exuded from him as he stepped forward and took a knee.

"Young Elliott, I Julius, King of the Kingdom of Paragon, would like to humbly apologize for your accidental transformation."

Everyone was silent, staring transfixed on the scene playing out before their eyes.

"Y-your majesty, you shouldn't--" Sasha began, only for Julius to cut her off.

"Twice now, unprompted, you have gone out of your way to save two of my people. The first being young Holly, who no doubt would no longer be with us had you not intervened when you did. The second, after your act of heroism and kindness had been repaid with a terrifying chase through the woods, culminating in your severe injuries and subsequent transformation; you helped to save my very daughter. I and my kingdom owe you a debt of gratitude. I swear, here and now, upon my honor, to assist in any way as well in the search for a way to allow you to regain your human form."

Despite this being just a tiny tailor shop, and despite Julius's current state of dress, and the fact that he too was just a tiny mouse only a head taller than Elliott... he just seemed so... powerful right then and there, like his words literally carried a physical weight to them. Elliott gulped, unsure of how to proceed.

"Th-thank you, uhm your majesty."

* * *

After Melody put in a few more orders for Elliott, with the mouse boy in question being tasked with giving his input, they were soon off, after Julius and Eliana had changed into dry clothes. The two groups soon had to go their separate ways as a messenger, a nervous-looking squirrel in an odd red and white uniform, delivered a sealed envelope to the King himself. Julius read it and nodded, and explained that he was being called back to the castle on some urgent business. Sasha had seemed relieved, while Eliana had made a bit of a fuss, thankfully being convinced by Melody and the promise of spending some more time in the near future with her new big brother, and the little mouse princess allowed herself to be led away with her father and bodyguard. Melody decided to show Elliott around the city some more, listing off anyplace that had some kind historical significance as they passed by.

"Oh! Mr. Hammertoe's Blacksmithing and Metalworking Emporium started out as just the quaintest little blacksmith's back when we were first setting things up! Then as the city expanded and we started to learn about different methods of construction and crafting, he took to it like an otter to water! And to think, just a few years ago he took on his first two apprentices!"

As Melody continued on, Elliott's mind and gaze wandered. Fresh knowledge of finding out that he could be stuck as a mouse for years and years was still echoing around in his head. He stopped in his tracks when he saw down some steps into an open circular clearing a flash of azure. Looking closer, he saw a collection of small animal people, all wearing the same color blue cloaks and/or robes. And at the center of them all was a very familiar-looking rat.

Watching intently, while he couldn't hear them, he could very clearly see that Argus was leading the conversation, and actively directing the others into smaller groups with his arms, pointing to a piece of parchment in between. With a dismissive shooing motion, all of the other blue-clad folks bowed and began to scurry off, breaking up into the little assigned groups. Elliott continued to watch curiously as Argus seemed to sigh and shake his head, rubbing his temples, before turning and briskly walking down an alley. Sensing an opportunity to get some hard answers directly from the source, Elliott turned and guiltily looked to Melody, who was enraptured about the history of a nearby fountain that had a carved dragon spraying water directly up into the air from its opened maw.

Choosing to not hesitate a moment longer, Elliott leapt over the railing and crouched low while scurrying after Argus, checking behind himself to ensure he hadn't been seen. He didn't want the rat to know he was following him just yet, so Elliott kept his distance for now, having a little trouble keeping track of just where Argus was. He would turn a corner only to have a few seconds to locate a flash of blue cloak, before it disappeared down another back alley. How anyone could find anything in this city was an achievement to Elliott. He was jogging down the narrow alleys, taking a left, then a right, then another left. He kept doing this for a while, before he took a corner into a much wider area and collided with someone. They let out a girlish squeak as the two, in a tangle of flailing limbs and tails, tumbled over one another. They finally came to a stop with Elliott on the cobblestone ground, the wind knocked out of him, and an ever familiar face looking at him.

"Uh... hi?" Elliott blushed up at the girl, whose name he vaguely remembered as being Holly, sitting on his chest.

"Uhm... h-hi!" Holly said, rolling off him and adjusting her cream-colored blouse and skirt. She reached down to help Elliott to his feet. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah... how about you?" Elliott found himself blushing and feeling embarrassed.

"Eh, just a little surprised. that's all." Holly took in Elliott and his new wardrobe, smiling and giving a nod of approval. "Glad to see that you're much better today."

"Uh... thanks," Elliott blushed some more, wondering where the blue cloaks had gotten off to. "It's... Holly, right?" Remembering his manners, and suddenly thinking about Mrs. Melody, he quickly held out his paw for the girl mouse before him to shake. "I'm Elliott."

"Nice to meet you, Elliott!" Holly said, enthusiastically taking his paw into hers and giving it a hearty shake. One which Elliott was a little surprised hadn't outright dislocated his shoulder, considering the strength she put behind the shake. They let go at the same moment there came a set of footsteps.

"Holly? Are you okay? I heard a noise?" Michael, the black-furred mouse, now wearing a bright red tunic and tan trousers, came hurrying from around another corner, paw on the hilt of a very clearly wooden broadsword. His grip tightened when his eyes fell onto Elliott.

"You!" The black mouse ran over to put himself between Elliott and Holly, wooden broadsword drawn. "Step back, fiend!"

"Michael! He didn't do anything!" Holly gave Michael a shove to the side, causing him to stagger a bit.

"Holly! He's a human!" The would-be knight tried to keep a whine out of his voice, only being partially successful.

"So?" Elliott asked defensively, which got the yellow eyes of the other boy focused right back onto him.

"So? You things are the greatest threat to everyone in or around Paragon!" Michael practically snarled, his grip on the wooden broadsword tightening.

"Michael!" Holly gave him another shove, but this time failed to move the boy, who had taken a fighting stance. Elliott, eyes wide, started to back away a bit, but too little too late. A red energy rippled out from Michael's hands as he unsheathed the wooden sword. He was saying something Elliott couldn't fully comprehend, but the red energy flared brighter just before Michael made a slash at Elliott. Elliott closed his eyes and waited for the impact. While he heard a sudden dull thud, he oddly couldn't feel it, or any of the pain he was anticipating. Opening his eyes, he saw Melody standing before him, holding the wooden sword in the paw she had just caught it in, a blue-green glow coming from her eyes. Where Michael had looked furious and confident, he was now mouth agape, and clearly terrified. Holly, on the other hand, had gone from looking horrified, to looking amazed at the sight before her.

"Muh... Mrs. Melody?" Elliott was able to eke out from his barely functioning mouth. The older female mouse in question turned to look back at him, and the serious expression on her face softened to one of happiness.

"Glad I was able to get here in the nick of time, sugar-pie!" The stern expression on her face returned within seconds as she turned to face Michael. "Mikey, I cannot comprehend just what it is that you thought you were doing, but I am very ashamed and disappointed in you!"

Michael seemed to shrink back from each word hurled his way. He held up a shaky finger and pointed at Elliott.

"B-but, h-he accosted my sister!" Mikey defended.

"I have been watching the entire time, Michael. Do not lie to me, young man!"

"He's a human!"

"As of right now, he's a mouse, just like you and Holly here. And even if he wasn't that is still no excuse for choosing to use an Art on someone in public! Elliott's injury has only just been healed enough for Treacle to allow him to walk around. Your little stunt could have had him laid up in his room for a week!"

"B-but--"

"Enough!" Melody twisted her wrist, and the sword handle seemed to spring free of the other boy's grasp. She then reached out with her free paw and grabbed one of Michael's ears, tugging on it.

"OW!"

"I think that you and I need to have ourselves a little chat with Captain Raynor and his recklessness in teaching you how to use Arts when you are clearly not ready for the responsibility!"

Michael practically whined as Melody started to lead him away. She then turned back and gave Holly and Elliott a smile.

"And, Elliott, sweetie, if you wished to speak with Argy so badly, you needed have only asked. He should still be right ahead down that alley," she motioned with the wooden weapon to the correct path.

"Thanks... Melody..." Elliott said in a soft voice, not used to having others stand up for him.

"Always, honey!" Melody then resumed leading Michael away down a different alley.

"Sorry about my brother. He can be really stubborn sometimes..." Holly rubbed her arm and looked embarrassed.

"Uh... i-it's okay, I guess," Elliott said, feeling more than a little awkward to be talking to the mouse girl. "Uh... I think I need to get going..."

"Right! You wanted to ask the Royal Wizard something!" Holly guessed, looking excited.

"Yeah... sorry about knocking you down..."

"Oh, please, Michael bowls me over first thing in the morning on his way to the breakfast table almost all the time. It's no biggie. Besides, I need to get back home and explain to Mom why Michael's gunna be late." Holly's cheeks blushed a little as she straightened out her still straight blouse and skirt once more. The two quickly departed, and Elliott shook off the previous encounter, focusing on confronting the Royal Wizard. He came out onto a small garden, with paths made in between the large swaying flowers. Spotting Argus, he quickly dove in between the green stalks, and watched. He then watched Argus enter through a door set into the stone brick wall that he could have sworn wasn't there before. Wasting no time in running up to it and peering through the keyhole.

"Are you going to come out and ask me your questions or are you simply content on spying on me and my doings for the rest of the day?"

The deep voice of the white rat caused Elliott to freeze, his breath catching in his throat. He slowly peeked through the keyhole to see Argus staring right at him, arms crossed, and impatiently tapping his foot. Not satisfied with how slow you were to respond, he simply rolled his eyes and pointed a finger at the door, giving it a flick. The entire door turned into a brown and gray cloud that the young mouse instantly fell through onto his front. He recovered and turned to look up in awe at the cloud as it drifted behind him and reshaped itself back into a door shape, with the metallic gray parts shifting over to the hinges and the knob. With a POP, it was once again a door, as solid as before.

"Well, boy?" Elliott's attention snapped back to the annoyed wizard, his reason for seeking out the magical rodent returning.

"Mrs. Melody said that... you're researching a way to change me back, right?" Elliott asked, seeing the rat's demeanor change, going from one of mild irritation to one of clear discomfort.

"That is... correct..."

"And she said that you said... it might take... years?" Elliott watched the wizard closely, seeing how he was now unable to meet his eyes.

"Unfortunately... that is correct..."

Elliott stood there in stunned silence... feeling a surge of a white hot anger course its way through his veins while prickly tears started to gather at the corners of his eyes. He clenched his paws into fists and looked up defiantly at the rat.

"Th-that's... THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Elliott pointed an accusatory finger at Argus, who jumped a little, as though he'd been struck. His surprise rapidly morphed into a scowl.

"In case you had forgotten, boy, I was the one who saved your life! If it hadn't been for me, you would have bled out! If you hadn't tried running away, you'd still be human, with some minor alterations to your memory, and be back doing... whatever human boys your age do!"

"I WOULDN'T HAVE RUN IF YOU HADN'T BEEN SHOOTING WEIRD MAGIC BALLS OF LIGHT AT ME! WHAT WAS I SUPPOSED TO DO?! JUST STAND THERE AND LET THEM HIT ME?! FOR ALL I KNEW, THEY COULDA KILLED ME!"

Argus opened his mouth to argue... but instead shut it and looked away, ashamed.

"I... I know... I'm sorry... boy..." His voice was softer now, almost tender.

"My name isn't 'Boy', it's Elliott!" Elliott sniffed and wiped at his nose with the handkerchief Eliana insisted he carry with him.

"... I'm sorry... Elliott... I know that this is all... a lot to have to suddenly take in, especially for a child... but I promise you that I am looking in to how I can fix it."

After his outburst, Elliott felt drained, and found himself sitting in the recycled sponge-chair by the alchemy table. His ears were practically hanging limply at his back.

"... Thank you... for working on trying to fix it... and, uhm... thank you for saving my life, too..." Elliott mumbled this in a very quiet voice, with Argus looking on, perplexed, but intrigued. Argus nodded and scratched his chin.

"I suppose... if you were to lend me a hand in my daily tasks as the Royal Wizard, you could present me a chance to study you and your physiology every time an opportunity arises..."

"You mean... like a wizard apprentice?" Elliott asked, a part of him excited at the prospect.

Argus shook his head and groaned. "I have more than enough apprentices to deal with as it is... you'd just be more like... a test subject, at least for the time being."

Elliott took a moment to mull this possibility over in his head, before nodding and giving his reply.

"Okay!"