Dolce's Story Chair - Jingles and the Wishbringer (Part 4)

Dolce: Dad.
Dad: Yes, Dolce.
Dolce: Do you have something to say to my furriends.
Dad: Merry Christmas? Happy Holidays?
Dolce: No! You promised a story. A full story no interruptions this year!
Dad: Dolce. Do you know what life is?
Dolce: Of course I do. What is it for Beans?
Dad: Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.
Dolce: Oh.
Dad: I am sorry. I didn't give your story the attention it deserved.
Dolce: You should be.
Baci: Chicken! Chicken! Chicken! Chicken! Chicken! and Ham!
Dad: Was that Baci?
Dolce: Just ignore him. Please. Just Ignore him.
Dad: The reason your story has been delayed, paused, stopped, interrupted is that sometimes your bean's brain writes more than a simple blog can contain. This years story grew a bit larger than intended. So I had to sit back and refocus the story. The story I would tell you and Baci as you curled up beside me next to our fireplace with your mom and grandma baking gingerbread in the kitchen.
Baci: Is there chicken in Gingerbread?
Dolce: No, stoopid brother. Otherwise it would be called Chickenbread.
Baci: Ooohmm! Chickenbread!
Dolce: Baci! You're drooling again on the Story Chair.
Dad: Before Dolce and Baci start arguing again, let me start the much delayed four chapter of ...


Jingles and the Wishbringer

Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh rode for many days on Sangilak's warm furry back. Myrrh even found herself falling asleep curled into a tight little ball in Sammy's lap. Tinker rode for the most part, but he also ran along Sangilak's side. He ran until his shorter legs could no longer keep up with the lanky Husky and then he jumped back up onto Sangilak's back and curled up next to his sister, Myrrh. Sammy sat upright and took in the sights and sounds of the forest and meadows they passsed through.
Sammy found the scenery quite beautiful. Although he was getting a little homesick for his warm fire and freshly baked cookies and hot chocolate from the Workshop cafeteria. He shifted his weight on Sangilak's back as he felt a twinge grow in his lower legs. Sammy looked down at Sangilak's back. There was something different about Sangilak.
"Are you doing okay, Sangilak?" Sammy asked as he shuffled his weight around.
"I feel fine." Sangilak replied. "I have not had this good of a run in a long time. Why do you ask?"
"It feels different back here." Sammy stated as he tried to move his tail bone off of the Husky's spine. "Are you getting taller and thinner?"
"I don't think so." Sangilak mused. "But I have never ran this long this far before."
Sammy nodded quietly and he went back to admiring the scenery and gently petting the two cats curled up asleep in his lap.
The strange foursome headed south for another week and a bit. The days had grown darker and darker a little bit at a time.
"I hope that Jingles is okay." Tinker said as he scampered next to Sangilak.
"I w..." Myrhh started to speak, but quickly caught herself. "I hope that everyone at the North Pole is okay too."
Sangilak turned his head to look at Myrrh. His brow furrowed slightly.
"They will be okay." Sammy stated. "As long as Jingles keeps the TiDE from going out, the North Pole will be on a different time than the rest of us."
"What about Christmas?" Tinker asked. "What if we don't find the problem by then?"
"We have until Christmas Eve. We can slow time or speed it up but we cannot go backwards. It is the same technology that permits Santa to visit all the children who believe in one night." Sammy said. "Once the TiDE is allowed to go out, the North Pole will race to match up with us. To them it will be as if nothing happened. Santa will get on his sleigh and will make his rounds like he does every year."
"That all sounds very complex." Sangilak said.
Tinker looked up at Sangilak. The great Husky's voice sounded a bit deeper and had more of an edge than it had when they first met. Tinker noticed that Sangilak was also looking more like the wolves that had nearly captured them in the forest. Tinker hopped up onto Sangilak's back.
"Sammy." Tinker tried to whisper so that Myrrh and Sangilak could not hear him. "I think Sangilak is changing."
"Yes, he is." Sammy whispered back. "I don't know how. I didn't hear Myrrh make a wish and when I asked her she said she has not made a wish."
"Should we be worried?" Tinker asked.
"I don't know." Sammy replied. "No matter what his exterior, Sangilak's heart is true. He has done nothing to deserve our fear."
"Okay." Tinker replied as he hopped back down to run in the light snow.
Neither Tinker nor Sammy noticed the penetrating stare Sangilak gave each of them.

Soon the foursome found themselves at the edge of a large human city at the dawn of the darkest day of the year. Sangilak stopped a good distance from the edge of the city.
"This is as far as I can take you." Sangilak stated. "I cannot go into the city with you."
"Why not?" Tinker asked as he leapt off of the Husky's back, "We can cover so much more distance with you."
"Although I was once a trusted friend of humans. " Sangilak replied, "I will no longer be welcome within their midst as a free creature."
"Why not?" Myrrh asked as she dropped to the ground and sat beside Sammy and Tinker.
"Because of you." Sangilak stated as he turned his great blue eyes firmly on Myrrh. "I never told you how I found you in the woods. While I was wandering in the Forest after being abandoned, I felt a voice calling me. I then caught your scent on the Great Northern Wind. It was like a brilliant blue ribbon floating through the trees. You called me, Myrrh. The Wishbringer called and I answered."
"No I didn't." Myrrh stammered as she shuffled her gaze from Tinker to Sammy and back again. "I promised them I wouldn't."
"Are you sure?" Sammy asked. "Back in the forest, when we were all cold and tired, you didn't make a little wish?"
"I'm sorry." Myrrh said softly. "I didn't say it out loud, but I did wish that we didn't have to walk anymore."
Sammy frowned slightly.
"I think that you not only brought our friend Sangilak to our rescue." Sammy mused, "But I think you also brought the wolves. One way or another, that night in the forest, we weren't going to have to walk anymore."
"I'm sorry." Myrrh started to sob.
"Don't cry, Myrrh." Sangilak nudged the cat with his great nose. "Once I found out that you are the Wishbringer, I have been making a wish everyday."
"What wish would that be, Sangilak?" Tinker asked.
"I have long been part of two worlds, but never belonging to either." Sangilak replied sadly. "Abandoned by humans, untrusted by wolves. My wish was to belong to one or the other. I thought that by taking you to the human world, I could once again live and be loved amongst humans."
"But instead, You're becoming a wolf." Tinker finished Sangilak's thought. "I thought you were looking more and more wilder."
"I made a wish." Sangilak said, "And the Wishbringer answered. I must go now. You only have a short way to travel to reach the human city."
"We would have never made it this far without you, Sangilak." Sammy said.
"If you hadn't come along." Myrrh purred and rubbed her body against Sangilak's long right foreleg. "We would still be far far away."
"You have granted me my heart's desire, Wishbringer." Sangilak lifted his head and he sang out his first true wolf cry. Sangilak lowered his head gave Myrrh a playful nudge and then gave her right cheek a big slobery lick. "I have named you to the Winds, Wishbringer. You and your friends. None who listen to the Wind will harm you. Ever. That is my gift to you."
"Take care, Sangilak." Sammy said sadly.
"You too, my Friends." Sangilak replied.
"One more thing, the scent of something terrible floats on the winds from over there." Sangilak motioned to a group of human houses. "It blows with the colour of danger and of Shadow. Maybe that is the source of your misery."

Sammy, Myrrh and Tinker watched as Sangilak trotted away from them. Sangilak paused at a small break in the tree line. The three companions sat and listened to Sangilak's mournful wolf song as their departing friend tried out his new found voice. A soft stillness deadened the winter air. Then, in the distance another mournful cry answered Sangilak's question.
"Friends!" Sangilak had cried out. "I bear news!"
"Come friend!" the far off voices had replied. "Tell us your tidings!"
"The Wishbringer has come." Sangilak replied joyfully to the newly risen full moon.

"Angels, We have heard on High." Sammy hummed as he wiped a tear from his cheek.
"What is that?" Myrrh asked.
"Just another thing humans got wrong." Sammy smiled as he coaxed his two furry friends onwards.

Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh headed to the collection of houses that Sangilak had pointed out before his departure. It was a small cul-de-sac of ten houses. Nine of which were brightly decorated. One of the ten had a sparse string of white christmas lights upon its rain gutters. This was a house that was trying to be in the holiday spirit, but Sammy could sense that there was no hope or happiness behind the yellow glow of the house's decoration.

Sammy pursed his lips thoughtfully. Sangilak had steered them to the the right house. This is where he, Tinker and the Wishbringer needed to be.






To be continued....