Barely breathing, Hunter got out of the cold water of the river and laid on the ground. He felt his entire body shivering because of the effort. His breath was short and unable to provide enough oxygen, which made him lay still, almost lifeless. All he felt was a huge desire to stand up and start running, while his body trembled and felt numb and void of all will and strength. He just laid there, on the ground, feeling the ants crawling on his legs. He closed his eyes, slowly, allowing himself to fall into the deepest and sweetest dream that he had ever had.
Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced his snout. It was enough to make the large wolf stand on allert, ready to devour the intruder.
The intruder was standing, as tall and menacing as he could, right in front of him, with a dignified look on his face.
"What the hell?!?!?!?" thought Alexander to himself, while Hunter was growling at the grey cat, that stood proudly, and defying, in front of him. The spectacle was a hilarious one: a large wolf growling menacingly at a tomcat that was growling back, without showing any sign of fear. Neither of them showed signs of wanting to back down. Eager to put an end to it, Hunter leapt forward, ready to kill but, he was instantly slammed to the ground by something very heavy and very large. When he regained his consciousness, moments later, his entire body hurt and little colourful stars were dancing frantically in front of his eyes. Once the little dancing stars had disappeared completely, Alexander looked around, bewildered, trying to understand what had happened to him. Finally, his eyes focused on a gray tomcat, with large yellow eyes, looking dreamily at him. Oh, how he missed his human self! The words, his hands! He tried to speak and all he could hear were growles. This was too much!!! Too much! He needed to regain his ability to shift to human and back whenever he wanted. But, for the time being, he would have to live as a wolf, until he found a sollution to his problem. And he needed to make the gray cat disappear. He launched another attack on the cat which stood proudly, looking defiantly at him. But, just like the first time, he hit the ground in the most rapid and painfull manner. He felt dizzy and his back, snout and head hurt very, very much. His sight was foggy and unclear. As he laid on the ground, he tried to open his eyes: he managed. And the sight left him breathless: a very large and fierce dragon, with yellow eye, was spreading its wings in front of him while spitting fire.
"It is impossible! I must be imagining things! I am tired, that's why!", thought Alexander, trapped in Hunter's body. He blinked a couple of times. When he opened his eyes again, the dragon was gone. Instead, a cute fat gray cat was laying on the grass, in front of him, purring loudly.
With considerable effort, Hunter got up and walked slowly towards the cat which continued purring undisturbed. This time, the large dog kept his distance from the strange cat. He could tell that something was very different. Suddenly and intently, the cat looked straight into Hunter's eyes, making him kneel in front of him. Than, in a rapid move, the cat sticked its face in Hunter's and, resuming the eye connection, said to him, slowly:"Don't panick! I am the Dragon General! Angelica's right hand." added the cat, while climbing on the back of the wolf. Taken by surprise, Alexander started jumping and shaking as to escape the invader. But to no avail. The cat was firmly planted on his back and didn't seem very eagger to get off it.
Tired of so much agitation, Hunter laid on the ground. He barely touched the ground when he felt a sharp pain in his ribbs that made him stand while shrieking with pain.
'What the hell??????" thought Alexander looking enraged at the cat, ready to launch and attack.
"I am you commander and you are my soldier, Alexander. I am general Pluto and I command the army of Life Dragons. 10 of them. And the mission is to find them. Our mission. Me and you, the two of us, both..."
"I've got it! Find the f.... generals! Me and you! Shut up!", growled Hunter, baring its teeth in a menacing snarl.
Digging his claws even deeper into Hunter's fur, Pluto glared fiercely ahead and, summoning all his strength, shouted, "Straight ahead, General!" And Alexander, having no choice, marched straight ahead. And they kept marching, in silence, cat and wolf, mighty dragon and fearless human, general and soldier, until they got ou7t of the woods and arrived in front of a shabby inn, teeming with people of all kinds and from every stratum of society. Pluto dug his sharp claws into the skin of Hunter's neck, sending electric shocks down his spine. Stung by the pain, the furious wolf whipped his head around, clearly intent on biting the cat—or, at least, shaking him off his back. He still couldn't accept having to submit to a cat! And to carry that cat on his back, no less!
At the moment, the two of them were standing, side by side, in front of the inn, each ardently wishing for a hot soup and a hearty slab of grilled meat. But what were they to do? They were tired, cold, and hungry. They needed warmth, food, and fresh water. Drained of strength, Hunter collapsed onto the cold ground, and—despite the electric shocks the gray cat sent coursing through his body as it sank its claws and teeth into his fur—the great wolf succumbed to exhaustion and fell asleep instantly. After nudging him a couple more times to make sure he was fast asleep, Pluto set off, hopping, swaying, and meowing toward the inn's entrance, in search of food and information.
The building was an old structure, constructed entirely of stone—hewn with impeccable precision and fitted together perfectly. It consisted of a single story, encircled by a balcony that felt more like a spacious, comfortable terrace, hidden from view by an abundance of flowers in every imaginable color and fragrance. Pluto slipped past, unnoticed, by the boisterous people who were talking, eating, and drinking amidst a pleasant—almost soothing—din. The clearing where the inn was situated was now bathed in the sun's rays. After making a few rounds among the customers' tables, Pluto decided it was time to make his grand entrance into the inn's main dining hall. Consequently, he puffed out his chest and took a bold stance in front of the massive wooden door, hoping that someone would soon open the door. While he was waiting there, ever so patiently, for luck to come his way and for someone to open the door, two small, fluffy hands grabbed him—nearly suffocating him in an embrace so tight it felt like a deadly vise. As the tightness of the embrace eased, Pluto managed to look up and saw the face of his assailant—a little girl of about five or six, with rosy cheeks and hair as black as ebony, who was gazing at him with great tenderness. Suddenly, her flushed cheeks pressed against the tomcat's whiskers, rubbing frantically against them, while she exclaimed in a playful voice—which pierced the air with the ease and liveliness of a nightingale's trill—"You're so beautiful! You're mine—all mine—and I'm never letting you go!" And in they went, closely followed by the little girl's parents. For a brief moment, the tomcat—weary from the long journey and the difficult ordeals he had endured—relaxed and fell asleep in the little girl's warm embrace. When he woke up, Pluto discovered with astonishment that he had been carefully placed on a soft cushion inside a small wicker basket. The basket sat near a hearth where a fire crackled and burned—warming both the people and the cauldron of stew. The aroma was enticing, and the poor tomcat could hear his own stomach growling with hunger. Without getting up from his basket, Pluto contented himself with observing the inn's dining room in detail. To his left, the little girl and her parents were eating a bowl of stew with great relish. Every now and then, the little girl would stop to look at him. Before him stretched the inn's large dining hall, containing fourteen other tables of various sizes, at which sat people from different social classes and distant lands. Pluto looked closely at each of them—the men, in particular. It seemed as though he was searching for someone. Dissatisfied with what he had discovered—or, rather, what he had failed to discover—the tomcat snorted in annoyance and turned his gaze to the right. And there he was. Finally.