Oz; A remake of the tale 2.8

8.        Toto totaled us.

The Munchkins scattered on the attack and I was left standing there looking at the skies. It was Toto; the other version of it in the griffin looks with its flame. The griffin we saw then was a bigger one with wider wings and flames in the shade of red.

The griffin landed in front of me and roared. I tried to approach it but the griffin roared at me again. It gave out a small spurt of flame which burned the ground in front of me.

"Toto; its me. Do you recognise me? I am Dorothy." But the griffin was past listening; it flew up and circled the place. Then it did the unthinkable thing; it fired its flame at me, trailing me as I ran for cover. I lost my footing and fell but it was Hicks who saved me. He grabbed hold of me and rolled to the side. Toto did not stopped there and started attacking everyone. The boys fired at it but it was swift on the air. It turned back on the boys and scattered them too. Droid raised up his rifle to fire scatter shots. It scared the griffin to retreat.

I ran towards the fleeing griffin but it was too fast. I shouted out its name but there was no response. Soon it was flying beyond the sight of my eyes, and tears welled up on my eyes.

"Dorothy, you need to see to Hicks." I turned around and saw everyone flocking around Hicks. I ran over and pushed the crowd aside. There I saw Hicks bandaging his left thigh which was singed by the griffin flame. He saw me looking and smiled.

"It missed by a fraction, or I would be missing a good part of life." I could had sworn I was in two state of mind; one to killed the griffin for hurting Hicks there, and the other for kicking at Hicks there for scaring me to bits. In the end, I settled for a crouched down to assist him in bandaging his thigh.

"Narry too tight, my dear. There are arteries there to carry blood to my brain." I was sure I tighten the bandage by an extra knot for my anger. Hicks screamed out bloody loud until Aunt Em took over.

"I thought you liked him. You need not hurt him that badly." Uncle Henry calmly spoke to me on Hicks as I walked away. Well, I ignored the man and walked on.

"Wizard, tell me where can I find the Witch and her Mother." Hinkley backed up from me. He shook his head at my request.

"You will go back and take back what is yours. As for your half sister and their mother, that's my concern. You do not harmed them at all." Hinkley looked at me with anger. He fears for his wife and daughter. If I am like my mother, nothing would stand in our way. I walked up to my father and said this to his ears.

"You left me here without a single thought, and now you cannot be there to tell me what I can and cannot do. I am no more your daughter from the day I was sent here."

My father gasped out in fright and then collapsed on his face. On his back was a spear thrown by some one from the forest edge. I looked closely and saw the culprit. It was one of the Flying Monkey and its jumping back into the forest.

Crows with mallets and now monkeys with spears. Oz sure have changed fast since I left.

I tushed forth to chase but I was stopped by the flame that burned my path. I looked up and saw the griffins. Yes, now there are two of them. One was smaller and have a blue flame but the other was bigger with red flame.

"Toto?" I recognised the smaller one now. Its Toto. She just blew a spurt of flame at me. If not the Scarecrow and her protective umbrella force field, I would had been one burnt soul.

"You crazy, girl. That's no more the Toto you once knew. Its a griffin now." I was shaken out of my trance by her alarming shouting. I cleared my head to see the two griffin flying off into the forest edge. The boys again came to my rescue.

"No! There is always Toto in my life." I cried out, and then sank down to my knees. Toto has with me for years; riding pillion with me and escaping all those mishaps, and now here in Oz, its all gone. This time I really cried on losing a good friend.

Then I felt the dark shadow over me again. Its Toto and its back. But it came spurting its blue flames like before, and ever relentless onto the group. The boys raised their rifles but I stopped them.

"Do not shoot Toto. Let me talk to the griffin." Words was not what it wanted but a fight. Its spurts out more flame but only around me. Toto is avoiding to hit me with it, as I approached it. Soon I could reached out with my hand to touch the nose of the griffin.

Toto snarled at me but did not released any flames.

My right hand slowly worked its way from the snort of the nose to its left cheek. I caressed the fur there and move to its lower neck. Toto likes it when I ticked there, and still in this form. It moved its head to the side to allow me to further rubbed my hand into its thick coat beneath the neck.

"Toto, I love you." That was what I saw to my pet.

Suddenly it flapped it wings and then took off to joined its mate at the forest edge. That was the last I seen of Toto for some days.

"Dorothy! Thank the stars, I found you." I looked to the right and saw the Private Omby Army running towards me holding his pistol and pike.

It was the Wizard who shouted out the warning but it was too late. I was shot by Private Omby Army aka Napoleon.