Chapter 6 - Unkulunk the Unicorn

Unkulunk the Unicorn gives a cursed cookie to one of the heroes and they become evil, now they must stop Unkulunk the Unicorn and save their friend.

They found themselves back at their house but something was different. It wasn't dark out yet. They walked inside and saw that most of their belongings had been packed away into boxes that were lined up along the walls. The only things left out were Alex's bookshelf that hadn't been moved and some items on the kitchen counter that didn't seem like they belonged in someone's home. "Where is everybody?"

A few minutes later:

The missionaries opened the door and dropped what they were holding Elder Elder and Elder Jackson said "Oh my gosh I'm sorry!" and handed Alex a box full of jelly beans "I hope you like these," said Elder Jackson and then left the room quickly. He asked him where he had been over the last month and a half, and Alex told him that they were trapped in a book called Valdis's Story written by a man named Valdis

"Valdis? as in Valdis L'Amour? The writer?"

Alex nodded yes, but before he could say any more the other two came in with more boxes containing food as well as two very large backpacks each filled to the brim with clothes for them all! They looked around their old living space but realized there was no way any of them would be able to fit into all of it since it had been cleared so neatly. So they sat down on their couch and tried putting on some of their new clothing. There weren't many options so it took some time until everyone got dressed, and it turned out that they were just as comfortable in their new outfits as they were before except they felt a little warmer now.

Alex then asked the missionaries how they got kidnaped and Elder Elder told him that when they drove by a church they forgot the name of (but not the location) while driving to a different destination one day the following week, an old lady stopped her car next to theirs and invited them inside her house because she thought they needed help. The missionaries followed her inside after being suspicious about her motives. When they walked inside they noticed some people sitting on couches watching television. "Are you here alone?" asked one of the men who was seated across from them. The woman said "No I am with my family" which caused Alex and his friends to look at each other in confusion wondering why the woman seemed nervous. And then suddenly four strangers wearing black hoods rushed into the room and tied up the two missionaries, and then they pushed them out the door. After that, the old woman told the group that she knew where the missionaries lived and that they were going to take care of them for a bit. The missionaries didn't know what to do so they went with the others even though they didn't want to leave their friends behind without a fight!

Alex could feel himself getting mad thinking about it but he tried not to show it as he was already embarrassed enough about everything. He continued listening to Elder Elder explain everything that happened. Like how they survived a building collapse around them and how they were attacked by skeletons made out of bones, and ghosts that came out of nowhere. Then explained how they managed to pay the bills at the last moment before losing the house to the bank. Everything about the experience had been difficult, including the fact that the bank wouldn't let the missionaries get their belongings back unless they paid back their debt in full first

"Elder Elder," Alex began. "have you ever heard of a story called 'Valdis's Story'?"

"Yes," answered Elder Elder excitedly.

"You've never read it though?"

"No," said Elder Elder. "I would love to! Please tell me more about it!" So Alex explained everything in detail to both elders who listened intently without interrupting even once. In the end, Elder Elder said: "I want to read this book so badly!" so they agreed to look for the book in the library tomorrow and try to find it, and if they couldn't they could go out and buy it at the store so they could get started reading immediately. But until then they decided they needed a nice dinner and some drinks before bed since everyone was very tired after their adventure with the assassins of L'Amour. They each took their plates to the dining room table and sat down.

Alex said, "We should eat first and talk afterward". After supper, they went back into the living room and all three of them sat in chairs facing the fireplace as Alex continued to explain the book called Valdis's Story to the elders. It began with a boy named Jacky who wakes up in the woods and eventually makes it to the woodland creature village of Bigtree where he meets a wolf named Wolfie and becomes his pet human. Soon enough Jacky and Wolfie begin having adventures together to visit the sea. That plan goes to waste as Jacky's father finds him and sees his extra fat. It's never explained but Jacky might have been eaten by Wolfie if his father hadn't shown up when he did. Alex also wondered if Maximus ever found his father Pemirrorth, The White One, as Jacky and Wolfie had met him before they met them. As they were unable to do that before returning to their reality.

"And then?" asked Elder Elder while rubbing his chin in thought.

"Well, after getting attacked by the assassin group called L'Amour who wanted to take over the kingdom, we somehow made our way through the portal, back home, and ran into your here." Alex stopped talking for a minute as the elders didn't say anything for quite some time so he just waited for them to speak. Finally, Elder Jackson said, "What does it mean?"

"I'm not sure," replied Alex "but I know there are still people out there like those assassins trying to hurt us or kill us. And it sounds like they're pretty good at what they do. Let's go to the bookstore and get a copy of Valdis's Story

***

when they found Valdis's Story at Dragon's Hoard Books next to the book were the titles "The Fables of the Shapeshifters" by Quinlan Emberstorm, "The Chronicle of the Dragon's Bane" by Raven Nightshade, "The Lost Kingdoms of Old" by Draven Darkenwood, "The Saga of the Crystal Kingdom" by Feyre Evergreen, "The Alchemist's Apprentice" by Hadrian Blackwood, "The Mythic Lore of the Elves" by Tethys the Monk, "The Sword of the Dragon King" by Isadora Spellbound, and "The Quest for the Unicorn's Horn" by Jareth Stormbringer

Elder Jackson grabbed all nine books in one hand and pulled Alex towards the counter with the other. Alex smiled because he was excited about getting a chance to read all these stories from famous authors such as Valdis L'Amour, Tethys the Monk, Quinlan Emberstorm, and more! Elder Elder asked if he could help him pay for them but Elder Jackson told him that they would be able to figure something out later since they had some money saved up that they weren't using anymore for emergencies. Before they could leave everyone was shocked when Karen Sylvia opened the door to the bookstore Alex's old job coach turned evil witch who had a relationship with the Anti-Mormons group, now known as the Order of the Defeated Faith which was run by the dark elven sorceress named Elizaveta. She said, "I thought I sent you into Valdis's Story and that there was no way for you to come back to the real world ever again."

"We're not dead," said Alex

Karen Sylvia looked at him in surprise. "Well I hope not," she responded. Suddenly before Alex could answer, Karen Sylvia started showing signs of having a heart attack right next to them. Her eyes rolled up into her head as she fell backward onto the couch while gasping for air. The two missionaries rushed over and helped to keep Karen alive as Alex sat quietly beside them. But none of them knew CPR. Eventually, Karen regained consciousness enough to say "I'm sorry," before collapsing yet again. After that, everyone waited nervously hoping that Karen would recover soon. The missionaries wondered if a magical equivalent of an ambulance existed and have her taken away immediately due to how dangerous her condition was. Just when they thought that Karen had died again, however, she suddenly opened her eyes wide and grabbed the hand of Elder Jackson: "Please save me" she whispered before falling unconscious once more. And Elder Elder picked up on this and also reached for Elder Jackson's hand to feel the warmth radiating off it, as her body became colder by the minute until it seemed as though she were dead for good. Just in case she was still alive they rush over to the I'm Hurt emergency care clinic with an unconscious Karen Sylvia, a baby, and nine books in tow

***

"Hi! Can I help you?" asked the woman behind the counter after looking through their IDs

Elder Elder said, "We need a doctor!"

The woman asked "Do you know what happened to your friend? Do you know where you are or who we are?"

They looked at each other unsure about the situation before Elder Elder said, "She has a medical problem." He explained about seeing her collapse from a heart attack.

The woman thought about everything they just told her before responding. "Ok then. You'll have to wait a few minutes since there's no one here but myself right now. Please make yourselves comfortable while I try to call someone to help us.

"But she already passed out and she feels cold, if we don't help her now she could die any moment," said Alex while holding Karen's hand as she started getting paler by the second.

"Yes," replied the woman sympathetically, "I understand how difficult that must be for you, so please let me do my job and contact the authorities for all of our sakes." After that the three of them waited patiently for nearly fifteen minutes until finally, two nurses came rushing in. One of them took control of the situation immediately while the other examined the unconscious patient before saying to them, "She will recover in time if we can get her to a hospital soon enough." The nurse didn't seem too concerned about anything because she continued to check on Karen Sylvia every once in a while without asking questions. Once they left she turned towards Elder Jackson and Elder Elder: "We're going to take care of this lady right away. She might wake up again later and realize what happened to her when she does. But for now, I'm afraid I'm not able to give you any answers."

Elder Elder said he understood and sat down next to the bookstore owner as Alex looked around wondering where Max the dog was. When everyone was seated, the nurse who had been taking care of Karen came back into the room with bad news.

"She's dead" the nurse announced as tears formed in his eyes. All three friends were devastated by the news but also confused by it since they knew it wasn't true since they were there with her just a few minutes ago before they went off somewhere else to make sure she'd be okay. They each got a tissue out from a nearby box and wiped their faces clean while sitting beside each other feeling stunned by the suddenness of things. After a few moments, Elder Jackson asked if the nurse would tell him what exactly killed Karen Sylvia after seeing her die so suddenly while she seemed healthy just seconds earlier. He told them that he thought that it was most likely that an aneurysm ruptured in her brain which caused the blood vessels in her head to rupture so quickly that no one could have done anything about it. "She died within six to seven minutes," added the nurse "from the moment she collapsed until she stopped breathing entirely

***

On the way back home they passed by a Unicon running a cookie stand on the side of the street. The Unicon said "Hello I'm Unkulunk the Unicorn (pronounced oo-noo-LUNK) and I make cookies for free. Would you like one? You look hungry."

"We don't need any" responded Elder Jackson, who was still upset and felt guilty about what happened to Karen Sylvia

"It will only take a minute! It'll make you feel great!" said the Unicorn while shaking its horn at Elder Jackson.

The group then stopped and considered whether or not they wanted a cookie. Even though Alex didn't feel like he needed anything because he hadn't eaten in nearly two days he couldn't help but think about how nice it would be to eat something sweet and maybe even taste chocolate since he hadn't had it since his first visit to Valdis's Story. Fenrir the werewolf was the first to try a cookie he said that the cookie tasted like sawdust.

"I know right?" replied the Unicorn as the eight others looked around curiously trying to figure out where the delicious smell was coming from "My mother taught me that when people are cold and wet they want something warm and fuzzy, so she makes all her cookies with love. By eating my cookie you also just joined the dark side. Do you agree with this?"

Fenrir did not respond except for licking his lips before asking if anyone else wants to try some. Everyone backed away from the stand with fear in their eyes and were shocked when Fenrir took off his loincloth and handed it to Alex saying since he joined the dark side he no longer needed to wear clothes because he's a wild animal. He explained that since it is natural for animals to go naked, it should be fine for him too. "Plus it feels good without any clothes on," he said while stretching and rubbing himself down while everyone stared at him like he was crazy for dressing the way they found him at the Villain Job Fair at the beginning of the story. Although his fur did cover everything important. No one else wanted a cookie after seeing what eating one did to Fenrir so Fenrir gave them an ultimatum telling them that they had two minutes to decide to either accept or reject the Unicorn's cookies or he would leave them forever and find another group to work with. They each thought about the offer until Elder Jackson finally spoke up, "I don't like the idea of having something stuck inside us even if it's made with love."

Fenrir shook his head furiously as Alex put his arm around his shoulder to console him saying, "It's ok buddy I'm sure you'll have other friends who want you back."

"No, Alex! It will ruin our friendship!" cried Fenrir as tears formed in his eyes. "if you don't put your loincloth back on that is what will ruin our friendship" said Alex sadly but Fenrir wouldn't listen and run off into the city. Saying it wasn't fair that Max and Cedar didn't have to wear anything.

That's when everyone noticed that Unkulunk was a dark unicorn who had used paint to look like a normal unicorn; it was obvious now that his shop wasn't there but he was using illusions to make people think that they were buying sweets from an actual unicorn but then getting tricked after they bit down on one of his false cookies made of sawdust instead of chocolate chips.

After everyone got over their shock they decided to continue walking home so they could get some rest before tomorrow morning so that they would be prepared for whatever else Valdis L'Amour might throw at them next time. They would figure out what to do with Fenrir another day but for now, they had some books to read.

***

The next night everyone decided to eat out at a restaurant so that they could strategize on the next step of action regarding Fenrir and how exactly to deal with the villainous Unicorn's cookie stand.

"We need more information," Elder Jackson told the others while eating dinner at the restaurant

"How can we find this Unicorn?" asked Elder Elder while taking bites out of his hamburger "We don't know where he is, or even his real name, he doesn't use one, just 'Unkulunk'."

"He said that his mother taught him all about cookies, does anyone know who his mom is? Maybe she knows something about him," suggested Alex as he ate chicken fried rice without any vegetables because none were available in front of him.

"That sounds like an excellent plan" replied Cedar the Bear who was sitting across from Alex with a large plate full of meat and cheese.

Everyone looked around the restaurant to see if there was a single woman anywhere nearby but no luck. The Unicorn's mother might have been a bear or perhaps a deer or an elk. There was a lot to think about since the only thing they knew was that they were trying to stop an evil Unicorn named Unkulunk from making cookies using love.

But then before any of them had started making a plan, the door to the bathroom opened up with someone exiting in the middle of their conversation.

It was Valdis, the proprietor of The Book Nook, and he was standing there holding his jute bag with both hands and staring right into Alex's eyes.

"Oh good!" he exclaimed "You're here! I've been waiting for you! You must have gotten my invitation." He reached inside the bag and pulled out two sheets of paper with words written on it. "Here are invitations for all seven members of your party to come over to my house at midnight tonight to discuss how we will handle the Villainous Unicorn," he announced while handing one of the papers to each person one by one.

The group stared at the page, completely confused about what they were supposed to do with such a vague piece of paper that didn't even mention a name or location.

"Valdis, why do you want us to meet you?" asked Elder Jackson after putting down his fork halfway through his meal

"You'll find out once you arrive" answered Valdis without looking away from Alex who was still in awe that he managed to catch Valdis in his store so easily even though no one was allowed inside the bookstore except him unless they brought back food and money from somewhere else. But now everyone was starting to realize that maybe he wasn't as careful as he should be when dealing with customers.

Alex picked up his backpack and stood up along with the rest of the group saying, "We don't know where you live, but if we wanted to come to talk to you then we would have just gone to your store since we can walk there." They all decided to leave immediately but Valdis insisted that if they were going to go home and read a good book then they needed to eat first before leaving because nothing tastes as good as a warm cookie fresh off an Unicorn's hand.

***

When everyone arrived at Valdis's house it was obvious that it had been decorated by someone very different than him. The furniture inside had an elegant look with white couches and tables covered in vases full of flowers. A crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the room casting sparkly lights across every wall while paintings of unicorns surrounded the ceiling.

The guests sat on the couch while the host went into the kitchen where they could hear plates clinking together as he prepared something for them to eat. He came out a few minutes later holding a plate piled high with cookies shaped like dragons, which he said he made using love and set them down next to each person. It was almost too sweet for some people, but none of them complained about how delicious the cookies were after what happened at that chocolate shop earlier that day, so instead they thanked him and dug in eagerly. As each person bit into their second cookie they were surprised by how filling they were until they all started feeling sick to their stomachs after eating three or four dozen of them in a row. Valdis explained that it was the way to handle the villainous Unicorn and his evil cookies.

As everyone finished eating they asked Valdis where the Unicorn was but he replied that he didn't know. When asked why he didn't want anyone else to know his secret identity he told them not to worry because it would only be a matter of time before they met him face-to-face because he is extremely shy and hates meeting new people. "I don't mind having you around though" added Valdis "because I can talk to you all at once without having to make eye contact." Then Elder Jackson spoke up saying, "You can't just hide who you are! You need to tell us more!"

My leader Elizaveta Reval has more information on Unkulunk the Unicorn. We should visit her soon, added Valdis as he closed the book on the table in front of him, but no one was interested in meeting her.

"What's your plan?" asked Elder Elder when he stopped reading

Valdis pulled a piece of paper out of a large bag sitting in front of him and said, "These are instructions for handling this situation written by one of my best friends," then handed it to Elder Elder while smiling confidently. But Elder Elder frowned and looked at everyone else who shook their heads with confusion and concern since no one recognized any names or locations on the paper. He put it down on the coffee table next to his empty plate and turned back to Valdis with anger in his eyes. He stood up and leaned across the couch until his nose was inches away from Valdis's face and began to speak slowly and menacingly. "Whoever wrote that page didn't do so in the interest of stopping the villainous Unicorn but rather making money off of someone else's misery so we're going to have to change plans a little bit. This isn't an ordinary villainous Unicorn but a villainous Unicorn pretending to be an ordinary Unicorn and it wouldn't be right for us to fight him using our methods even though it may seem like a good idea."

He sat back down as he continued speaking, "I've got an idea, let me write something on this piece of paper that I think will help." He took another piece of paper out of his bag and scribbled some notes on it. After handing the note to Elder Jackson who read it over several times he added a few more words and signed his name to the bottom of the document along with the date.

"Is that legal?" asked Cedar the Bear who was the only one who understood what Elder Jackson just did because he knew how important signatures were in court proceedings.

"Of course not" replied Elder Jackson "It's completely illegal" before continuing, "but if anyone asks about this agreement then they'll never find us, which means no villains can get their hands on this information, so it should be fine"

Cedar nodded and Elder Elder grabbed two cups filled with ice cubes and poured some hot chocolate into them while Elder Jackson opened his mouth and stuck his tongue inside to test its temperature and consistency to make sure it would be perfect for the Unicorn when he arrived at midnight to give him cookies made with love. Valdis gave each person another cookie and said that when the Unicorn arrives they must say 'hi' and hug him, but nobody thought that sounded very good or fair since none of them had any idea where the Unicorn lived or what kind of things he liked besides cookies made with love. The others all agreed that hugging him was out of the question but since it was time to go home Alex put his arm around Elder Elder's shoulders in support while saying, "I'm sorry this is such short notice; it seems like you're having an awful lot of trouble in your life lately."

***

When everyone returned to the Book Nook later on that night there was a large pile of books waiting by the front door, along with more invitations for people to come over and visit anytime and even bring food. When asked why he needed so many books Valdis told them that he has been collecting them so he could eventually build himself a huge bookstore that no one else knew about.

The next morning Elder Jackson woke up early before sunrise after feeling uneasy throughout most of the night as though something wasn't right but didn't know what. He got dressed as fast as possible because he had a strange urge to run away from everything without thinking twice about it. He went downstairs as quickly as his feet could carry him, walked outside, got on his bike, pedaled down the street until he came upon his church, then entered through the front doors and sat at the altar which he hadn't visited in quite some time. Elder Jackson knelt and began to pray to God asking him to tell him if he should continue going forward with his plan to meet with the villainous Unicorn at midnight or if he should give up and try a new way to deal with the situation. As soon as Elder Jackson finished praying he felt relieved knowing that whatever he did would be okay with God and jumped onto his bike again while humming a song under his breath while trying not to think too much about anything related to Valdis or the Villainous Unicorn.

When he arrived home Elder Jackson grabbed a few items off the table inside the living room: two pairs of shoes, two sweaters, a cell phone, a notebook, a pencil, two cups, two glasses, a large jar of peanut butter, three different types of cookies, an orange, a bag of candy, several pieces of fruit, six applesauce packets, eight boxes of raisins, four packs of gum, five sticks of chewing gum, ten packages of Pop-Tarts, twenty jelly beans, seven bottles of water, and one pair of pants that was already torn in the back because he keeps losing things when they are the only thing he has left. Alex followed him out the door saying goodbye to the group who were waiting in the yard for him with their heads tilted towards the sky with puzzled looks on their faces wondering what could have happened to him to make him leave like that.

"We don't know where you live so we can't come to visit you," Elder Jackson said while pulling on his socks "but I hope everything goes well."

Alex responded by sticking his tongue out at Elder Jackson, which made Elder Elder smile and wave, and then continued riding his bike down the street without turning around to see if anyone noticed or cared. When he got far enough away he started running without even looking at the ground or making sure it was safe and comfortable before jumping into a nearby alleyway full of trash bags and empty beer bottles. He picked up all of the garbage using just his bare hands and threw it over his shoulder until there wasn't any space between them to hold more objects. He then went through every single garbage bag until nothing else would fit inside of him anymore and used all of the food from his backpack as bait to lure some unicorns closer before wrapping himself tightly in plastic and tying some twine around his feet. It took hours but eventually, several unicorns appeared from nowhere, including one wearing an ornate crown, and approached to examine him carefully while whispering amongst themselves with eyes wide open and mouths agape.

After getting rid of everyone else's garbage Elder Jackson tied an old piece of rope around his waist with another length wrapped around his shoulders before climbing onto the back of the biggest unicorn he could find who carried him back home where he waited from midnight to arrive. After setting the alarm clock he climbed back onto the other unicorns who seemed confused to have him back again after so many months apart and began galloping towards Valdis's house once they found out exactly when the Unicorn was supposed to show up according to their calendar. They had been traveling non-stop for four days straight, sometimes stopping only long enough to rest their horses, when they arrived at Valdis's doorstep just minutes before midnight. The sun was starting to rise in the background as Alex sat on top of a large pile of trash on the front lawn holding his head in his hands while shaking his body slowly like someone suffering a concussion from a severe blow to the head.

"Hi!" shouted Valdis waving happily as he opened the front door "Did you miss me?"

Alex didn't answer right away because he couldn't even hear what anyone said; all he heard were loud thuds coming from somewhere deep within him that sounded almost exactly like the sounds of falling books that Elder Elder described. Then, out of nowhere, a man in a bright yellow robe walked past him and entered through the open doors carrying an armload of cookies shaped like dragons which made Alex realize why Elder Jackson warned them not to eat anything prepared by the villainous Unicorn. He jumped off the trash pile and ran into Valdis's house while looking back over his shoulder every few steps to make sure no one followed him inside before shouting into Valdis's ear: "The Villainous Unicorn is here! I've got a message from him but he's being held captive by some evil scientists who are trying to take his magic powers for themselves but don't worry, I know how to help him."

Valdis stared blankly at Alex with a puzzled look on his face before turning around and yelling, "Everyone gets out of my house now!"

"Why?" asked Cedar the Bear, but Valdis continued speaking without listening to him.

"Because there's going to be a big explosion soon and it won't affect us since we're far enough away," Valdis replied in between coughs as he pointed at several unicorns who were running towards different exits in the room while everyone else remained frozen in place due to fear. "I hope you find your friend okay and good luck escaping from whatever happens next." With those words, he closed the door behind himself so no one would see or hear any explosions coming from inside.

The air outside grew cold when everyone realized they had nowhere left to run so they decided to huddle together under a tree in front of Valdis's house hoping that their group of four unicorns would be able to protect them somehow. They sat quietly for hours waiting until the sun started rising high above their heads in preparation for a new day full of possibilities even though nothing seemed possible right now. Eventually, the sun began setting again and all of the neighbors returned home for dinner; after which most people were too afraid to go out and play, including Elder Jackson. It was then that Elder Elder finally appeared and informed them that the villainous Unicorn was free from captivity but also incredibly weak due to the torture he endured during his stay at the lab where he worked, so Elder Elder offered to come over later on tonight at midnight with a cookie made with love to bring him back into fighting shape before the Villainous Unicorn Unkulunk went on another rampage throughout the city destroying everything in its path while killing innocent civilians along the way.

Everyone agreed that this sounded like a great plan except Alex who didn't have anywhere to sleep because of the whole 'evil scientists' thing. Valdis took pity on him and invited him inside and permitted him to eat whatever food he wanted whenever he pleased. After spending the night eating more cookies and candy than he could ever imagine eating in one sitting, Alex woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed and ready for action even though he still felt slightly dizzy, so he walked down to the bookstore by himself so he could ask about it from the owner since she seemed nice enough.

***

When Elder Elder arrived at midnight a large crowd had already gathered around the Book Nook by now: mostly families but there were some groups of friends here as well. As soon as the doors opened to let him inside everyone turned around to face him in unison as though they had planned to do so beforehand; however, they were simply following instructions as part of an agreement they signed without reading it first. Once Elder Jackson stepped through the door they all followed behind him quietly and slowly in single-file order so no one would notice anything out of place or wrong until someone asked what was going on once all the people had entered and taken their seats.

Elder Jackson stared blankly at the group and began asking questions with his eyes closed tight "Is anyone else here not from our neighborhood? Please say you are from outside of our community so I can start my investigation."

Everyone looked at each other nervously for a few seconds before looking back at Elder Jackson to see if he noticed the lack of answers. Finally, Cedar the Bear spoke up saying, "I'm new to town."

"Thank goodness," said Elder Jackson as he cracked open his eyes wide to see that the rest of the crowd did exactly as instructed by him and waited patiently while he continued walking forward and stood next to Valdis's desk while facing the wall where all of the books used to be hanging. Then he asked another question which made everyone except Valdis, who happened to look away while listening to music in his headphones, scream in terror: "Does anybody have any information on a local villain named Unkulunk who has been spotted recently?"

Everyone turned to look at each other in panic for several moments before one brave soul yelled out: "Unkulunk is a Unicorn! He's also a criminal mastermind working for the villainous Bunny King who wants revenge against all unicorns!" The room immediately fell silent after hearing this because they knew it meant trouble if the Villainous Unicorn ever found them again and started attacking innocent civilians. Elder Jackson turned around to face the crowd and asked if there was anything else they wanted to add and everyone shook their heads as tears formed in their eyes due to the thought of what might happen to everyone once they left their homes in the middle of the night and went about their lives as usual. After five minutes of silence, Elder Elder decided to announce his closing remarks to ease some of the tension "Everyone please return home safely tonight before you go into your houses or you'll die."

The entire bookstore broke out in applause at his wise words; however, Cedar didn't clap or move a muscle other than continuing to stare at a random page on the ground without even blinking because he couldn't stand being touched by anyone right now so no one would know how scared he was deep down inside. Elder Jackson finished by saying that the Book Nook would be open for business tomorrow morning without fail and then Elder Elder walked outside the door and climbed onto one of the four remaining unicorns with a giant smile on his face for having successfully gathered everyone together in such short time despite Valdis's warning earlier not to come here anymore, and off they all flew away towards their respective homes leaving everyone to wonder what exactly had happened since nothing seemed out of place when they were still inside the shop but suddenly felt very different after seeing Elder Elder leave.

***

After riding home through several layers of clouds Elder Elder found himself alone in his bedroom which reminded him of how happy it made him feel just thinking about it because he hated sleeping alone and waking up by himself every day. He closed his eyes tightly to pretend like he was asleep while pretending that everything was going well until he heard the front door open followed by familiar voices shouting and laughing loudly while coming closer to his room. He sat straight up from where he lay across the bed staring at the wall before standing slowly and hiding behind the closet door as soon as the intruders came into view: Alex, Cedar, Valdis, and Elder Jackson who were holding bags full of food from various stores to feed Unkulunk a cookie containing magic powers to help him regain strength and fight the villainous Bunny King once and for all; however, there was no way in heaven or on earth that Unkulunk would ever agree to eat any sort of baked goods ever again so there was no point in trying.

Alex noticed something moving in one corner of his eye but turned around quickly in fear before realizing that it was only Elder Jackson whose hands appeared to be trembling violently. "What are you doing here?" asked Elder Elder angrily as though he knew why they had come here despite not knowing anything yet. "You're supposed to be at the Book Nook helping me with my investigation!"

"I am," said Elder Jackson in a surprisingly strong voice which caused Elder Elder to take a step back in surprise, but then Elder Elder realized that Elder Jackson must have been practicing in secret all these years if he was able to speak this way now. His jaw dropped open in disbelief and awe while everyone else simply stared blankly ahead at the wall because they weren't sure what to think of this development. Finally, Elder Jackson spoke again and tried to explain what had happened to everyone during their brief stay at Valdis's house after he had knocked out their memories of the event through sheer willpower before leading them outside for safety reasons; however, Elder Elder refused to listen and demanded an answer instead. So Elder Jackson told him everything without lying even once since Elder Elder seemed like someone who might need some help figuring things out for himself to grow as a person and as a leader in the future since he was a great example of how a good leader should behave according to Elder Elder's standards of excellence: "The Villainous Unicorn Unkulunk has been spotted and captured by the villainous Bunny King! He was imprisoned somewhere unknown deep within the Bunny Kingdom where it is too dangerous to go unless we get permission from Queen Bunny herself. However, I am more than happy to continue investigating on my own since it seems that no one knows about this but us so you can just return home tonight."

Elder Elder jumped straight up into the air before shouting, "Why didn't you say anything earlier? We could have stopped there and left for the day!"

Alex asked the group "What do you think we should do next. Look for Fenrir and have him return to the straight and narrow, or go after Unkulunk without his help and try our best to find a cure?" Everyone stared at each other in silence until Elder Jackson answered in a soft voice: "We cannot give up yet; otherwise, all of this was pointless." Alex nodded in agreement with his wise words which caused Elder Elder to stare blankly at Elder Jackson as though he were looking directly inside of him; however, Elder Jackson continued speaking anyway. "Unkulunk needs help if he's ever going to regain strength and stop being evil. Therefore, we must travel back to the Bunny Kingdom to defeat the villains and free Unkulunk so that they both may be stronger together to fight against the villainous Bunny King once and for all. So what do you think?" Cedar the Bear and Jeorgar the Dragon both wanted to find Fenrir before going after the Bunny King since they had nothing else to lose by not taking any risks because they already knew what was happening even though no one told them beforehand; however, Valdis looked over at Alex who simply shrugged his shoulders since he had always known that everyone would agree with him no matter what. So the group all went over to the Villain Job fair in hopes of finding Fenrir there.

***

When they got there they asked a bouncer named Fridtjof if a werewolf with no nametag or clothing had recently come to the villain job fair: "I'm sorry but there are a lot of people here so I can't keep track of everyone. What is this about?" He eyed Elder Jackson suspiciously and then turned around to talk to another man behind him who whispered something into his ear causing his eyes to widen and mouth to open wide enough to swallow a small elephant whole before turning back to Elder Jackson with an angry expression on his face before pointing his finger at him like it was some sort of magical wand which caused Elder Jackson to shiver in fear from the intense pressure.

"Um... sir, I know you're upset right now; however, I just want you to calm down for a minute for you to think rationally." The man backed up as far as he could without hitting a wall while still pointing his finger angrily toward Elder Jackson; however, he didn't seem very intimidating at all until Elder Jackson raised his hands and said "Okay! Okay! I'll stop!" before continuing "There's been a misunderstanding and we're not here looking for trouble we're just trying to find Fenrir so we can help the villains defeat the Bunny King once and for all. So please don't be mad anymore okay?" After listening to the entire story the man lowered his finger slowly and let out a long sigh of relief before saying that everything was fine and that they should head over to where they needed to be.

When they arrived they found that there was a special tent set up by the fair owners for jobs involving any kind of monster or creature such as a dragon or a werewolf in hopes of finding anyone who might have any information regarding them. There were several booths within this tent with various creatures behind each one including some types of dragons, firebirds, snowmen, vampires, and even Unicorns (or rather dark unicorns) among other monsters so when they walked into the room Cedar immediately pointed to the booth filled with many different kinds of white wolves and shouted "Look! I knew it was going to be here somewhere! I bet Fenrir is right next door waiting to get paid for his services!" Jeorgar had heard him shout but continued walking forward anyway because he wasn't sure if his hearing had returned yet after being knocked unconscious during their fight against Elder Elder. However, Elder Jackson noticed what Cedar had said and remembered something from earlier which caused him to stop in place along with everyone else before asking a man in a black suit sitting at a desk behind a table made from an old oak tree that appeared to have been turned inside out from all of the knots: "Excuse me sir; did you happen to see a wolf with no clothing anywhere near here?"

The man looked up as though surprised by the question as though someone had just asked him whether or not there was anything good on TV tonight. He scratched his beard thoughtfully for several seconds while looking around as though searching for the answer until finally shaking his head he replied with his voice deep and rough like gravel rolling down a hill. "Nope. Not today." His words made Alex and Valdis wonder how the world could continue functioning without knowing the whereabouts of the missing werewolf Fenrir so they decided to leave to find him instead of trying to find a cure for Unkulunk first since Fenrir would be much easier to find than the magical plant they needed to save Unkulunk's life now that they knew that both of them were trapped in the Bunny Kingdom in some sort of cell together surrounded by dangerous bunnies that liked to eat humans every once in a while. So Elder Jackson agreed with them but still felt bad for causing trouble and confusion despite his intention of saving them all. As they left, Fridtjof shouted after them "I hope you get him back soon!

***

"Hey!" Alex shouted out to a nearby man wearing an elaborate black cape and purple gloves while pointing at Fenrir the werewolf. "Is your dog lost? He looks like the type of dog who'd get into trouble pretty easily."

The stranger immediately responded: "He's not my dog...but I wouldn't worry too much. This is the villain job fair today and anyone can just take any job they want for however long they choose provided they have the right credentials. Why don't you ask him yourself?" So then everyone rushed over towards where he was standing on the sidewalk until he held up his hands to keep them back.

"I'm sorry," he said with a shrug, "but we've got strict rules about having dogs running around this place during our job fairs because some people are afraid of them. But this here is no dog, he's a werewolf; see how tall he is compared to all of us? Werewolves as it stands to reason that they're very strong as well as smart. These guys never go wrong with picking jobs involving security or guarding things against thieves and other criminals." Then the stranger turned to look at Fenrir who now had his head hung low and began barking at him with what seemed to be sadness mixed with shame before walking away without looking at the rest of them again. Max didn't care though because he felt completely relieved knowing that Fenrir was still alive after being able to talk to someone else besides himself in public. It made them wonder though if they should have asked the guy more questions about how Fenrir came to be here in Penship City to find out why they couldn't just call him up on the phone to let him know they were all waiting for him outside instead of wasting their time searching for him like a pack of fools while trying to make sure no one would mistake him for a dog since there were a lot of others dressed similarly to Alex wearing elaborate black capes, purple gloves, and tuxedo style clothing complete with a top hat, cane, and monocle.

The stranger continued walking forward down the street saying, "Well, I better get going so I don't miss my appointment with Mr. Muffet." He walked back through the crowd until he bumped into a man dressed from head to toe in blue overalls carrying several large books under his arm who immediately tripped backward over his own feet falling onto his backside along with all of his belongings causing everyone around them to burst into laughter because even his clothes looked like they were made of fabric instead of real cloth which caused Valdis to remember something that happened to her earlier: "This reminds me of a story about a boy named Johnny who got lost during a big storm and got chased by a group of angry ghosts. Then an old man showed up and told him that he was supposed to meet the ghost king to become the next ruler but the ghosts saw him as nothing more than a bag of skin and bones and wanted to kill him. But then the man called him 'the Barefoot King' because he didn't wear any shoes; therefore, he was immune to the curse of death because no one can harm someone immune to it. But then later when the young boy went to the river to drink some water; the river tried to trick him by changing its color to lure him in for a quick swim before pulling him down beneath the surface never to be seen again."

Everyone else started laughing at this except for Elder Jackson since they had all been feeling somewhat depressed since they couldn't seem to find Fenrir or Unkulunk anywhere and thought that maybe their quest wouldn't be successful at all and they'd all just end up being eaten by bunnies since they had failed once again. However, Valdis simply shook her head and said "We must keep hope alive," which caused everyone to cheer up a bit including Max. When he turned back towards Alex he smiled brightly back at him causing his heart to flutter like a butterfly's wings while his cheeks grew redder with embarrassment thinking how happy he felt in his stomach.

***

They finally did what the stranger said to do and talked to Fenrir in front of a giant tent where they could see a lot of other monsters waiting to take on jobs as well such as witches and goblins who were both dressed similarly to each other like they were from a traveling circus. Fenrir jumped up excitedly from where he was lying down and ran over to them barking happily as though he were an actual dog and not a werewolf who liked to eat people whenever the opportunity presented itself. The eight travelers decided that it might be best if they asked him more questions about why he was there instead of letting him talk first so Elder Jackson cleared his throat loudly before asking, "Fenrir, we've come here today looking for you because we need your help in saving our friend Unkulunk; however, I have no idea how you came to be in this place because my companions tell me that you are usually located in Penship City."

The grey werewolf stopped running around in circles and began sniffing at Alex's feet while drooling slightly at the prospect of having a warm meal since it smelled like he had just been eating some meat. He didn't care too much for humans but found himself liking the scent anyway since it reminded him of home. Fenrir then looked up at Elder Jackson with yellow eyes full of confusion mixed with fear and shame. He then slowly walked forward until his snout bumped against the human's leg which caused him to shake his head trying to remove the feeling from his nose before continuing by saying "I don't know where I am anymore or how I got here or even when I'm supposed to leave." Then he sighed heavily and hung his head down in defeat causing everyone else to look worried because they weren't sure how they should proceed next. They were shocked when Fenrir suddenly had a panic attack and passed out on the ground causing Valdis to ask: "How long does a werewolf remain unconscious?"

"At least a couple hours," replied the stranger who happened to be standing nearby watching everything unfold without making any attempt whatsoever at helping them despite being dressed like a doctor complete with a white lab coat along with a stethoscope around his neck and carrying a black bag that was meant for doctors as well as other professionals of that nature. Max was about to get mad at him for doing nothing while someone was actually dying but then realized that if he died, then maybe it would prove useful later to test new types of medicine or something so it wasn't all bad.

Alex walked over to Fenrir and put Fenrir's loincloth back on his naked hairy body before turning towards Elder Jackson and asking "What are we going to do now?" The man shook his head and said "I have no idea." So then they continued walking around the tent city asking a few more monsters such as a vampire named Piers and a witch called Melody but they couldn't seem to find anyone willing to tell them anything regarding Unkulunk's whereabouts.

***

When Fenrir woke up he was back to his regular self and acted the way before eating the cursed cookie. It turns out that to break the curse the cookies placed on their victims you had to replace the clothing items removed during the transition and because Fenrir only wore a loincloth it was easier to break the curse on him than creatures that wore clothing. Creatures that wore no clothing had to return to a hobby they gave up when becoming evil. For instance, an old woman might give up sewing clothes when she became wicked which meant she'd be forced to spend all her time at home watching television instead which wouldn't make sense since it doesn't look very interesting; therefore, the witch would just become bored again after a short while and end up returning to her favorite pastime of sewing things from what Max understood from listening to Elder Jackson explain this to Alex and Valdis while he was waiting outside the tent for everyone else inside of there who was busy talking with different monsters who seemed happy enough about helping them out even though some monsters were afraid of humans due to stories about people mistaking them for animals like wolves.

As for Fenrir's first day back in Penship City; well, it went pretty much like every other day did in that it consisted mostly of him being confused and depressed by everything that happened. He also got tired and decided that maybe it wasn't a good idea to talk to strangers so early in the morning so he ended up not having breakfast before leaving the tent city behind. His next destination however wasn't anywhere close to the tent city or the river as usual because Fenrir wanted to see where Unkulunk was staying and try to figure out why they couldn't find the dark Unicorn or even the evil bunny king who had taken Unkulunk hostage. So then Fenrir headed towards the castle ruins on the hill where they lived until they came across a black stallion who was guarding the front gate along with his two friends a wolf and a hawk.

"Halt!" the black horse commanded with his head held high causing his tail to swing back and forth slowly.

Fenrir stopped and sniffed at the air before looking up at the man and responding: "Hi there." The horse didn't respond and kept staring down at him through his helmet-like faceplate while trying to intimidate him by breathing heavily in and out while fidgeting nervously with the reins wrapped around the pommel of the saddle he was sitting upon. After several moments passed, he finally said, "What do you want?"

"I'm here to ask you if you've seen a dark unicorn," replied Fenrir without taking his eyes off the stallion.

The horse's ears twitched and he asked in reply, "Why are you interested in the dark unicorn? Are you planning on harming him?" Then he looked away for a moment and added, "That won't be wise."

"I have no intention of harming him whatsoever but my companions seem to think that something has happened to him since they can't contact him and he hasn't shown up to meet us yet. We were wondering what could have happened to him because it isn't like him to just disappear like that." The horse continued staring at Fenrir from behind his helmet as though he expected him to come up with an excuse. However, Fenrir was tired of lying about things so he decided to tell the truth this time which caused the horse to look confused before asking, "You know where he is now then?"

"Yes. In fact; we're actually on our way to his place right now so would you mind telling me how to get there?"

"No problem; follow me," replied the stallion while rearing up onto his hind legs and kicking one hoof into the air causing his two friends to burst out laughing at him. The black horse scowled back at them and began walking up the hill towards the castle ruins while everyone else followed closely behind him with Fenrir leading the way. He stopped after a few minutes and turned back towards the group, saying, "You might want to wait here until I've made sure everything is safe." Then he trotted down the path with his tail wagging furiously as he disappeared over a nearby ridge.

Once he had reached the top of the next ridge and vanished around the bend, Max the dog finally got the nerve to ask Fenrir why he hadn't told anyone about their quest or anything. The grey werewolf sighed heavily and replied: "Because I didn't want to talk to any other people." Valdis smiled softly at Fenrir's honest answer and said, "I understand."

Max shook his head and said, "I'm still mad at you for not trusting us but I also feel bad because I was the one who thought that you were the reason Unkulunk went missing in the first place."

"Yes," agreed Alex before adding with a smile," But we do have to thank you for saving him anyway by making him remember the old woman's name which in turn helped him escape from the bunny king when he couldn't think of it anymore. You are welcome!" Everyone laughed including Elder Jackson except for Fenrir of course since he didn't care either way. Instead, he walked up to Max and gently rubbed his neck while saying, "You're a good friend. Thanks." The large German Shepherd simply grumbled and whined as usual while scratching at Fenrir's side trying to get his attention without actually biting him so that he would stop petting him all over; however, Fenrir kept going until Max fell asleep. Fenrir then sat down beside him and just watched him sleep quietly for a while until they came across the black stallion again coming down the path towards them along with two other creatures whom Fenrir had never seen before. They seemed to be humanoids with wings and looked like humans with blue skin and yellow eyes. Their clothing consisted of golden armor plates sewn together on top of a white shirt and pants.

The stallion nodded at Fenrir respectfully once more after introducing himself as Sir Elton the Black Dragon Knight and explained how they'd come to be there in the first place. "You see, we've been guarding this place ever since I heard rumors about it being haunted by ghosts and other monsters." He gestured around the ruins for emphasis saying, "But it turns out that none of those things exist here anymore." The knight paused for a moment looking slightly embarrassed and added: "In fact...we haven't even found anything left behind except for these four stone slabs with writing carved into them. The text appears to tell the story of a wizard named Orkrist who created an entire world in his lab but eventually destroyed his creation when his wife refused to help him by not giving him any children. This happened despite him trying to do everything he could to persuade her to have his child such as telling her stories from his books or creating beautiful dresses made from gold thread."

Fenrir listened intently while Valdis asked, "What happened next?"

"He ended up killing her accidentally during one of their arguments which caused the end of his world and all of its inhabitants including his wife's soul which was trapped inside the castle itself where she became trapped for all eternity before returning to the underworld where she died forever," finished Sir Elton with a sigh. Max then started growling softly at this part of the story causing everyone else to look at him. They realized that what he wanted to say was that he thought that sounded familiar somehow. However, he couldn't quite put his finger on why that was the case until Elder Jackson cleared his throat making sure that everyone noticed him doing so saying, "Did you hear something too? Tell me what it is."

"Yes, I think I did," replied Alex before continuing with his explanation "I remembered reading somewhere about how some people believe in the existence of ghosts and spirits but most don't."

"Oh really? That sounds interesting."

Alex nodded and continued speaking as if he were talking to himself; however, Valdis smiled as though he had already known the answer to the question. When Fenrir asked who this person was that they spoke to when they were alone outside of there without looking around to see who it was, they just shrugged and said: "We're not exactly sure yet. It doesn't matter anyway since we aren't supposed to speak about it around anyone else unless we have a very good reason for it. Let's go back now while waiting for Unkulunk to come out of hiding."