The Wizard of Paws chapters 8-9

Chapter 8
Werren 


"Toto! Toto! Where were you all this time, you stupid mutt?!" Dorothy shouted, quite angry with Toto for abandoning her at the beginning of the trip. Toto barked and growled. Dorothy held him at arm's length. Toto has somehow grown fangs and had red eyes. "Oh dear god! You're not Toto at all!" She yelped, almost dropping the daemon dog but instead she quickly set him down on the ground. "Toto? Who's Toto? I'm not Toto, I'm a fearsome werewolf! Surrender now, or perish!" The dog said, barking madly between sentences. "STOP BARKING!!!" Checkers screamed, and the dog stopped immediately. "Thank you," Checkers said, and he turned around to start counting the sticks in the road. The dog started whimpering. "Why are you yelling at me?" He said, looking quite miserable. "Awwww, look at 'em," Loco cooed. "Shut up," the dog said. Dorothy patted him on the head. "Oh no you don't woman. I am a werewolf, not a lap dog--" Dorothy then began scratching him behind the ears. Loco had found a sheet of paper and was now reading it, after somehow having acquired reading glasses. "Hm. Hey, dog, what's your name?" "Werren," the dog said. "Okay then. What chapter is this?" Everybody stopped to ponder this. "The heck?" Checkers said after a minute. "Trick question. This is Chapter 8. Werren, what are you afraid of?" Even more awkward silence. Werren ran over to Loco and whispered something in his ear. "THE DARK!? Oh, my my my my my!" "What?" Destiny, who had remained quiet for quite some time now, said. "It seems as if your party is out of room! Well, I must leave you all to your devices. Goodbye, peasants!" Loco said hurriedly, and he dashed into the bushes. Werren turned to Dorothy and said, "mind if I join you?" "Are you going to the Emerald City, too? 'Cos if you aren't we're leaving you here." "Dorothy! Be nice to the werewolf!" Destiny said. "Sorry. Well, are you?" "The Emerald City. Wait, gimme a second...Oh! That's where the Great Wizard lives, no?" "Yes, he does live there." "Do you think he could cure a phobia of the dark?" "Well, if he can help this guy (at this Dorothy motioned to Checkers, who was singing something involving laundry and freeze rays), then there's no reason he shouldn't be able to help you," Dorothy said, pondering. "Okay. So the answer to my question is yes?" Werren asked, looking hopeful. "You can come with us," Dorothy sighed, just wanting to get out of this place. "YAY! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!" Werren cried, jumping for joy. Then he stopped and resumed his original fearsome werewolf pose. "I mean...(ahem) thank you, Dorothy." Then he turned to Destiny, who was now singing with Checkers about bad horses and letters. "Come along, you two! To the Emerald City we go!"



Chapter 9
Just a Field


"Ow! The light! It burns!" Werren yelped upon exiting the forest, entering a field of golden wheat.  "Werren, the sky is covered in clouds. I'm not sure what color the sun even is here." Dorothy said, looking at the yellow and chartreuse clouds. "Can't blame me. I've been in that forest ever since I was a puppy. Man, I was a cute little werewolfling..." Werren stared into space, reminiscing. "By the way, the sun is orange and red," Checkers added. "Nice to know. Looks like the only thing separating us from the Emerald City now is this field!" Dorothy said cheerfully, pointing at the bright green towers of the Emerald City in the horizon. The group set off through  the field. There was something about this that Dorothy didn't think of at the time but suddenly realized now. The wheat in the field was taller than her companions, and soon Checkers, Werren, and Destiny all got lost. 
"MARCO!" Shouted Werren.
"POLO!" Destiny shouted back.
"Who's Marco?"  Checkers asked.
"Shush you and go along with it! We're trying to find out where we are anyway--ow! That was my paw, Destiny!" Werren said, bumping into her.
"Sorry. At least two of us are in the same spot. Marco, Checkers, Marco!"
"I'm right here!"
"WHERE?!" 
Dorothy stayed perfectly still this whole time, for fear that she might accidentally step on one of her companions.  "Checkers! If you can hear me, start singing one of those songs you were singing earlier! It might help!" 
So Checkers began singing something Dorothy couldn't comprehend about angels singing and moral dilemmas. 
"That's not helping!" Destiny said, running around like a madman. She finally ran straight into Dorothy, who picked her up and set her on her shoulder. Destiny was panting and looked about ready to pass out. "Okay, Werren, jump as high as you can!" Dorothy said. Werren jumped as high as he could, but the tips of his ears barely cleared the wheat. "Keep jumping!" Dorothy made her way carefully through the field, trying to get to Werren, keep Destiny balanced on her shoulder--by now she had decided to take a nap--and trying not to step on Checkers, all at the same time. Eventually she got to where Werren was, and she picked him up and put him on her other shoulder. Werren held on for dear life by wrapping his little arms around her neck. Dorothy decided to carry Destiny in her arms instead. "Checkers! How high can you jump?" Dorothy asked. Checkers, still singing, began jumping so high he cleared the tops of the wheat stalks and landed with a thud. "Stay right where you are!" Dorothy ordered, and she walked over to where Checkers had landed. "I can't carry another dog, so you have to walk directly next to me until we get out of here. Okay?" Dorothy said, saying each word individually. "Yessir!" Checkers said. This way, they all got out of the field. Dorothy poked Destiny awake, and soon they all were on the road to The Emerald City again. "Yeah, Dory," Checkers said to Dorothy. "Just a field, huh?" "I'd really hoped you'd stop calling me that." Dorothy said flatly. "Aw, come on, Dory. You can give me a nickname." "Okay then, Annoying." "Annoying? Interesting nickname. Hey, Werren, mind if I call you Wolfie?" Werren actually snarled at Checkers. "Call me Wolfie under pain of death, midget." "Personally, I like the nickname Annoying better, Wolfie." "Hey, don't I get a nickname?" Destiny asked. "Sure you do, um, Sparky." "Really? Sparky? I was thinking more of..." "Of what?" Checkers asked. "...Glitterbug?" "Honestly?" Dorothy asked. Destiny shrugged as much as a Scottish terrier can. "I got bored sitting in that dog crate. I also came up with a poem, but there's no way on Earth you're getting me to recite it."