It had been a full day, and full night of flight when Pudgy could see the huge mountains approaching in the south eastern skies. The Flight from Belgium, and over Germany had been uneventful. His GPS was going wild and would lose connection, but it would eventually resynchronize. The little hedgehog’s airplane was approaching Obersalzberg, and he could see the ground was covered in snow. While the critter knew that his friend Cobalt had packed cold weather gear, he started to worry about how he could land the plane in the snow? However, the closer he approached the mountains, Pudgy could see something terrible. On a parallel course as his, he could see the black shadowy mass of a shade flying quickly towards the mountain. It resembled at first a trail of smoke, like when a plane engine catches fire. But he had seen the shades enough times to recognize what it was, to recognize what it was.
“Oh no, Pudgy is too late!” The little hedgehog cried out, realizing he already had his little plane’s engine at full throttle. Realizing what this meant, he started to work the radio controls. The radio was full of static, and he was not able to find a channel that had anyone on it. Checking his GPS map on the dashboard, he was able to locate the museum that Cobalt had told him about. As with most German names, it was way too many letters long, and was hard to pronounce. Pudgy pushed the flight control stick forward and started to make the plane descend. Taking out the manual that was tucked away in a side compartment to his right, he flipped through the pages to the chapter on weapons. His friend had armed the plane, and in each wing to his left and right, there were tiny belt fed machine guns. Each side had 10 rounds of ammunition, which might not be enough? Wiggling his nose, and still holding the glowing talisman in his left paw, “Pudgy hope have enough ammunition.”
A familiar female voice filled the plane’s interior, “little one, you will have enough. Just hold the talisman and say reload.” It was the voice of the Goddess Hecates. Pudgy bounced, “thank you Goddess!” The voice took a more serious tone, “be careful, my talisman extracts a heavy price. I fear you may not be able to withstand the pain.” The little hedgehog could feel fingers in his quills, and he was being petted gently. The plane continued its downward course, and he could start seeing buildings along a road that led towards the museum. It was hard to see with the sea of white snow everywhere, but there was a plowed-out parking lot with large vehicles parked around the building. To the hedgehog’s horror, he saw his friend Angeliki thrown through a plate glass window out into the snowy picnic area that was beside the building. Then Eris was thrown out as well, which filled the hedgehog with anger. Pudgy cried out, “do not hurt Pudgy friends!”
The little hedgehog made his determined face and pulled the safety pins on the guns. When the black miasma shrouded Kaiser emerged from the building, Pudgy steered the plane towards the monster. Wild magic was erupting from his Demigoddess friend. Beams of light, crackling lightning, and many other magical things were flying around. As the Kaiser turned to face the approaching tiny plane, Pudgy narrowed his eyes and pulled the trigger. The guns started to fire their tiny bullets. The rounds tore through the black shadows, and then started to strike directly at the glowing blood red eyes. Pudgy banked hard to the right, and the plane started to circle the parking lot, “RELOAD!” The hedgehog shouted and felt like someone ripped out quills from his back. He whimpered, and then sniffed his nose, watching the ammo counter dial back up to 20. He steered the plane, to come in for another attack run.
Eris was cheering from a spot behind a large snow drift, as the tiny plane was coming in for another run at the Kaiser. She could see what appeared to be fuel tanks underneath the plane’s wings. The Kaiser roared with a demonic howl, that filled the area and echoed into the valley below. He extended his gun metal claws and flung his shadowy clad arms forward. The plane started to fire once more, ripping shreds out of the billowing shadows of the monster’s body. Several rounds struck the eyes once more, and which caused the eyes to go out as one hand moved instinctively to shield his face. The other claw failed and connected with the plane, causing a spark to fly as the claws connected with the fuselage. The plane took off hard back into the sky before banking to the left out over the mountain. She could see the scratches on the plane, bit it did not look like they had pierced the interior.
When the claws connected with the plane, he could hear a sickening screeching noise. But as Pudgy started to line up for another attack run, he could see large green vehicles with flashing lights racing up the road to the museum. “RELOAD!” Pudgy shouted and felt more quills being ripped out of his back. The counter dialed back up to 20 rounds. The critter nodded, wincing from the pain, and lined up with the Kaiser’s head. As the eyes began to glow red once more, Pudgy fired another volley of tiny bullets. They all connected and ripped out chunks of shadow. The plane’s interior lights started to flash on the panel, indicating he was running out of fuel. “No, not now!” The hedgehog cried out but realized the Talisman only extended fuel. It did not create fuel. So, the plane was steered to the plowed-out parking lot. Pudgy lowered the landing gear lever and hoped the Kaiser would allow him to land.
Eris peeked out from behind the snow drift and watched as the tiny green plane was coming in. The landing gear descended, and then it touched softly down on the snowy parking lot. The plane pulled up to about where she was standing, and the astonished woman watched as the canopy rolled back. Pudgy peeked out of the cockpit, with his determined face on. Giggling to herself, she ran over to the plane, while the engine ceased and the propellor stopped spinning. As she knelt, she could see Pudgy was missing quills, and he was starting to bleed a tiny bit. “Pudgy, you’re hurt!” Eris stammered out, while she watched Pudgy get out his cold weather gear. He dressed quickly, and then looked up at her wiggling his nose, “Hi Eris! Pudgy need to stop the Kaiser!”
Eris nodded, realizing that all this time, Hecates Daughter had kept the monster’s attention with blasts of magical bolts of white energy. The woman reached into the plane and scooped out the hedgehog. Pulling him up to eye level, “Pudgy how are we going to stop the monster?” The hedgehog wiggled his nose, “just get Pudgy close to monster, then put Pudgy down!” Eris nodded, and holding him gentle but firmly, she ran towards the monster. Her feet dropped hard into the snowbank, which went up to her knees. So, her progress slowed considerably. However, she looked down to see Pudgy starting to glow with an unearthly white light. Struggling through the snow, she sunk all the way up to mid chest. “Pudgy I’m stuck!” She cried out, while struggling to move in the deep snow. The woman watched her hedgehog friend wiggle free from her gray wool clad hands and started to run on top of the snow. Like Eris, he was starting to sink, but with a combination of his light frame, and magical energy, he was able to get much closer to the shadowy monster.
Angeliki was starting to get incredibly tired, and her hands were staring to bleed. The release of magical energies was influencing her skin. The gnarled white wooden cane was becoming smeared with her blood. There were limits to magic, and she was right at it. This was one of those times she wished she were a full Goddess like her mother. So, she was very much relieved when Pudgy came in with his tiny airplane, and made attack runs at the Kaiser. The Kaiser stopped focusing in on her and was fighting the critter. She smiled when she saw Eris come running out from behind a snow pile. The woman was carrying Pudgy in her hands, but quicky sunk up to her mid chest. Laughing quietly, the demigoddess made mental note not to step there she did. While the hedgehog ran across the snow, he headed towards the Kaiser. Coughing hard and standing back up with the assistance of her white staff, Angeliki stood once more. She started to rush forward as well, “be gone you foul beast!” As she started to chant a spell under her breath, to cast another burst of cleansing fire. The demigoddess stopped mid chant however, when she saw the hedgehog begin to glow with a light brighter than the sun. It was so strong; she shielded her eyes with the back of her hand.
Pudgy was holding each holy coin in his paws, with his talisman around his neck. All the metal discs were glowing, and Pudgy could hear chants in Hebrew in his mind. He did not know what they were saying, but with his determined face on he shouted, “Kaiser go away forever!” A violent beam of faint blue light shot out of the talisman. The Kaiser’s entire body was engulfed in the beam, and he roared in pain. This was the first time the hedgehog had used both coins, and it greatly increased the power of his attack. The side effect was that it felt like his body was being torn apart in all directions. Whimpering as the pain shot throughout, the grimaced and knew he had to fight through the pain and defeat the monster. Clenching his teeth, Pudgy moved the two holy coins closer towards the beam. This resulted in a narrowed beam focus, as it greatly amplified the magical energy. Tense seconds passed, and to the critter’s dismay, a thunderous demonic growl filled the air. The black shadows started to spread throughout the area. An insidious demonic German accented voice called out, “I see, you have visited the Rabbis. You located the coins of the lost Torah, but they are still not powerful enough to stop me!”
To Angeliki’s horror, she saw the Kaiser fly out of the path of the beam while her friend attacked. Pudgy had turned it to reconnect with the monster, who was floating over the ravine that ran beside the museum. The shadowy monster had extended one clawed hand and was holding onto the beam of magical energy. The hedgehog was putting everything he had into the attack. He noticed that his white snow outfit was starting to stain with blood. He could hear movement behind him, and a worried female voice speak. Eris has broken free of her snowy trap and was able to crawl through the snow. She watched as the hedgehog was floating and glowing with an even more intense white light. “Pudgy, stop it now, you are hurting yourself!” The woman cried out, with the Torah fabric bag still wrapped around her left hand. As she reached out, she saw the bag start to disintegrate. The threads started to swirl around and wrap Pudgy, with a new piece of clothing start to form. The hedgehog continued to fire his beam of magical energy and watched as his head was covered with some sort of white headdress with black stripes. He could feel more holy power filling him, “Pudgy must stop Kaiser, no matter cost!”
Eris watched as Pudgy’s energy beam burst out violently again, as he moved his paws in front of the talisman, lining up the two holy coins like lenses in a telescope. Hecates daughter coughed as she ran up beside Eris and looked down at the hedgehog. “We have to stop this; this might kill Pudgy!” As the Demigoddess started her own magical beam at the Kaiser, Eris watched as the monster laughed insidiously and caught the second beam of light. The woman felt powerless, but through her hand with fingers outstretched. “Do something,” she cried out, as her fingers started to glow with a faint blue light. The fact was not lost upon Angeliki and watched as from out of nowhere a frying pan fell out of the sky above the Kaiser. The cast iron rang out as it connected with the monster’s head. Eris giggled, “well I am the chaos goddess after all?” Angeliki giggled, “I do not think you are THE goddess, as I met the real chaos goddess a couple years ago, but I think she’s helping you today. We will explore that theory later once the monster has been dispatched.” Eris giggled a tiny bit, but then looked down at the hedgehog once more.
The shadowy monster roared, “ENOUGH OF THIS!” And reversed the beams of light, with violent black bursts of lightning. The blast threw both Angeliki and Eris far away, and into the pile of snow that had been plowed from the driveway. Pudgy was laying on the snowy ground, having trouble standing. Pain was wracking all parts of his tiny body, with the holy coins sizzling in his paws. Demonic howls filled the air, as the black shadows started to blot out the skies above. Pudgy watched as the Kaiser started to float back down from his perch in the air and landed onto the snowy ground. Blood red eyes locked onto the hedgehog’s, and without warning a shadowy clawed hand wrapped around Pudgy and brought him up to eye level with the monster. “To think, all of my troubles stem from small vermin. Well, I know what to do with those,” the monster said in a demonic tone. He began to tighten his grasp, causing the little hedgehog to cry out in agony. Pudgy could feel his entire body being both squeezed and burned at the same time. “NoOoOOOOooooo!”
Eris was first to get to her feet, “no, stop that, do not hurt Pudgy!” The little hedgehog was wailing and trying desperately to break free of the monster’s grasp. Angeliki struggled to get out of the mound of snowy and was cursing in Greek, as he sandals clad feet were wiggling in the snow. The woman turned and reached into the snow mound. She felt the demigoddess’s hands and pulled hard to retrieve her from the snow. While trying desperately to get her friend out of the snow, Eris looked up into the parking lot. Several unmarked green SUV vehicles with flashing lights racing up the snow-covered road and pulling into the parking lots above the museum. Their sirens were blaring loudly, echoing throughout the area. “It looks like someone called the policy, maybe it was one of the museum workers?” The woman said, as she hoisted Angeliki out and back to her feet. After letting go of her hands, Eris turned to watch the Kaiser continue squeezing the hedgehog in his clawed hand.
Cursing, she made an open-handed gesture towards the Kaiser, “please do it again, whatever happened before?” A small circle of light opened above the Kaiser’s head, and a rusted golf cart engine dropped out of the sky. It picked up speed and struck the monster squarely on the top of its head. Cursing loudly in German, with a demonic tone, the shadowy creature dropped to his knees. The engine passed through his body partially before he caught it in one of his hands. Looking up at Eris, “I know not how you have done that Fraulein, but your efforts are futile.” The Kaiser threw the engine at Eris, but it landed on the ground in front of her. Pudgy was dropped into the snow and watched as the Kaiser’s torso loomed over top of him. Wheezing and coughing, Pudgy rolled over onto his back trying to recover. This was the hedgehog’s best chance, and after taking a deep breath to catch his breath, the hedgehog moved the coins and talisman into position. “Open gate to north, south, east, and west. Pudgy make monster go away in name of God.” A terribly violent beam of golden light shot out of the hedgehog, and straight up into the sky.
The Kaiser realized too late that it was unable to dodge the point-blank attack, or ready a defense for that matter. The beam was of pure holy magic, and he could feel his shadows being burned away. Roaring in pain, he extended his metallic claws once more from each finger and thrust his hand down hard into the snow towards the critter. The claws did not pierce the critter’s body but formed a cage around him. The claw was starting to deflect the beam, but unlike water in a hose being diverted, the magic did not go sideways. It still went straight up, though a small area above the hand was safe from the beam. The magical eruption continued its incredible output, causing shreds of miasma to be flung in all directions. Only the blood red orbs remained and focused onto the hedgehog. However, just as the Goddess said, Pudgy was struggling to keep up the attack. The beam’s output started to flicker, which the monster immediately scattered. The Kaiser began a howling laugh that echoed once more throughout the area, and his voice boomed once more in ominous tones. “Du hast mich nicht aufgehalten, ich gehe in die Gaskammern, um mein Volk zu befreien!”
Angeliki looked up as the magical beam of energy ceased. Pudgy dropped hard onto the snow once more, and the critter watched as the shadows form once more. The Kaiser floated upwards and reformed his shredded body as best as he could. Terrible inhuman noises filled the area, as the shadows coalesced, then bolted off to the North Eastern skies. When it was safe to move, Eris cried out, “PUDGY!” Walking as quickly as she could through the deep snow, she made her way up to where the hedgehog was laying. Dropping to her knees, she started crying. The hedgehog was in terrible shape, with stains all throughout his winter clothing. She reached down and could feel a little bit of air moving from his face, so he was still breathing. As the demigoddess knelt beside her, she moved her bloodied hand over Pudgy, and cast a soft white light over him. Eris looked over at Hecate’s Daughter, “what are you doing, you are hurt?” Soft blue eyes locked onto hers as the concerned demigoddess looked back at the hedgehog. “This talisman came from my mother, and it uses death magic. There is a tremendous cost to using it, and I fear Pudgy may have hit his limit.”
Eris blinked her dark brown eyes, and cursed out loud, “Fudge! Death magic! Why would anyone give Pudgy a talisman like that?” The woman felt a hand on her shoulder, which resulted in her starting to turn backwards. She looked up to see a serious but concerned looking man in winter combat gear was standing behind her. “Guten Tag, I believe you may be Eris? When we inquired at your hotel in Salzberg, they informed us that you had come here.” The woman blinked, “Guten Tag, yes I am Eris. Who are you?” The man nodded, “I am Oberstabsgefriter Frederick, please come with me.” The man was pale skinned, with blonde hair and gray eyes. He was in his late twenties and had a stern look at the two women kneeling in front of the hedgehog. Angeliki gently scooped up Pudgy into her hands, and then started to stand up. Eris stood up as well, and while both turned to walk behind the solder, they could see the SUV vehicles had unloaded about a dozen soldiers. They were all wearing white and black camouflage, with a variety of weapons pointed in directions.
The trio headed up to the hood of a large vehicle, where the solider turned and saluted an older gentleman. He was bald and smoking a pipe. The superior saluted back and turned to face Angeliki and Eris. “I am Stabshauptmann Johan, with the German defense forces. Please explain what happened here,” he said in an authoritative accent filled tone. There was no hiding anything, as the soldiers had most likely seen everything. So, Eris started to stammer out everything that had happened, which drew an inquisitive look from the superior and his subordinate soldiers. During her story, she also noticed the soldiers were having a fun time looking at Pudgy’s little plane parked beside the snowbank in the parking lot. After a couple minutes passed, and the tale was wrapped up, the superior officer nodded and took a puff from his pipe. Blowing a smoke ring out of his mouth away from the two women in front of him, he looked at the hedgehog in the white-haired woman’s hands. “And I presume that to be Pudgy hedgehog?” Eris nodded, and sniffed her nose hard. “yes, it is, please let him rest. He had had a busy day so far.”
The superior officer nodded once more, “our detachment was informed of our mission earlier today, and to be honest, we thought it was a joke. But upon reaching the Dokumentationszentrum Obersalzberg: I see a large shadow demonic creature being fight a tiny plane doing attack runs. Beams of white light, lightning, and fireballs flying out of this woman with the pink staff. And you somehow summoning random objects to fall from the sky, before massive beams of light bursting out of the hedgehog. Then the monster says he is going to the gas chambers to free his people and flying off….” The officer trailed off, to take another draw of his pipe. Angeliki giggled, “that sums up everything succinctly Stabshauptmann Johan.” She could feel the hedgehog stirring in her hands, so she walked over to the hood of the green vehicle and set Pudgy down on it. The critter sat up and wiggled his nose. He waved weakly at the solider, before saluting. The salute drew a smile, and before the man could say anything Pudgy spoke.
“Pudgy do not feel good. But Pudgy must stop Kaiser, need to follow him.” When the critter spoke, the other soldiers’ eyes went wide, and the superior started to choke on the smoke. After recovering, he reached out and touched Pudgy on his head with a black gloved hand. “Well … Pudgy, the chambers that monster spoke of … are from a dark time in our past. They have all been dismantled, and those responsible have been punished. Our people still bear the burden of sin for their dark past, and inaction to stop the evil of that time. I do not know where the monster may have gone.” Eris blinked as she began to remember something, “Pudgy, the Kaiser stole a set of keys! They were for Auschwitz, he mentioned something about opening the gates?” Hecates daughter nodded while rubbing her chin, “this makes sense. Those keys have immense spiritual power within them and can be used for all manner of evil. He could open the camp and summon demons. However, if he can restart the gas chambers….” Eris coughed hard, “wait, are you fudging serious? There is no way we can let that happen!” The superior officer started to look pale and took a draw from his pipe. He cursed in German, why was it always the past sins returning to haunt their people?
The superior officer nodded once more and looked down at the hedgehog. “I will admit, there is a large part of me that would like to arrest all three of you and take you in for questioning. But … Pudgy, our orders included helping you. It would seem you have European Union clearance to operate here.” Angeliki nodded while smiling at the superior officer, “you saw the monster and the magic, and realize that there is something beyond your scope of understanding.” The man nodded, “exactly, so I will escort Eris and her white-haired friend here back to their hotel. As for Pudgy Hedgehog, my orders were clear. What do you need?” Pudgy looked up at him, “Pudgy need gasoline for airplane. Then Pudgy must fly to Auschwitz, to stop the Kaiser once and for all.”
Eris picked up Pudgy and started to hug the little hedgehog in her arms. She kept him facing forward, so he could see where they were going. As the woman turned to walk towards the airplane, she saw soldiers walking beside her. They were clad in winter gear, and most had ski masks on with goggles. Angeliki walked behind Eris as well, watching the superior officer speak in German to a subordinate solider. As the group reached the plane, a young solder approached with a gasoline can. The hedgehog saw the scratches and gouges in his plane from where the monster attacked his plane. The assembled group determined that the plane was still able to fly and had not pierced the fuselage to require repairs. However, the men milling about were having a devil of a time trying to figure out how to fuel the plane. It was not until the superior officer ordered someone find a straw, and a plastic cup, that they were able to construct a tiny funnel. While Eris watched the soldiers start to pour the gasoline carefully, she watched the museum. There was a group of men that had went down to the museum to check on the interior and was bringing out a body bag of the poor security guard that had been slain by the monster.
Angeliki was watching the scene as the men moved about their tasks, giggled when she attempted to pry Pudgy from Eris’s grasp. The woman reluctantly let go, and soon the hedgehog was being hugged by Hecate’s Daughter. She could feel the death magic still flowing throughout his little body, but it was mixed with holy power from the coins. “Pudgy, what are those coins?” Pudgy explained that there were 5 rabbis who were taken to Auschwitz, and each had a silver coin representing one book of the Torah. Pudgy had visited 2 Rabbis: one in Middlesex and one in Mechelen, who gave him their coins. The coins had been passed on from the original Rabbis to the men that would succeed them. Each holy coin amplified the magical power of the talisman, which made the shades go away quicker. Sighing, she held the hedgehog close. “2 coins have greatly increased the talisman’s power, but where are the other 3 coins?” Eris blinked, “didn’t the Kaiser say he recognized the lost Torah coins?” Angeliki nodded, “yes I remember that too. And…in the….museum…” she trailed off. As the two women looked at each other, they remembered the display. Both turned quickly and started running carefully through the snowy parking lot back towards the museum. That triggered several soldiers to run after them, and soon a group was trotting back towards the museum.
Pudgy watched as he was carried into the museum, and past all manner of neat glass cases filled with displays. Though many of the cases had now been destroyed when the Kaiser started his attack. After navigating the rows of displays, Eris pointed at the large poster board, with a variety of pieces of a Torah. She read out loud, “here it is Hecate’s Daughter! The German forces routinely rounded up Rabbis, for deportation to the ghettos and camps. Their religious practices threatened the establishment, and of a pure Germany.” Pudgy blinked when he looked at the picture and pointed, “Pudgy see the Kaiser there, but he is younger?” Eris nodded, “Pudgy, I saw this man, he was following me from Berlin all the way to Munich! Does this mean he was a Rabbi?” Angeliki nodded, “it would appear to be that way Pudgy. What on Earth would possess someone who survived that sort of horror, to try and continue it in the future?” Giving Pudgy another gently hug, she looked down to see him staring up at her. Giggling, her soft blue eyes locked onto his as she realized what this meant. “That is how he was able to withstand the attack: he must still posses one of the Torah coins. If we somehow could separate that coin from him ……” the demigoddess trailed off.
By now, the older superior officer Stabshauptmann Johan had caught up to the group. He spoke, “Eris, what else does that display say?” The raven-haired woman was still reading, “Once the camp was freed by the Russian army, the holy men scattered throughout Europe. Though Rabbi Zdislaw chose to remain, settling in Oscwiecim Poland.” The hedgehog bounced, “perhaps if the Rabbi can help, Pudgy can use his coin to amplify the talisman further!” Eris shot him a look, “you will certainly not do such a thing! Look at you Pudgy, you are a wreck, and barely was able to withstand the magical burst of energy!” As the two females gave Pudgy concerned looks, the solider was kneeling and reading the display. The two females nodded at each other but watched as the superior officer picked up the display. Stabshauptmann Johan started to frown, “The Rabbi from Poland appears to have passed away. His effects most likely would have been taken for proper storage to the closest temple. My superiors will be most interested in today’s activities. I feel we should follow up with our Polish allies across the border. Perhaps they would be instrumental in locating the former Rabbi’s personal effects?”
Angeliki also was reading, noticing something else on the description printed on the display. The demigoddess spoke, “hmm… that one name also seems familiar…. Messi? Why does that name sound familiar for some reason?” Eris nodded, and pulled out her cell phone. It had zero bars of signal, “ah nuts I have no signal.” A younger solider walked up and took out his cell phone. He in fact did have signal, as he was using a military grade phone, and started to do a search. In an excited tone, the young solider spoke in broken English. “he is former head rabbi in Jerusalem.” Eris smiled at the solider and put her phone away. Angeliki nodded, “I do not think we will be able to contact him and fly that coin up here in time. Besides, these coins have significant historical value. I do not believe the Jewish government would be willing to part with the coin.” Stabshauptmann Johan nodded, “that is most likely the case, and I doubt they would honor a request to return said coin to one of the worst areas in the world.” The group nodded and watched as another solider approached. He saluted the superior officer, and spoke quickly in German, before turning and running back out of the museum. Stabshauptmann Johan saluted back and then looked down at Pudgy. “My men made a slight repair to your plane, as one of the external fuel tanks had come loose. Your plane is fully fueled once more, Pudgy Hedgehog. Everyone, please follow me.”
Eris and Angeliki nodded and followed the superior officer back through the museum and out into the cold parking lot. A light snow had started to fall, with a soft breeze. The sun was starting to set in the western skies, which meant it would be dark relatively soon. It was a short walk back to where Pudgy’s plane was sitting. Pudgy found himself being hugged by both of his friends for long periods of time. However, Stabshauptmann Johan was first to speak. “Pudgy Hedgehog, I do not fully know what is going on. My men have reprogrammed your radio so that you will be able to keep in touch with our air controllers. I will notify my superiors soon of what occurred here.” Pudgy nodded as he was being held by Angeliki and saluted. The superior officer smiled and saluted back which drew smiles from the other soldiers. Hecates daughter hugged Pudgy again, and then pulled him up close to her pale pink lips as she whispered. “Pudgy, I will join you there, but I must go with Eris for now.” Pursing her lips, she kissed the hedgehog’s forehead. Eris giggled, and extended her hands, “ok Hecate’s Daughter give Pudgy here, you got your turn!” The demigoddess laughed, and then gently handed the hedgehog to the raven-haired woman.
Eris hugged Pudgy gently, and then raised him up to her face. “Pudgy, I don’t want you to go. But I understand why you must go. Please promise me, you will be coming back from this. I don’t want to find out from Cobalt that this was your last adventure.” The hedgehog nodded and kissed her cheek. “Pudgy promise, Pudgy want to go home and play with friends in warm sun. But if Kaiser exists, we will never be safe.” The woman nodded and kissed his nose with dark painted lips. She nodded, and hugged her friend once more, before starting to kneel beside the plane. She helped Pudgy get back into the plane and watched as the critter started to work the controls. He waved at everyone who was looking at him and rolled the canopy back closed. Eris stood up and walked beside Angeliki and the other soldiers. The assembled group was watching the plane intently, and soon the little engine fired up. The propellor started to turn, and then the plane began to pull forward. The soldiers watched in amazement, as the tiny engine’s motor roared, and then the plane raced off through the parking lot towards the museum.
Both Angeliki and Eris were extremely glad that the parking lot was long, and soon found his plane gliding off the road. The soldiers all watched as the tiny plane ascended into the skies once more. Pudgy made the wings bounce up and down, making the plane wave, before he banked to the left and headed to the North Eastern skies. The women sighed and watched the plane fade away. Stabshauptmann Johan motioned with his hand to follow him. “Come you two, let us depart before it gets dark. If I were to estimate, I believe that is about a 6-hour flight to Poland from here. Given the size of his plane, I am unsure how he is going to make it there, but somehow he flew from Belgium here on one tank of fuel.” The soldiers all got back into their green SUV vehicles, and soon Eris and Angeliki were loaded into the back seat of one. Thankfully, the heater was on, and the vehicle was very warm. “Turns out, I really did get to go on a Pudgy adventure this time.” Eris said giggling, while looking at her friend. The demigoddess nodded with a smile, “yes you did.”
The trip from the mountain was just as treacherous as it was to reach it, though the vehicles were equipped for winter weather travel. In about an hour, and after the sun had set, the convoy of vehicles pulled up to the hotel where Eris was staying. The trip had been mostly silent, save for the errant word spoken in German. When the vehicle pulled up to the front entrance, the soldier in the passenger seat turned back to face the women in the back seat. “We made it to hotel, please go inside.” Eris nodded, “danke.” Angeliki smiled and waved, “danke.” The doors were unlocked, and soon Eris had slid back out to exit the vehicle. As Hecate’s daughter closed the door, Eris smiled and waved at the soldiers. The two females turned and started to head inside the hotel, and once the exterior doors had shut behind them, the convoy of vehicles pulled out of the covered area for guests to arrive. Eris nudged her friend gently in the side, “I could really use a stiff drink. How about you?” Angeliki nodded and followed Eris to the hotel’s bar. Truth be told, she could use something strong of the adult variety too.
Pudgy's Adventures 
One reply on “Land of Sorrow: Chapter 9: Attack”
Things got real here, I’m so concerned for Pudgy & the rest of the world.
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