Daring Do and the Silver Star

Chapter 3: The Mansion of Hounds

Daring traveled west towards The Mansion of Hounds. Daring began feeling the change in climate as she came closer and closer to the western desert. The Mansion of Hounds sat in an abnormal place. Somehow a dense forest grew on the outskirts of a completely dry desert. The trees were thick and strong, the strength only proper hydration and nutrients could produce. The forest came into view and Daring set up camp. She figured a good night rest before embarking on this journey would be a good idea. She pitched her tent in a nice grassy spot and crawled inside her sleeping bag Daring drifted into a pleasant slumber.

When Daring awoke there was something amiss. She felt claustrophobic, trapped. She unzipped her tent and looked out into the darkness. She figured it must still be early so she stepped outside. Her hooves making a sound like she was walking upon stone but when daring fell asleep she was in a grassy area, no stone to be found. Daring grabbed her rucksack and got her flashlight. She flicked it on and discovered where she was. Daring was in a dungeon, or what looked like a dungeon. She walked around awhile and found a set of stairs leading up to a trapdoor. Daring climbed the stairs and approached the trapdoor. She peaked into the room above. She gazed upon an ornate room filled with golden artifacts and beautiful paintings. Daring entered the room and looked at everything on the walls and shelves but then turned to the center of the room, upon a golden pedestal with a platinum centerpiece stood the Idol of Canines. ‘It can’t be this easy. I just happen to end up in the basement of the house that houses the thing I am looking for’ she thought to herself. Daring circled the pedestal a few times to decide what to do with it. Is it booby trapped? How much does it weigh? Should I take it? She pondered these questions over and over again.

Daring stopped and stared at the idol. Carefully, she took the idol in her mouth and removed it from the pedestal. Almost instantly the walls fell away and Daring stood in the middle of a large warehouse looking room. A dozen large spotlights were beaming on her. The heat of them was sapping the energy from her. All around her was dark. From the corner of her eye she could she a figure emerge from the shadows and started moving towards her. She prepped herself to surprise the figure. The figure approached closer and closer. The figure was inches away and Daring struck. She kicked the figure square in the torso with her powerful hind legs. The figure, now recognized as a werewolf went flying into the distance. Daring took off in the other direction and flew up to the ceiling of the warehouse. There was a narrow row of windows at the top. Daring bolted towards them in hope of her escape. She could hear hundreds of paws stomping on the floor below. She hit the row of windows with all her force and smashed through them into the crisp air of the morning. She heard the doors of the warehouse explode open and hundreds of raggedy beasts leapt into the night, all of them dead set of capturing Daring.

She flew higher and farther away from the warehouse. She was above the clouds so no one could find her. Daring assumed she was out of harm’s way and slowed her pace. She let the cool morning air refresh her and she sunk into a sense of relaxation. What she didn’t know, was that the werewolves had some tricks up their sleeves. A few of the werewolves hopped into crude flying machines and took off towards the skies to capture Daring Do.

Daring was peacefully floating along the air currents oblivious to all around her. She hears a slight buzzing sound but figures it’s a bumblebee out for an early morning pollination adventure. The buzzing sounds were coming from the engines of the werewolves’ flying machines. They break through the clouds and close in on Daring Do. Daring begins to get irritated by the buzzing and looks around to swat the bee she thought was making the sound. She locks eyes with one of the werewolves and bolts off into the sky. The werewolves speed up and the chase is on.
Daring does loop de loops and corkscrews in attempt to lose the werewolves in the complex maze of clouds. The werewolves duplicate her maneuvers and pursue her even faster. Daring has managed to find her way back to the mansion and heads into the forest surrounding it. She weaves in and out of the trees with expert grace and agility. The werewolves attempt to follow. One hits a tree and explodes on impact, the other keeps right on her six. Daring bolts up and breaks the tree tops, completely invisible to the werewolf still following her. She ducks into a tree and waits for the werewolf to pass her. He zips by her without a clue and she zooms away, back on course of her journey.