Deliverance Of Evil
-stoicwolf

It was a warm summer day in the desert den of a pair of wolf brothers. With the sands outside too hot to play on, the wolves had nothing to do inside but sprawl on their couches, never ending up comfortable. The day grew long and unending, the squeaking of cushions and the movement of the other being the only thing that helped pass the time. Their malaise was finally squashed when the younger wolf heard the growl of his stomach.

"Brother," he said weakly. "I'm hungry. Can we please get some pizza?"

"But of course!" The older wolf exclaimed, grateful that he had something to do to end their boredom. "Find the phone book and get your money ready."

"But I don't have any money!" The young one cried.

"I guess we can't get any pizza then," the older wolf said crestfallen.

The young wolf whined. “But I really want pizza brother!”

“Oh I was just teasing you Mikhail,” the older wolf chuckled. “Just get me the phone and we’ll call some place.”

“Okay!” Mikhail twisted himself off his small couch and darted off to another part of the den, returning in a flash with their phone and a piece of paper.

“Hey brother, how about we get pizza from this place?” he handed over the flier..

The older wolf twisted himself upright on his couch and surveyed the ad. What caught his eye was the logo on top of a dragon holding a piece of pepperoni on a medieval shield. “Hmmm Pendragon Pizza? That does sound like a good place.”

“So order it already!” Mikhail screamed.

“Fine, fine! Don’t be so bossy,” his brother barked sarcastically. “Be quiet and I’ll get something.”

Punching in the number for the nearest location, the wolf held up the phone against his ear while looking over the menu, silently deciding what to order.

The ringing tone went by quicker than the wolf expected. He was greeted by a cheerful “Pendragon Pizza! This is Tina. Pick up or delivery?” before he knew it.

“Uh, delivery,” the wolf blurted out in a haze, still trying to figure out exactly what to order.

“Okay. Can I get a delivery address please?”

“The large yellow sand den in the desert of Eureka.”

“Did you say the desert of Eureka?” the confusion and disappointment in her voice came through clearly on the receiver, confusing the wolf. “Um, can you give me a moment?”

“Uh, sure,” he responded, and was quickly put on hold. He wasn’t sure what the problem was, but at least it gave him time to peruse the menu better. The pizza from this place was supposedly very good, so it wouldn’t be advantageous to get a boring old pepperoni pie, so his attention turned to the specialty section. Everything looked good, but one pizza caught his eye…

“Sir, are you still there?” Tina returned with a joyful tone in her voice.

“Yes I am.”

“Okay, we usually don’t deliver that far away, but since we’re very slow here today, we’re willing to make an exception.” The wolf moved the phone away from him and squealed in delight.. “So, what can I get you today?”

“Alright, can I get an extra large Dragon Meat Sausage Lovers pizza with extra bacon,” the wolf hoped the drooling desire in his voice wasn’t picked up by the order girl.

“Sure thing. And can I get your name?”

“My name is Stoic.”

“Well Stoic, we’ll make that pizza as quick as we can and send out our delivery boy right away. Thank you for choosing Pendragon Pizza!” she hung up promptly.

The wolf tossed the phone aside as he flopped back on the couch. "And now we wait."

"But how long?" His brother whined. "I'm hungry now!"

"Give it about a half hour or so. It'll get here faster if you be patient and quiet."

"I want pizza now!" The young wolf bellowed. "I WANT IT I WANT IT I WANT IT!"

"Behave Mikhail or you get nothing," he calmly said.

"No!" He jumped up and down and shouted "Feed me!" with no end in sight. The older wolf used the couch cushions to try and block out the noise, but it did little good.

"Okay, you have your tantrum in here. I'm going outside. At least it's quiet there," the wolf huffed, getting off the soft seat and angrily pacing to the front door.

The desert heat had not subsided in the least, the sun punishing everything below it, and now the wolf was out in it. At least it was silent, a great advantage from the inside of his den, and an advantage in general of being in the desert. As he just learned, this wonderful isolation came with the price of being out of range of all pizza parlors, something that cannot be permitted ever again. He flopped on a small rock formation just in front of the den, the white flat rock on top being great to rest upon, and providing a great vantage point to observe any intruders that may enter this territory.

Slowly but surely, the sun began melting his brain and making him sweat. Being a wolf with a thick and dark fur coat and an emerging silver mane was getting to him. Why he was living in the desert was beyond him.

"So sleepy..." The wolf muttered as his eyes closed.

An odd sound began to creep into the desert. The wolf’s sensitive ears heard it even in his daze, causing him to dart into alertness, getting into pouncing form on the rock, trying to see where the noise was coming from.

Off in the distance, something was coming. A brown dot was slowly moving toward him. Looking closer at it, it was clear that it was an ancient looking hatchback with tinted windows. It had to be the pizza deliverer.

The car came to a stop right in front of the wolf's perch. Never taking his eyes off the intruder, the wolf saw the driver’s door slowly open and its occupant get out. Before the wolf was a tall and round otter, golden hair flowing behind him, holding a large pizza bag. Taking a few steps forward, his attention focused on the towering yellow sand den, completely ignoring the wolf next to him.

"I...I don't believe it..." The otter muttered aloud to himself.

"Yeah... it exists," the wolf answered the question only the otter knew.

"Oh, right," he regained his composure and turned to the wolf. "You must be Stoic? The wolf who ordered the pizza?"

"That's right!" The wolf jumped with a dumb smile.

"Alright, I have one Extra Large Dragon Meat Sausage Lovers pizza with extra bacon here for you," the otter announced as he pulled the pie out of its heat bag. "Your total comes to 32.50."

The wolf pulled out two $20 bills. "Keep the change. You deserve it after coming all this way."

"Thanks!" The otter rejoiced as he walked back to his car. "Enjoy your meal." The car turned back on, and went back the way it came.

Stoic walked back into his den, glad to have his lunch.

"Get over here Mikhail!" He shouted. "Pizza's here."

The younger wolf darted as fast as he could to the living room. "Oh boy!" He cried as he fling open the box and grabbed a slice.

The older wolf saw the receipt for his meal fly off the box, and for whatever reason, he decided to look at it.
Pendragon Pizza. North Ranch Location. Order Number: 1 Customer Name: Stoic. Order: One Extra Large Dragon Meat Sausage. Extra Bacon. Deliver. Total: $32.50. Deliverer: Darby.

"Well, thank you Darby," he chuckled while he grabbed his pizza, glad to put a name to a helpful face. Taking a gracious bite, he savored the hot and meaty goodnesses of the spicy pepperoni, the chewy and lumpy sausage balls, the crispy bacon bits and the stringy mozzarella cheese. Then something furry and salty assaulted his taste buds, nearly choking on the mouthful of food is his maw, causing him to fall from his pizza nirvana.

Carefully swallowing, Stoic went down to the ground and took a few deep breaths. He needed a drink of water, but a panic filled him. Getting up and looking at the pie, he was that it was covered in furry strips. It couldn’t be...but it was...and a fainting spell was coming up for the wolf.

"Dragon Meat Sausage is anchovies!?"