"...Woof"
The audience and other contestants giggled at the word, even James couldn't hold back a chuckle after his initial surprise. Were the finals really going to be that easy?
"Woof" James repeated, thoroughly confident in his ability to spell out a common onomatopoeia. "W-O-O-F" *WOOF!* he spelled and repeated, blushing a bit when he realized he actually imitated the sound rather than say the word itself. But at the same time, he felt a little pride in letting it out like that.
"Correct! Good boy, James!" the judge said, smiling warmly at him.
Seeing his smile and hearing his compliment made James' heart jump in joy and his breathing accelerate a bit as he returned to his seat. He didn't even notice that the compliment more for a dog than a spelling bee contestant. In fact, it seemed like nobody really noticed as seated rears began wagging in chairs. Nobody even noticed the charm glowing in the judge's chest pocket.
With the first word done, it was Ashley's turn, the shyer of the two female finalists now excitedly bounding towards the microphone, the judge smiling slyly and subtly at her behavior.
"Ashley, your word is ...bark"
"Bark! B-A-R-K" *BARK!* she said with newfound energy. Like with James, she ended up barking instead of saying the word itself. This only proved to create more changes as butts started to wag faster and even some tongues began dangling out of mouths.
"Correct! Good girl Ashley!" the judge said, similarly to what he had said to James. "Why don't you sit, girl?"
Ashley nodded excitedly at his suggestion, quickly making her way back to her chair and sitting obediently down, with her tongue hanging out and body barely able to hold still.