Chapter 14

“Damn it, Anubis! I’m tryin’ not to like ye!”

Jack’s cry had rung through the hamlet near daily whenever he discovered something done only a god could do. It was what he had woken to after another sleepless night with nothing else to do but stack the crumbling stone fence with the mathematical precision his people were known for.

Besides his regular nightmares, it didn’t help that most of the last week the only thing he could smell were the whiffs of Nova’s heat in the air. Hardly had he seen her except at dinner when she’d run in to get food and didn’t even look at him before escaping to solitude in the den or her mother’s cabin. Based on things he heard from other pack mates, it was not her usual behavior. Rather than sitting around and smelling that sweet perfume every time the wind shifted, he had instead spent his free time following Denver or Silver around, learning about the water and wind mills that powered their hamlet, how they created biofuel from the seeping oils in their grass crop, or trying to find useful things to do after his job during the day.

After having been given a few days to rest and heal, he had been set on the simplest of the jobs available that would not require his hand. Guarding their livestock was more boring than being one of their livestock, but it was a lovely scenery. It would be nice to paint, he thought, gazing about.

The knoll overlooked a lush field of thick grass, flowing like ripples on a lake in the breeze. The woolly creatures that grazed without concern cawed to one another, lazy in their occasional glances simply out of instinct rather than need or fear. The little hamlet was out of sight here. There wasn’t much else to look at but blue sky and waving pasture.

Sitting under one of the few trees, Anubis stared at his splinted hand and sighed. He had been very lucky, indeed. Only the metacarpal of his two smallest fingers had been cracked, so they had elongated, but the muscle structure changes had pulled the bones loose, snapping them at their fractures and causing the muscle to be too short. Back home, he would have been crippled and shunned by the pack, never to paint again. Here, the care he had received was a level of sophistication and knowledge none in his pack had possessed, or rather, cared to possess. He had to remember to correct himself now, considering that there had been a life time for any one of them to learn from these Aroogar. He had certainly tried to learn from the slaves, but those conversations had never been nearly as enlightening as conversing briefly with Berry, Cloud’s eldest daughter and the pack’s doctor and herbalist, every time she checked on his injuries. She had gone to a school to learn her trade, and the pack had given up a great deal to send her. Considering the care she had given him (assuring him repeatedly that there would be hardly a trace of this injury by the end), he could imagine Jun had likely done the same; a memory she had never been allowed to divulge.

A high pitched buzzing had his attention in an instant. On his feet, he peered about, ears alert. It was coming closer. It didn’t sound natural. Then he saw it. A small device zipped past him in the air. A flying drone. He had seen similar technology before as part of the M.A.S. he had been trained to use. It circled him, then swayed back and forth in front of him, playfully flipping a few times before losing control and driving itself into the ground at his feet.

Tilting his head curiously, he bent down to pick it up, blowing off the dirt. “Where did you get this?”

“How’d ye know it were me?”

He gave Nova a sidelong look with a raised brow as she popped up out of the grass some distance away. “Lucky guess,” he teased with a roll of his eyes.

Giggling, she picked up a basket and came to stand beside him, beaming proudly. “I made it!”

He glanced at her perplexed. “You? You built this?”

“Uh, yeah,” she replied with sass. “I build all kinds o’ li’l gadgets!” Taking it from him, she adjusted the blades. “I finally finished this one! Grinder gives me spare parts, sometimes, if he’s in a good mood. I usually save some o’ my grass fer ‘im. Hopefully he’s in a real good mood ‘morrow!” Finished fiddling, she returned it to his hand, using him as a platform to send the thing buzzing off across the pasture. “I asked Fern if I could go with ‘im to town since he’s gotta do some tradin’. As usual, he decided to be a tease ‘bout it. He can be such a dick, sometimes.”

One of the little woolly creatures panicked as she hovered the drone near it. Hopping about madly, it smacked the drone and sent it careening off into the tall grass.

“Aww!” Nova whined in frustration. “I gotta go find it!”

With a fond little smile, Anubis watched her bound off. His amusement grew when he saw the grass rustle closer and closer to her. From his vantage spot, he could see a tuft of brown fur stalking towards her. He didn’t need to be able to sniff the wind, which was blowing the wrong way anyhow, to know it was Fletcher who pounced out of hiding with a fierce snarl, causing Nova to shriek convincingly enough.

“Hey!” she cried with a pout. “That were scary! I thought ye’d eat me!”

Beaming with satisfaction, he giggled. “I’m huntin’!” Lifting his leg with the missing foot, he hopped about as he tried to show Nova a thick wooden prosthetic that was vaguely sanded to a paw shape at the end over the grass almost as tall as he was. “I got a new foot! Now I kin stalk, an’ I’m fast!”

She put her hands on her hips and watched him prove it in circles around her with a grin. “Well, look at that! Then ye can be the one feedin’ the pack tonight. Hope ye catch somethin’ big!”

Both of them yowled when a great, dark predator rose from the deep grass with a sinister chuckle. Locked in Anubis’ iron grip, Fletcher snarled boldly and swiped his claws, barely ruffling the Dire’s fur. Snickering, he released the boy. Freed, Fletcher bounced around him with youthful vigor, snapping his teeth with the most menacing growls he could manage. “I ain’t afraid o’ ye! I’ll bite’cha!”

“He will, too!” Nova confirmed with a giggle while she continued searching for her lost toy.

Grinning just to show off his fangs, Anubis shook his head. “I’ve no doubt of it! You must be part Wogtal to be so fierce.”

Puffing up his chest, he returned the toothy smile confidently. “Yeah, that’s right! I ain’t ‘fraid o’ nothin’!”

“Ah, Fearless Fletcher,” Anubis chuckled. “You remind me of a friend I had as a pup. He feared nothing, too.”

Grinning with a small strut, he perked when he heard other voices calling his name. The pack of pups standing on the crest of an opposing knoll were impatiently waving to him and disappearing out of sight before returning to check if he was coming. Wagging his tail, he ducked under the grass and started away with his path obvious through the stalks.

Before he got far, he was stopped by a tug on his tail that had him jumping with a yip and a growl. His ears laid back nervously, but he bared his teeth at Anubis’ grand grin in front of his face. “Hey! I’m stalkin!”

“Oh? I couldn’t tell. Seems you were leaving a trail for me to follow. Anyone could see you coming.” Chuckling at his little scrunched up face of irritation, Anubis got down low with him, tucking well under the grass. “If you want to catch them by surprise, you must plan your path. Each step must be deliberate, calculated to make the least noise, the least visible, even if it takes extra time. Taking a spare moment to line up a step that doesn’t give away your position saves you more time than having to find another prey that’s unaware of you. Move with the elements. Step where the wind bends the stalks. Pause if the path needs to sway again to hide you. Patience will get you much closer than cover alone.”

The pups peeked back over the top of the hill, calling out again and disappearing to the other side. A devious little grin stretched ear to ear, and Fletcher was gone.

Instead of watching him stalk away, Anubis turned to watch Nova continue searching for her toy. After a few moments, she let out an exclamation of excitement and bent over with her tail wagging in the air. He had a lecherous smirk for her when she turned that made her breath catch. Quickly occupying herself with her drone, she turned away, biting her lip.

There was a chorus of shrieks and yelps over the hillside and one very maniacal cackle.

“Oh, no!” Nova burst out laughing. “Ye’ve taught ‘im a terrible thing!”

Struggling with his grin, Anubis started back to his vantage point. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. My attention has been on you the whole time.”

“Oh, so ye was teachin’ me ta stalk! Uh huh, sure.” Giggling with a wag, she started to follow after him, but he stopped and turned to give her a stern glare.

“Are you even supposed to be out here?”

Her ears shot back, and she stammered a moment. “O-Oh, w-well, I mean, uh, kinda. I, uh, asked if there were anythin’ else I could do, an’ omma said I could ask ‘round. So, I asked Denver what he were up to an’ he said he were gonna bring ye lunch.” Slipping past him, she presented him with the large, handwoven basket she had brought with her. “I asked if I could go grab my drone to show ya an’ he said he had somethin’ else to do fer a moment an’ he’d be along.”

One side of his forehead furrowed as he slowly raised his brow. “Am I suppose to believe that out of the entire pack, you didn’t pick Denver for a reason?”

She blushed with a little smile. “W-Well, m-maybe a li’l. Are ye complainin’, though?”

Taking the basket from her, he shook his head, though there was no anger. “No, but I distinctly recall Cloud stating only where others can see us, and you decide the chaperon ought to be Denver? I torment the poor boy enough simply by existing near him.”

Nova erupted into giggles, her tail wagging. “He do talk ‘bout ye all the time. Even more than I do!”

Rolling his eyes, he returned to his spot and sat on the soft grass. “Perhaps you should go find him so we don’t get into any trouble.”

Glancing over her shoulder, she instead sat down beside him. “He said he were just finishin’ another chore an’ he’d be ‘long. I, uh, I ain’t seen ye in a while. Guess ye, uh, f-figured out I’m ... not havin’ pups.”

Pausing as he opened the basket, he let out a small sigh. “I’m neither surprised nor upset.”

Her ears perked. “Oh. R-Really? I, uh, thought ye would be. Ye was ... the way ye talked ‘bout it...”

Now his sigh was as big as he was. “It never happened before. I tried often enough, but it never happened. Honestly, I’m glad for that now. I was trying to find reasons to make that place bearable, but I don’t think the pups would’ve helped as much as I was hoping.”

Wiggling a little closer, she leaned up against him with a flirty little smile. “Well, I, uh, I were thinkin’ ‘bout ye the whole time. Omma were watchin’ me real close, though.”

Though he smiled smugly, he shook his head. “Perhaps that’s for the best. You are entirely too tempting, my incorrigible pet.”

With a coquettish giggle, she practically oozed into his lap. Unable to resist her, he let her draw him down into a kiss. His ears swiveled with worry, but he could not stop himself from holding her close. Smiling down at her snuggled in his embrace, he shook his head slowly. “We’re going to get into trouble if Denver doesn’t get here before someone else.”

Sighing with exasperation, she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I dunno what could be takin’ ‘im so long.”

“Now, I were gonna ask ye ‘bout that.”

Even Anubis startled when Fern popped out of the grass only a few paces from them. He had a most self-satisfied grin at their stunned expressions. Giving them a moment to separate, he chuckled at the hunter. “Ye look so s’prised. What, never been hunted ‘fore? Or maybe ye think we don’t got no skills cuz we ain’t wild?”

He didn’t give Anubis the chance to think of an answer. “I been stalkin’ these hills long ‘fore either one o’ ye was born! Bet I could teach ye some lessons myself. Make you real dangerous.” Jabbing his finger at Anubis, he waggled his brows, and they knew he’d been watching them at least that long.

Slowly strolling towards Nova, he chuckled again, but there was something mildly sinister in it that made Nova shrink. “Now, see, I’m here cuz Denver were havin’ some ... hmm, hesitations ‘bout comin’ out here ‘lone with the two o’ ye. An’, well, I just happened to find that a bit strange considerin’ how big a crush he’s got on this godly hunk here, an’, well, I completely understand that sentiment. So, I were wonderin’ to myself, why would he be passin’ a chance to be spendin’ time with ‘im?”

His arm hooked around her shoulders before she could get any further, pulling her tight against his side as he tapped his chin before lowering his head to her level. “Huh. Then, by logical deduction, perhaps it were somethin’ my sweet, troublesome sister done? Somethin’ to do with Denver ‘cleanin’ out the stalls early?’” She shrank in his grasp, but he held her a little tighter so she couldn’t escape. “Maybe even somethin’ to do with ‘im keepin’ secrets from me?”

“I-I were a good girl durin’ my heat! W-We weren’t gonna do nothin’ ... Ow!” She yipped when he flicked her across the front of her nose, though his tone remained mostly affable.

“Ah, I weren’t meanin’ just now, silly sister, but ye knew that. Naw, see, I know my good boy, an’ this be somethin’ he been holdin’ in for a bit. Now, I could insist ... well, ha, let’s face it, wouldn’t take much insistin’ for ‘im to cave, but I rather admire his dedication to this so I ain’t gonna press ‘im. But, that puts the poor boy in such a ... a tough spot, an’ he can’t hide his jitters to save his life. So, here I be, makin’ sure ye remember the rules so Denver don’t need to keep no new secrets.

“Now, I know ye was gone, an’ Wild River passed on so things changed real fast. Yer still used to doin’ what ye like, an’ that’s understandable. But, Jack’s the Alpha now an’ Omegas...?” He placed his free hand behind his ear expectantly.

Blushing hard, Nova whimpered, her voice barely above a whisper. “O-Only mate with the Alpha.”

Smiling with satisfaction at having pulled the confession from her, he ruffled her between the ears. “Uh-huh. Glad to see ye ‘member yer rules. Now, if ye want to play by different rules,” spinning her around to face back towards the hamlet, he leaned over to talk by her ear, “then ye gotta go find somethin’ useful to do.” Digging a claw between her shoulder blades, he gave her a push that made her start with the sharp pain. Reaching over her shoulder to scratch at it, she glared back at him and opened her mouth, but he waggled his finger. “Ye wanna go with me into town, ‘morrow, right? I won’t take ya if ye got chores left to do.”

She glanced at Anubis, who kept his eyes on the ground, before grumbling to herself as she gathered her drone and headed back.

Fern watched her go, slowly shaking his head. “Ye can’t let ‘er push ya ‘round like that.”

Taken aback, Anubis shifted awkwardly. “Uh, I ... tried to send her away.”

Raising a brow, Fern peer at him sidelong with a smirk. “Oh yeah, I heard ye ‘send ‘er away.’ Real resolute. ‘bout as tough as a stack o’ pancakes. Figured ye could use some rescuin’.”

Turning, he plopped cross-legged next to the basket and pulled out a steam bun, helping himself. “Ye call ‘er a pet, but it sure don’t look that way from out here. Big lovesick pup. Hopeless romantic. It’s a wonder ye don’t write ‘er poetry.”

Unable to repress his amusement, Anubis snickered, shaking his head. “Ah, Terra used to say the same thing. I always told her I prefer to paint, but, uh...” He pointed to his hand.

“That were yer sister, right?”

Figuring that if he was in trouble, he would have been told so by now, Anubis sat beside him. “Yes. She’s ... like you. Uh, at least, she was.”

Fern peered at him curiously. “What’cha mean?”

“Uh, she died in the war,” he muttered quickly.

“No, no, Nova told us that.” Fern waved his hand. “How were she like me?”

“Oh, uh, she ... preferred other females the way you prefer males.”

Fern grinned. “I knew there were a reason I liked ye the moment I saw ya.”

With a small smile, Anubis shook his head. “It wasn’t really allowed, so we had to keep it hidden. I’ve never spoken openly about it to anyone else. Always had to keep it such a secret. Not like here.”

“That’s a real shame.” Fern shook his head sadly. “Can’t imagine how she managed. I can’t imagine havin’ ta hide it like that. This whole prairie knows. I even put up a ad ta find ‘nother like me. Never found one. Not ‘nother wolf, anyway.”

Tearing another bite, Fern shook his head. “We ain’t here to stop anyone from lovin’ who they love. We ain’t got that sort o’ time in our lives to control everybody like that. Too busy fuckin’ an’ fuckin’ ‘round! Maybe other packs, the ones who ain’t got neighbors an’ gotta live like animals, but not ‘round here. Neighbors don’t stand for that shit. What goes on in a pack is the pack’s business, but if neighbors start runnin’ over askin’ for protection, there gets to be a lot o’ blood shed, an’ well, who’s got time for that? Reputation means everythin’ among us. Get known for a big mess like that an’ even the towns might not do business with ya no more.

“Oh, speakin’ o’ town, I were wonderin’ if ye feel up to some, hmm, moderate liftin’? Goin’ into town tomorrow an’ even with one hand ye can lift more than me.”

“Of course,” Anubis agreed eagerly. “I was afraid I’d be stuck on this guard duty forever.”

Fern smirked at him with a waggle of his brows. “Ha, yeah, an’ a whole day with Nova ain’t a bad perk, neither.”

Anubis struggled with his giddy smile, doing his best not to give it away, but whatever the expression was on his face had Fern cackling madly, pointing at him. “Fuckin’ hopeless! I’mma find ye some poetry to read ‘er!”

Rolling his eyes with a little smile, Anubis shook his head slowly. “There was a time I wasn’t so obvious.” He sighed somberly. “I was a lot more sure of everything. Didn’t have as many doubts.”

He was not expecting Fern to be grinning like that. “Oh? Were lettin’ yer namesake go to yer head, eh? Now yer confused, just like all the rest o’ us? Whew, that’s a relief. Now ye can relate with us mere mortals.”

Shaking his head again, Anubis had to chuckle softly at it all. “Can I ... tell you something that, uh, might make you upset?”

Fern perked and peered at him. “Well, now that ye said it, yeah. I’ll try not ta be upset, though.”

“Well, when I was growing up, I always knew what to expect. The slaves were all the same. There were no surprises. Their fur was different, their smells were different, but they all acted the same. Always terrified, no matter how I tried to soothe them. I didn’t know anything else about your people. I wasn’t even allowed to learn. I was only allowed to read what my pack found acceptable. Even when I was a soldier, all the Aroogar were afraid of me. It was just confirmation of what I had always been taught. So, when I saw Nova run into the woods, I thought it would be so easy.” He paused a moment before sighing. “And I have not been sure of anything since that moment. She surprised the hell out of me by the end of the first day, and it hasn’t stopped since. Not just with her, but all of you. Nothing happens even remotely how I think it will. At least, how it would have in my pack.”

Deciding to help himself to another steam bun as he listened, Fern took a contemplative breath before shaking his head. “I won’t lie to ye, Anubis. It pisses me off ye did that to ‘er. She ain’t the same. I can tell. More tame, even scared, like ye said. Screwed ‘er up a bit.

“But, what I been hearin’ is that ye were indoctrinated into a cult of depravity. Nova said ye got bit just for tryin’ to stop ‘em from beatin’ the slaves. Ye got screwed up a lot. It ain’t fair to judge ye when that were all ye knew. Ye still tried when others didn’t. Reputation means everythin’ to us, an’ that’s yer reputation. It’s no surprise why she loves ye. An’ it don’t surprise me none that ye love her. An’ that ain’t a problem. So long as ye keep yer dick in yer kilt, ye can kiss ‘er all ye want. I just hate seein’ Denver chewin’ his nails in trepidation cuz he thinks he’s in trouble for holdin’ such a secret.”

Anubis hung his head a bit. “I never meant to traumatize the boy.”

The snicker was once again not what he expected. “Ha! That boy’d be traumatized if his shadow came ‘round the corner too quick! This weren’t somethin’ ye did ... well, other than lettin’ Nova pull yer strings. Naw, he’s just torn between bein’ a good friend an’ a good boy. It ain’t yer fault for bein’ so hot he can hardly contain ‘imself half the time.”

Smirking, Anubis shook his head. “Back home, I ... never had the opportunity to even consider another male would be so attracted to me ... or that I might find some attraction in one myself.”

Now Fern’s ears stood straighter than the tree they sat under, peering at him with wide eyes. It made Anubis feel nervous for a second until he grinned so big it ached and guffawed loud enough to make some of the animals glance over and caw. “I knew it! I could smell it on ye! That boy’s gonna melt when ye tell ‘im!”

Chuckling along with him, Anubis shook his head. “I thought you’d be all over me for admitting that.”

Laughing, Fern leaned a little closer to him. “I like ye, Anubis, an’ I think yer ‘bout as sexy as they come, but ye an’ me’re the same. We’re both tops an’ that’d just make for some real aggressive sex cuz someone’s gotta be the taker an’ it ain’t me an’ I’m sure it ain’t you. But, I don’t own Denver, an’ I don’t mind sharin’. If he helps ye learn ‘bout yer own sexuality, then I envy ‘im an’ I’ll be eager to hear all the details when he comes home. Just be gentle with ‘im. The details might get me riled up!” He winked playfully.

Shaking his head with a roll of his eyes, Anubis opened his mouth to reply when something caught his eye in the distance. “Who’s that?”

Fern squinted, noticing a figure far in the distance. He sniffed the wind and stood to try and see better before shrugging. “Dunno, but he’s on the road so not our concern.”

Once again, Anubis was surprised. “Not even when it passes through your territory?”

Raising a brow, Fern peered down at him. “The roads don’t belong to any pack. A pack’ll maintain the road that goes by their land to show off their status to the other packs, but no one owns the roads. Everyone’s gotta use ‘em. So long as ye travel by road, yer not considered ‘in the territory.’ Otherwise, no one could go nowhere! Can’t even toll the roads lest ye like a angry mob after ya.” Squinting again, he pursed his lips thoughtfully. “By the strut, might be Grr’siv. Ha, probably headin’ home after tail huntin’ up the road. He’d be sire-kin to me an’ White Toe. Some asshole Banished they called ‘The Dark Walker’ who were said to only travel at night. Didn’t stick ‘round long ‘nough for anyone to neuter his ass.”

Shaking his head, he smirked and glanced at Anubis again. “I gotta head back. I won’t say nothin’ to Denver. Think the surprise might lend a little flavor when the moment’s right.” With a wink, a devilish cackle followed him home.

After breakfast, Nova rushed to clean up all the dishes, practically shooing stragglers off their plates so she could get her chores done in time. Fern had left her with the distinct impression that he would leave her behind because he only needed Anubis, daring her to call his bluff before sauntering away to get his own business handled.

Watching her slop water all over in a near panic, Anubis peered around, noticing a broom leaned in a corner. He had never had to do any sort of cleaning in his life. In fact, the slaves had gotten very anxious when he had tried to imitate them as a young pup. He hadn’t known it then, but they were the ones punished if any adult had seen him cleaning, even in play, and yet, they had not been allowed to reprimand him for anything.

When Nova came back, her fur soaked, she glanced around in astonishment. She wasn’t entirely sure, but she could have sworn she saw a black tail vanish out the door from the corner of her eye, but Anubis was nowhere to be seen when she glanced around outside.

Meeting with Fern by the truck, Anubis had just begun rolling the barrels filled with biofuel up a wood plank ramp when Nova went running by, yelling to Fern to not even consider leaving without her. Perking, he sniffed the air and glanced about in confusion.

“Now, I swear I coulda heard somethin’? Almost sounded like the echo o’ someone left behind in the distance?”

“Must’ve been a breeze,” Anubis agreed when Fern glanced at him.

Finished with the barrels, he began lifting the crates of hundreds of prerolled smokes, stacking them up perfectly. Spying Nova running to another task, he smirked and complained that his rib was giving him a bit of trouble. Fern’s brow raised slowly, his mouth screwing tight as he struggled with the amusement that gleamed in his eyes.

“Big godly beast like yerself brought low by some boxes o’ grass? What’ll the legends say? What’ll the bards sing o’ ye? ‘Big ol’ pup were he, Anubis o’ the prairie!’”

Blinking, Anubis put his hand on his chest and blushed. “Why, Fern. Would that be love poetry you’re reciting me?”

A creeping, hungry grin bared Fern’s very sharp teeth, and it caused sensations in his body that Anubis was not accustomed to. “Oh, I got feelin’s fer ye, hot stuff, but I wouldn’t call ‘em love.”

With three crates to spare, Nova ran up to them, her tongue practically dragging the ground. Leaning against the truck, she could only glare breathlessly as Fern and Anubis pretended they had no idea she was there.

Finally ready, Anubis and Nova sat in the back while Iron Gale sat in the front with Fern. Hanging over the edge, Nova let her tongue waggle in the wind as they bumped along the well maintained road at a decent pace. It made Anubis laugh. When she looked back at him over her shoulder, the predator she had always seen in his gaze was gone. He watched her with a gentle fondness, his idle smile still difficult to discern even in the bright daylight. Blushing, she giggled and sat facing him.

“Oh! Yer gonna love Mother Meadow!”

“Who?” he tilted his head.

“Mother Meadow! She’s the oldest wolf in all the prairie! She had a whole lot o’ litters, so most o’ us are related to ‘er. She’s even got great great great grand pups! She runs the library when she ain’t teachin’ school. Ye’ll love ‘er!”

“If you say so,” he muttered.

As they came to a stand of trees between two packs, they noticed a log in the road. Fern leaned over to Iron Gale before calling back, “both o’ ye hunker down back there.”

Rolling to a stop, the two Betas peered about with suspicion. The engine growled and shuddered as they deliberated whether this was a natural break from one of the trees that hung over the road or something done on purpose.

Glaring around again, Fern opened the door. Sure enough, they had suspected correctly. At the click of the latch, five wolves appeared from the brush, two on one side and three on the other. They were thin, almost scrawny, but they had a rough look to them with hardly an intact ear or unmarred muzzle. One was missing an eye while another had only half a tail. A feature they all shared was at least one ugly, puckered scar in the shape of an X on some part of their faces, and none carried a societal braid.

They approached cautiously, trying to peek into the truck bed before they got too close. Fern immediately wrinkled his snout, but carefully kept his teeth covered. “Well, if it ain’t Red Paw an’ his lackeys. Looked like somethin’ ye’d do.”

“Ah, g’day, Fern, ol’ boy,” drawled one of the men cheerfully, a reddish tan, gray and white. He grinned with disingenuous affability while his friends continued to spread out around the truck. “Lovely day ta be out ‘n’ ‘bout. How ye been?”

“Sure were a lovely day, ‘fore ye showed yer ugly faces,” Fern growled, his eyes darting between them. Iron Gale was growling at the two on his side. “Ye lot’re like the clouds. When ye disappear, it’s a nicer day.”

“Tsk, tsk,” Red Paw clicked his tongue with feigned disappointment, shaking his head. “Rude. Here I were bein’ pleasant ‘n’ ye actin’ like a ass. What’re ya’ll takin’ into town wit’ ye?”

“Nothin’ that’s yer business,” Fern retorted with disdain.

“Oh hey, it’s Nova!”

One of the wolves on Iron Gale’s side spotted her curled up in the bed against the wall. Her heart leapt in her throat with a fearful whine when his hand grabbed the side of the truck, his snout appearing over the edge with a loud sniff.

“Hmm, smells like gas, grass an’ ass.” He grinned down at her wickedly, leaning on his elbow. “Well, hey, Nova! Why ye hidin’? I ain’t seen ye in a long while. Why don’t ye hop on out ‘n’ let’s ... catch up?”

Whimpering, she tucked her tail between her legs and curled up tighter, shaking her head just as Fern snarled and snapped his jaws at the bright red hand and arm that was touching his truck.