Angharad: Green Tomatoes Wolf

Rabbits were funny little creatures... They could be terribly stupid, leaving trails as wide as clear as a human paved road through grass and underbrush, making it literally child's play to find them. But sometimes, they were smart...

Smart enough to know green tomatoes weren't worth hanging around in.

Wolf rushed through the climbing stalks, avoiding the fine silver wires that kept the plants upright. The earth did not smell healthy here... Too full of sand and clay. Weed earth.

Wolf paused in his chase... although without quarry it wasn't much of a chase. He sniffed the earth, sniffed the hard little tomatoes. Somewhere... where the rabbits and other creatures were... there would be soil good enough to grow food. Not just weeds.

Finding scent on the air, on the brush, he moved more slowly, loping away to follow the path only he could smell.

This path was not of rabbit, but of man, smelling of dead animals and smoke and sickly perfumes. It no longer assaulted his nostrils as it did when he first came to New Avalon, but it was by no means pleasant. At least Cub was cleaned often. She only smelt of child.

Wolf snorted. The scent of man overpowered everything, taking the fresh clean scents with it. Perhaps that was what was wrong... too many men here now. More than when he first chose it as his den. The pack grew and grew.

When the pack was too large, the land could not support it any longer. Any wolf knew that. Prey left... or were eaten faster than new could be born. He sat down on his haunches, looking over at Cub and her Sire. It seemed they did not know this simple truth... if they did, there would be rabbits, and no green tomatoes.

He wove his way through the fine wires, towards Cub. He would take her to hunt... to find a place that was green and growing and alive.

He could see Cub and her Sire perched upon a wall, taking as they sometimes did, with their heads bowed and eyes on something indistinct in front of them. In the distance, Wolf could hear the call of men drilling, then their chatter as the practice broke down.

Wolf avoided the men drilling... he preferred not to interfere with the men and their metal weapons. And Cub... she spoke earnestly with her Sire, heads close together. Wolf stopped in his tracks. He would leave them to speak, leave them alone for the moment. Cub needed her time with her Sire.

Wolf sat and looked around, sweeping the field with sharp eyes. No prey here... nothing to chase save the horses if he were to go back to the paddock. Instead, the forest called to him, wild and free, drawing him there.

As he padded along, he could hear the men talk in the tongue that grew more familiar every day... From in the woods, he could hear a familiar sound, the twang of catgut and wood, and the whisper of arrows hitting far off targets of wood. Something ached in the back of Wolf's mind, like a bright light shining into his inner eye.

Wolf turned towards the sound, instinctively avoiding the targets and aiming for where the men stood... he would not place himself in harm's way. He shook his head at the strange sensation, sparing thought for what it was, and uncertain how to purge that light so that he could see clearly again.

He would see the men on the way by...

A few of the men glanced over as Wolf loped past, but they quickly returned to their practice. After all, Wolf was as much a fixture as the castle, these days.

The ache persisted, growing with every twang and call of compiment or friendly derision. He found his paws growing heavy, and his eyes desiring to close.

Wolf veered, seeking an out of the way place, and finding one beneath one of the nearer trees. Comfortable, and in the shade, he would sleep.

He found a tree with a generous helping of clover beneath it, making a small bed for the tiring Wolf. Three turns, and it was sufficiently matted down for him to lower himself onto it. The twanging of bows was not so bad here, and the ache began to subside as his body began to relax.

Wolf closed his eyes, laying down his head upon his paws, his ears still ticked up to the sound of the arrows in the background. It was just noise... just something that should not bother him as he rested, and perhaps dozed.



The rain...

It would never stop, of that he was certain. He wanted to cry as he watched the world torn apart around him, but what use are tears in the rain? Around him, people melted, screaming, their flesh turning to mud...



No point in running... there was no where to go. He held his place, struck by the horror of seeing people torn to nothing in the dream, becoming one with the world around them. He would not go... would not melt. He held his ground, held himself and pulled himself in, trying not to let himself go. Trying not to cry... not to fall to pieces.

He choked as his body ached, and he felt his mind begin to give to the never ending torrent of water and thunder and lightning... He tried to run, but the mud was sucking him down... Soon, he was crawling...

He lifted his head, howling wordlessly with frustration and anger... his body stiffened, back arched, trying desperately to pull himself upright again and stand against the storm...

And there was unspeakable pain... And he howled into the darkness....



Wolf's eyes opened to the strange sight of four of Corwin's soldiers standing around him, not looking certain as to whether they should approach or leave well enough alone. Wolf felt a certain urge to tell them about the dream, say he was alright...

Wolf pulled his feet beneath them, rolling to a standing position. He opened his mouth, and whuffed with urgency.

Then stopped. That wasn't what he meant to say, and from their looks... they didn't understand.

"Wolf!" Harri was racing over the uneven ground, Corwin at her heels. "Wolf - what is it? You howled so horribly ... "

She glared at the guards clustered around. "If you've hurt him I ... I ... "

She was searching her mind for terrible punishments.

Wolf whuffed again, meeting Cub as she raced towards him. He butted her with his head, wanting only to reassure her. He was fine... disturbed and confused by the dream, and confused by his lack to express it. But these guards had done nothing to harm him.

Waves of comfort and reassurance rolled from Wolf to Cub as he shoved his head under her hand, leaning against her hip.

Harri sank to her knees, careless of the ground and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his ruff.

"Oh Wolf, when I heard you howl like that, I thought you were horribly injured!" she told him. She looked up at the guardsmen with a shaky smile. "I'm sorry ... I'm sorry if I was rude."

"He was asleep," said the senior guard. "At least, he was laying like he was. Then we heard him howl, and thought something had ripped into him."

"A dream," concluded Corwin, patting Harri's back. "You've seen the dogs get them. I'm sure wolves get them as well."

Yes yes yes...

Cub's Sire was right... a dream, and disturbing and strange. The memory made Wolf shiver.

Harri held him tighter.

"Whatever he was dreaming, it must have been terrible," she said softly. "He's still shivering - and Wolf's not scared of anything!"

"Oh, I don't know," one of the men laughed. "Maybe he was dreaming of the missus! That could scare most any of the Land's creatures, if theie other half is feirce enough." The other men joined in his laughter, and Corwin gave them a mild glare.

"I think we should find some treats at the castle for Wolf, Harri. The conversation has grown a little raw around here."

"Yes, Father," said Harri obediently, rising to her feet.

She looked anxiously at Wolf to see if he was up to the run back to the Castle.

"We can take it ar a gentle jog if you like," she told him reassuringly. "No need to race."

Wolf whuffed and loped ahead, testing his legs as he moved into a run. He had slept disturbing sleep, and he wasn't certain he trusted himself to be rested.

Harri watched him anxiously as he made his way to the horses. She had never seen Wolf like this. Even when she had been little and he was injured, he was so sure, so confident of himself.

She glanced at her father, and then followed Wolf quickly.

Corwin followed Harri and Wolf, laying a hand on her shoulder. "If you think it's something, I can always call your Uncle Julian. He would be able to glean something. And I think he'd be more than a little upset if he missed his chance to breed Wolf because something was wrong."

Wolf stopped abruptly and sat, turning his head to glare at Cub's Sire balefully.

"Wolf doesn't want to be bred," said Harri firmly. "You've seen how he always stalks off if one of the dogs comes into heat. But if there is something wrong, we'll certainly ask you to call Uncle Julian."

There was a soft snort of agreement from Wolf.

"Then I know something is wrong with him." He gave Wolf a wink, though he knew it was absurd to think that a wolf would understand. "What wolf wouldn't want to mate?"

Wolf leaned against Cub, staring at her Sire. He growled low in his throat. He had no desire for a bitch chosen by the men. When he mated it would be his own choice.

"This one," said Harri. "Daddy, he'll choose his own mate, when he's ready. After all, wolves mate for life!"

"Let's hope he hasn't chosen you. That would be more than a little awkward to explain at court, you know."

Wolf pulled away from Cub and began a slow run back to the castle.

Harri laughed and mounted easily.

"Oh Daddy, don't be silly! After all, he's a Wolf!"

She spurred Starlight after her companion.