Title: thick (pleas help with a better title)

Author: bodgei

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: everyone in this story is property of Terry Pratchett. I just play with them when they aren't busy.

Notes: This story was written for the Carrot- a-thon in a l/j community. I'm not sure I like how this came out. Oh well, everything can't be perfect. Please review

Carrot walks down the street. He knows the man he wishes to meat is here somewhere; Carrot knows this because he observes people. After all he was sent here to learn to be a human; he knows the only way to become a human is to observe humans. Now Carrot knows the man he needs is here somewhere, he just has to keep walking. He lets his mind wander as he walks down the street, greeting all he sees. He turns a corner.

"Ah, hello Stephan. Just the man I was looking for," the werewolf looks up at Captain Carrot apprehensively.

"Really? Why me? I haven't done anything."

"I know. I need to talk to you about something."

"Er- yes?"

"About being a werewolf."

"And you couldn't ask Angua?"

Carrot pauses and then replies, "No. No, not this time."

After Carrot explains his plan Stephan is silent for a long time. He watches Carrot for any sign that this is a joke, finding none he answers very slowly.

"I can't do that," Stephan says, "even if I could I wouldn't. She would kill me."

"She wouldn't."

"Of course she would. We aren't nice people, you should know that by now."

"She isn't an animal."

"That doesn't mean she wouldn't kill me," Carrot doesn't argue he just watches Stephan until he continues, "OK, well I can't do it see. But the priest – the priest can do it! Well at least I've heard they can do it. So he must be able to. Right?"

Angua is sitting in the commissary when she gets the feeling that Carrot will be coming in soon. She glances at the door and then hears a fracas from the main entryway of the guardhouse. She stands and starts through the door just as a large and obviously confused wolfhound bounds in the door. As she picks herself up from the floor, she sees the look in his eyes and realizes.

"Carrot?" She had, of course, tried to think of what Carrot would be like as a Wolf but he had never been like this, Carrot looks out of confused, almost panicked, eyes. Her hands reach for Carrot's head. The wolf growls at her. "Carrot, you know me," she says soothingly, "I know this is – odd. Relax and everything will be alright," she hears others enter behind her Colon and Nobby arguing. Carrot makes a noise, not a whine but not a bark and pulls back, "Get me a blanket," she snaps. Soon a blanket is pressed into her hand and she wraps it around the panicked animal, "Leave us alone now," she says to the others in a tone of voice that brooks no argument, then as the others leave she turns her attention to Carrot, "It's alright," she coos to him, "Just remember what you are," he fights against her, "None of that, remember what you are, big, handsome, human," she feels his body shifting, changing and soon he is his normal shape.

"imadwarf," he mumbles before collapsing.

"Of course you are," she says quietly.

She gets him to bed with little help from Carrot and she tucks him under his covers. Brusheing some whisps of hair off of his forehead she whispers, "Just relax. I know it can be disconcerting, but after some rest you will be right as rain."

"Is it always like this? so… I almost couldn't find my way back. It was so…"

"Close your eyes Carrot."

"But- will you stay with me?"

"Of course. And when you wake we can talk about what happened and who did this to you," she strokes his head gently.

"No one… I asked. It's is going to be fine, we can be together now…" Angua's hands pause out of shock, but at a plaintive whine from him she starts her gentle ministrations again, "Did I do something wrong?" he asks sadly.

"We can talk about it after you've had some rest."

He closes his eyes reluctantly and Angua sighs, still stroking his head. She had been worried about Carrot wanting to – well wanting to take the relationship somewhere a human and a werewolf shouldn't go, but this – this was so much worse! What had made him think that this was a good idea? Carrot could be thick, but she had never thought he would ever be this thick. She wants to ask him 'why' but Carrot is snoring gently.

Angua watches over Carrot all day as he sleeps; she would say 'rests' but what Carrot is doing isn't very restful. He talks in his sleep, always in Dwarvish. He always talks in his sleep when something is bothering him. It was one of the reasons she agreed to try to learn his native tongue; she thought it was the only way to find out about the parts of him he keeps hidden away, but the only thing she learned was that when Carrot is upset he calls for his mother, just like everyone.

There are things Angua doesn't understand about what is going on; like why Carrot changed into a wolf during the day before the full moon, and how he got himself turned into a werewolf in the first place. It just doesn't work like that, and even if it did none of the werewolves in Ankh-Morpork would have touched Carrot. Not one of them.

As the sun starts to set Angua gently shakes Carrot, "Sunset. Time to get ready."

"Ready?" he asks blearily.

"For the change. The moon is almost up."

"Oh," Carrot says flatly, "it's going to happen again?"

"Yes."

"I can feel it coming."

"Yes. It should just be a moment now. You first, and then I will join you."

His body shifts and changes and soon the confused wolf is standing before Angua; but her body shifts and then she stands nose to nose with Wolf Carrot. She touches her muzzle to his and licks his mouth. They stand shoulder to shoulder and he steps forward with the confident air that she has grown to expect from Carrot. The two wolves slip down the stairs, Carrot giving Nobby a playful snap on the way past, and out into the street. As they move out into the nighttime fog Angua smiles to herself; the night is long but with Carrot by her side, she doesn't feel quite so alone, maybe this isn't such a bad thing. Maybe this can work.