A/N: Smallville's real mastermind isn't Lex Luthor after all……
Chapter One
The Mighty Golden Hunter trotted on four paws across the grassy space between the yellow building and the red building, and paused to survey his territory, sniffing at the early morning air for any sign of his chief minion, The Boy. As yet, he only detected one member of his pack, the human Lady, moving around in the kitchen, and he snorted in frustration.
It was The Boy who had given him the nonsensical name of "Shelby," but in spite of that, Golden liked his Boy very much, and part of the reason was that both of them were so much more than they seemed. The Boy smelled very different from the humans who lived here; there was a sweet, summery scent to him, even on cold days, that pleased Golden's sensitive nose. He was powerful, too. When Golden had escaped from the Dark Scary Place, where he'd been locked in a cage and stuck with sharp needles by humans in white coats, it was The Boy who'd defended him. In return, Golden watched over his Boy, once even bringing him back to life by barking in his ear. Yet, amazingly, The Boy never once noticed anything unusual about his new "pet."
Clearly, super-intelligence was not one of his abilities.
Luckily, his Boy could rely on Clever Girl for that. Clever Girl had short, bright hair that was almost as golden as his own fur, and he liked the spirited way she shook it as she spoke. Best of all, almost every night she and The Boy would bring him snacks—real food, like steak and cheese chunks. While he feasted, Clever Girl petted him, brushed him, scratched his ears, and told him how handsome he was. Her laugh was low and happy and, unlike some other humans' laughter, it didn't hurt his ears. (He snorted, remembering the loud, shrill voice of Sneezing Girl, who had thankfully left his territory.)
It was gratifying to be respected. Never once did he have to force a tail wag. His Boy and Clever Girl were wonderful minions. Life was good.
Until last week, that is. And all because of Whiny Girl.
A soft growl escaped Golden's mouth. Whiny Girl had invaded his territory many times, and every time she did, she distracted his Boy from important minion duties. She looked down her nose at Golden, talked only about herself, and made endless annoying demands on his Boy for "love," "trust," and "secrets," to all of which his Boy listened without objection. Why, Golden had no idea, unless his Boy considered her an eligible mate.
Golden shivered under his thick fur coat. Clearly, when it came to appearances, his Boy was just as easy to fool as any human. It was too bad he didn't have Golden's nose, or he'd realize how much nicer Clever Girl smelled—and how strongly his Boy reacted to that smell. Golden had noticed, and it had pleased him very much.
And, then, last week, the situation had spun out of control. As fond as he was of his Boy, it had been painful to hear him mope and sigh and plead with Whiny Girl over something called a "wedding." He'd hoped that Clever Girl would show up and talk some sense into his Boy, but no such luck.
Since then, the treats and the brushing had stopped. Clever Girl hardly ever appeared, and when she did, Golden was disturbed by a change in her scent. He'd caught occasional whiffs of that unwelcome visitor, the Red-Haired Puppy, before, but now they were getting disturbingly strong. Worst of all, his Boy had been too busy circling around Whiny Girl to teach the Puppy his place.
Something had to be done about this.
Reluctantly, Golden concluded that his Boy had been conquered by dark forces, possibly those of Whiny Girl's and her mate, the cold-eyed Bald One. His Boy and the Bald One had been snarling at each other for months now, and mostly over Whiny Girl.
Immediate steps had to be taken to neutralize their influence. Golden wanted his minions back.
Like any other alpha male worth his salt, Golden had a plan.