WOAH... long chappie...

Hope you guys like the sequel! R&R I BEG OF YOU! You'd make Becca the happiest little werewolf in the world! 8D

Well AGAIN... Becca might make... rude comments... BUT IT'S BECCA... Oh and well... YEAH enjoy!

I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE MUSIC! (I'm just borrowing the lyrics for a moment xD)

Chapter Four: Heartache and Skirmish

A late afternoon sun was climbing high in the sky casting it's light over the monastery walls. Geoff and Becca were sitting on a bench near the stables; Geoff fumbled with a new tunic he had been given by an officer. It was a sort of khaki-brownish green, Becca couldn't exactly name the colour but she was sure it was not in her list of favourite shades of green. She herself had been given a similar one, and had refused to wear it and tossed it into the corner of her room.

"This tunic looks ridiculous… what's wrong with my old one?" Geoff whined as he yanked it over his head.

Becca shrugged, "I didn't see anything wrong with it, why do we have to wear them?"

"Because Lord Osric, chief advisor to the King, has issued an order that we all wear tunics to show our 'inherited station' as he called it," the boy rolled his eyes angrily, "I think it's just some way for the nobles to show off their nobility even more so than they already do," He poked and pulled at the tunic, as if he were hoping it were not real.

The werewolf thought about this, it seemed strange and rather odd that this Lord Ostrich person was able to issue his own proclamations. How is he able to do that without the king's consent? Unless the king wants this… but it's a really stupid law if you ask me…

Once they were finished with the tunics, Geoff and Becca waited for nightfall before visiting Drake again. They tried to visit the dungeons whenever they could, what with all Geoff's work in the stables they had to constantly work during the day and go down at night. Another reason was because in daylight they were more likely to be seen by someone and get caught, then it would be game over. Becca usually went down in her wolf form, feeling a little safer when she was walking through the dark passageways. Geoff was a little less nervous about them, but Becca still felt edgy around the crypt.

That night wasn't as bad as before, Becca now getting a little more used to the route and the smells of the dark. This time she went down with Geoff in her human form, when they met Drake at the bottom of the stairs he seemed surprised.

"Who is this? Where's your talking dog Geoff?" he asked curiously.

Becca's mouth twitched angrily, "I am a WOLF not a DOG! There is a small yet significant difference," She glared at both of them, yellow eyes daring them to question her further. They both did not. "I'm Becca… as I'm sure you remember!" she smiled a wide smile, showing her teeth.

Later they were all sitting around Drake's bed area, which consisted mostly of very large and comfortable pillows. Becca and Drake had their heads bent over a large book between the dragon's paws. Geoff was standing on the other side of the bed, fussing with a thread that had come loose from his tunic.

"Come on Geoff, your tunic doesn't look that bad," said Drake encouragingly.

The boy grunted, "I hate this thing! It's itchy and it's the colour of warm vomit!"

"THAT'S IT!" cried Becca unexpectedly, " THAT was the colour I was trying to think of!" they both looked at her with puzzled faces. "What? I'm an artist what can I say," she shrugged dismissively and went back to reading.

Drake shook his head, "Well it's not the colour of my vomit," he stated.

"And you would remember this fact…why?" asked Becca, the puzzled look on her face now. When neither of them answered, except for Geoff who smirked, she just sighed and gave up, guys…

"Hmmn…the old code doesn't really say anything about what you have to wear to become a knight…" Drake said, Geoff had returned to fiddling with the thread.

Geoff scoffed, "Well, I've got as much chance of becoming a knight as I do of convincing you to come outside," Becca lay back against the pillows, listening to the two of them talk.

"Friar Peter made me promise! That I would never go outside!" said Drake, appalled at this concept.

Geoff grabbed a pillow from the bed with a grin, "You're a dragon! Act like one!" he tossed the pillow at Drake and it hit him on the head, bouncing away harmlessly.

He let out a rumble and laughed, "Hey!" Geoff went back to fiddling with the annoying thread again. "Here, let me cut it," Drake offered, lifting his tail and allowing Geoff to snap the thread at the end. Becca settled herself between Drake and a rather large pillow, closing her eyes and beginning to doze.

Suddenly she perked up, a bell was ringing somewhere far away, and she heard a door to the dungeon creak open and then bang shut. Footsteps soon followed the sound and Becca immediately got to her feet, Geoff and Drake both looked at her with surprise.

Drake listened, "It's Friar Peter," then he gasped, clasping a clawed hand to his mouth in shock, "Oh no… oh no no no no! He can't find you two down here!" the dragon exclaimed, herding the two of them to the other side of the room. "Hide! Go!" he whispered. Both Geoff and Becca hid behind a bookcase, Becca trying to hide as much as she could by squeezing into the narrow space with Geoff.

When she heard his breathing nearly cease she growled, "Don't get excited hay-man… or I'll punch you in the jaw" she glanced out from behind the bookcase, her eyes now yellow-gold with fear.

"Drake!" came a familiar call, Becca recognized the voice as Mansel. What was he doing here? I thought Drake said it was Friar Peter…? Then her wolf senses picked up a strange aura from the monk, a mixture of sadness and confusion but above all, clarity. The werewolf evaluated this for several seconds, trying to figure out why.

"M-Mansel?" stammered Drake, they could not see the dragon but knew he was in the stairwell with the monk. "What? What is it?" asked the dragon.

Mansel seemed to take a deep breath before continuing, "Friar Peter… is gone…"

The dragon sounded surprised, "Gone? Where did he go?"

"He went to heaven… do you know what that means?" asked the monk, his voice quivering a little.

Becca held a hand to her mouth, so that's it…

"Yes…" muttered Drake, his tone sounded shaken, and Becca wanted so much to run out and slap the monk silly for saying something so heart-wrenching to Drake in such a manner. He could have been a little gentler… Drake spoke again, his voice now heavy with sadness, "Did it hurt him to die?"

The monk replied calmly but sadly, "I don't think so, he seemed fine yesterday but… well, he was old," it was as if Mansel were trying to patch up the hurt he had inflicted on the poor creature. "This morning he just… he just didn't wake up. He was very fond of you, you know," said the monk, his words did not seem to be helping much to ease the news. "I know I am not Friar Peter… bit I will do my best to take care of you, I promise."

"…thank you Mansel…" muttered Drake as the sound of retreating footsteps were heard.

Both Becca and Geoff tumbled from behind the bookshelf and back into the room. Becca squeaked and snarled angrily, clearly in a bad mood now. Geoff got to his feet and helped her up, earning back a little respect from the werewolf. He turned to Drake as the young dragon shuffled back into the room, his head bent low and his claws dragging dully on the stone floor.

"I was just talking to him…" muttered Geoff in a low tone, "I can't believe he's—" Drake interrupted him as he slumped down onto his bed with a shaky sniffle.

"I don't feel like talking now…" he sniffed again and laid his head away from both of them. "I'd like to be alone…" Becca elbowed Geoff sharply in the ribs, mouthing the words 'idiot' at him. He put his hands up defensively before she began to leave. Geoff made to follow her, glancing back at Drake as he left.

Why now? Becca thought, Of all times for something like this to happen… why? And why am I here? She had a feeling that the answer would never reveal itself to her, until it wanted to.

The next day found Geoff and Becca sitting on a dock overlooking a shallow river just outside the monastery. He was staring at the metal handle of his new sword and seemed to be deep in thought; Becca was splashing her bare feet in the frigid water below. She was humming the lyrics to Anthem of the Angels by Breaking Benjamin to no one in particular, but the sound seemed to make Geoff feel better so he did not stop her.

"There is nothing left of you,

I can see it in your eyes…

Sing the Anthem of the Angels…

And say your last goodbye…"

She herself was feeling troubled about the past two days, Poor Drake… she thought sorrowfully, he must be feeling terrible right now, and now Geoff is in a mood and wont even talk! Becca glanced at the stable boy, he ran a hand through his blonde hair and sighed.

"How come you want to be a knight?" she asked suddenly, interrupting her own singing.

Geoff looked at her, "Because… well I don't know, because of the old stories I guess," he hefted the sword and stared at it as it gleamed in the cold sunlight. "I want to know adventure, learn how to use a sword, save people from monsters! I want people to sing about me in songs and tales…"

She blinked, eyes turned back to their normal blue for the time being, "So you crave fame? And fortune?"

"Lets just say I don't want to be 'Geoff the Orphan' or 'Geoff the weak and cowardly stable-boy' anymore." He lowered the sword.

"I see…" she grinned and punched him playfully on the arm, he stared at her, taken aback by her action, "You'll get there, just keep trying!" she gave him a wolfish smile and he had to grin back. She started singing again, only this time she sang something that had no words, just sounds.

Becca heard the unexpected whinny of horses and glanced up, several men dressed in bright red and finely embroidered tunics were riding towards them. The horses were trotting easily through the shallow water and were soon coming to a stop next to the dock. That was when Becca recognized the leader, it was the girl-faced rider who gave her a flirty look! She grimaced and crossed her arms.

"What do you want?" she snarled, I don't like this guy… he looks like one of those guys who tries to show off in front of his buddies.

The other guy smirked and did not answer her, "Hi, I saw you two yesterday, sorry I didn't stop to meet you," he said to Geoff with an arrogant look on his face, "I'm Roland,"

Becca laughed, "Oh really? You sure it's not Sir I'm-a-douche-bag?"

"I'm Geoff," he said, trying not to laugh at Becca's question even though he didn't understand what douche-bag was. "How is the castle?"

Roland shrugged, "Old and stuffy but you know how it is," this was an obvious jest since he knew Geoff hadn't been to the castle.

The stable boy didn't seem to be discouraged, "Oh well I hardly go there anymore," the other men behind Roland laughed.

She turned to him and whispered, "What are you doing?"

"Having fun…" he grinned back.

Roland got off his horse and stepped onto the dock, "You've got a sword. You want to try your hand with us?" he asked. One of the men chided Roland but he ignored him.

Becca watched with growing anxiety, this guy had clearly been taught how to use a sword properly. From what little she knew of Geoff, he didn't know much about real swordplay. Well it's not like I know much more, I barely know how to use a knife and even THEN I hit myself instead of the target.

He nodded, "Sure," as if it was the most every-day thing to do.

The werewolf gawked at him, "What the Hell is wrong with you Geoff?" she pulled him aside as Roland snickered, swinging his sword around in a bored looking fashion. "He's HARDLY an easy opponent from the looks of it, don't be a stupid shmuck!"

"I practice all the time in the stables, with that dummy in the middle! I've been practicing for years," he boasted.

Becca didn't answer but knew this wasn't going to end well. Roland gave her yet another confident glance, before he and Geoff took their stances. Then Roland swung at the boy and he brought his own up to meet it, their swords clashing loudly and making Becca cringe. They battered and bashed at each other, neither getting the better of his opponent.

"Huh… stable boy's not bad," muttered one of the men, Geoff smirked having heard this statement. Becca mentally facepalmed, now he would get overconfident and it would be all over.

Roland paused, then lifted his eyebrows for a split second and began his attack with renewed vigor. The werewolf now realized, before he had just been fighting for fun, now however he was serious. Geoff was suddenly overwhelmed with the blows and they both skidded around the dock until Geoff was facing the bank and Roland the water. Roland had disarmed Geoff and taken his sword.

"We're just practicing…" Geoff muttered. Roland laughed and tossed Geoff's sword back to him. The boy caught it by the hilt, but was distracted for a moment, that was when Roland attacked. He lunged forward with a stab to the boy's leg and Geoff tried to block it, Roland immediately feinted and brought the sword up. With a loud ringing Geoff's sword gave way to the laws of physics and snapped in two. Becca covered her ears and whined, the sound hurting her acute eardrums.

The girl-faced man stepped forward and shoved Geoff over the edge of the dock and into the cold water. Becca growled, "Oy that was a little much don't you think?" Roland ignored her.

"If we weren't practicing you'd be dead stable boy," he said coolly, "Now, lower your eyes. Peasants should never meet the gaze of their betters!" ordered Roland, holding his head up high and proudly. Becca just thought he looked like a first-class bully. Yet Geoff, knowing his own defeat, looked away from Roland bitterly.

Roland stepped away from the boy and turned to Becca, "Why don't you ride with us to the castle? I'm sure it would be more fun than spending time with this… commoner… and in such filthy clothes! You must change as well!" he was WAY to close to her.

Becca gave him a dreamy look and extened her hand, and punched him straight in the jaw. "You think I can be won over? I'm not some little rich girl who adores fighting and fancy words," her eyes flashed amber, "and don't you forget it dang son of a scaled-toothbrush! You're nothing better than a piece of cheese that's been sitting in the sun for a day, left in a tub of milk and set to dry in a patch of onions!" Her long rant gave Roland enough time to collect himself.

"You dare! I'll teach you your place woman!" he raised his hand to strike her, but Becca beat him to it. She spun around and elbowed him in the gut, as he doubled over she kicked him where-the-sun-don't-shine.

She bent over, "Now… next time you decide to pick on Geoff, you'll answer to me…" she growled.

The other men were beginning to get off their horses, ready to punish her for what she had done. Gawd it's like a squabbling playground all over again isn't it? Dang moronic-finger-pigs who don't understand when to quit. Stupid pineapple brains who get narfunkles in their toes… Becca paused. "Haven't had enough…?"

Becca gave a loud bark and transformed into her wolf form (small version of course), all 110 lbs of honey-brown fur, muscle, claw and tooth snarled at them menacingly. Her fur bristling and her eyes changing from blue to gold. Roland screamed, the other men made a beeline for their horses. They all left in a splashing, whinnying hurry down the river.

"Heh, heh, heh… Mess with me why dontcha? Damn mushroom-heads! AND DON'T YOU FORGET IT GIRLY MAN!" she howled after them.

After they had disappeared, Becca hopped down into the water and helped Geoff up and onto the bank. He was carrying the remains of his sword with a newfound frustration in his grip that Becca found unsettling. "You okay?" she asked.

He sat down on the grassier part of the shore, "Yeah… thanks for that," he said, giving her a smile and scratching behind her ears. Becca wagged her tail as her back leg spazzed.

"Really, you need to know when to stick up for yourself," she told him earnestly, laying down and putting her head between her paws. Geoff glanced at her, noticing that her irises had changed back to that gray-blue.

"But you saw how he beat me! I can't fight like you did…" he lowered his head shamefully, "I'll never be a Knight!". Becca looked up and nudged him roughly with her head, making him lean to the left.

She grinned wolfishly, "First of all don't ever say stuff like that, you're a really good fighter. Roland was trained and you are not, that is the only difference. Secondly you will become a knight if you try! Doing nothing and sulking about it like a child will get you nowhere. And me? I can only use my teeth and claws," she shook her head to clear her fur of water, her collar jingling noisily, "What you saw was a collaborative thinger that I learned by watching movies…"

"Movies?"

"I'll explain some other time." she laughed.

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the river when suddenly, "So… this is what it's like outside?" came a wistful voice from behind them. Both of them spun around to see Drake standing in the bushes, glancing around curiously.

"Drake!"

"Drake!"

Geoff glanced about, "You had to come here now didn't you?" he asked, but it wasn't harsh. Becca, who had risen in her shock, sat down on her haunches and let Geoff scratch her head.

"I never got to say goodbye to Friar Peter… He was the only one who knew about dragons," Drake walked forward and stood beside the other two with his head bent low.

Geoff looked at him comfortingly, "You were lucky to have known him as long as you did,"

"But my heart hurts…"

Geoff sighed and sat down again in between the werewolf and the dragon, tossing the broken pieces of his sword into the bushes. As if he were tossing away his dream. "You wont feel this bad forever,"

That was LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG...

Well I hope it's good! 8D Becca and her colourful 'insults' xD

See you all in chapter FIVE!