[ooc] Okay people! I'm trying this again. The Discworld is not my creation, although the plot for this may be considered so. I tried posting this before but I've re written it so it makes sense. Don't trip in any plot holes![/ooc]
Click. Click. Click. Click.
Constant scratching noises echoed down an otherwise empty street in the shades. Nobody was watching as a large, flame-red dog, most probably a Wolfhound, trotted purposefully down the street. People had watched before, but had soon learnt their lessons. Red x Wolf-like-dog = RUN. Suddenly the animal paused, ears pricked forward in anticipation. After it heard whatever it was, the dog walked on, slower this time, and far more quietly.
In a blur of red fur the creature leapt landing and rolling with its catch on the street. The small girl shrieked, her short blonde hair considerably messed up.
"Derry! Cut it out!" then she promptly smacked the werewolf on the nose. Derry left his game, brush tail wagging furiously, canine face grinning like a fox. This was his usual attitude.
"You know Mum says you spend too much time like that!" the girl accused the werewolf. "Furball! We're supposed to be out righting wrongs! Being champions of Justice!" With that last phrase the girl struck a dramatic pose, that with a few years and a good figure would look quite impressive.
The werewolf identified by the name of Derry whimpered apologetically. He lifted a back leg to scratch at the collar around his neck. Usually a pretty young girl talking to animals would be considered easy pickings in the Shades, but Sera was more trouble that it was worth. Whenever anyone did feel bold enough to try, Derry would always step in. Then the would-be-probaly-still-is-anyway criminal would be dealt out more justice than was deserved by Sera on the way back to the watch house.
And even if they had succeeded in nabbing, robbing, or even pushing Sera and getting away from Derry, there would still be Angua and Carrot after them. The ties were strong in the family/pack (depends on opinion).
The flame red werewolf gestured with his head for Sera to climb onto his back.
"You just want an excuse to be a wolf some more," Sera accused. Derry shrugged, an unusual gesture from a wolf and waited for Sera to climb awkwardly onto his back before running off in the direction of the watch house. It was getting late, and their mother didn't like them out too long.
* * * *
A shuffling of paper was deliberately evident in the watch house at Pseudopolis yard. Brian was always very loud when helping daddy with the paperwork, and let's face it, there was always a lot of help needed. Almost regally a solitary paper plane glided out of the doorway, doing graceful, lazy loops. It drifted into the opposite wall, the nose crumpled up slightly, and then fell to the floor.
There was some more noise of rustling paper.
Soon after another paper plane arced out of the doorway, with a few small modifications. However, this one didn't reach the wall. A lengthy spurt of flame intercepted it, turning it to ash, which then dropped on the floor.
"Good boy Sparky!" Brian rewarded his very own pet swamp dragon with affectionate pats, a piece of coal, and the usually bubbly stupid talk people use for animals and babies. The dragon was small enough to sit on his shoulder, and according to Sibyl wouldn't grow much bigger, it was a new breed she was working on. Sparky was a normal sort of brown, but had a splattering of orange on his huge floppy ears.
"I wish you wouldn't do that," said Sir Samuel Vimes tiredly as he handed over another cigar. Sparky lit it on command, and it was passed back.
"But Sparky needs to practice," persisted Brian. The boy was only about eleven, but he was shaping up well in Vimes' opinion. Also in Sibyl's opinion too.
"One day every member of the watch will have their own crime fighting swamp dragon! We'll have a whole dragon squad!"
"You'll have to stop them exploding all the time," reminded Vimes. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea of dragons in the city watch or not.
"They're getting better," persisted Brian. "We've only had one in the litter do that so far. And they're nearly a year old." Vimes didn't want to destroy his darling little boy's dream, so returned to the mountain of paperwork without a word. He carefully removed the stray lizard that had fallen asleep on the top of it, and set about reading. He wasn't paying much attention. In truth he was paying about as much attention to the words in front of him as a schoolboy in a double maths lesson on a Friday afternoon knowing he's got five minutes until he can go home. It was starting to get dark, and he'd be able to take Brian home soon, a perfect excuse to get away from the paper.
There was a creak of a door downstairs, and an enthusiastic bark.
"Sound like Derry and Sera," said Sam. "Why don't you go and see them for a while. Ask them around for dinner if you want. I'm sure Mummy wont mind." Brian grinned and ran out the door and downstairs, Sparky holding on tightly to his shoulder, creating a high-pitched whistle.
Sera slipped down off Derry's furry back and pulled out a pair of pants and a shirt from a box beside the door. She turned away as he got changed. She could hear someone coming. Judging from the whistle that accompanied the footsteps, it was Brian and Sparky.
"You can't come it yet!" Sera called out for Derry's benefit.
"Yes he can," contradicted Derry, "It's alright." Brian came into the room. Sparky lessened his iron grip and sat up on the boy's shoulder with as much dignity as a lop eared scruffy looking miniature swamp dragon can muster. It wasn't worth the effort really.
"Where have you guys been?" asked Brian as Sparky started clicking in his ear, scolding him for the speedy dash down the stairs.
"Out in the world righting wrongs!" announced Sera with far too much energy for the time of day.
"In the shades looking for trouble," translated Derry. Derry had his father's flame red hair and distinct eyes, and would probably grown to inherit the height. But he had inherited the werewolf ability from Angua, still, it didn't bother him. True, it was slightly awkward having an uncle that was a sheepdog, but in the upside, at least he was a champion sheepdog. His little sister, Sera, looked more like her mother, mostly. She was pretty, blonde, blue eyed and the perfect little princess. Slightly detached from reality, but likable nevertheless.
"Defending the innocent! Making evil cower in its den!" continued Sera, an almost lunatic gleam in her eye.
"Noticing how quiet the shades are because everyone's petrified of Sera's speeches," Derry continued to interpret. Sera's monologues were renowned. Whenever she and her brother managed to bring in a criminal, or suspicious bystander, or anyone who was in the wrong place at the time, there was usually far more justice than necessary dished out before they reached the jail.
"Would you stop ruining my moment?" Sera asked her elder brother, agitation showing in her tone.
"Hey, if I don't someone else will. In a much nastier fashion."
"Hmph," pouted Sera. She even managed to pout prettily.
"Oh, don't pout," Brian tried to be diplomatically. He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, which Sparky climbed along and began inspecting her golden locks. "Dad said you two can come for diner if you like." Sera laughed at Sparky as his claws started preening her.
"We'll have to check with Mum and Dad," said Sera, her previous sour mood gone as quickly as it had come.
"You can bring them too," said Samuel Vimes. The kids turned, they hadn't heard him come down the stairs. Derry looked suspicious, he decided Mr Vimes was up to something.
"We'll ask," promised Sera.
Click. Click. Click. Click.
Constant scratching noises echoed down an otherwise empty street in the shades. Nobody was watching as a large, flame-red dog, most probably a Wolfhound, trotted purposefully down the street. People had watched before, but had soon learnt their lessons. Red x Wolf-like-dog = RUN. Suddenly the animal paused, ears pricked forward in anticipation. After it heard whatever it was, the dog walked on, slower this time, and far more quietly.
In a blur of red fur the creature leapt landing and rolling with its catch on the street. The small girl shrieked, her short blonde hair considerably messed up.
"Derry! Cut it out!" then she promptly smacked the werewolf on the nose. Derry left his game, brush tail wagging furiously, canine face grinning like a fox. This was his usual attitude.
"You know Mum says you spend too much time like that!" the girl accused the werewolf. "Furball! We're supposed to be out righting wrongs! Being champions of Justice!" With that last phrase the girl struck a dramatic pose, that with a few years and a good figure would look quite impressive.
The werewolf identified by the name of Derry whimpered apologetically. He lifted a back leg to scratch at the collar around his neck. Usually a pretty young girl talking to animals would be considered easy pickings in the Shades, but Sera was more trouble that it was worth. Whenever anyone did feel bold enough to try, Derry would always step in. Then the would-be-probaly-still-is-anyway criminal would be dealt out more justice than was deserved by Sera on the way back to the watch house.
And even if they had succeeded in nabbing, robbing, or even pushing Sera and getting away from Derry, there would still be Angua and Carrot after them. The ties were strong in the family/pack (depends on opinion).
The flame red werewolf gestured with his head for Sera to climb onto his back.
"You just want an excuse to be a wolf some more," Sera accused. Derry shrugged, an unusual gesture from a wolf and waited for Sera to climb awkwardly onto his back before running off in the direction of the watch house. It was getting late, and their mother didn't like them out too long.
* * * *
A shuffling of paper was deliberately evident in the watch house at Pseudopolis yard. Brian was always very loud when helping daddy with the paperwork, and let's face it, there was always a lot of help needed. Almost regally a solitary paper plane glided out of the doorway, doing graceful, lazy loops. It drifted into the opposite wall, the nose crumpled up slightly, and then fell to the floor.
There was some more noise of rustling paper.
Soon after another paper plane arced out of the doorway, with a few small modifications. However, this one didn't reach the wall. A lengthy spurt of flame intercepted it, turning it to ash, which then dropped on the floor.
"Good boy Sparky!" Brian rewarded his very own pet swamp dragon with affectionate pats, a piece of coal, and the usually bubbly stupid talk people use for animals and babies. The dragon was small enough to sit on his shoulder, and according to Sibyl wouldn't grow much bigger, it was a new breed she was working on. Sparky was a normal sort of brown, but had a splattering of orange on his huge floppy ears.
"I wish you wouldn't do that," said Sir Samuel Vimes tiredly as he handed over another cigar. Sparky lit it on command, and it was passed back.
"But Sparky needs to practice," persisted Brian. The boy was only about eleven, but he was shaping up well in Vimes' opinion. Also in Sibyl's opinion too.
"One day every member of the watch will have their own crime fighting swamp dragon! We'll have a whole dragon squad!"
"You'll have to stop them exploding all the time," reminded Vimes. He wasn't sure if he liked the idea of dragons in the city watch or not.
"They're getting better," persisted Brian. "We've only had one in the litter do that so far. And they're nearly a year old." Vimes didn't want to destroy his darling little boy's dream, so returned to the mountain of paperwork without a word. He carefully removed the stray lizard that had fallen asleep on the top of it, and set about reading. He wasn't paying much attention. In truth he was paying about as much attention to the words in front of him as a schoolboy in a double maths lesson on a Friday afternoon knowing he's got five minutes until he can go home. It was starting to get dark, and he'd be able to take Brian home soon, a perfect excuse to get away from the paper.
There was a creak of a door downstairs, and an enthusiastic bark.
"Sound like Derry and Sera," said Sam. "Why don't you go and see them for a while. Ask them around for dinner if you want. I'm sure Mummy wont mind." Brian grinned and ran out the door and downstairs, Sparky holding on tightly to his shoulder, creating a high-pitched whistle.
Sera slipped down off Derry's furry back and pulled out a pair of pants and a shirt from a box beside the door. She turned away as he got changed. She could hear someone coming. Judging from the whistle that accompanied the footsteps, it was Brian and Sparky.
"You can't come it yet!" Sera called out for Derry's benefit.
"Yes he can," contradicted Derry, "It's alright." Brian came into the room. Sparky lessened his iron grip and sat up on the boy's shoulder with as much dignity as a lop eared scruffy looking miniature swamp dragon can muster. It wasn't worth the effort really.
"Where have you guys been?" asked Brian as Sparky started clicking in his ear, scolding him for the speedy dash down the stairs.
"Out in the world righting wrongs!" announced Sera with far too much energy for the time of day.
"In the shades looking for trouble," translated Derry. Derry had his father's flame red hair and distinct eyes, and would probably grown to inherit the height. But he had inherited the werewolf ability from Angua, still, it didn't bother him. True, it was slightly awkward having an uncle that was a sheepdog, but in the upside, at least he was a champion sheepdog. His little sister, Sera, looked more like her mother, mostly. She was pretty, blonde, blue eyed and the perfect little princess. Slightly detached from reality, but likable nevertheless.
"Defending the innocent! Making evil cower in its den!" continued Sera, an almost lunatic gleam in her eye.
"Noticing how quiet the shades are because everyone's petrified of Sera's speeches," Derry continued to interpret. Sera's monologues were renowned. Whenever she and her brother managed to bring in a criminal, or suspicious bystander, or anyone who was in the wrong place at the time, there was usually far more justice than necessary dished out before they reached the jail.
"Would you stop ruining my moment?" Sera asked her elder brother, agitation showing in her tone.
"Hey, if I don't someone else will. In a much nastier fashion."
"Hmph," pouted Sera. She even managed to pout prettily.
"Oh, don't pout," Brian tried to be diplomatically. He reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, which Sparky climbed along and began inspecting her golden locks. "Dad said you two can come for diner if you like." Sera laughed at Sparky as his claws started preening her.
"We'll have to check with Mum and Dad," said Sera, her previous sour mood gone as quickly as it had come.
"You can bring them too," said Samuel Vimes. The kids turned, they hadn't heard him come down the stairs. Derry looked suspicious, he decided Mr Vimes was up to something.
"We'll ask," promised Sera.