A/N: Hey, I'm back! I try to update often, but I have been drowning in homework and papers and very hard tests, so I just have to do the best I can in my spare time. Anyhow, thank you to everyone who reviewed! I luv you guys! I just want to say that my chapters may be longer now because I'm getting to the parts with lots of dialogue, and I have to put spaces between it, you know? Sometimes I worry over stuff like that. But I'll shut up now so you can get to reading!

Moon's Herald

Chapter 3: About Wolves

My sleep that night was plagued by awful dreams. At first, being back in the comforting safety of the farmhouse had actually made me feel better after all, but as soon as I closed my eyes and dozed off, I saw that shadow dog's savage face again.

Well, it was actually a bit different from his face. What I kept seeing was the same kind of huge dog, but its fur was a mix of gray and white, rather than black. Its eyes were bright green and full of blind rage, but seemed devoid of all other emotion. The dog was snarling and barking, snapping its jaws and thrashing its head from side to side, and its unfocused gaze didn't even seem to recognize anything it looked at. Something was coming out of its mouth, too, coating its fangs and lips and spraying out when its head thrashed. Some kind of thick, white liquid.

With this dog looming over me and its mad snarling making my ears ring, I felt only an overwhelming helplessness and fear such as I had never known before. I wanted to run away, but at the same time I wanted to run up to that dog and lick its face, whimper encouragingly to it so it would stop acting crazy and scaring me. I had a feeling that I should be able to trust this creature, that it was safe, but that something was horribly wrong with it. Utter confusion and conflicting emotions kept me rooted to the spot so long that I was sure I'd soon be killed. But all of a sudden, I felt a heavy blow on the back of my head and heard a dull thud, and everything went dark for a moment.

I woke with a start, panting heavily and staring around with wide eyes, to see that I had rolled off my pillow in front of the fireplace and cracked my head on the leg of the coffee table. The living room was dark now that all the candles had burned out. The only sounds were the ticking of the mantle clock and the deep snoring of the farmer's wife, who had apparently fallen asleep on the sofa with her knitting still in her lap and the baby asleep in a basket by her feet.

My mouth felt dry as I kicked away the sheet that had gotten tangled around my hind legs and stood up shakily. I snuck past the farmer's wife as quietly as possible and went into the kitchen, my claws softly clicking on the linoleum floor. I stopped only long enough to drink from my water dish, and then crossed directly to the swinging dog door and went out into the yard.

By the position of the moon, I knew it was way past midnight but still a little while till dawn. I trotted quickly across the farmyard, intent on my mission. With my dream fresh in my mind, fear gave me speed. I had to know exactly what it was I had seen, what I could expect it to do. Most animals would take the hint and go far, far away from a farm that had a dog to guard it, but I had a strong feeling this wasn't most animals. I was afraid of waking in the night and finding it standing over me – or worse, over one of the children. And although I was clueless about shadow dogs, there was one thing I did know at least: if you want to find answers about something, ask someone older and wiser than you are.

I slowed down as I approached the barn, so as not to startle the animals inside. A ginger cat hiding in the shadow of a rain barrel hissed at me as I passed; I shot it a disapproving glare but otherwise ignored it. Pushing the barn door open quietly, I slipped inside and searched around in the dark, peering into every stall, my steps muffled by all the hay strewn on the floor. The animals were all sleeping peacefully in their stalls, but the one I had come to see didn't seem to be there. Disappointed, I turned to leave, but stopped when a gruff voice suddenly said, "Who's there?"

I looked up to see the horned head of the brown cow in the farthest stall leaning out into the aisle, her bulging eyes glaring in annoyance although I knew she couldn't see anything. Knowing I was trapped anyway because her hearing made up for her nearsightedness, I sighed and trotted back to her stall and sat down. "It's just me Ms. Ushi," I said politely, for this particular cow could be very bad-tempered if you weren't respectful enough to her. "Sorry; I didn't mean to wake you. I was just leaving, anyway."

"Hm," Ushi grunted. "And what's got you up and about so late?"

"I was just looking for Thorny. To ask him a question. Have you seen him?"

The cow immediately looked bored. "Oh, that old mongrel. He stepped out a while ago and I haven't seen him since. Don't know where he went." Then her eyes brightened a little. "But you could always ask me your question. I know quite a lot, myself; at least as much as he does."

"Uh . . ." I quickly searched my mind for some way to say "no" that wouldn't offend her, but no ideas were forthcoming. Ushi was a very old cow. In her prime, she had been an excellent breeder, and that's why the farmer hadn't turned her into hamburgers or ground beef or something, like he did with most of the other cattle. But these days, Ushi was half-blind and not good for much besides making fertilizer; her only pastime now was gossip, and that's probably the only reason she was interested in anything I had to say.

Such a temperamental old cow could make things very unpleasant for anyone who had to deal with her, so everyone, including me, tried to humor her in order to keep the peace. But it wasn't always easy. Since I couldn't figure a way out of the situation, I relented and told Ushi my problem. I described the shadow dog and everything that happened in the pasture, but I left out my dream. I'd save that for Thorny.

"Well," said Ushi when I was done talking, "that's easy enough. If it's just a crazy wild dog, I don't think you have to worry about it, dear. If you see it again, I'm sure you can fight it off. After all, that's what you do, isn't it?" She sounded very pleased with herself.

"No, you're not listening! . . . .ma'am," I added hastily, trying to remember my manners in spite of my exasperation. "I said it looked kind of like a dog, but I'm willing to bet it wasn't. It smelled all wrong, and it had white eyes and kind of glowed. Do you know of any animals that look like dogs but smell different?"

Ushi sniffed. "Hm, I hardly concern myself with the way things smell. Unless it's grass, or maybe one of my calves. Smells are really something that you dogs seem more preoccupied with."

"Okaaaay . . . Well, I guess you can't help me, then. I'll just find out about the dog from someone else. I'm gonna go now, so you can go back to sleep, or whatever." I got up to go, and Ushi started sputtering protests, but she couldn't figure out a way to make me stay and talk to her without looking desperate, so in the end she just turned up her nose and tried to look like she couldn't care less what I did. I only got about six feet from the cow's stall, however, when I was stopped in my tracks by another voice. "W-wait!" it said. "What you're describing sounds just like a w-wolf!"

"Wolf?" I asked, turning to see who had spoken. "What's that?"

The speaker turned out to be a dappled horse a few stalls down. I recognized him as Michiru's new horse, the one who was being broken out in the corral he previous afternoon. From his shaken, nervous appearance and stuttering speech, though, I'd say he hadn't taken to it very well. The whites of his eyes were showing and he looked like he'd faint at the sight of his own shadow.

"Wh-what's a wolf?" he said incredulously. "Only the s-scariest kind of animal there is! Like you said, they look like huge dogs, and they live w-wild in the forests and sometimes in cities, too. They're f-fierce and dangerous alright, and always hungry. Eat you up as soon as look at you!"

"Really?" I asked, wide-eyed.

"Y-yeah," replied the horse. "Did you really see one out there earlier? If there are wolves here, we should all run away! They'll come in here any minute and k-kill us all!" He pranced nervously in the stall.

"No, it's gone," I hastened to assure the frightened animal. "I saw it leave myself. I just wanted to know more about it."

"Th-they're tricky, wolves are," he continued, stamping and snorting impatiently. "You can't trust them to be gone even when you see them g-go. I bet it's just waiting out there, and the moment you go outside, it'll pounce on you and t-tear your throat out!" I swallowed hard with a loud gulp and shot a look at the door, shivering in spite of myself.

"Now just wait a minute!" Ushi cried suddenly and vehemently. She sounded outraged. "What are you thinking, you imbecile? Filling the poor child's head with all that nonsense. There's no such thing as wolves, not anymore. They all died out back in ancient times, long before even our great-great-grandsires were alive. Even you must know that!"

"Th-that's not true," the horse retorted. "I've seen them."

"Oh, really? Where?" asked the cow in a very condescending tone.

"In the city where I lived with my last master, n-not even a month ago."

"Liar."

I had no idea what to make of any of this. I sat about halfway between the two stalls, turning my head back and forth as the animals hurled insults and such at each other. I was baffled. What exactly was a wolf, and how could a neurotic horse and a snobby old cow who barley ever left the barn anymore know so much about something I'd never even heard passing mention of before?

"And just what did your human do when he saw this wolf?" Ushi was saying.

"He didn't even see it," said the horse. "Don't ask me how, but this huge wolf was walking r-right down a crowded street, and none of the humans even b-batted an eye. Some of them were looking right at it, t-too. I don't get it. It was even bigger than this d-dog right here." He pointed at me with his nose. It was true that I had always been considered a pretty big dog, but I was nothing compared to that white-eyed monster in the forest.

"Um, excuse me," I chimed in, taking advantage of a lull in the conversation. My mind was spinning and I had to stop them fighting before I went mad. Both animals stopped and looked my way when I spoke. Thank heaven. "Let me just get this straight, guys. So these wolf things at least did exist at one time, right?"

They both nodded. "And they looked like dogs, yes?"

Another nod. "But they were very dangerous and not the kind of thing you want to mess with?"

Nods again. "Okay, then," I said pleasantly. "I have learned something tonight, so you've both been very helpful. But I have to go back to bed now; busy day tomorrow and all. So, bye!" With that, I got up and booked it out of the barn as fast as my legs would carry me, and before either animal could start arguing again.

As I went out the door, I heard Ushi call after me, needing to have the last word, "Don't listen to him, honey! All that galloping around horses do knocks their brains around; makes 'em a bit funny in the head!"

"Wh-what?" cried the horse. "Hey!"


I was so relieved to be out of the argument in the barn that I didn't even know anyone else was in the barnyard with me till I barreled directly into a warm, furry body and tumbled head over heels with a yelp. For a moment I was afraid it was the wolf again, but when I scrambled to me feet and looked up, all I saw was a scruffy old Border collie shaking dirt out of his fur. I sighed in relief. "Thorny, thank goodness it's you!" I cried.

The collie looked up at me and his eyes brightened. "Hey there, Red," he said, "I've just been out for a walk, but I didn't expect to see you out here at this time of night. Are you goin' out to the field again?" He glanced up at the full moon.

"Um, no, I was actually looking for you, but no one in the barn knew where you were. I have something really important to ask you." Thorny opened his mouth and pulled back his lips in a canine smile.

"Well then, fire away. I'm all ears!" said the old dog, wiggling his ears comically so I almost giggled. He must have heard the distress in my voice, and Thorny always knew how to cheer me up.

I suppose you could say that Thorny was my mentor. He had always been there to guide me in my puppy days, and I learned everything I know about herding from him. When he was young, Thorny and his older brother, Briar, had done the job as a team. I know that part of the reason the farmer decided to keep me was because the collie brothers were getting old by then, and someone would have to take over when they retired. I remember being a tiny pup and sitting by the farmer's feet in the pasture, watching Thorny and Briar dashing back and forth, smoothly dividing the flock and herding them home. It all seemed like a magical, graceful dance to me, and I always watched closely because I knew they were setting an example for me to follow.

Briar was already dead by the time the events I'm telling you about happened, and maybe it's horrible of me, but I was not sorry. Briar was such a bastard to me, always cuffing me roughly on the head, tripping me, discouraging me from becoming a sheepdog. He thought I was a joke because I was a foundling with "no breeding," and he let me know it every single day we lived together. And he didn't improve with age, believe me.

Thorny was the nice one – kind, understanding, and not afraid to stand up to his brother (which I was). Thorny took me under his wing, encouraged me, and gave me advice. He even took the scornful nickname Briar had invented to make fun of my fur, "Red," and turned it into an affectionate pet name instead. I loved Thorny like a father and respected him, too. I knew he was wise, with all his years, so I wasn't just being flattering or nice to an aged hound when I asked Thorny for advice, though I knew he appreciated being needed. If anyone could answer my questions, Thorny could.

Still, I found it a little hard to begin asking him because I realized how crazy it all sounded. It took some courage, but I managed to blurt out, "Thorny, I need you to tell me everything you know about wolves." My old teacher looked a little taken aback, and I heard a sharp intake of breath.

"Wolves?" he asked. "Now there's something I haven't heard about in a long time. A very long time. Why do you ask?" He didn't sound too upset, just surprised, so I quickly told him the whole story – the pasture, the dream, and even the conversation in the barn. Then he looked uncomfortable, and that sure didn't help the way I felt.

"So you saw one in our forest, did you?" he asked, and I nodded. "That's strange. There hasn't been a wolf around here in over four years, to my knowledge. And that last one was in Stonewall, miles from here though it's the nearest town. I saw it myself when I was there with the farmer, so don't you worry about whether or not wolves exist – they certainly do. But I don't think they normally have white eyes. Was it blind?"

"No, it looked right at me." I shivered with the memory. "How come I've never heard of them?"

"Probably because nobody ever talks about them anymore. They're supposed to have been extinct for two hundred years now, so the humans think, anyway. And it's not so hard to believe when you consider how rarely they're ever seen. They've never come this far out before, so it's not surprising that you've never known about them. Even Ushi wouldn't know if it hadn't been for the wolf in Stonewall. Everyone talked about that for months."

"Why?"

"It was a big incident. The wolf was in the market square and no one saw it until a hunter ran out from an alley and started shooting at it. There are some humans who believe in wolves and hunt them for whatever reason. When this many attacked, the wolf revealed its true form to everyone and leaped at the man's throat. He was dead before he hit the ground, with his throat ripped out. Then the townspeople grabbed whatever they could get their hands on and attacked the wolf. A few of them died, but they killed it in the end and buried its body outside the town wall."

I was really trembling now. "So they are vicious; the horse was right."

"In certain circumstances, yes, they can be vicious. The important thing is not to attack them first or attract their attention. The farmer and I stayed quiet the whole time; there was nothing we could do." Thorny stopped for a moment and sighed. "I hoped you would never have to worry about such things, but you protect the sheep now. If you ever see a wolf again, you have to do whatever it takes to keep it from the flock."

"I know. I'm kind of scared, but it did run away from me like the wildcats do. Maybe we won't see it again. I just wish I knew why it had white eyes and why it looked at me like that. And why I had that dream." I looked expectantly at my teacher, but he seemed to suddenly find the ground we were sitting on infinitely fascinating.

"Well, I don't know about that, Red," Thorny said, "I've never been much good at such things. Sounds to me like the wolf really upset you. But don't worry about it. Odds are you'll never see it again; it must be long gone by now."

"Alright," I replied. I was getting tired all of a sudden, but I still had one more question before I went back to bed. "Thorny? You said something about the wolf's 'true form.' What's that mean?'

"Well, I suppose you should know about it. They say that the wolves have survived this long by somehow hiding themselves in human form. A dog in Stonewall told me that it seems to be some kind of spell they can do just by thinking, and it lets them go right in among the humans without a soul knowing about it. Except the animals, of course. Some can see right through the trick and others can tell by the scent, because the wolves can't hide that. A dog can always tell, anyway, because wolves are our ancestors and we're too close cousins not to recognize one another. Is that all you wanted to know, Red?"

I just stared speechlessly at him for a minute. Magic spells? Human forms? Ancestors? This was just all too weird. I finally said goodnight to Thorny, and he gave my cheek an affectionate lick and told me not to worry before we went our separate ways, he to his pile of straw in the barn and me to my pillow in the house. But I was worried. Something strange was happening around here; I could feel it, though I didn't know what it could be. The sudden appearance of a weird animal that could work magic . . . I didn't know if I could believe it. One thing was for sure, though, I was going to be on the alert, especially after that story about the wolf in Stonewall. Nobody, but nobody, was gonna mess with my family.

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A/N: Hope that was okay. Next chapter will have action and (gasp!) violence, so be prepared!