Hey everyone glad you're all enjoying the story. I just wanted to give a mild warning about the mentioning of neutering. No one is but I figured I'd mentioned.

Now I hope you all have a Howling good time. -Steelcode

"Come on Saber! Want to go for a ride?" Tommy came into the living room with the blue leash around his hand. He watched Saber give him a weary look but didn't pull away when he squatted down to clip the leash to his collar. "You've got a check up to see how you're healing."

Macy was impressed with how well he seemed to be healing, moving around on his own much better than he had the first week. There hadn't been any signs of infection that he could tell and the line of the incision on his stomach had nearly vanished into a pink scar before the stitches had even dissolved. She'd have to ask the vet about that. The little knots tight to the skin seemed more irritating than the original wound had even been. They might need to be removed.

It was difficult to hold herself back but she tried to let Saber walk on his own as much as possible. The cast seemed bulky and annoying but he seemed to do alright. Macy and Tommy did help him down the few steps and then up into the backseat, though, not wanting another injury before the first ones had healed.

Saber didn't seem to be a big fan of car rides, letting out long whining howls the entire way until they pulled into the parking lot. Arriving at the clinic was so different than the last time she had been there. Saber was healing and doing well, the anxiety and panic all but vanished from those first emotional 24 hours.

They took them back for x-rays first and Macy smiled and took the credit for how well behaved Saber was through the whole process. Somehow, he could tell Saber was annoyed by that but all she could do was laugh when she saw the expression on the dog's face that always seemed like an eye roll to her.

The assistant took them back to one of the exam rooms and they didn't have to wait long until the vet came into the room. Macy helped him get Saber up onto the exam table and he takes a quick look at the incision on his stomach.

"He must be younger than we estimated since he seems to be healing faster than expected. We usually say about 6 weeks but he's looking great after 4. The x-ray looks good and I think we can even get the cast off this week and see about scheduling a time for the pins to come out."

The vet turned to the counter and started to get things together, his assistant bringing in some other things he assumed they'd need. This was all new to Macy and Tommy.

"I assume you haven't had any luck with finding his owners?" the vet asked, glancing over at Macy.

"No, I haven't seen or heard about anyone looking for him and no one has answered any of my posts."

"Have you thought about microchipping him? It might be a good idea if he's a flight risk. He won't be back to normal yet on his leg but he might try it once he's not dragging it around."

Macy looked down at Saber and could feel the way the dog was glaring daggers at him with narrowed eyes.

"I think it would be a good idea." Tommy and Macy were shocked when Sage let out a low growl, the first aggression he'd ever seen from the animal. "Stop that. You're fine," Macy tried to stay firm though the reaction made him a little nervous.

"We'll give him a light sedative before we take the cast off. A lot of animals get scared by the tools but it won't hurt them."

Saber seemed to be so busy glaring him down that he yelped when the nurse pushed the shot into the muscle of his shoulder and whined as he envisioned a toddler might. It didn't seem to take long before the sedative started to work, Saber struggling to keep his eyes open that drooped lower and lower until he rested his head against his paws.

"I'm really sorry, Saber. But it's for your own good," Macy muttered.

There were many feelings that were horrifying, things that realistic nightmares were made of.

Sage had once seen the movie Being John Malkovich that had left a scarring imprint on his mind. In the movie, others were able to take over his body while he was pushed to the side, left to watch through the window of his eyes while having no ability to control anything. He had read accounts of people affected by Lou Gehrig's Disease who slowly lost all function, choosing to peacefully end their own lives rather than be trapped within their minds with a body unable to express themselves.

It was one of his worst fears and, while he knew his state was only temporary, that was exactly what Sage was experiencing on the table of the vet's clinic.

The sedation had made things hazy for a while, a woozy feeling like maybe he had a few too many glasses of wine. That had ended quickly, though, instead a state of lazy paralysis, barely able to twitch his muscles when he commanded them to move.

He could hear them talking around him and everything in his body was screaming to shift and run but of course, he couldn't. He could feel the skin in his shoulder being pinched and lifted like the scruff of the back of a kitten's neck and then a sharp poke into his flesh. He whined and wanted to scream and pull away but he couldn't no matter how hard he tried.

Macy's hands were stroking his fur, no doubt trying to sooth a confused and scared animal rather than a person attempting to resist an unwanted body modification. He wanted to cry over the inability to protect himself, water even gathering over his vision in his form and spilling over the sleek fur of his face. At least he'd be able to leave tonight if all went according to plan. As soon as he confirmed he could shift back, he'd be gone, out in the woods until he was close enough for his family to hear him. He hoped they were still out looking, that they hadn't given up.

He tried his best to hold himself together while the vet sawed through the outer layer of his cast and removed the dressing beneath it. The air felt too cold against his skin once it was off and each touch to his newly exposed skin made him want to tug away.

The vet inspected his leg and then moved it at all his joints, all of them feeling sore and achy with each movement but not necessarily painful. Sage was thankful for that at the very least. Every bend made him feel that much closer to freedom. He could do nothing but lay their patiently while the doctor demonstrated some physical therapy moves for Macy to do with him at home and he tuned it out. He wouldn't be there long enough for it to matter.

Sage tried to fight against it when the vet turned him onto his back, his legs falling open with everything on display. He knew that to the others in the room it wasn't quite the same as being naked but to him it was no different. Especially when he could do nothing but weakly curl his toes. At least he could do that now.

The vet prodded the incision with his glove covered fingers and Sage just wished that Macy would turn her back the same way she still did every time she took him outside.

"So have you thought about keeping him since you haven't been able to find his owners?"

"Mostly my little brother, but yes," Macy admitted.

It almost tickled as the vet snipped and pulled out each stitch but Sage was too busy focusing on getting his limbs to work to notice. Sage should probably be flattered by Macy's endearing tone but in that moment all it did was irritate him. Nobody owned him. Nobody was allowed to keep him.

"You've done a great job taking care of him. He's healing remarkably well, you should be proud," the vet moved to take another look at his leg and he wished the guy would just turn him over already. He felt utterly humiliated with his legs spread and his body still wouldn't obey.

"I think we're safe to set up an appointment to take the pins out early next week," Sage started to squirm when the vet's hand moved down to push the longer hair of his tail away from his body. "Have you given any thought about having him neutered? It would be less traumatic to get it done at the same time so we wouldn't have to put him under again."

And nope. Nope, nope, nope. That was it. The final straw to this whole playing doggy charade.

A rush of adrenaline surged through him and he scrambled against the slick table until he had righted himself and stumbled down the floor. He ignored the crash of instruments around him, frantic to remove himself from the situation entirely, not willing to even be involved in a conversation about his balls.

His muscles still weren't working properly and his paws were slipping against the tile floor in what he was sure was a comical way but there was nothing comical about the panic that was driving him. He pushed into the shift but each time hit the same roadblock as he had each time he'd tried over the past month, something yanking him back each time the shimmer hit his leg.

The pins. It was the pins. It suddenly occurred to him that the pins had been the cause all along. The foreign object attached to his bones was holding him back, his leg unable to elongate and straighten with metal drilled into its core.

"Dang It!" he tried to exclaim but it came out as a loud yelp that echoed in the exam room on top of the chaos that had erupted with him being at the center of it. Another tech opened the door to see what was going on and he took the opportunity and bolted. He was disoriented and had no idea where he was going but there had to be a door somewhere, there had to be a way out.

His leg felt weak and nearly useless at his side, holding his already diminished coordination back even further. He slide into a wall and then dashed down the hallway, skidding to a spot when it was a dead end. Dang it. He'd gone the wrong way. He turned to make a dash for it yet again but was blocked by far too many people to ever make it through.

He was sure his eyes were wild as he backed himself into the corner, the barricade of people just watching him cautiously for a moment before advancing a step further.

It was a last resort but it was all he had. He crouched, bared his teeth and let out the most menacing growl he could conjure up. He felt feral as he let his wild instincts loose for a second, each one of them a vicious predator trying to mutilate him.

"Let me through!" He watched Macy push her way between the employees who were probably trained in handling scared animals. Sage just raised his lips higher, ready to lash out if he was pushed that far. He could tell Tommy was nervous, probably scared of what he was capable of doing, but he still cautiously came closer.

'He is definitely not a normal dog,' Tommy thought.

"Saber, I know you're not some stupid dog and I know you understand everything I'm saying. So knock it the heck off right now. I'm not going to have you neutered. Jimmy Christmas."

Sage stopped growling and relaxed his mouth, sitting back to hesitantly calculate the sincerity of Macy's words.

"You're like a person," Macy mumbled once she was close enough to squat in front of him. She reached out rub behind his ears with both hands once he was sure Saber wasn't going to bite her fingers off and then squished his face like a toddler with chubby cheeks. "I'd probably have that reaction if someone threatened to change something about me."

Macy smirked and Sage slid his tongue out to get a cheeky lick across her face, grinning to himself when Macy wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"You're going to have a bad reputation here now," Tommy shook his head, tugging on his ear once before standing with a grip on his collar though Sage could tell it was just for show and not dominance.

"He'll behave now, I promise," Macy told the rest of the staff but it was obvious they didn't quite believe her even with the whole dog whisperer type performance that had just happened.

Macy led them through the small crowd that had formed, Sage limping along at her side. Now that he had calmed down he realized just how badly his leg was aching and whined with each uncomfortable step.

"You did it to yourself," Macy mumbled, leading them back towards the reception area. Everyone was staring at them while Macy made his next appointment, the whole office no doubt hearing the whole fiasco. Sage would have blushed with embarrassment if he could but to them, he was only a dog.

Macy loaded him into the back seat and made it around to the driver's side before Tommy started laughing, loud and bright cackles that had tears rolling down his cheeks in minutes.

"The look on your face!" Tommy crowed now that they were alone, "I swear it looked like you saw your whole life flash in front of your eyes."

Sage huffed and flopped down onto his belly, rolling his eyes as he let his tail thump against the door with a hollow sound.

"Tommy, show some respect!" Macy nearly yelled, smacking her brother. "Saber has been through enough as it is! How would you feel when some tried operating on you the same way they did with Saber?"

Tommy gulped. "Umm uh...Ouch."

"Yeah. So before opening your big mouth, try seeing how others would feel first," Macy remarked, ready to turn the car on.

"Sorry, Saber," Tommy apologized. Sage just huffed again turning to where he was facing the back of the seat of the car.

"Let's head back home," Macy replied.

After being helped back into the house Sage stared at his leg, more prominently the pins that were a double edge sword, both helping yet detouring at the same time.

"One more week. Then I can go home." Sage thought to himself as he listened to Macy and her mother bustle about the kitchen.

"Your brother was talking about his school doing a fundraiser to raise money for a camping trip." Mrs. Monroe said.

"Fundraiser, huh? What kind?" Macy questioned.

"Dog sled race. Apparently many of the families have dog sled teams. The rule is that they can only use one dog. Whoever wins gets a years' worth of ice cream and pizza coupons." Mrs. Monroe said as she chopped up the cooked steak and placed it into Saber's dish.

"A dog sled race? Normally, I would have suggested a musical fundraiser or something more interesting that does not abuse dogs," Macy replied.

"Most of the dogs are champions who love this work. You know I was telling a colleague of mine about Saber and they said that he could be a lead dog. Many of the points she gave reminded me of Saber." Mrs. Monroe said as Macy put brown rice and chopped carrots into the bowl.

"Well, unless it's after next week, no way am I going to let Saber hurt himself," Macy said.

"It's not for a while. Three weeks." Mrs. Monroe said with a smile. "I also happened to hear that you claimed Saber as your dog."

Macy just shrugged. "Well, no one seems to have come to our door and claim Saber belongs to someone else. Thought it'd be better for him to stay with us than spent the rest of his days at a kettle."

"Kettle? You mean kennel right sis." Tommy said walking in. "Please say you're not sending Saber away?"

"You know what I mean, and no, we are not sending him away,"

"Cool so do you think he's a for real sled dog? That would be so cool especially if he's well enough to go to the fundraiser..."

"Not sure. Maybe when he's all healed up, we'll find out," Macy answered.

"YAHOO!"

Sage's head shot up at the shout then looked at Tommy raced out of the room like the Easter Bunny on a sugar high. Macy came to the doorway with his bowl and he gave her the "Gee what'd you give up to make him so happy look"

"Ugh, the things I do for family," Macy muttered.

Sage was nervous. He'd never knowingly had surgery before, especially not as an animal. He couldn't stop pacing all night, back and forth, back and forth, until Macy threw a pillow at him. They'd moved to Macy's or Tommy's bedroom the last few nights after his cast had been removed. Without the burden of the thing he was able to jump up onto the mattress and Macy was glad to be sleeping in her own bed after a month. Sage would argue that he could have been sleeping in his own bed for the past month but he also didn't want to admit how much he'd enjoyed having her close.

After the first night Macy hadn't stopped complaining about the white hairs from his coat that seemed to cling to every item of clothing they owned and now every inch of her bed. Sage had just grinned to himself and made sure to roll around over the bed and even beneath the covers because he was just that extra about it. Mildly irritated yet underlying fond was exactly how he liked his Macy. Just Macy. Macy wasn't his. He was leaving soon.

The sun finally rose on the day of his appointment and his eyes burned with exhaustion. It would be the biggest trust of faith he had ever taken in his life. He was willingly walking into a situation he had absolutely no control over and trusting Macy not to betray him.

The procedure was expected to be simple. Small incision, take out a few screws, close him up. It sounded routine but anything could happen. There hadn't been a reaction to the anesthesia or medications the first time but foreign substances were always dangerous in this body. He was neither human nor animal and it would be impossible to calculate correct doses on him knowing what he was let alone having no idea anything was off. For all he knew he'd shift on the table as soon as the pins were out. He'd been trying to force it every day for over a month so the push might just happen on its own once the blockage was removed and he wasn't in control.

Macy could tell he was nervous and was gentle with him all morning until it was finally the main office of the clinic would be open. Tommy had to go to the dentist while his appointment was first thing, Macy not wanting to starve him all day for an afternoon appointment. It would have been a nice thought if he had actually been able to eat his dinner the night before.

Macy signed them in and then took a seat in one of the chairs in the waiting area. Sage walked up and pushed his chest between her knees, parting them before sitting tall so he was as close to Macy as he could be. He squared his shoulders and stared at Macy with purpose hoping that it communicated all of his questions and fears and needs but, most importantly, trust that Macy wasn't going to wrong him.

The message must have been received when Macy's hands came up to cup his face, rubbing down his neck and then back up to hold him so they made eye contact.

"I promise no neutering," Macy promised leaned forward and pressed a warm kiss against his cold wet nose. It was the sweetest thing that had ever happened to him and he couldn't help but smile even through the serious moment. Sage gave one more nod, hoping he wasn't making the wrong decision, and made no fuss when they led him back for prep.

"I'll be right here, Saber," Macy assured, petting on his fur.

It was much different coming to for the second time. He had some blurry memories from after his surgery but he wasn't quite as disoriented as before. This time he knew what had happened and why his mind wasn't quite clear. It was also much less painful, a dull pulsing rather than the sharp stabs from before.

Most importantly, he felt relief. He didn't want to equate it to the relief after being constipated but that was the closest he could come to describe it. He had lived his whole life with his magic flowing freely over his body whenever he wanted it to and, after having it built up and blocked from him for so long, the shimmer down his legs to his toes was the best release of pressure.

He didn't shift though, not yet. Macy was still doting on him and playing nurse. She brought Sage's medication and food and water like the most pampered pup in the world.

He waited until he was sure Macy was asleep. He could hear the soft snores drifting to him from the couch and he was glad they hadn't fallen asleep curled up with one another for once. Keeping his eyes on the place where Macy's hair popped up above the arm, he let shift trickle through him. It would have been easy to burst into tears when he found himself crouched on two feet in the center of the dog mattress, rising up to his full height for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.

His muscles stretched and his bones popped but it all felt so amazing. The ache in his leg was stronger in this form, the incision long and deep through the meat of his outer thigh but he didn't even care. There was a matching line along his stomach as well though it was dulled to a soft pink, scars that others wouldn't always see but would always remind him of his time with Macy.

He tried to tiptoe across the room but nearly fell over into a table and knocked over a lamp when his bad leg didn't want to work quite the same. He was used to babying it as his wolf and he was clumsy with it standing upright. Cautiously, he limped across the room and through the door that he now knew to be Mr. Monroe's office. He wouldn't leave yet, not tonight, but he did need to figure out where he was.

The papers rustled as he sifted through them, trying to be as quiet as possible as he looked for anything with an address on it or any information to indicate where he was. There was nothing like the Monroe's had never received a letter or a bill in their move here. He flopped down in the office chair, the pleather chilly against his bare skin knees, and sighed.

Mr. Monroe's laptop. He wasn't sure how he didn't notice it before but it was sitting on the desk. Macy and Tommy, he put in the password he'd seen used so many times before and silently cheered when it let him in. He opened Mr. Monroe's contacts and found an address listed under his own information. Monroe.

Opening up the maps, he entered the address and zoomed to see where it would take him. He found a familiar point and followed it across to where he had started that night. Yeah, that seemed like the distance would have been about right, the privately owned woods stretching out for miles from his backyard to just across the road from where this address seemed to be.

He opened a browser and signed into his email account, quickly composing an email to his brother that would do what it said without question.

Derek,

Come claim your lost "dog" tomorrow at this address. I've been stuck, explain later.

He logged out of his account and cleared the history before making his way back to the living room. He could have slapped himself for being so careless when he didn't even pause before stepping into the room. Macy was sitting up on her bed yawning into her hand. They both froze, holding eye contact for the longest moment before Sage dropped to the floor in a streak of white across the room to his place on the dog bed.

It was difficult to pretend to be asleep when his heart was pounding so rapidly but he had to try.

"What the heck," he heard Macy whispering to herself, "Dang books are messing with my head. Can't believe I let Tina talk me into reading them."

Sage smiled to himself but wasn't about to give himself up.

The next morning, Macy was making breakfast with her mother while her father was reading the paper.

The doorbell rang shortly after nine. Tommy grumbled to himself and ran his fingers through his messy hair. He was still in his pajamas with bedhead and he hadn't been expecting anyone. If it was some type of salesperson he would turn the sprinklers on them with no hesitation, he was in that kind of mood.

"Can I help you?" he asked in irritation as he pulled open the door and was met with a man an in his late twenties and a woman closer to his mother's age. It was probably the guy's mom, they looked like they could be related.

"Um, hi, I'm Derek," he raised a hand with a small wave and he seemed nice enough but Tommy wasn't in the mood for a Girl Scout Cookie type of sales pitch. "I, um, I think you might have found my dog?"