"The Pianist"

~Chapter Twenty-One~

It is a beautiful night for a run. The moon shines through the trees; whose branches intertwine with each other like parents holding hands with their child. The only sound is a couple of owls and a load of crickets singing their night song, twigs crunching under the heavy wolf paws of David and Lorana as they run through the woods. At first, it started out as a curse- changing into wolves each night, but it's not so bad. Four legs cover more ground than two.

Is that the fastest you can go? Lorana cheers in wolf telepathy, howling with laughter; her tail swishing side to side wildly. David growls, picking up speed and his paws thumping hard on the ground as he did so. His tongue flopping out of his mouth as his head became side by side with his wife's furry hind-end.

He hears her wolfish howling laughter in front of him, he pushes faster and nearly is head to head with her- then the sound of carriage wheels catches his attention and he grabs his wife by the tail; causing her to howl in pain and stop immediately. What was that for?!

Sh-listen! David shushes, whining and pawing the earth, his ears twitching until they focused in one direction. Lorana twitches her ears, her eyes moving all over the place; scouting the trees and bushes for any sort of a threat, she doesn't see known, but she hears a carriage.

And voices. Those voices...one of them sounds like-

Troy. David finishes, come on. They run toward the road, no longer racing but going to see what is going on. Why is Troy coming back without Gabriella? Her father will ask those questions. It's best if David and Lorana find out first. Of course, there's one draw back to this situation-

"Oh my God!" Adriana screams, David saw her through the window once he and Lorana had cleared the bushes and were on the road.

"What? What is it?" That voice sounds like...Troy? No, his has a deep timber. This one is more...well, feathered with testosterone, but not buried in it like his son. Adriana swallows, she points outside the window as the carriage to the two massive wolves running after the carriage.

"Wolves...two huge-"

Troy sits straighter, wishing he can see. He can feel the tension from Ryan and Adriana as they gape at his parents' wolf forms. "They won't hurt you..." the two look at him, eyes wide.

"Are you mad?" Ryan asks, "Their wolves-"

"Their mine."

Adriana gapes at him, she's just a silhouette to him. A shadow. He wishes he can see, but right now, he wishes he was with Gabriella. "Yours?" Troy nods, following the wall of the carriage with his hands as he pokes his head out of the square glass-less window.

"Where are they?" His question is answered by a howl, he reaches his hand out; outstretching his fingers as his parents fur tickle his skin. Is he petting his mom or dad? He doesn't know, but running along a carriage as it's moving says a lot about their stamina...

Ryan's eyes are wide, watching as Troy leans far out the window with his hand down. He's petting the beast? "Troy.." he says, "Are you mad?" To his surprise, Troy laughs and turns his head as if he'd be looking at him. Adriana is still sitting like a rock, her face ashen and pale. Lips quivering.

"They're friendly..."

"Why are they following us then?" Adriana manages to stammer out, her fingers flexing and unflexing. Ryan grabs her hand and squeezes gently, she relaxes some at his touch. Before Troy can answer, the three of them feel the back of the carriage jostle and then the driver pull them to a stop as he gets down from his seat; telling the three of them to stay in. A scream is what causes them to jump out, but Troy knows it's nothing. His father or mother probably jumped on the carriage.

David hasn't done that before. He's never jumped on the back of a carriage, but as a wolf he thought 'eh what the hell? I'll do it...'

Of course, since Lorana and himself share a mind-link of some kind when they are in their wolf forms, she can hear his thoughts and she scolded him when he frightened the driver- and it doesn't help when he tries to calm the man and all that comes out are growls. Lorana keeps telling him, just because we are humans as wolves, we need to learn to adapt to being wolves-

He turns his furry head to his wife, her fur seeming to just...glow at the tips in the moon light. I'm still a man, Lorana-

But you frightened the man-

It was not intentional.

He's pale as ice. His ears flattened against his skull, no thoughts directed towards her but a growl. She flattens her ears and growls too, don't you growl at me, mister.

David growls again, the sound of the carriage passenger door shutting and then scurrying footsteps...and a scream from a woman. "Ryan, ...w-w-wolves..."

"It's all right, Adriana..." Ryan says, staring at the beast on the back of the carriage. It is a large beast, he feels himself becoming frozen as he stares at it. It's menacing and...a beautiful beast. Something nudges his legs, he forces himself to look down...shite! There's another one. His heart is pumping in his chest, but the other wolf moves passed him, going to where Troy is standing and nuzzling his hand with her muzzle. The action...it's reminded Ryan of a mother holding the hand of her child..

Strange behaviour for a wolf.

Troy swallows, twitching his fingers. His mother, in her wolf form, always nuzzled his hand to let him know which parent was which animal. "Can...you two leave me for a minute?"

Adriana doesn't nod or move. Nor Ryan. Troy sighs, "I can feel your presences from here..please, leave me be for a minute?" It seems like an eternity- or just that minute is stretched out and time freezes before he feels their presences leave and he relaxes his shoulders as he whistles softly for his father to jump off of the carriage back and come towards him and Lorana. He slowly kneels on the ground, his hand outstretched to catch him just in case he is to fall over.

"Why are you guys so far from the palace?" They whimper, he can't understand their answers but he suspects that they themselves can hear each other.

"You probably know that Gabriella is not with me"-his voice catches-"my dream...nightmare...it's happened. I tried to stop it. Sharpay is a bitch..." Lorana howls softly in agreement nuzzling Troy's face with her muzzle in comfort. He sighs, running his fingers through her fur. His father sits on his haunches beside him.
All formal and awaiting to hear to the rest of what happened.

"I have to save her. I can't return without her-"

David growls and paws the earth, Lorana, we can do it.

Lorana's ears perk up and her eyes glisten. What?

We can go get Gabriella. He turns his wolf head toward Troy, tilting it to the side. His son sighs, shaking his head and slowly standing up. "God, I wish I can understand you guys." Lorana nuzzles his hand again, whining sympathetically as Troy shuffles his feet awkwardly. Nervously.

"I'm sorry for how I treated you guys...you didn't deserve it."

"What do you think he's doing, you suppose?" Adriana asks, holding tight to Ryan as they stand where the horses are. They're calm. Then again, they haven't seen the wolves or the sheer size of them. Hell, the two beasts look as big as horses.

"I don't hear a gun going off...so he didn't kill them." Ryan says, Adriana sighs, but manages a small smile. He looks at her, smiling back at her. "What?"

She titters softly, letting go of his hand to cross her arms in front of her. "Nothing...just...your face when you saw them."

Ryan chuckles, but feigns an offended look. "They were huge, I am entitled to be afraid-"

"Lord Evans, some say fear is a very womanish emotion."

"Maybe I'm in touch with my feminine side."

"Maybe you are. Maybe I like it."

He cups her face gently, looking into her eyes, "I love you, do you know that?" Adriana smiles kindly, leaning into his touch and wrapping her arms around him.

"Aye, and I love you-"

The sound of growling gets their attention, Ryan helps her into the carriage; telling her to stay there and use anything she can in case the wolves get inside, she nods and curls up in a ball on the velvet seat. Ryan goes round the back, however, he stops in his tracks when he see's Troy surrounded by the two wolves. Wolves that don't show signs of attacking. Then...why the growling?

"Troy?" He turns his head toward Ryan's voice, since it's dark, he can't see the man's shadowed silhouette. Damn the witches.

"I thought I told you to leave me-"

"I heard growling. Adriana is in the carriage..." Troy bites his inner cheek, he strokes his mother's fur and makes sure his father is on his other side. He looks...like he's content with them. Like he feels safe. "Troy come on, I'll get you home-"

"I was a fool to say that I was going back without Gabriella." Lorana and David growl softly in agreement, Ryan tilts his head.

"What are you saying?"

Troy heaves a breath, David goes under his legs and he slowly sits down on his father's back and grabs a hold of his thick fur. "I'm going to get my Gabriella back." Whoa...his Gabriella? Well, mentally, he admits that he likes how it sounds.

Ryan sputters, his mouth opening and closing like a fish down at the docks before he can even get words out. "Are..are...are you mad?!"

My son? Mad? Lorana growls, her ears flattening against her skull and Ryan lifts his hands in the air to show he means no harm. Lorana growls, Troy reaches his mother and strokes her fur again. "Hey...it's all right." He keeps his blind gaze on Ryan. "And ...I think I may be, but it's a good kind of mad."

"How is it good?!" Ryan asks, earning another growl from Lorana.

Lorana, David scolds, she looks at him.

What? I don't like him.

Troy knows that he's speaking true, he also knows that it's about damn time he speaks true. "I'm mad for Gabriella and I'm going to get her out of that dungeon."

"You're blind!"

"I have help." Troy clicks his tongue, David turns around and begins to go in the direction of the palace, but Ryan stops them.

"Wait!" Troy sighs, David turns his wolf head to look at him and Lorana just looks at him with her ears still flat. Ryan goes to the carriage, where Adriana immediately goes to him.

"Oh my love!" She calls, "you're safe, thank the Lord! I prayed-"

"I want you to go to the Bolton's castle. You'll be safe." She frowns, her lips forming a small pout.

"What? What will you be doing?"

He sighs, "I realize that this is the most mad thing I've done, but I'm helping Troy get Gabriella." He smirks, kissing her lips softly, "and who are either of us to stand between two people that love each other?" Those words make Adriana smile, but she frowns when he pulls away.

"I'll pray for both your safety." Ryan nods, cupping her face.

"I love you, and I'll return to you."

She smiles, "Go...Troy's waiting." He nods, kissing her lips chastely once more and going to where Troy and the ...wolves are waiting. He gets seated on the larger- however, smaller in frame- wolf. Hm, must be a female.

Troy grips his father's fur tightly. "Are we ready?" He asks Ryan, who in turn says a quick yes as Lorana runs fast toward the castle. David following with Troy. Sometimes being wolves with an incredible sense of smell is worth the curse that is placed upon them.

I'm evil aren't I? Haha, next chapter will be Gabriella in the dungeon. I'm thinking...oh! Not going to tell, it'll be a surprise, but fair warning, this story is almost finished ),:

What do you think of Ryan and Adriana's reactions to the wolves? What do you think was going through Ryan's head when he saw that the wolves weren't harming Troy when he thought they would be? What do you think is going to be the fate of David and Lorana in the next few chapters as we draw close to the ending?

I'm looking forward to your answers. Please review!

Loves and Hugs to my delightful peoples who read this story and who have been with the story since the prologue. I love you all.

Elena xx