No Warnings . . .

"How did you sleep, Master Richard?" Alfred asked this as he set a plate with a large waffle in front of Dick and a glass of milk.

The butler had made a smiley face on the top of it with strawberries and whipped cream. Dick smiled in return, glancing up at the elder man. Alfred winked at him before returning to the stove to get Bruce's breakfast.

"I slept okay, thank you," Dick replied picking up his fork.

He paused to watch Bruce shake out his linen napkin and set it across his lap. Dick set his fork down and hurriedly imitated his guardian's action, earning himself another wink and a nod from Bruce this time. He picked his fork back up and started to eat. Alfred's waffles were always really good.

"No more dreams, then?" Alfred set a bowl of oatmeal and a plate of scrambled egg whites and turkey bacon in front of Bruce.

"Wait! Where is my waffle," Bruce interrupted, eyeing the oatmeal with a jaundiced expression.

"Cholesterol, sir," was Alfred's only reply.

"It was still within normal range," Bruce complained.

"Indeed, and I plan to see that it remains so," Alfred said unapologetically as he returned to the table with a small plate of regular bacon for Dick.

Bruce sighed and dug into his eggs unhappily. He looked up at the boy, curiously. "Were you dreaming last night?"

Dick glanced back at where Alfred was cleaning up the countertop before shaking his head. "No sir," he replied, stubbornly. "It wasn't a dream."

Alfred explained. "Master Dick came downstairs in search of you last night around eleven thirty. I explained that you had been called away," he added quickly. "Apparently, the young sir believed he had seen a large dog on the property and wished to inform you of it."

Bruce frowned. "A large dog? Where did you see it, Dick?"

"It was a wolf," Dick corrected him. "It was out near the woods beyond the maze."

"That's a pretty substantial distance to be able to identify anything with any accuracy, especially at night," he commented.

"The moon was out," Dick said quickly. "And I have really good eyesight. Even Dr. Leslie said so."

"I remember," Bruce nodded. "But Gotham City is a large metropolitan area. It is surrounded by many other cities and towns that a wolf would have to traverse in order to get here. It seems unlikely to have made it so far without being spotted by someone and the animal removed to more suitable environment."

Dick dropped his gaze; setting down his fork and pushing his plate away. "So, you don't believe me either."

Bruce scooted the plate back in front of the boy. "I didn't say that, chum. I was merely stating that wolves have long been driven out of the area by urban sprawl. It would no longer be safe for a wild wolf to be so close to cities and highways that make up Gotham and her neighbors. Perhaps it was a large dog, then, that you thought you saw?"

"I didn't think I saw it; I did see it." Dick complained. He didn't pick up his fork.

"In that case, I would prefer it if you could remain in the house today until we can confirm this." Bruce told him.

"B-But why?"

"If the animal is wild, it could be dangerous," Bruce explained. "I don't want to risk you running into it outside and getting bit."

Dick slumped back into his chair. Now he was being punished? He had only been trying to help.

"I doubt any wild animal would risk coming so close to the house," Alfred injected. "Perhaps if Master Richard promised to stay near the house and not wander off, it would be all right for him to go outside."

"Hm," Bruce murmured noncommittedly into his coffee.

"Surely such an animal, if it wasn't a dream, would merely be passing through," Alfred continued. "The likelihood that it would remain on the grounds would be slender, at best."

"Perhaps," Bruce wiped his mouth. He looked at his unhappy ward. "All right, then. You can go outside, but no wandering off. Stay close to the house until we know one way or the other."

Dick sat back up. "How will you know? Will you go out looking for it?"

Bruce smiled. "I have my ways, chum. Now you need to finish your breakfast. At least you don't have to worry about having normal, but still elevated, cholesterol."

"I heard that," Alfred remarked.

"Good," Bruce said louder. "Then maybe I can have real bacon with my oatmeal and egg whites next time."

"Are you taking the newspaper with you," Alfred asked, choosing to ignore the sarcasm.

"My secretary will have one available to me," Bruce said as he stood. "You have a good day, Dickiebird. I'll see you at dinner."

Bruce walked out of the kitchen. Dick bit his lip and glanced over to where Alfred was busy cleaning up Bruce's dishes. He grabbed his two slices of bacon and ran after his guardian.

"Bruce!"

Bruce was pulling on his overcoat next to the front door. He turned at to face the boy.

"What's the matter, Dick," he asked. He looked surprised when the child thrust his bacon at him. "What's this?"

"Your cholesterol," Dick said as way of explanation. "It's still normal,"

Bruce looked over his head in the direction of the kitchen, but no Alfred was in pursuit. He grinned suddenly and took one of the proffered slices.

"Thanks, chum," he ruffled the boy's hair. "You eat the other one."

Dick smiled shyly back at him. "Thank you."

"For what?" Bruce asked around a bite of the delicious pork bacon.

"Believing me," Dick said.

"You saw something, kiddo," Bruce said as he picked up his keys and briefcase. "It can't hurt to check it out. In the meantime," he reminded him, "stay close to the house, and don't go out after dark. Oh, and keep your windows closed." He tapped Dick on the nose with a finger. "It's far too cold out now to be opening them up."

Dick blinked at that as Bruce closed the door behind him. His face scrunched up in thought at the reminder.

How did Bruce know that he had opened the window last night?

Dick glanced back at the house from where he stood near the entrance of the maze. He didn't see Alfred looking out any of the windows, but the older man was sneaky. Dick still didn't know how he kept popping up out of Bruce's study or disappearing within it without Dick seeing him.

It was a mystery, and Dick liked mysteries. This current mystery certainly had him in its grip.

Alfred obviously continued to believe Dick had been dreaming last night, otherwise the man wouldn't have argued in favor of him being allowed outside during the day. Of this, Dick was sure. If Alfred had thought for one second that the boy had actually seen a strange dog, let alone a wild animal like a wolf, so close to the house, Dick was positive he would even now be staring at the maze from his bedroom window instead of quickly making his way around it.

Dick hadn't had a chance to explore the hedgerow maze yet, but it was definitely on his list of things to do. In fact, had he not seen the wolf last night, Dick would probably even now be slipping inside for an afternoon of adventure. Instead, he chose to work his way around the outside of its perimeter in an effort to find proof of his late night visitor.

Each side of the maze had an exit, he discovered. Dick stood near the entrance at the far side of the maze nearest the tree line where he remembered seeing the wolf. He remembered his promise to Bruce and, although Dick was sure the man wouldn't agree that where he stood now could be considered 'close' to the house, he decided not to go more than a few yards beyond the first few trees. He could still see the maze and the upper levels of the manor beyond. Dick could even pick out his bedroom window from here.

This could be considered 'close' in the interpretation that Dick chose to follow.

He didn't want to upset Alfred by being out of sight for too long, so he set to work looking at the ground for animal tracks. Heavy leaves and bushes made it a little difficult, but Dick was sure that if the wolf had been here, he would have left paw prints behind. The ground had been damp last night from the rain that always seemed to be falling on Gotham.

Dick looked up at the sky through the bare branches. Dark clouds were closing in even now. He had to hurry. If it started raining again, Dick was sure that any tracks would be washed away and then there would be no proof left at all.

Now he wished he had asked the butler to accompany him. What good would his proof be if the rain washed it all away before either Alfred or Bruce could see it for themselves? But Dick had felt unsure of himself even if he was positive that he was right. He wanted to have already found the proof before he dragged anyone out here.

The wind was picking up and ruffling his hair as it blew the ominous clouds overhead. The weather was going to make all of his plans obsolete at this rate. He pushed away the dead, damp leaves with his hand; ignoring the dirt in favor of speed.

Dick felt the first drop of rain just as he found it.

The paw print definitely looked canine, he thought, but it was enormous compared to the prints left behind by the poodles used in the dancing dogs act at the circus. Dick spread his fingers out and laid his hand on top of the track. His breath caught when he saw that the size was easily as large as his own hand.

This wolf was much bigger than the ones he had seen at the zoo.

The hair lifted on the back of his neck, and Dick suddenly felt like he was being watched. He climbed to his feet swiftly and looked around him nervously for any telltale shadows. He saw a lot of shadows, especially now that the dark clouds had rolled in and completely obliterated the sun, but none that appeared to be in the shape of a wolf.

Dick decided that it was probably better if he hurried back to the house as yet another drop of rain splattered on his nose. He told himself that he didn't want to get soaked out here. He had already had to visit the lady doctor's office every week since he had come to live here. Dick didn't want to have to go back another time because he had gotten sick.

He hurried back into the open and followed the maze back around; keeping close to the hedge in an effort to help shelter him from the rain. It was falling a little faster now. As he turned the corner and left the area where he had found the paw print, Dick's feeling of foreboding eased. He looked behind him, and knew that, this time, nothing was looking back. He pulled up his hood and began running.

He entered the house the same way he had exited it; through Bruce's study.

Dick peered through the glass door first to make sure Alfred wasn't there. He took off his muddy shoes and crept inside in his socked feet, closing and then locking the door behind him. He was wet, but not soaked through yet. He wasn't dripping and leaving a trial behind him anyway.

It was funny, but he had never worried much about tracking a little mud and grass into his parents' trailer before. In the circus, with all the sawdust and hay and animals around, it was impossible to not track in something. Even then, he never remembered the trailer being messy. His mom had always been quick and diligent to sweep out any debris that Dick or his father had tracked in. It was only since he'd come to the manor that Dick had become aware of what was on his feet every time he entered the house.

He cracked the door to the hallway and peeked around.

The coast was clear. He listened, but heard no sounds of footsteps or voices. He slid out of the room and closed the door; turning the knob as he did so that it wouldn't make a clicking noise as it latched. The halls, with its marble floors, carried sound really well.

He darted toward the gymnasium. He could wash his shoes off in the locker room and change into his work-out clothes. Alfred would think his hair was damp from sweat and his cheeks were red from exertion rather than from the cold. As long as the man didn't actually touch him, Dick was golden.

Almost as soon as Dick had come inside, the heavens had opened up and the rain came down in sheets. It rained all afternoon and into the early evening. At least the wind was finally blowing some of the clouds away. He could see the moon shining just at the tops of the tree line.

He sighed. Any tracks would have been washed away in this deluge. Bruce had returned too late to be able to walk out to the place where Dick had seen the wolf even had the rain stopped in time. The sun went down too early this time of year.

A knock on his door announced the arrival of his guardian. Dick moved from the window to the bed as Bruce entered the room.

"Are you ready for bed," Bruce asked.

"Yes sir," Dick climbed onto the bed.

"Teeth brushed? Face washed," he asked next, and Dick nodded in the affirmative.

"Good boy," Bruce pulled the covers up and made a show of tucking the child in snugly. "Now, do you want to tell me why you are so glum tonight?"

Dick hesitated in telling him. He hadn't been allowed to go out as far as he did. He had been told to stay close to the house and instead he had wandered off in search of a wild animal. It wasn't something he was prepared to admit. So, Dick told him the other thing that was bothering him.

"I had hoped we could walk out to the place I had seen the wolf last night before it got dark," he began.

"But I came too late," Bruce finished the sentence for him. "And it rained," he added. "No tracks."

Bruce did understand.

"It's okay, Dick," he said to the boy. "I believe you saw something."

A wolf, Dick thought, although he remained silent.

"Look, tomorrow's Friday," Bruce told him. "Perhaps I can arrange to come home a little early. We can take time to look for fresh tracks then."

Dick allowed the edges of his mouth to turn up into a half-hearted smile.

"That's my boy," Bruce encouraged. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night, Bruce," Dick murmured as he closed his eyes.

Once Bruce had turned out the light and closed the door, Dick sat up. It was early yet; only eight o'clock. The clouds were finally parting, and there was a possibility that the wolf hadn't moved on.

He climbed off of his bed and back onto the window seat; determined to remain vigilant throughout the night, just in case his visitor came back.

Dick jerked himself awake with a groan. He had fallen asleep on the window seat, and was now in an awkward position . . . And he was cold; the window he was leaning against leeching the warmth from his body through his pajamas.

What time is it? Dick looked at the clock by his bed; midnight.

He sat up and stretched carefully; working out the kinks the way his dad had shown him. He then looked out the window, not really expecting to see anything. But the moon was out and even brighter than the night before. All the clouds had blown away and the sky was the clearest Dick had ever seen since coming to Gotham City. The glow of the city lights weren't so bad from the back side of the house. He could see a few stars twinkling overhead.

His gaze dropped to the area he had first seen the wolf. To his utter surprise, the beast was already there; standing in the exact same location the previous night. Gasping, Dick leapt to his feet; his hands fumbling with the latch in his excitement. The casement panel swung outward and Dick stepped out onto the ledge without a thought to Bruce's warnings.

The cold air made him shiver, but the ledge had dried somewhat. The dampness that soaked through his socks was no deterrent when the object of his fascination was right there. His movements seemed to draw the creature's attention and it stared at him across the distance. Dick licked his lips and waved idiotically. It wasn't like the wolf would wave back, but Dick felt the need to acknowledge that he, too, had seen the other.

The wolf raised its head and was sniffing the air. Did it think it could smell him from way over there? It stayed there for a long while; unmoving, until suddenly its head turned and it darted off after something. It disappeared into the woods so quickly it was like magic.

Wow . . .

The shiver caught Dick by surprise; its violence startling him. Abruptly, he was freezing. Funny that he didn't feel the cold hardly at all while he had been so engrossed by the wolf, but now he was shaking like a leaf and his feet felt a little numb through the socks. Lucky, he was holding onto the window with one hand when that shiver had overtaken him, or he might have been rattled right off the ledge. Certain the wolf was gone for the night, Dick moved back into the room and closed the window; latching it securely.

He grabbed his robe and ran to the door. It was dark in the hallway, but that didn't deter him. Dick stopped at the door to the room next to his. He knocked on the door and waited. When no one answered, Dick knocked again harder. Surely Bruce wasn't that heavy of a sleeper! But then again, the tattooed man from Haley's Circus could sleep like the dead, too. Another shiver shook the boy, this time in delight as a wave of delicious fear swept through him.

His mother thought him to be too morbid, but some of the older kids with the circus were the same way. They liked drawing moustaches on the faces in some of Eddie's tattoos with black magic markers. The man never woke up while they were drawing on him; although when he did wake after the fact, he would inevitably yell at all the kids. But nothing ever came of it. Eddie was a real swell guy.

When there was still no answer, Dick pressed his ear to the door. He couldn't hear anything through the heavy wooden panel. He turned the knob slowly and eased the door open a crack. It wasn't as dark in there as it was in the hallway, but it was quiet. Too quiet. Dick pushed the door open a little more.

The moon shone through the window and across the floor. He could see well enough to note that the bed hadn't been slept in. He pulled the door shut and turned around. It was after midnight. Where was his guardian now?

The study!

Dick bolted down the hallway, but didn't bother with the stairs in his hurry. He used the bannister to slide down to the foyer, exiting at the bottom with a flip. His socked feet nearly flew out from under him, but the Grayson grace didn't desert him. Pinwheeling his arms and a couple of staggered steps enabled him to keep his feet and resume his quest.

There was a light coming from beneath the door. Dick slid into the door with a thump and began pounding on it in his eagerness to impart his news.

"Bruce! Bruce," he called. "Hurry! Come quick! I saw it again!"

He was quivering with excitement; bouncing on his toes. When Bruce didn't emerge, Dick knocked again, this time with a little more composure than before. Maybe he didn't want to reward Dick's rudeness. But his excitement dwindled after a little while when no Bruce was forthcoming.

Dick frowned. He glanced down the hall in either direction. The silence was total.

Was he alone in the manor? Surely both Bruce and Alfred wouldn't have left him all alone in this big, old house at night! Had there been an emergency? Maybe they only stepped out for a moment thinking Dick was sleeping in his bed.

Curious, Dick opened the door to the study and stepped just inside the threshold. It was empty. Not even coffee sat on the desk blotter tonight. Dick moved over to the French door that opened to the patio. Locked.

He bit his lip as his eyes searched the room once again for any other exits, but there were none. He walked the perimeter slowly. French door, fireplace, window, wainscoting, clock, chair and a floor lamp, bookcase, bookcase, door to the hallway. The last wall contained a painting over the credenza which set behind Bruce's desk and a couple of potted palms in either corner.

Dick moved back to the hallway. He wandered down to the gymnasium, but it was dark as well. He walked back to the kitchen. There was a light on over the sink, but it was just as deserted as every place else he had been.

He wandered down a separate hallway. He vaguely remembered being shown the way to Alfred's room, in case he needed the older man during the night. He hadn't been paying much attention at the time, but he was fairly certain that this was where it was located. There were four doors here, but none with any signs of life within them. Just to be sure, Dick knocked on each of them and then peeked inside.

Only one shown signs of someone living within it. It was neat as a pin, and in the moonlight he could make out a book on the bedside table next to a pair of reading glasses and a pair of slippers neatly placed near the foot of the bed. This, Dick decided, must be Alfred's room. He closed the door.

Where was everyone?

Dick walked back to his bedroom at a more sedate pace. His expression of one deep in thought. It wasn't until he came back to the foyer that the stillness became unsettling. Dick was used to being surrounded by people. At the detention center, however, he had craved his solitude. His first weeks here, Dick had still been so engrossed in his losses that he didn't care who, if anyone, was around. But now . . .

Now, it felt uncomfortable. He didn't like it.

He climbed the steps to the second level slowly at first, but then with increasing speed until he was running. His feet made muted thuds as he barreled down the carpeted hall towards his room. The shadows in the corners seemed darker than before and appeared to reach for him as he passed.

He ran to his bed; diving into the warmth and safety of his blankets.

As he caught his breath, Dick looked around his room. The moonlight and the nightlight kept the shadows at bay here. He sat up, and huffed in disgust. He had never been afraid of the dark. He had never been afraid of being alone before either, but then again, he had never truly been alone before now.

He willed his heart to slow and controlled his breathing until he felt calm again. Sliding out from under his covers, Dick padded once more to the window seat. He searched the trees beyond the maze for any sign of the wolf. After a while, the shadows moved and the animal appeared once more. It seemed to pause and stare right directly at him. Perhaps it was looking for him now that it was aware of Dick's presence. Then it was gone again from one second to the next.

Oddly enough, Dick felt relieved. He wasn't alone anymore. The wolf was out there. Strangely comforted, Dick fell back to sleep, content. He knew he hadn't dreamed the creature. Paw prints or not, he had seen the wolf a second, and now even a third time. He might not be able to convince anyone else, but he knew he had been telling the truth.

The wolf existed, and Dick wasn't alone. And for that night, those two things were all that really mattered to him.

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