Chapter Six- Preparations

Jasmine nodded as she saw Aladdin put silver charms, a length of chain, and a silver threaded leather muzzle strap in the basket of food. She was satisfied that he was taking the precautions he said he would. I don't want to hurt him and he knows that, but he doesn't know how strong my urge to bite really is. His wearing of a charm will weaken me and make me ill, but it's better than biting him.

Aladdin watched Jasmine walk out of the kitchen and looked inside the basket at the silver. He felt the silver wasn't necessary. His girlfriend was strong-willed; surely she could resist her wifewolf's urge to turn humans. I could just take the leather strap. It would prevent her from biting…I hope. He pulled out the charms and chain and put more raw meat and fruit in it.

"Almost ready to go, dearest?" Sultan asked.

"Almost. I had Aladdin agree to bring some silver as a precaution. I'm not taking any chances."

Sultan nodded. "Of course. I would do the same thing." He paused and added, "Razoul is looking forward to tonight's patrol."

Jasmine said, "I think we've all been looking forward to tonight as we will be self-aware. I do intend to use my sharper senses while on the date. It should be interesting."

"Yes," Sultan said slowly. "We had other things on our minds the last three nights. Sharper senses are natural to wolves so we had no interest in exploring them. I'll be sure to inform Razoul in using them. I understand that he found them distracting the other day."

"Jasmine?"

Jasmine looked at the double doors, saw Aladdin, and then went to Sultan to give him a hug. "See you later, Father."

"Enjoy yourselves," he called after the couple. He then summoned Razoul before thinking of tonight. He himself would sit on the throne for a time before roaming the palace to get a true feel for four legs and his senses. He knew his fur was white as he recalled looking at his clawed hard and his body when he had curled up to sleep the last three nights. He suspected that his eyes had been red and glowing as that was how Jasmine looked on the eclipse.

"Your highness?"

Sultan blinked and focused on Razoul who was on one knee. "Yes. Tell me, Razoul. How are your senses doing today?"

"Better than in previous days. It could be because the full moon is over."

"I agree and I plan to explore them tonight. It'll be interesting as we'll be aware of ourselves."

"Interesting," he said neutrally. He knew the Sultan had a point. He would be able to give his senses his full attention and have control over them; the full moon had given him no control and he attributed it to his wolf mind; as a wolf he gave no thought to his senses, but tonight would be different.

The sky was aglow with a setting sun and bands of brilliant colors. Razoul stood at the palace's front doors, currently unarmed but that would soon change. The sky's colors flared as the sun left the sky and Razoul felt a tingle and his spine pushing him down. He looked down to see his hands were paws and he crossed his eyes to see his muzzle. He bared a wolf's grin before walking down the stairs with ease; a fact he noticed and credited it to his full moon nights as he often approached Jasmine on his hands and paws.

There were lit sources of fire but Razoul found that he didn't require light to see; his eyes pierced the darkness easily and he could see small details he hadn't seen earlier today. My eyes are normal in daylight, but now they are incredible.

The people parted to let him pass and he saw the respect and admiration in their eyes. His nose smelled a variety of items, but no fear or any kind of emotion. His tail gave a swish at not smelling emotions. He smelled good and bad scents but none of them distracted him; rather they intrigued him and he took his time to remember the smells around him.

His ears stood erect as he did his rounds. He was hearing sounds he had heard before but not this clearly. The murmurs of the people he could hear easily and the sounds of insects and animals were clear to him. I like this, he thought. These senses would make finding criminals at night easier.

His gurgling stomach caught his attention and he sought out a vendor selling fish. He pulled off a tiny sack from a belt around his middle, reared up, and put the bag on the counter. "Two fish, please," he said.

"Yes, captain." The vendor put two fish on the counter and collected the money. Razoul seized the fish by the fins and carried them off somewhere to eat in private. He laid down and enjoyed his dinner as well as being able to talk. The full moon aside, being a werewolf isn't so bad and I will be sure to inform Jasmine and the Sultan of this.

Sultan stood away from his throne as he became a wolf and blinked a few times as the room became brighter and clearer. Impressive. Razoul will be able to put his eyesight to good use. He turned and was able to easily climb the stairs and jump into his seat. He gave a wolf's grin at this. I feel younger with this body. I can jump easily into my seat. I look forward to walking around later while examining my senses.

People did come in to speak of how secure and safe they feel with Razoul looking for trouble. They also told him of how they were surprised when he spoke. Sultan knew they were sincere in their words as he smelled no deceit from them.

Indeed, he could smell a lot of scents as he roamed the palace later. He had stopped at the kitchen to get a bite to eat before resuming his walk. He caught sight of himself in a hallway mirror once he had reared up and planted his paws on the wall. His eyes were gold which complemented his white fur and he also saw how strong he looked for an old wolf. He had no doubt that Jasmine and Razoul also had gold eyes and strong bodies. Even though my subjects told me how safe they feel, it does not tell me how Razoul feels now that he is self-aware. I suspect that he will tell me when he reports to me.

Sultan returned to his throne and waited for his captain to return. He amused himself with his hearing, eyesight, and nose while he waited. It was simply amazing how he got by with his limited senses now that he had the senses of a wolf.

The double doors opened to reveal a guard on each side of the doors and a black wolf passing through. He went to the stairs before lifting a foreleg and sinking into a standing bow with his other legs. "All is calm and peaceful, sire."

"Wonderful, Razoul. I have had some subjects tell me that they feel safe with you around."

"That is good to hear. I saw respect and admiration in their eyes as I passed them. It is clear that your announcement did the job of assuring the people that we are still human despite the curse."

"What about your senses now?"

"Incredible. Everything is brighter and clearer. I am enjoying this night more than the previous ones."

"I share in those sentiments and I am sure Jasmine is feeling the same way." Sultan then yawned, jumped down, stretched, and headed off to bed, seriously hoping that Jasmine was enjoying herself and resisting the urge to bite.