Will blinked in the sunlight.
‘The first thing we have to do is stop you sticking out like a sore thumb. Can you do something about… that?’ Ceun indicated the armour.
‘I’m not sure what I’ve got on under this.’ Will said uncertainly.
‘This device of yours, did you build in something to allow you to change your appearance or your clothes?’
‘No. It’s all set up in the programme.’
‘That’s helpful then, isn’t it? I think we are going to have to resort to the old human premise that you haven’t brought your kit so you can play in your vest and pants… figuratively, of course.’
Will looked horrified. ‘And how is that going to stop people looking at me exactly?’
‘It was a joke? You’re going to have clothes under that lot, aren’t you? Armour against the skin? I don’t think so. The stable is there; take the stuff off.’
‘I think I may need some help.’ Will said.
‘You will manage.’ Ceun said finally, as he lounged against the wall. ‘Or I could send An to help you?’
‘I can manage.’ Will said hurriedly. After what seemed an age and sounded like a couple of rats playing tennis in a dustbin, Will emerged. It had been a relief to get out of the metal suit, although he did suspect he may have strained something vital.
‘I think this looks ok?’ Will said uncertainly as he sniffed at the sleeve of the hessian shirt he now wore over dun-coloured breeches. He pulled a face.
‘Where’s that bloody morph got to?’ Ceun said, ignoring him. He began to walk along the edge of the square. Will hurried to keep up. ‘She’s probably sulking somewhere, expects us to run around looking for her.’
‘You were quite rude?’ Will said.
‘Look,’ Ceun stopped suddenly, ‘whatever she appears to be, she is not your wife, she has none of the characteristics of what’s her name?’
‘Cassandra.’
‘Do not imagine that she is going to react like Cassandra because just when you’re convinced she’s sweet… she will bite you.’
‘Did she bite you?’ Will asked innocently.
A dark shadow passed across Ceun’s face. He was about to answer when they heard a loud ‘Pssst!’ The sound led them to a shadowy corner and dark steps leading into a black storage cellar.
‘Has someone sprung a leak down there?’ Ceun asked as another drawn-out psssssst emerged from below.
‘Have woman,’ came a gruff voice from the darkness.
‘I’m sorry, I think you’ve mistaken us for someone else, we don’t provide that kind of service.’ Ceun said politely.
There was a silence as this information was processed. ‘Your woman, have here,’ it grumbled.
‘Again, I think you are mistaken. We don’t have a woman,’ Ceun said cheerfully. A few moments passed as the thing considered. Suddenly the polymorph was thrust roughly into the light and then dragged sharply back again.
‘That… that hand, it wasn’t a hand, there was hair and… claws!’ Will whispered.
‘Thank you, yes I did see that.’ Ceun whispered back. ‘Sorry, that’s not ours.’ He said, his hand cupping his mouth as he shouted into the cellar.
‘How can you say that? I might remind you that someone who looks like my wife is in there!’ Will remonstrated.
Ceun grabbed his shirt and pulled him forward until they were nose to nose. ‘Not your wife.’
He hissed. ‘and if you want to get her back, I suggest you shut up or go in there yourself and take your chances.’
‘Your woman!’ the voice insisted, ‘you take woman, give that.’ A gnarled finger pointed out of the gloom at Will who took a step back as Ceun released him.
‘You’re not going to send me in there!’ He squeaked.
Ceun put a finger to his lips. ‘No, thank you. It’s quite all right. You can keep her.’ Ceun called out as he turned and began to walk away, making sure that a firm hand took Will with him.
‘You can’t just leave her in there with that thing!’ Will said, trying to look over his shoulder.
‘Will eat woman… slowly.’ The voice called after them, but there was a note of uncertainty to it.
‘Good luck with that!’ Ceun continued to walk, dragging Will with him. ‘If it tries, it’ll have the mother of all stomach aches. Don’t worry. She’ll work her way through eventually.’
‘Can she do that, be eaten and be ok?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous. She’ll have been digested. Just keep walking.’
In the darkness, a pair of green eyes glowered at the departing figures. Anaya twisted to face her captor.
‘That went well then?’ She said looking up into a canine face who’s brows furrowed in confusion.
‘You no talk will kill you now.’ It said, uncertainly.
‘And what do you think that will achieve? Wolf mauls a young girl, in town, in daylight? It will be pitchforks and torches after you, that’s what. You’ll be a head on somebody’s wall before the end of the day.’
The wolf stared at his captive. Now that he looked at her… no, it couldn’t be? He blinked. He knew this was wrong, she smelt different, but now that he looked at her properly, it was his mistress standing there. She was a bit younger, but it was his mistress without a doubt.
‘You’re a bad dog, aren’t you?’ She said. Despite every other sense in his body telling him to kill her now, there was something built into his very fibre. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you. His ears flattened, she was right; he was a bad dog.
‘I can help you. You stay here until it’s dark and then slip away. I will leave now, and no-one will ever know that you were here.’
The wolf struggled to compute all the different messages his brain was receiving. A hand reached up and tickled him behind the ear, involuntarily his tail wagged. ‘You’re a good boy, really, aren’t you? You’re just misunderstood.’ His tongue lolled out of his mouth as he fought the urge to roll on his back and have his tummy tickled. What did it matter that this mistress was strange and wrong? This was heaven. ‘Who’s a good boy, who’s a clever, handsome boy then?’ She cooed, scratching his ear. His left leg twitched. ‘Now you stay here and wait for dark, and then you go home. There’s a good boy.’ She stopped scratching and began to walk away. Despite himself, the wolf moved to follow her. ‘No, no,’ she said tapping him gently on the nose with her index finger. ‘You stay!’ The wolf sat obediently. ‘There’s a clever boy. You stay. When the sun goes down, you can come home, and I’ll give you a lovely bone.’ The tail wagged faster.
Anaya walked out of the dark resisting the urge to run. The wolf watched the form of his mistress go, inside he howled.
As she rounded the corner, Will sagged with relief.
‘You took your time,’ Ceun said as she strode towards them. Will threw his arms open for an embrace. Barely breaking her step, Anaya marched right past him to stop, her hands on her hips, in front of the bounty hunter.
‘You were just going to leave me there!’ She spat accusingly.
‘I knew you could handle it,’ he said calmly, ‘and here you are.’
‘No thanks to you.’
‘I’m, err, I’m glad you’re ok. What was that thing?’ Will asked.
‘Wolf. I believe he calls himself T. B. B.’ Anaya answered still glaring at Ceun.
T.B.B?
‘The Big Bad Wolf?’ Anaya supplied.
‘The very same,’ said Ceun. ‘Luckily for us, he is not The Big Bad Intelligent Wolf. Now I suggest we get as much distance between ourselves and it before whatever spell our charming polymorph put him under wears off.’
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