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The Deer Hunt

Set in the Wulfen Blood Universe

By Kyllein F. MacKellerann

And E.True: Research

Harry put down the telephone and smiled. Saul Goldfarb was coming for his semi-annual deer hunt and once again Harry would guide him over the lands that made up the Wolf Creek Ranch.

For his services, he would get $1500.00; which would go for Serena's College money after she had graduated high school. She would also have a day with "Uncle Saul" helping him get loaded up and accompanying them for a part of the way into the back country.

It would also mean that everybody on the ranch would either have to be out on the range or Passing in Smooth as a Smoothskin rather than the Werewolves they were. Well, that was life for the Wulfen people; hiding in plain sight when non-Kindred Smoothskins were around.

For Serena, it would also be her first time as an "Adult" dealing with her were' nature. She had passed her "Proving" test early that autumn and was now an adult werewolf in the eyes of the People. No more expecting help in reversion; she was capable of the process on her own.

Even when Bobby had set off that firecracker and she had jumped almost a foot; she had stayed Smooth. She had sashayed up to her brother and kissed him on the nose; which had made him blush scarlet; considering that she was stark naked and Smooth at the time, and she was a very pretty girl even without her fur.

Harry wondered; was she setting her eye on her adopted brother? That might be interesting; since he and Martina were making their first tentative overtures toward each other; and as the older sister, Martina frequently got what she wanted.

Maybe that would be the thing that would get Bobby to Cross. Since he had come to live at the Wolfe household at the age of ten when his parents had been killed in a terrible car/truck wreck, there had been no special precautions taken to prevent him "catching" Lycanthropy from contact or from sharing meals or even utensils, yet he was as Smooth today as he had been when Harry had brought his best friend's son home to stay--in a house full of werewolves.

That had been eight years ago. Now, as far as Harry and his mate and family were concerned; Bobby was as wulf as they were, even if he didn't Shift. He was his son, and that was all there was to it.

Harry was a little less calm half an hour later, after he had visited the dog kennels and found "Sheila," his Wolf-Shepherd mix stretched out dead on the floor of her kennel-run. She looked like she had just keeled over from a heart failure. She was almost ten years old, and something about the Wolf in the crossbreed decreased the lifespan of the hybrids dramatically.

"What am I gonna do?" he thought to himself; "Saul is on the way, and he's driving; so I can't call him and tell him to come later when I can borrow another dog." Regular hunters couldn't smell deer in these conditions, with three and more feet of snow on the ground; you had to have a wolf-crossbreed to get the scent.

Then he had an idea.

Serena was the despair of her mother about staying dressed. He suspected it was a form of competition with her older sister; especially since she had completed the Change in less than two years, and had as full a coat of fur at fourteen as her sister had at seventeen.

Serena loved to run naked in the snow in her four-footed form, and her mother was always scolding her about it, not there was a nudity thing among the werewolves.

That was play.

Maybe, if she had to stay on four feet and naked for a reason, she would find it a bit less attractive.

Harry glanced at his youngest daughter's window, and saw that the light was on. She would be listening to the radio or her CD's while doing homework on her computer.

She might get a day or so out of school if things worked out right; and she'd like that.

Add in that she was starting to run with some of the rowdier of the young wolves on the campus; this might help things out a lot. Too bad that nice Massey boy was a Smooth. He and Serena had been good friends in junior high...

Serena, in fur, was at the age of just "plus" sixteen a very pretty werewolf, with light tans and grays in her face and body with the hints of a back coat that was lightly speckled in tans, browns, and ochre that resembled fallen leaves on a deeper gray ground. She was somewhat vain about it, although her older sister Martina pointed out that those colors were more like a hyena than a wolf; she brushed herself regularly, frequently to her latest acquisition in black metal. She even danced a little while she studied, sometimes, holding her book and reading while doing some rather adult hip gyrations.

That was what she was doing when Harry knocked on her doorjamb and came into her room at the back of the house. She turned and grinned at her father and said, "Hi, dad. How's things? Just a day to the weekend and no Friday tests for a wonder; at least for me." By that time the stereo was turned off and she was now paying attention to her First and father.

Harry grimaced, "Uhhh, honey; there's a little problem that's come up..."

When he was finished, Serena was looking at him like had gone slightly off his werewolf rockers.

"Let me get this straight," she began; "Sheila's dead. We don't have a backup deer dog. Uncle Saul is coming here to go hunting this weekend, and you want me to pretend to be a hunting dog?" The last two words were delivered at a rising pitch combined with a lowering level of belief in what she had heard.

Harry explained; "Well, you seem to like runnin' in the snow; and that money goes to your college fund, an' your mother won't say anything for a change..."

She was certain, now. Her father, First of the pack at the ranch, was totally nuts. Better humor him...

"Daddy, Sheila was one quarter wolf and three quarters Shepherd. I'm not; and there's no way that Saul wouldn't realize that I'm not Sheila. I look like what I am; a wolf, not a cross-mix. Besides, I have this big test I have to study for in two days..."

"In two days, it'll be Saturday;" Harry reminded her. Then, "Does that mean you're gonna practice acting like a dog for the weekend?" he asked with forced hope gleaming in his eyes.

Serena grew positively catlike as she asked, "Can I have Bobby critique me as a dog? He has the experience, since he took care of Sheila." There was something glittering in her deep gold-blue eyes as she asked the question of her father.

Harry knew what it was, too. "No seducing your brother!" he warned; "Martina has her eye on him, and if you get in her way--just remember she's bigger than you and a lot more possessive." She was also a much better fighter because of her age; but Harry didn't bring that up, since Serena already knew it from painful experience.

Then he lowered the boom. "And no 'just for fun' stuff, either. If he starts spotting up and you're the reason; you two will Declare for five years, minimum; whether you two want to or not. That means no College if you get pregnant."

That got him a, "Yes, daddy," with lowered ears and tucked tail...but he still didn't really trust his youngest daughter's submission display. He knew her all too well.

"And I'll have Bobby tell me how you're doin' regularly;" he further warned. They both knew that Bobby was prone to blush at anything sexual that came up; that was part of his Smooth heritage.

Serena knew when she was cornered, and ducked her head under Harry's jaw in submission and so he couldn't see her pout, and replied; "Yes daddy. Only dog stuff."

Harry sensed that he'd managed all that he could, so he offered a treat; "Look, honey, you do good and I'll spot you a couple of hundred for a little shopping--Gurk!"

The "Gurk" was her head popping up to meet his eyes and hitting his jaw. She was smiling and now quite agreeable to what he wanted.

He wished that she didn't have such a hard head, though. He'd almost bitten his tongue.

Bobby was finishing his chores when Harry found him. Taking him aside, he explained what was happening, and what he needed from his son.

"She has to be convincing as just a dog, Bobby;" Harry explained for the third time, "and stay that way long enough for Saul to get in his autumn hunt and not get wise to who's actually on the end of the lead line. She's gotta be as much like Sheila as possible; I'll say she's one of Sheila's pups or maybe a new purchase from the breeder we got Sheila from." He sighed for a moment.

"Bobby, you understand, you're my son; but Saul is a plain vanilla Smooth Human and he thinks that we're just stories and legends. If there was any other way, I'd do it; but he's on the way here and there's no way I can reach him to tell him we don't have a dog that can track deer in this much snow." Harry was still worried about the way things were going, but Saul had been coming here to hunt for over twenty years and probably didn't have many hunts left in him. He had a deal with the man, and as a wulf; that was it.

He'd just have to take his chances. If something bad happened, there were Servants at the hospital to scramble Saul's memory.

Truth was, Harry liked Saul. Saul was kindly and gentle-spoken and nobody would connect him with Goldfarb, Goldfarb, Myles, Samson, and Weiss; one of the biggest and most powerful legal firms in Montana, the top sharks in the legal ocean around here.

Yet, in court, Saul was as savage as any of the Cousins when he sensed that fair-play was being ignored and the truth was going out the window. Even though the whole family would be lying with their bodies while he was here; Harry respected the man's commitment to truth.

He also suspected that if Saul learned the truth about the family, he wouldn't be much different with them than he was now. Yet the law said that the Secret was to be kept, even from friends who were not Kindred; and Harry observed the laws of his People diligently.

It was the honorable thing to do, to balance the lie they would live in the greater world off the ranch. Only in their city of Wolf Bend could they be who they were in public. The rest of the time, it was hide, hide, and lie if they were questioned.

That was the world of the Scattering; Harry's world. Maybe he'd live to see the Day, when the lies and hiding could end. He hoped so, but this was here and this was now.

And Serena had to learn to be a dog in less than two days time.

Bob Wolfe went up the stairs to Serena's room and stopped dead at the door when he saw his sister, in Smooth and stark naked. She was lying on her side on her bed with a collar around her throat and was holding a leash in her hand.

"Hi, Bobby," she said in a sultry voice; "I have to learn to act like a doggie and you're supposed to help me."

She slid into an upright position and began to shift, holding back her laughter by main force. Her brother turned so red when he was shocked like this!

The Shift complete, she looked over at her brother and finally lost her control and began to laugh in earnest.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, "but you should have seen your face..."

"That wasn't funny," Bob replied, flustered; "It's uncomfortable enough when Martina cuddles up, but at least she's in fur when she does it. You were...were..."

"Naked?" she asked brightly.

Her brother nodded, his blush beginning to fade.

"Think about it, Bobby," she said; "I get to be naked for two or three days out in the cold and pretend to be a dog so daddy can do this Guide job for Uncle Saul. While you're nice and warm in bed, I get to sleep on snow or maybe in the tent; if we go that far.

"I wanted one little laugh to tide me over when I get kibble for dinner, kibble for breakfast, and nothing but hard four-footed work in between." She had stepped to her brother and was rubbing her cheek against his as a sort of wolf "kiss" and apology.

He squirmed, and she remembered that he didn't have a sheath, and so might be a little uncomfortable after seeing her in the nude.

That, she decided, was interesting. She definitely loved her brother in a more than sisterly way, but Martina had moved in first and had made it clear that she wanted him for herself; and being senior in the family had made her able to back Serena away long enough for a relationship to develop between herself and Bobby.

If only Greg hadn't disappeared... But, he had once she started high school. Some lucky Smooth girl was getting his attentions now; while all she got was a mumbled "Hello" when they passed in the hall.

Fortunately, there were other guys; Were's like her. She wasn't exactly alone.

Still, Martina was away at College, in her first year. She saw Bobby maybe once a month, if that.

Serena was not a Werewolf who let an opportunity like that just slip away, not by any means.

It was obvious that Bobby found her attractive. Now, to work on that attraction; while learning how to act like a dumb old dog.

She was up to the challenge.

Grinning, she did the little shift that made her a true quadruped and hid her human style hair in a dog's ruff.

Then she handed her brother the end of the lead-rope as she dropped into four-footed position on the floor. She even wagged her tail as she looked up at him expectantly.

By dinner time, they were both ready to scream at each other.

For her, it seemed that the least bit of simple sensible activity got her a "No!" from Bobby, and then an explanation as to why she had done something wrong.

For Bob, it seemed that his sister was just too smart for her own good. Dogs did not sweep the ground with a forepaw before sitting down, and they didn't tuck their tails under them when they did sit.

When she did it for the third time, he had almost yelled at her to "not do that!"

She had snapped, "Think about what I'm putting against frozen ground, Bob-ee; that's the one area where I'm not under a layer of fur! I'd suggest you try it, but that Smooth bulgy ass of yours would protect that particular area, and I have nothing! The cold actually hurts me when I sit like you say to! I'm as bare-skinned there as you are, only I don't have anything to protect me from the snow and ice on the ground."

There was a fight brewing so she asked, "Suppose that I sat on a thigh, like Sheila used to do? We've both seen her do that..."

Bobby stood for a second, while her words penetrated, then said; "Yeah, she did that a lot. Sorry I yelled at you," he said miserably.

"I'm sorry I yelled too, Bobby; but you have to remember a werewolf isn't exactly like a dog or a wolf down there. You can't see it when I stand, and my tail is in the way when I'm on all fours; but we're more like you are than we are like wolves in that part of our bodies," she replied; finally making him realize she was sensitive to the cold in that area of her body, and also reminding him that in that way, she was as human as he was. Even if it was covered buy her tail or the thin layer of fur that she had down there, she was as human as he was.

Maybe he'd realize that meant more than in just appearance...

Then Mother called them in to dinner; or more accurately, called Bobby in to dinner. She had to go wash up thoroughly before sitting down to eat. Mom had a cleanliness rule about the table that was iron-clad. Even Daddy washed up when she said to, just because she said to.

Ten minutes later, when she came down stairs in a robe; she saw that Bobby had waited on starting his dinner for her to come down.

That got him a lick-kiss on the cheek.

Then they both settled down to eat.

After dinner, but before dessert, her father asked her to do something odd; or it seemed odd to her.

"Honey, I want you to come outdoors with me for just a minute," Harry asked as he headed to the back door of the "mud room" that led from the kitchen to the actual outside of the building via a reinforced storm door. Bobby trailed along, curious; after getting into his cold gear that was hanging in the vestibule.

Once outside, Harry asked her for her robe; and she handed it to him, now quite puzzled at what he wanted.

"This is something we don't teach th' kids," he said; "and you'll see why in a minute."

Next he said, "Revert to your skin and stay there for about thirty seconds."

Puzzled, she did; provoking another blush from Bobby. Then she started getting cold. The air temperature was just at freezing, and she started shivering almost instantly as the cold hit her still warm-from-the-shower skin.

When she was almost covered in goose-bumps and was getting seriously cold; Harry told her to Shift back to werewolf, which she did as fast as she could.

As her fur began to grow in, she felt something odd happening, but couldn't exactly figure out what it was.

When the shift was complete, she finally knew what had happened. The middle layer of her fur, the pelage, was thicker than it had ever been before. She was easily as fluffy as Martina was most of the time.

What's more; she was warm, as her fur trapped her body heat and kept it in, next to her skin. She would be warm in the deepest and wettest snow, now.

Harry grinned; "That's a little thing we don't teach kids, 'cause they might try to use it instead of covering up to stay warm; and it only works reliably once you're an adult with a mature coat, not a juvenile one."

She turned to Bobby and asked, "Am I pretty like this?" wondering how she really did look with all this extra fur.

The dropped jaw and wordless nodding gave her the answer she wanted. If this was what Bobby liked, she would take a cold shower every morning...

"You'll probably want to turn off the heat in your bedroom, close the door, and open the windows," her father was warning; "'cause like this, you'll be too warm in the house if you don't."

Serena grinned; "Then while I'm inside; I'd better not wear anything; right?"

Her father raised one eyebrow. "If you can convince your mother, then okay. I wouldn't give bets on your being able to do that, though; as a regular thing."

Serena pouted a little. She would get away with it tonight. That was a start.

As she came back into the house, her mother raised a eyebrow, but said nothing. Apparently Harry had mentioned what he was going to do to his mate.

Bobby came back in after hanging up his jacket in the mud room, and sat back down at the dinner table next to his sister.

Mother Marina served dessert; hot apple pie with graham cracker crust.

As they ate, Serena began to notice that she was rather warm in the kitchen. After finishing her dessert she headed into the Greatroom, but the heat just kept up with her. Finally she took refuge by the front door after having opened it s little.

"Silly girl, get up to your bedroom!" her mother called out as she saw what Serena was doing and still starting to pant. "Open the windows and turn off the heat--and keep your door closed! We can't heat the whole outdoors."

That meant she wouldn't have time with Bobby. She could study though, and with the windows open, the room would chill to near freezing and she would be comfortable. She tried not to pout as she climbed the stairs, but her mother saw it and snickered.

"Yes, like that, you don't have to dress," she chuckled; "but you'll cook if you try to stay in with the rest of us. Show some sense and spend the night studying. Saul will be here sometime tomorrow morning, and you need to be ready to leave with him and your father.

"And remember, the rest of us will be stuck in Smooth while he's on the ranch; so don't look so put-upon."

Chastened, Serena sought out her bedroom.

Once there, she got comfortable by shutting off the heat and opening the windows after closing her door. The terrible sense of heat began to leave her and she puzzled what she would have done if there was no cool place available.

Then she realized she would have to revert and shift to regain the proper coat for the temperature she was in. Having to do that a lot would make her tired and probably hungry. Slowly the thought of being able to wear nothing grew less and less interesting, the more she considered it.

Out of curiosity, she looked in her full length mirror and was amazed at how rich and regal she looked. Her mid-coat had added color to her outer coat and the combination was stunning...and the only people who would see it would be Daddy and Uncle Saul. Drat.

Bobby would be in school tomorrow, while she got the day off. Then after the hunt, it would be Monday and time for school again. Double drat!

Not Fair! The only way she could show off for her brother would be for her to near freeze, then shift.

That began to sound less and less fun, the more she thought of it. There must be other ways of getting his attention, but not right now.

Right now was her history book where she had left it when Daddy had come in and this whole mess had started.

She studied until bedtime at nine thirty, then went to bed; leaving the covers off so she would be comfortable. She closed the bathroom door so things wouldn't freeze, and turned the heat to low in the room so she wouldn't melt in the morning.

As she settled down to sleep, she realized one simple fact.

At least she would be warm in the snow. Big deal.

She was awake at the usual time, and hurried into the bathroom to "take care of business." Even with the heat set low, she was almost panting when she came out and headed out the door into the hall, only to turn back and cool off in her room as the near furnace-heat of the interior of the house hit her in the hallway.

She stayed there cursing herself for not reverting and then shifting in the bath, where her normal indoor winter coat would have come in. Just as she was about to try it, there was a knock at her hallway door and her brother Bobby was asking if he could come in.

"Come in," she called, "but remember it's colder than heck in here."

"I know," he said as he hurriedly entered the room with a tray and her breakfast; "Mom warned me, so I dressed for the outside." He closed the door with his foot to keep the chill out of the house.

She stared at her brother, wrapped up in his snow gear; as he set her breakfast on her desk and then stepped back so she could sit and get something to eat.

Things were missing, though; there was a lot more meat and cereal, but the eggs and sweets were absent; and instead of tea there was a glass of water.

"Why didn't you just revert and then shift into your regular fur?" Bobby asked as she ate.

"Because...because," she tried for some esoteric reason for staying the way she was and failed; "because I'm an idiot, Bobby; that's why."

Bobby grinned; "Nah, you're just surprised at how much fur you can put on," he chuckled.

As he headed back into the warm part of the house, he added; "Mom says if you want to get dressed, there's tea in the kitchen."

"I'll take her up on that," Serena replied, "since I have to get through the house to get out, anyway. It was like a furnace when I tried the hall."

Then he was gone and she was thinking about where to do the reversion-and-shift when she realized that if she reverted, hurried into the hall, then shifted again; she ought to be all right.

Then she corrected herself, the bathroom; at around forty degrees, ought to give her the right amount of body fur for the weather. The hall, at around seventy degrees, would give her summer-weight fur, which she didn't particularly want right now.

Fifteen minutes later, she was in the kitchen wearing the same robe she had worn the night before. The windows were closed in her room and the heat was up, too; for later when she was getting things in order for her trek in the snow as a hunting dog.

As she drank the tea, her mother brought her more meat and her eggs.

When asked why the extra meat, her mother has simply asked her what her fur was made of.

Right. Protein, which werewolves needed a lot of in their diet, anyway. That was why she had eaten almost three pounds of steaks and ham. She was more wolf, internally, than she was human; and had to eat in accordance with those needs.

"Now, young lady," her mother said in a firm voice; "when you've finished, we'll go outside and you'll shift again and stay in your winter fur while Mr. Goldberg is here. Once you're shifted, I want you to go out to the road and switch the signs to warn the neighbors it's Smoothskin-only here; and then do the a same with the marker at the end of the worker's housing and at the trail head to the creek."

"Why can't Bobby do that?" she asked, the extra food making her slightly sleepy.

"Because Bobby is doing your chores as well as his own this morning, that's why. Once you're done, go to kennel run three and stay there until your father and Mr. Goldberg come to get you; and I mean inside the run, young lady, not lounging in the office watching television."

"Oh, and your father said for you to put this on..." her mother said as she handed her a hunter's dog collar with the tags on it.

That was when Serena finally realized that for the next few days she was going to have to be literally a dog in every way; and be convincing about it for Uncle Saul.

"And don't you dare pout, young lady;" her mother added as she began to do exactly that. "Dogs don't pout. Neither will you," she said as she gave her daughter the "I mean it" glare that warned of dire consequences if ignored.

"Yes, mom;" Serena sighed. This not pouting was going to be work. It was one of her favorite tools.

After finishing breakfast and tea, she and her mother went outside, where she again reverted. Bobby was passing by, so she made a show of handing her mother her robe so he could see her body again as he headed for the horse barn.

Then the cold took over, and she shifted back to winter fur in a hurry.

Her mother looked her up and down and apparently approved of her fur thickness; then commented, "I don't think you want a fight with your older sister over Bobby. She would win, and he would probably be offended by the whole thing. Let them have their time with each other. If it's right, it's right. If not...maybe you could try catching him on the rebound. It's worked for other girls with big sisters."

Then she winked, and returned to the house.

Serena stood there for almost a minute, dumbfounded. Mom knew!

Sighing, she fastened the collar around her neck.

On four-foot, she trotted out to the county road, and after a careful look in all directions, stood and reversed the sign that said "Wolf Creek Ranch".

This way, it was green letters on a white background. The other way around, it was white on green. One way meant that the ranch was safe; the other meant "Smooth Only". It was common throughout the county, this sign coloring. That way, nobody got confused, or caught.

She went back to four-foot and trotted along the road back to the house, meeting Bobby on the way to school on his motorbike. He rode in all weathers, and she was considering getting a motorcycle herself, for school and other things. She yipped, and he waved back.

The problem lay in the fact that her mother seemed to know what those "other things" consisted of, and has so far denied her requests. She said her daughter was "too young yet", but Serena suspected she could be six hundred instead of sixteen and her mother would still say no.

It was almost as if she knew what was on Serena's mind.

No. That was impossible. Mom was too upstanding to have done some of the things her youngest daughter had already done; or some of the things she was planning to do, for that matter.

Wasn't she? Serena realized she really didn't know that much about mom when she had been her own age. Maybe she should ask around.

When she had finished the sign changing, she headed for the kennel. Run three had been readied, with water and kibble. She went inside and shut the wire-mesh door.

It was when the door clicked as she latched it that Serena realized she had just locked herself inside the dog run.

That would be mom, again. Drat.

She was surprised when, an hour later; her brother showed up with a basket. Unlocking the door to the run and setting the lock to "off", he settled down beside her.

He showed her the contents of the basket; corn muffins, honey, and a thermos of tea.

"I have a cold," he explained; "and Dad and Mom said I could do this once and not get in trouble. I'll be better Monday and study all weekend to keep up."

"Do what?" Serena asked, wondering why he was still here at the ranch. He actually liked most of the classes he was taking and wasn't prone to skip school. He was just like a werewolf child in that respect. Every Child of the Wolf knew how valuable an education was, and tended to be good students as a result.

Then she realized that he had braved their parents' disapproval to take a day away from his studies, so she wouldn't be alone. He'd turned back on the road to town and come back to the ranch to be with _her. _ Her heart fluttered for a second.

"You did this for me, didn't you?" she asked; making sure of things.

"Yeah," he replied, blushing a bit; "It just didn't seem right, you being stuck out here alone. Besides, we can practice up until Mr. Goldberg arrives. Dad said to let you run a little, too; so you look a little muddy. That will help disguise your hands better, too." He was looking at the floor as he spoke. His sister was a very pretty girl, and he felt a hint of more than familial attraction to her, even though Martina was supposed to be his "steady date".

Martina was in College, and Bob was lonely, although he didn't realize it.

Just as Serena was feeling a bit of a glow over him, he motioned her to the "doghouse" section of the run; actually a decent sized room that had a dog-door to the outside run.

There was a thick sleeping pad that had Serena's mind starting down a dangerous road for her, if Martina found out. Bobby was so cute, and...

She put the brakes on her libido instantly. She didn't want to have to fight her sister over Bobby, and starting his Crossing that way would do just that. Unless Bob and Martina actually separated, she would be facing her sister's wrath over starting his Crossing by bedding him; even though both girls had debated doing just that, should the need arise.

At seventeen, since he had not even shown the slightest hint of exposure to the virus or whatever it was that started the Crossing, both girls had concluded that it would be an embarrassment to the family if he remained Smooth at the age of twenty-one. Serena began to feel a warm glow again at the thought of "starting him" if Martina couldn't or didn't do the deed in, say; a year. He would be such a wonderful wulf mate...

All that came to a crashing halt as he showed her the appliance in the floor. It was a porcelain-lined "hole in the floor" for "ease of cleanup" in the dog run. What it actually was, was a kind of toilet that a were' could use and still pretend to be either a dog or a "captured wolf", should the need arise. It was standard stuff in some countries, where people still squatted to take care of business. He'd seen it and talked his father into ordering some if he did the work of installing them in the dog runs and helped the plumber connect them to the septic tank. He'd worked on it all last summer. Now he was showing it off.

Serena pouted. Bobby had all the romantic nature of a rock, she decided. Briefly, she wondered if that was because he was Smooth--or because he was just a jerk.

Smooth won out. No brother of hers was a jerk. She never considered that he might be naïve, which was the real cause of what had happened.

They shared the tea and muffins; Serena loved her mother's corn muffins but had yet to get the recipe for them, so she was dependant on Mom's schedule of when to make the things. There was honey and butter, too; yummm...

She and her brother were a bit sticky when the last muffin was consumed.

With her brother watching out, she hurried to the restroom to wash; then returned to the run after putting the basket in the office. Then Bobby had the chance to clean up, which was a bit easier for him; no fur and his mouth didn't leak when full of muffin and honey.

Clean again, she asked him to watch out for one more minute while she used the hole in the floor. She had drunk a lot of tea today, and needed to get rid of some of it. Done, she had to admit that this thing in the floor was better than the usual Smooth-designed toilet; since you couldn't fall off the floor.

When she returned to the indoor section of the kennel, Bobby was there and the lessons in "Doggie 101" recommenced until the phone rang and Bob hurried her back to the run. That had been Mom's signal that Mr. Goldberg had finally arrived and that Daddy was talking to him. Her hands were nicely muddy, as were her feet.

With the door unlocked and ensconced on the dog-bed; Serena awaited her father and Mr. Goldberg. Then the hunt (and the results of Bobby's lessons) would begin.

She hoped that they would find a deer quickly. This "being a dog" was lame at best, and boring the rest of the time. After a while, she dozed.

She would have been surprised to learn that her generation was the first generation since the Scattering where those lessons were not a part of a Wolf-child's regular training. They were no longer considered necessary. Werewolves could hide in other ways now; and becoming a "dog" or a "wolf" was no longer considered necessary training for survival.

Meanwhile, in the house, Harry was hearing some alarming news. Saul had arrived with rifle and gear and with something new that bothered Harry a bit.

It was a heart condition.

Saul made light of it, but Harry made a mental note to have Serena give the old man a listen with her wolf ears.

His own were disguised under his hair and flaring sideburns; flat against the side of his head. In that position, his hearing was less than half what it would normally be. Normally, he would be able to hear Saul's heartbeat if he were within five feet of him. Now, his hearing was little better than Smooth hearing for that purpose.

After gettingMarinato keep the old lawyer occupied; he quickly sent Bobby out to the kennel with word for Serena to keep listening for the old man's heartbeat.

He'd become aware of this situation when Saul had asked him if Marinacould cook things for a heart-sensitive diet, and had handed him a list of things to eat and to avoid. That was no problem; Harry was already on a low-cholesterol diet prescribed by his doctor and approved by Luther, the ranch-pack's Servant and general healer.

Luther worked in town at the hospital, but came out to the ranch for Song nights; joking that it was the one night a month when he didn't have to worry about emergency calls, since he was the senior Servant atWolfBendHospital.

Luther had also acquired the habit of "just dropping by" every ten days or so; to keep a check of Harry's health and cholesterol management regimen.

Harry wondered if he might call Luther for a "visit" while Saul was at the ranch; but the Servant had to be in his fur to work effectively, and Saul was not Kindred.

That was the sticking point. Saul was a good friend and legal advisor, as well as a good client for the "Guide" services that Harry offered to a discrete clientele; but the Law said that if Saul was not Kindred, it was nearly forbidden for someone like Harry to reveal what he really was. Harry was a "First" or "Alpha" of the ranch and family Pack; and thus had to maintain Smooth appearance because there were so many People dependent on his leadership. Furthermore, if he were found out; that could be a danger to every werewolf on the ranch, since it was a given that like their cousins the wolves; werewolves tended to group together.

Serena could walk naked in her fur through the living room and cause less danger to the People than Harry accidentally showing an ear or his fangs. Thus said the Law.

Sometimes the Law didn't make things easy; but it always was focused on keeping the People safe from hostile Smooth Humans.

Hostile Smooths had been the cause of the Scattering. A Smooth-skinned human was to be considered dangerous unless that person was also Kindred of some sort.

And, regrettably, Saul was non-Kindred; and Harry couldn't invite him into the Kindred because of who he was, a First.

Marina had no trouble with the food restrictions (Saul had offered to stay in town if that were the case) and for a wonder, Bobby had actually sounded like he had something and was very congested. Harry was impressed.

Back in the kennel, Serena's doze was interrupted by her brother asking her something and sounding funny when he spoke.

"So, ca you keeb lisding for Saw's hawd bead?" Bobby asked again.

"What's with you?" she queried; "You sound like you have a terrible cold. You were okay earlier..."

"He-wing pwodectos ih by doze, dot by eahs. Ca you lissn?"

"Yes, I can listen to his heart rate," she replied, then asked; "you stuck hearing protectors in your nose? That's why you sound so plugged up? Eeew!" she laughed.

"Just don't use them again, okay?" she added; chuckling. Bobby was so clever!

Thinking for a moment, she commented; "If I'm a doggy, I can lean against him when he's sitting; Sheila used to do that a lot." After a bit more thought, she added, "And I can listen to the bloodflow in his legs if he isn't wrapped up like a mummy. Tell daddy that I will, and if there's anything I hear that worries me; I'll hump daddy's leg. That way he and I can step away while he "disciplines" me."

"I dod't khow if Dad' uh wike dat, buh I'uh teh hib," Bobby replied, and then he scurried back to the house.

Harry chuckled at his daughter's "idea" when Bobby told him, but had to agree that it would work well as a warning. Bobby had taken to using the foam hearing protectors easily after Harry had explained them to him. They had served him well when he had to maintain the secret in a group of people, and there were some who were sick.

Everybody knew that werewolves didn't get colds, so Harry with a cold had to be human--or a werewolf with foam rubber earplugs in his nose.

It was almost noon when Harry and Saul finally took the jeep wagon and headed up into the hills with Serena in a dog-cage in the back.

Bobby's last view of his sister was of her staring out the back of the station wagon, hunched down and with a massive pout on her face.

"What happened to Sheila?" Saul asked as they drove up into the hills.

"She died a couple of days ago," Harry replied sadly. "Fortunately, we had this one pretty well trained for deer, and some squirrel work, too;" he added.

"Squirrel work?" Saul asked, "you use a dog to hunt squirrels, Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "you gotta start them with something small, see; then work them up to bigger stuff. Since squirrels are pretty tiny, they were fairly safe to work her with. She seems to be pretty smart for just a young pup; and I have high hopes for her as she gets older."

"Harry, I think your dog just gave you a raspberry."

"Nah, Saul; that's just how she sneezes. She's a bit sloppy there."

"What's her name? She's a pretty girl," Saul commented, looking back at Serena.

"We call her Pansy. Pretty, like the flower; y'know."

"She just sneezed again, Harry. Do you think she's all right?"

"Yeah, it's just bein' in the car that does that to her. Outside, she'll be okay."

"And where's Serena? I brought her some of those chocolates she likes so much."

"Serena's at school today. She's doing real well this semester."

"What's her best subject this year? Last year she was unhappy about history, as I recall."

"She's much better this year with history. In fact, she's involved in a living history thing about the folks around here. She's staying with a friend tonight; they'll study together and help each other out."

"That's good, although I hope to see her while I'm here," Saul replied sadly. "I may have to cut back on the hunting if the doctor doesn't see the improvements he wants."

"Saul," Harry asked bluntly; "Just what's wrong? I noticed that there was an oxygen bottle in your luggage when you set up in your room. Are you, like real sick?"

He was worried. Saul was a friend, even if he was a Smooth.

"Harry," Saul said firmly; "the only thing wrong with me is that I'm eighty-five this year, with an eighty-five year-old heart. I figure that I have maybe another five or six years; but once you pass the big e-i-g-h-t o-h; you're running on luck as much as anything else. I use the oxygen when I sleep; it makes things easier for me, and I sleep better. In fact, it was the oxygen that made me quit smoking for good; once I set fire to a hundred-dollar Havana "Celeste Superior" cigar by just exhaling through it. I thought it was funny, myself; but the family got all upset about it. So I finally quit. That's all."

In the mirror, Harry could see the worried look on "Pansy's" face. He was worried, too.

How to do it? How to get Saul Kindred, somehow. That way, he could be treated by a Healing Servant and get more out of his life; what was left of it.

Harry continued the banter as he drove, but his mind was elsewhere. Bobby, maybe? He was full Brotherhood Kindred, and had been introduced to the Pack and the Goddess at his sixteenth birthday; just like a werewolf child, and had been accepted by both, naturally. Even Serena could do it, if she wasn't being the hunting dog. Saul had a soft spot for Serena. Maybe she could...

He came back to himself when Saul asked about breeding "Pansy".

"You know," Saul said; "the market for these wolf-dog crosses is drying up. If you want to have many more without spending the whole crop on one dog, you should look into getting her bred while she's young. She would throw beautiful pups."

Harry glanced in the rearview mirror to see Serena looking shocked, for maybe the first time in her life. He chuckled.

"Yeah," he replied with a grin; "maybe I should do that. Reason I got her so cheap was that she was chasing her brother around and posturing, while he was just lookin' confused. Breeder wanted them apart before someone got bit."

He added; "Maybe a litter of pups will settle her down; I know it did for her mother."

"Harry," Saul interrupted; "your dog is pouting. She is definitely pouting!"

"Naaah," Harry replied; "that's just something she does with her lower lip. Makes her look kinda' dumb; but looks aren't everything. She's got potential!"

As the trip continued, Serena contemplated biting her father. Daddy was being clever at her expense. That was not nice!

Once they were at the location where deer had been reported by the ranch hands, Serena was let out of the jeep and tied to the bumper while Harry unloaded the car and Saul sat back and watched the hills for the spots that were deer. He didn't see any, to his regret. He wasn't much of a hiker these days and worried that he might not be able to stalk his deer like he used to.

This land was gorgeous, with tree-lines intersecting the meadows and deep erosion cuts and the brooks that made them all over the place. Good brush to hide in, and plenty of cover to get there, and the cuts weren't deep enough to make crossing them a problem. Saul began to feel like the hunter he had been for years, once again.

Then there was Harry's new dog, Pansy. She was a beauty, that was certain; and she reminded him of someone very strongly.

But, Harry had said that she was in town. Odd, how this dog reminded him so much of Serena; even thought there was absolutely no reason or resemblance.

When he saw Harry strapping a field first-aid kit to the dog, he asked about it. He was not going to be a burden on anyone.

Harry replied; "Last year, a couple of hunters got hurt real bad. Remember reading about it? Well, this is what the County requires now if you act as a Guide; a heavy duty first aid kit. Sheila carried it for a couple of hunts, and now it's time for Pansy to take over with that job."

"Smart," Saul commented, "using the dog as the carrier. Is it heavy?"

"Not really," Harry replied; "maybe ten pounds or so. This way, the dog can be called if there is an injury, instead of having to go back to where we left the jeep when we stalk."

He let Serena-Pansy loose, and she wandered over to where Saul was sitting, sniffing the ground. He reached out and scratched her and she settled against his chest; both enjoying the scratch and listening to his heart. At that point, she realized that she had no idea of what to listen for; but a faint shh-shh-shh set her instincts alert, telling of a weak heart and an easy prey.

When Saul started getting his rifle and binoculars together, she wandered over to her father and half-heartedly mounted his leg.

"Need to go, girl?" Harry asked; and she mounted again.

"She's campsite broken?" Saul asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Harry replied; "like I said, she's a smart one. I'll take her, you go glass and see if there are any deer around."

Saul nodded and stood, heading for a high spot where he could use his binoculars to "glass" for deer while Harry took the dog for a walk.

For a youngster, Saul thought, she was very well trained.

_ _

Out of sight, Serena actually did piddle before standing and telling Harry what she had heard.

"I get the instinct thing," he replied; "but what I don't get is what it means in Saul. Do you have any ideas, or do we just watch him close-like?"

"Close, I think," she said after thinking a little. "It sounded like something leaking; but that doesn't make any sense."

Harry shrugged; "Me neither, since that sort of thing in us means we call the Servant. I don't know what it means in a Smooth. We need to get some first aid classes, is what we need to do."

"What we need to do," Serena retorted as she dropped back into four-foot mode, "is to find Saul and stay with him."

Harry nodded and let Serena guide him to where the man was on the hill, looking out at the snow-covered land with a smile on his face.

He pointed; "Over there is a herd with several decent bucks. They're feeding and wandering. Looks like we didn't need the dog after all."

"We'll need her to find them once they scatter. She's got a pretty good nose, so we won't lose them," Harry replied calmly. "That meadow is almost a mile away, and by the time we get there, they'll be gone."

"Use the jeep?" Saul asked, speculating on the distance.

"Scatter 'em faster," Harry replied. "Better we walk. We won't lose them, that's why I brought the dog."

Saul grinned; "Let's go then," and got up; heading vaguely downhill toward the herd with Harry and "Pansy" following.

Harry led them around some of the more difficult terrain, and within half an hour they were at the edge of the field; hidden in the tree-line.

The deer had indeed departed, but Serena could smell them easily and tugged at the lead attached to her collar to get them to follow her, bouncing on her front legs.

Harry noticed, and tapped Saul on the shoulder. They both chuckled at the dog's antics and let her lead them through the trees.

Soon, they caught up with half a dozen deer; five does being led by a single stag. He was not the most appealing sight, looking a bit bony and with an uneven rack of antlers, so the group went onward, following their "dog's" lead.

Next, they came upon the majority of the herd; a dozen does and three stags, one of which was a superb specimen of deer body and musculature, with a large rack of antlers that could be reckoned at over ten points, easily.

The wind was in their faces rather strongly, so no sound or scent betrayed them.

Carefully, Saul found a place to make his shot; the fork of a branch where it left the tree-trunk. He worked the bolt and then in a matter of seconds there was a loud crack and the ten-point deer went down; while the rest of the herd grew restless for a moment; then resumed grazing.

Harry looked through his binoculars and commented; "You dropped him right well, Saul. That was one shot, and he didn't even try to run. You're shooting has improved a bit since last year."

"Not really," Saul replied, "this time I got lucky, I think," as a shadow passed over his features for a moment and he surreptitiously leaned against the tree he'd used.

"Whatever," Harry chuckled; "you landed some prime venison, this time. I'll go get the transportation," and set off at a jog to do just that; leaving Serena with Saul to keep him company.

It was a good thing he did.

Saul was sitting and panting as if he'd run a mile, and his color wasn't good at all. Serena grew worried, although as the "dog" there was little she could do about it.

Then the buck stirred and struggled to rise.

Saul tried to get up but couldn't. He struggled to a semi-standing position, then fell back to where he was sitting on fallen log, gasping.

Serena couldn't take it any more; Uncle Saul was in trouble, and the buck he thought he'd killed was only wounded.

She stood up from where she had been sitting beside him and extended her hand for the gun.

Saul looked up at her and whispered, "Thank God it is you;" and passed her the rifle.

She dropped the buck with one shot, then passed the rifle back to the man; resuming her "canine" posture as she did so. Her heart was in her mouth, she was so nervous. What would he do?

Uncle Saul shook his head as he saw her fear, and whispered; "Don't worry, Serena. I've had my questions about your family for years; and I'm neither shocked or surprised. I'm just glad it was--" Then he slid off the log he was sitting on and onto the ground; gasping for a few seconds before his breathing stopped entirely.

Serena tore off the first aid kit still strapped around her chest and yanked out the CPR breathing mouthpiece. It was intended to prevent the transfer of things like A.I.D.S. but it would work to prevent a case of lycanthropy as well.

She started breathing and doing CPR the way she had been taught to do. It would have seemed odd to anyone who saw it; a dog pumping the man's chest five times then breathing into a mask over the lower part of his face; but it was keeping Saul alive until her father returned with the jeep.

By the time Harry had returned, Saul was awake and breathing better while Serena was monitoring his heartbeat by putting her ear on his chest--in her fur.

"Oh boy," he muttered to himself, "we got trouble now." When he saw the two of them were talking in low voices, he knew that the charade was over with.

"Serena," he called out; "what's wrong with Saul?"

She looked up and called back; "He's real sick. I think it's his heart. He collapsed. I did the CPR like we were taught in school, and used the mask on him."

Saul glanced over at Harry and spoke in a rasping whisper; "It's nothing I haven't considered, Harry; and for once I'm glad I was right. Don't worry; I won't say anything. Your family is too special to this old man for me to cause you trouble."

As Harry knelt by the man, Saul whispered; "I just knocked the deer out. He was about to get away, wounded. Serena got the kill."

Then he grimaced; "If I say a werewolf took the shot that put that buck down; I'd be in a 'Home' so fast I'd get dizzy. My brother's family wouldn't believe me. If I said that the hunting dog actually took the shot that put the deer down, my family would believe me all to easily. They know how I shoot."

He wheezed a laugh; "I do have a little vanity here, you know."

Harry smiled at the man; "While I believe you, we do have to take a couple of precautions. When we get you back to the house; I'll call someone who can help you with your heart, and maybe let you keep your memory of what happened here; if you'll make a couple of promises."

"Whatever, Harry, whatever;" Saul replied as Serena supported him; "I'm just glad it was Serena and not some hunting dog. I'd have died, otherwise."

On the way back, Serena stayed in the back seat with Saul. The deer was in the back of the jeep wagon, where Harry had put it after collapsing the dog cage. Serena was more concerned over Saul's predicament than her own.

Finally, back at the house, Saul had been transferred to the Greatroom and Serena was about to be exiled to the kennel when Harry had intervened and simply said "no." Marina seemed surprised, but stayed silent about it. They would talk later.

Serena, on the other hand seemed to be more interested in Saul's state of health than in her own fate; which Harry had taken notice of and privately approved quite highly. His daughter had learned what her parents had taught her.

Once Saul had settled down, she stayed close to him and to her brother as well.

There was the Secret. Then there was life itself. Saul had almost died, despite Serena's ministrations, and she had unhesitatingly kept him alive without trying to pretend that she was anything but what she was; a werewolf, a legend, and supposedly a monster. She hoped Saul would think otherwise about the monster part.

Luther would deal with things, once he got there. He'd been called as soon as the jeep had pulled up to the house and Saul moved inside.

Luther showed up after about an hour, allowing things at the house to settle a bit.

When he came into the Greatroom and walked over to Saul Goldfarb, his white Servant's coat was quite visible along with the medical greens that he was wearing; he was a white wolf in surgical scrubs. Saul had glanced up and nodded with no fear in his eyes.

After talking with Saul for some time, Luther told him; "I see no reason why you can't swear the Associate Oath and be let in on the 'big secret' of our existence. Harry vouches for you, and you are well liked by the entire family here. It will also make life more comfortable for them, since they won't have to hide themselves in smooth skin while you're here.

"As a member of our Kindred, you will also have access to our Healers; people like myself, who will make your life a lot more comfortable for you. We heal in different ways from your doctors, and using both ways of healing will give you more quality of life and better control over your disease.

"It's that, or I scramble your memories of what happened, and you will be convinced that your memories of the dog giving you CPR are just illusions of an oxygen-deprived brain."

"Your choice," Luther offered, then sat back to hear the answer.

"Of course I'll swear," Saul replied easily; "I've had my suspicions about this whole family for some time. I knew there was something odd here, but I didn't know what it was. Actually, this makes more sense that some of the ideas I floated around about them in my mind. They are friends. So they are what people call werewolves; so what. I've come to know them as people, and whatever they are, they are good people; and that's what's important to me."

Luther smiled; "If that were the opinion of enough people today; we'd all be free. Unfortunately, there are still people who respond to our appearance with violence and fear; so we hide. Eventually that won't be so; and that is the day we all wish for."

"I brought a Bible with me, as well as a pocket Torah, a book of Mormon, and a Koran. Which will we be using for the oath?" he asked.

While Luther and Saul were talking, Serena and Bobby were in a cuddle; she needed comfort and he was it.

"I'm afraid Mom'll send me to the kennel forever once this is over," she whispered in her brother's ear; "Bobby, I broke the Secret! I swore to protect it and when Saul got sick; I just forgot and broke the Secret with him." She was actually shaking with fear, now that she had time to think. She'd done what every werewolf dreaded; she had exposed herself to a non-Kindred human. She had broken her adult oath.

"I don't think so," her brother replied gently. "First, you remember you swore to 'honor life and to protect it', right?"

That brought a nod.

"You saved Saul's life out there, didn't you?" her brother kept up; wearing her fear down a layer at a time. "That counts for a lot where the Secret is involved; we have to think about what we do, not just react."

"Then I'm not a bad person?" she asked in a small voice, daring to hope.

"No," Bobby replied; "you are a good person and you observed the spirit of the Oath; not just the words. If you had let him die to keep the Secret; then you'd be a bad person, because you let a life end that didn't need to end, just to keep the Secret what it is. It's more than just a promise to stay hidden. It's a promise to be a caring and decent person as a wolf-child; just like our Goddess wants us to be. We are in hiding, yes; but we can be a decent people in hiding--and that's what She wants of us."

"Do you think Mom will banish me to the kennel for this?" she asked bleakly; fearing the loss of her room and her family and all the things that made her life happy.

"I don't think so," Bobby replied with a chuckle, " 'cause I said that if you got banished, I'd set up in the kennel run next to you. You're my sister; and we stick together, like packmembers should."

"You did?" Serena's eyes were wide with amazement at her brother's offer to share her punishment.

"Yeah," he replied, blushing; "Mom got flustered up and Dad grinned; but they couldn't do anything about it, since I'm an adult and can make that sort of decision. You wouldn't be alone."

That got him a tearful hug and a kiss from his very relieved sister.

Meanwhile, there was a slight problem with the oath.

"You say you're an Agnostic?" Harry asked Saul for the third time in a row.

"Yes, Harry," Saul replied; "while I don't doubt the existence of some sort of divinity, I don't believe that it can be found in any so-called "holy book". God, or Goddess, for that matter; is bigger than that. Most so-called 'divine revelation' is either politics or an excuse for something that's already happened."

He shook his head. "My 'religion', so to speak, is based on the soul and the activities that soul takes in life. A good 'soul' is one that tries to make the world a better place for having lived in it. A 'good soul' is one that tells the truth when that truth serves what is overtly good and stays silent otherwise."

Luther asked; "And if you were offered a young body just for doing one tiny evil thing that nobody would know about?"

Saul shook his head, saying; "I'd know, and that would be more than enough for me. Honestly; I've found that being honest and decent is the easiest way to go in the end, and at eighty-five, you might say I've proven it. What few things I've done that I'm ashamed of, I've either tried to make right or apologized to the people I'd done wrong to.

Every day I ask myself, 'if God didn't exist, would I behave any differently?' and managed to say no. Either I have a massive ego, or I've learned to live properly among my fellows. Even my brother says I'm too honest to be a good lawyer; but I still take the occasional case because I think I can make a difference for good; not the status-quo."

Luther was laughing by now, and finally managed to say; "She says that She will take your word on its own; that your past is quite satisfactory as a guarantee for your good behavior, in Her eyes. I just asked and She told me to administer the oath."

Then he grew serious; "You know you will be bound by what you agree to, and will not be able to change things once you say yes?"

Saul nodded; "I'd guessed that there would be something like that happening, not that I plan to try to break my word on anything."

Luther smiled back; "Then let's get your oath and relieve Harry and Marina. They both look a little nervous."

"And how's Serena?" Saul asked with some concern.

"Fine, Uncle Saul. Take the oath, please!" Serena called back. She was still nervous, even with Bobby holding her. She cuddled a bit closer, calming her nerves; while Bob's face began to pink up again.

Luther asked Saul to raise his right hand and place his left over his heart. Then he began.

"Will you keep secret the existence of the People of the Wolf for all your life, telling no one what you know of us; until the Day comes when we need not hide and all are free to speak of us?"

Saul replied, "Yes, I will; for as long as I live."

"Will you give such aid as you may to any Kindred, Smooth or Wolf, who comes to you in need; provided they have done no wrong?"

"I will; and if they have done wrong, I will defend them if that is what they need...after all, I am a lawyer," Saul responded evenly.

"Will you discourage the discussion of sightings and other evidences of our existence; and do all you can to maintain the secret of our existence from others, until the Day of Freedom when we will not need to hide?"

"I will," Saul replied; "and after this 'Day' I will lend my legal abilities to your people gaining the same rights enjoyed by others, if I'm still around and able to."

Luther relaxed. The human was now Kindred; bound by his word to keep the Secret and assist in its maintenance. He doubted the human would find it a problem.

"You know," he said jokingly; "if you were a believer, you might find yourself wearing a white coat of fur in your next life. You'd make a superb Seeking Servant."

Saul made an odd comment in reply; "I'm not dead yet, and although it would take a lot to make me abandon my agnostic position; I'll keep an open mind on the matter."

Harry asked, "Is it okay for us to relax, now?" from the kitchen doorway.

"Yes," responded both Saul and Luther together. Then they laughed.

Contrary to expectations, it did take Saul a little while to get used to seeing upright wolves where before he had seen a rancher, his wife, and daughter. First, though, he and Luther disappeared into his bedroom where the Servant did what repair work on the old human's heart that he was able to do, given the man's life of rich foods, cigarettes, and minimal exercise outside of basic jogging and stretching.

In truth, Luther was amazed at the man's continued vigor outside of his heart trouble; since there was cholesterol throughout the human's system and some lung damage in addition to the heart trouble that was the result of what had been a three pack-a-day habit with cigarettes and the occasional cigar.

These humans were a lot tougher than the average wolf would expect.

He also found something that had him curious as he Healed what damage he could; someone had been there before and although it was simple; Saul Goldberg had been the recipient of some actual Wulfen Healing, and quite recently; too.

He had his suspicions confirmed when he asked Serena what she had done when the man had literally collapsed and tried to die during the hunt.

"I did the CPR we were taught in school and prayed a lot," she said by way of explanation. "I'm just glad that the safety mask was in the first aid kit, or he might be spotting up right about now."

"Have you been tested for Servant's Gifts?" he asked, and her dropped ears and guilty look gave him the answer he was looking for. She hadn't.

"Why?" she asked defensively, "I haven't had any of the dreams or the other stuff that potential Servants start getting at my age, and I really don't want to be a Servant. I want to find a mate and settle here on the ranch, like Dad and Mom did."

Then out of nowhere came, "And I'd like to do that with Bobby, but Martina moved in and..." she suddenly stopped speaking and clamped both hands over her muzzle. Her eyes were wide with shock and her ears flat with embarrassment.

"Could you forget that I said that?" she asked meekly.

Luther nodded affably and chuckled a bit. "Of course," he replied; "Servant's seal on it."

He continued; "The reason I asked was that you seem to have Healed Mr. Goldfarb's heart just enough to keep him alive until I could get to him. My first work on him after the Oath was enough to keep him going until he got home; but I was loath to do more without being sure that some human doctor wouldn't notice my handiwork. New heart muscle usually doesn't grow on its own after a heart attack as serious as that one was. Now, I can just warn him to stay silent about his heart 'rejuvenation' when he sees his specialist next time. By then, the new tissue will have joined with what's there and be unremarkable."

"I Healed Uncle Saul?" Serena gasped; "but that's impossible, isn't it? I mean, neither Mom or Dad show any Servant's Gifts, and neither does Martina; and they've been tested. That runs in families, doesn't it?"

She looked confused and worried, so Luther let her in on a little Servant's secret.

"Some gifts are indeed familial in nature. They will be potential in several members of a family, then manifest in one member of that family; and that one is the one the Goddess has a talk with and becomes Her hands in the world," he explained.

"What isn't spoken of much is that the one who manifests the Servant's abilities will for a certainty not transmit those abilities to their children, since the manifestation of Servant's abilities means that the wolf in question will be sterile. They won't be able to beget children, no matter how hard they try.

"Only Healers seem exempt to this rule. That's why they mate and have families, while the rest of us take our Mother-Beloved and our People as our mate."

As he had been relating the reason that Servants didn't mate he had seen Serena tensing up, and understood why. She wanted children, and would probably have them in time.

It was too bad that young Gregory was human. He and she had been very close, and would have been a natural mated pair. Yet, facts were facts; and although Luther was close to Gregory Massey as his Servant in town; Serena had gone her own way, with her own kind. He had counseled Gregory about this many times.

"Out of curiosity, may I test you for Healing potential?" he asked while Serena was still off balance and amenable to suggestion.

She nodded and he placed his hands on her head to test...

And dropped them as he realized who Serena was, or had been. It came through crystal clear. Of course, when she had prayed to her own Mother-_Beloved, Healing would have been granted. Now, it all made sense. This was fodder for many meditations about the promised _Return of the Ancients when the world was ready for them and would need them. Was that time coming? Luther wondered a little bit about it for a moment.

He would say nothing to her; she had her own life to live, at least for the time being. What might happen later, as she matured, however, was for the future to deal with.

"Uhhh, did you find anything?" she was asking as he came back to the present.

"Only a bit of potential, I'm afraid," he said; making it a not-quite-untruth. "Not quite up to trainable. You are able to do some simple work, but it would not be reliable enough to petition for the Lunar Coat of Service. Your current colors are still your own, and as unique as they are; I'd say you should keep them."

She was obviously quite relieved--as was he.

Glancing around, and seeing nobody in the room; he asked where everyone was.

"Daddy and Bobby are out butchering the deer that Saul shot," Serena replied; "and Mom is in the kitchen starting dinner."

Then a question struck her; "What will Uncle Saul be able to eat? Regular food, or will he need something special that I could fix for him?"

Luther smiled; "You really like him, don't you?"

Serena nodded, saying; "He's always seemed to be like one of us, really decent and genuinely good. I kept wondering if he wasn't Kindred somehow, but he wasn't." Her ears drooped as she said that, thinking about how he had almost died; and how she had broken the Secret to keep him alive until first Daddy and then Luther could come.

A thought struck her; "He recognized me even in my fur. He said that he thought it was me, when I was playing at being a dog; how was that possible? He's never seen me in my fur; I've been super careful of that. All he should have seen was a hunting dog giving him CPR, yet he recognized me! How could that happen?"

Luther looked into her eyes and asked; "Do you really think that a spirit in dire need wouldn't recognize its rescuer? Yes, he saw the dog; but his spirit saw his young friend named Serena trying to save his life."

"But he said that he had been wondering about our family, that there was something special about us; and when he saw we were Werewolves, he wasn't that much surprised!" Serena added with worry in her voice. What if some of Daddy's other Guiding clients had the same curiosity?

Luther sensed her worry and calmed her. "Look," he explained; "Mr. Goldfarb is an attorney; trained to read people and able to see what others don't even notice. He is by nature an observant man, and saw things that got him curious. That is his own trained ability, and in no way reflects on any failure on this family's part in the keeping of the Secret. I imagine that he would have figured out something in another few years, but as Kindred; you're actually safer than before now. Now, there is no Secret to be kept from him, and no risk of discovery. All in all, our Mother-Beloved has let things work out for the best for all of us; even though I really do wish he would accept Lunara as his own Goddess and let us blood him to Her. That way we won't lose him when he dies."

Serena's ears dropped like a shot. "Dies?" she questioned; "What do you mean; 'when he dies'? Isn't he better now?" There was a world of worry in her eyes.

Luther sighed; he had hoped this would not come up, but it had.

"Serena," he said gently, "Saul is an old human. He has led a very full life; perhaps too full in some ways, and now that is starting to catch up to him. He is sick, and there is no way around that. Even if he desired to, he is too old and too ill to Cross, even in an emergency Crossing. My estimate is that he has perhaps five years left to live in this life. Then he will pass away from this world, and into the next. That is the way of life. As an agnostic, there will be no Place for him. He will drift in the sea of souls until he is reborn some day; but the person he was will be gone, and he will be as a new soul; starting life anew. He will never die; but he will probably not be the same person when he is reborn, unlike us. We retain something of what we were because of the Place and our time there to reflect and to grow within our Goddess's light."

Luther hung his head; "He will not. He will do what so many souls do; start over and try again. Maybe next time, he will find a belief that will let him keep his personality to some degree, but unless he makes a choice before he dies; and is focused on that belief when he dies, he will return to the sea of souls and eventually...just forget who he was."

Serena was weeping into his chest. She looked up at him and asked; "Is there anything I--We as a family can do to keep this from happening; like talking to him about our Goddess and how She is there..."

"You can try, Serena," Luther replied; "but remember, Saul has a life of belief that he has lived day to day; and he would probably not respond well to being lectured about our religion. He has to choose, not you. I know that sounds terrible, but that is part of our 'Free Will' that we enjoy."

Then he had an idea. "I can connect him with a Healing Servant where he lives," he suggested; "and let the experience help to convince him to at least consider our way. You can also help, through example of what and how we believe. Do it gently, though; he has the right to his own beliefs, even if they cause us to feel sorrow."

He held the young wulfess at arm's length and stared into her eyes. "Do you understand me? He has to choose, and not have someone else choose for him. That is Heaven's law, as well as our Goddess's."

Serena nodded dumbly, but agreed. She would do what she could for her friend--and she realized that was what Saul was; a good and special friend. She had known only one other like him. She would respect her friend's beliefs, while trying to gently show there might be another way for him. It wouldn't be easy, but Uncle Saul was special, and worth it.

Luther had suggested that Saul have complete bed rest for a day at least, to help the Healing settle in place.

When Serena showed up in the kitchen to get his dinner and to bring it to him, not only was she dressed but dressed nicely; and her mother was all but dumbstruck.

Harry was at the table along with Bobby, and the two were trying very hard not to laugh atMarina's expression as her daughter left the room with Mr. Goldfarb's tray.

When she turned to them, they lost control and began to laugh. She glared and asked, "What is so funny about my daughter finally acting like a proper young lady? It isn't as if I haven't been trying to get her to act like a responsible adult; and now that she is, you two seem to find it hilarious."

"It was just the look on your face, mom," Bobby choked out; "You looked like you weren't sure it was Serena, like maybe she was some 'pod-person' from that science-fiction movie we saw last week."

Marinaglared at her son; "Just because she is acting properly for a change, doesn't alter the fact that she broke the Secret with a human. Your father may have saved her from a week in the kennel, but it will be her good manners that keep her from a month of being grounded. Don't forget, the Secret is all that we have to protect us; and to expose herself before a non-Kindred human like that bent her oath into a pretzel if it didn't break it outright. I will be having words with her over this, and Harry; this is woman's business, and not the concern of the First of our Pack."

"Just remember, honey; that we 'exposed' ourselves to a certain young human for some years before he was even considered for Kindred status," Harry cautioned.

"Who?"Marinaasked angrily--and then realized that her son was the "human" her mate was speaking of. "That was different," she said sternly; "Robert is family; our son. Just because..." she stopped. Harry was right.

In a way, Saul was "family" to her daughter. She sighed.

She knew Serena was somewhat lonely, ever since that smooth boy had wandered away; and Saul Goldfarb had been a good client and family friend for longer than Serena had been alive. Serena was attaching her affections to someone who would hurt her in a few years by dying.

Feelings worked that way, sometimes.

In the meanwhile, as long as he was here; Saul would be someone that Serena's loving wulf heart could sing with, if only in metaphor. The old human was good for her daughter in that way.

She was saved from more woolgathering by Luther's entry into the kitchen. The Servant had been busy, and would need a good meal; which she got up to plate for him. Maybe later, if he were still here; she would have a talk with him, like the ones she had when she was first in Bond with Harry, and not knowing what to do.

He had helped her so much then; maybe now too; with Serena as well.

Serena knocked on the door of Saul's bedroom, and then entered at his request. He looked so tired in the bed, and she felt a pang of sorrow at the fix he was in.

Saul looked her up and down and smiled, then gave a low wolf-whistle.

"You are a very pretty girl, Serena," he said with a smile; "and you make me wish I had met you thirty years ago, back when I was young."

Serena's eartips blushed, and she set the tray on his lap so he could eat comfortably.

"Would you mind staying a little while?" he asked; "It's lonely up here, and perhaps we could talk a little?"

She nodded and smiled shyly, "Of course, Uncle Saul. I'd like that."

He saw a wolf in a nice russet dress that complemented her fur coloring. The only things that kept the "wolf" illusion from being complete was her hair, dark blonde that went to her neck when she was like this, and the look of humanity in her human-shaped eyes. She was a very pretty girl, even to an old man like him.

The very alien-ness of her appearance was one of the things that accentuated her beauty, in his eyes.

As he ate, they spoke of the hunt and he apologized about his accident with the buck. She replied that she was worried about the animal getting away wounded; and had acted unthinkingly.

"Then it was too late," she said sadly, "I had broken the Secret with you, and put my whole family at risk. I'm just glad that you were as understanding as you were with us. A lot of people wouldn't be, even after saving their lives."

"Luther mentioned that," Saul replied; "and he had some way of scrambling my memories so I wouldn't have remembered, right?"

She nodded. Servants did that, sometimes they did that a lot.

"I felt him doing something with me, when he said he was 'Healing me,' is that something that he can do, just like that?"

"Well, according to Luther and the other Servants; their Healing capacity is a gift from our Goddess, Lunara. She lets some of us Heal others, when they're too sick for their own healing capabilities to deal with our injuries or illnesses."

"Ah! So, it's 'faith healing' then." "Not the way you say it. I've seen those people on television, and they look more like used-car salesmen than 'faith healers'. Ours aren't like that," Serena replied.

"Not a bad simile. I agree, I felt something when he was working on me," Saul admitted.

"I also felt the same thing when you were trying to keep me from dying out there," he said quietly; "are you a 'Healer' too?" He looked over at her, curious about what she would say.

"I prayed," Serena replied; "Mother-Beloved heard me and granted enough healing to get you back here. I really don't have any special abilities, other than being a Child of the Wolf. I can shift, and revert; but that's about all I can do." She was blushing furiously as she spoke, and couldn't figure out why.

Saul laughed; "That's like saying; 'I can set biology on its right ear, and physics on its left ear, but that's about all'," he said with a grin. "You and your people are a wonder, and at my age one can appreciate wonders a bit more fully than younger people can."

Serena blushed even deeper. Saul said such neat things.

"How is it that you can do these things?" Saul asked curiously. "Really, I am curious about that one. How can you do what science says is impossible?"

"Well," Serena replied, "that is a part of our religion. Would you be interested in hearing about it?" She was hoping he would say yes.

"I'm not going anywhere," Saul replied; "so tell me how your religion figures in all this?"

She did, into the night. She was no Servant, and sometimes Saul asked questions that she couldn't answer. Yet, he listened as she told of how a human woman had become a Goddess through the love of her Divine Consort, and how the People had been made out of her tribe, back in the stone age.

And Saul listened.

When Marinacame upstairs to get her daughter, now also an upright wolf; Saul thanked both her and Serena for meal and company, and alone in his room, he grew thoughtful.

The next day, Saul came down for breakfast despite the concerns of both Harry and Marina; saying that the Healing had left him feeling better than he had for some time. He ate carefully asMarinadid her "worried mother" impersonation over the items on his plate, and he won a smile from her after he was finished.

He followed Harry out to see the meat that had been butchered from the deer carcass and was impressed with the number of points on the deer's antlers; there were twelve of them, nicely balanced.

That was where Serena caught up with him and sent him back to the house; Luther had called and would be out in a while to check on the Healing and also to do some "touch-ups" that he hadn't had the time to handle the afternoon before.

He was also bringing a real Healing Servant out to see what else could be done to make Saul more comfortable.

In the Greatroom, he and Serena talked more about the People and their history; and for once, Serena was glad she had studied the history of her People as thoroughly as she had.

"So the werewolves ofEuropefled to theAmericasfor survival, and that is what you call the Scattering?" Saul asked after Serena had told him about the great exodus fromEuropefrom the seventeenth into the nineteenth centuries.

Serena nodded; "In fact, we still live in the time of the Scattering today; and will continue to do so until the Day comes and we are a free people."

"And this 'Day'," Saul asked, "what's that?"

"According to Mother's Promise after the Scattering began," Serena explained; "there will be a Day when we won't have to hide. It will be heralded by the returning of the Three to the world, and after the Day we will be able to wear our fur whenever we want to. We won't have to live a lie with out bodies, pretending to be Smoothskinned when we aren't. We can be who our Goddess made us to be; Her wolves and Her children, and our Smoothskinned brothers and sisters will accept us as we are, not as we pretend to be."

Saul sighed, "Maybe, someday; but you're asking a lot of people when you say that. I was involved with the civil rights movement in the sixties, and it was rough; very rough. People could be next-door neighbors, but try to get their children to go to the same school when one was white and one was black; and it was like fighting the Civil War all over again. People would swear that they weren't racist; but let a black man marry a white woman, and you'd think the world was going to end."

He sighed again in concern; "And those people were visibly human, just differently colored. One sixteenth of an inch of pigmented skin caused riots and demonstrations all over the place. Your faith in human nature is greater than mine, I'm afraid."

Serena shook her head, "No," she said; "it isn't my faith in human nature, it's my faith in our Goddess. Through Her messengers, our Three; She will cause people to wait, to look, and to think before they act. They will see we aren't monsters, that we are as caring and loving and decent as they are themselves. We aren't monsters, we are people just like they are." There was a hint of both hope and defiance in her voice as she spoke.

Saul sat quiet for a moment. "I wish that for just five minutes I could have the total faith and belief in anything that I heard in your voice just then," he said sadly. "Your strength of belief is..." He was interrupted by a sound.

It was a knocking at the door and Serena went to open it. It was Luther and another Servant she didn't recognize.

Their time to talk was over for now.

In his bedroom, Luther asked Saul what he and Serena had been talking about, as the other Servant helped him settle on the bedding. He introduced himself as simply Healing Servant Benjamin, and that he specialized in Smoothskin medical treatment. He was gentle as he tested Saul and then stood to consider what he had found.

"There was a great sorrow in you when we came in," he commented, "and I would like to know its source. Strong emotions can have some serious physical effects, and you don't need that on top of what you already have to deal with."

Saul smiled bitterly; "Nothing, really; other than yearning to have the strength of belief and faith that a young woman of your people possesses in such great measure."

He looked at the two werewolves in his room and explained, "Serena was telling me about your history, and about something called the "Day" that she believes in. I found her faith in people, both yours and mine, to be something I envied to a very great degree."

Servant Benjamin knelt to bring his gold colored eyes level with Saul's own and placed his right hand over the human's heart, and asked him why he had such a lack of faith in people.

Saul chuckled morosely; "Fifty-one years in various courts have had something of an erosive effect in my faith in people. I know what happened when we humans tried to mix Caucasian and Negro populations in the sixties and seventies; and when Serena said that she believed that your people could mix with mine in some mystical 'Day'; I could only see the blood and violence happening all over again."

He shook his head, explaining, "I've known Harry and his family for longer than Serena's been alive; and I know they are good people, decent and caring. I also know what some of my own race would do to the first wolf they saw standing on two legs and talking. Yet, for a moment, I believed in what she said; totally. I know it can't be that way, yet her faith in people had me convinced..."

It was Luther who answered.

"When Wolf Bend was first settled, there were less than a hundred of us," he said slowly; "and there was an Army fort less than thirty miles away from our new town. We could have been exterminated, if they had found out who and what had settled in the newly opened lands; yet our Goddess had promised to place Her hands around our new place of residence and protect us from harm until we were strong enough that no force of soldiers or settlers could dislodge us from what we had begun there. She had said that we must do this that our People might live; and although there were some close shaves in those first years, nobody came to kill us; and in time we grew to trust the humans in the area enough to bring them into our shining hope called Wolf Bend, and they learned to accept us as we were, without the disguise we wear now when we leave the places safe for our kind. That is what Serena believes, as do all of us; that when the Day dawns we will be accepted by our human brothers and sisters as another note in the great song that is life."

Then the Servant smiled, "Our Goddess protected us once, so we could grow here in Montana; and She will protect us again on that Day; so that we have the time to be recognized as a People, not a collection of monsters. You have come to know us as upright Wolves for less than three days; yet you were able to accept us enough to swear to protect our great Secret and the people of that secret. Do you think your fellow humans could not be so open to us? Do you think so little of your human people's ability to see past the surface of things?"

Saul sat, thinking for a moment; then replied, "Perhaps I'm just an old man with an old man's fixed opinions, but I would suggest that you have very good legal representation working for you. Maybe it would work like you said, but it would take a real miracle for it to last past the 'ohhh, Shiny' stage."

He looked up at the Healing Servant and said, "While I'm alive, you can count on me to support you and your people. Maybe I can convince my nephew, too--if there's someone in the town where I live to sweep up if I make a mistake. Beyond that--I don't know."

"There are Healing Servants in Bozeman," Servant Benjamin admitted, "as well as a number of our People. I will give you the contact information before you leave, so we can keep your Healing treatments going and make you feel better as time goes on. As for faith in the protection our Goddess can provide, every one of us knows that we are sustained by that protection every day we Pass in Smooth. This will be something She wants us to do, and She will protect us in our early days among our Smooth-skinned brothers while they learn about us and become our friends; those who can do so."

Saul asked, "Can your Healers show me how to have the faith that I see so strongly in you and your people? I would like to learn..."

Servant Benjamin sighed and replied; "We can't teach you faith, no one can; but they can show you how to find that faith within yourself. If you can desire it, it is already within you, and you just have to find it yourself."

Saul sighed, "I might just want to do that, so I don't envy Serena so much with what she has," and lowered his eyes in thought.

Servant Benjamin nodded to Luther, then began the Healing treatment of the old human's heart disease. There were more than a few problems there, but he would treat what he could and send Saul back home with an address and a list for his new Healer to deal with. This human might live another six or seven years with proper treatment, and enjoy all of it. That much, Wulfen Healing could accomplish. More, would be up to others.

The matter of faith though, would be up to the man himself, the Healer knew; and perhaps with the help of a young woman of his people, this human might find it. It was there; still in place after years of making deals in the courtroom, after having to defend people he knew were manifestly innocent from trumped up charges and bigotry. The very drive that made him such a profoundly decent man was rooted in that faith, and grew from it like a strong oak from fertile soil.

If he could admit to himself that there was a divine Someone who cared about him as a person; then that faith would find a way of expressing itself that was different from its current channel of profound respect for the Law and an almost maniacal determination that Justice, not Convenience, was to be served.

Healing Servant Benjamin prayed that this human would manage that leap of faith before death called in the claim it already had on him and he passed into the greatSea ofSouls that waited for those who would not allow Heaven to preserve them.

After the Healing, Servant Benjamin sent the human to sleep with a word; he needed to rest after what had been done to him. He didn't have many reserves of strength, and the Healer had called on most of them for the parts of the Healing he could not do himself. Over the next two or three days, as he did more work on the man's heart, he would use more of his own reserves of energy, but this first day had to be done with the human's own energy; to set the pattern that the healing would take inside the human's body. Using wulfen energies this first time could damage or kill the man; as the healing accomplished would be wulfen and not human in pattern.

So, until sometime tonight, the human would sleep and replenish what had been used in this first and most important Healing.

In the kitchen, Benjamin found Luther and Serena in a close and private conversation about something, so he quietly slipped into the room and then exited to the outdoors where he could himself relax and start to consider what to do next.

He wandered into the barn and found Harry at work on a tractor, where he appeared to be fitting some new hoses into place on the machine. A raised hand brought him over to the tractor and Harry, who had a few questions for him.

Wiping his hands on a somewhat clean rag, he gestured the Healing Servant to the small "Office" area that was enclosed and a little warmer than the outside There was also hot tea and a place to sit and talk, which both the Healing Servant and Harry took advantage of.

"I tell you," Harry began, "these Chinese tractors with their hydraulic drive systems are darn handy out here, but the hoses they use don't last more than a season or two before they start dyin' and leaking all over the place; usually in the middle of a job like today. I was cleaning up some snow off the road and suddenly the back wheels stopped working and I had to drive it back here with the oil cut off so the reservoir didn't run dry."

"How'd you do that?" Benjamin asked curiously, "I mean drive with the rear wheels un-powered?"

Harry grinned, "Th' same reason I got these tractors; they're four wheel drive. Lose two wheels, you still have two to get you back to the shop. A guy over inNashua does up replacements with heavier hose and guarantees them for five years, all you have to do is bring him the old ones with the proper fittings. They cost, but I think they'll be worth it. That's the last set of original hoses I'm replacing now with new ones. Hopefully, I can relax then."

Then he got to business. "Outside of tractors, how's Saul doing? I'm worried about him because Serena seems to have kinda fixed on him, and I don't want her to get surprised if he dies suddenly. I know there is a confidential relationship you have with him as a patient, but I'm worried about my daughter; so could you give me something of an idea of what we're lookin' at?"

Benjamin nodded, "I can, to a degree. I don't think Saul is going to die out here; his heart is stronger now, and I plan to do at least one and maybe two more healings on him. He's sleeping now to rebuild his strength from the healing I did. I had to use some of his reserves to keep the muscle patterns right this first time; next time, I'll use my own strength to build on what we did today."

Then he sighed, "He is very ill. I was optimistic in my estimate of his lifetime remaining. If he lives another two years, that'll be about the best we can hope for. There are two valves in his heart that are in trouble, and one of them is right on the aorta. If that tears or otherwise fails, he'll be gone in a few days because he is just too weak for surgery. I'll try working on that, since wolf and human are alike there; but he really doesn't have a lot of time left with us."

"I'll break th' news to Serena as gentle as I can, then," Harry replied sadly.

"Do you know what she is talking with Luther about?" Benjamin asked curiously; "The two of them were literally in a huddle in the kitchen when I went through it."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, she's still upset over breaking the oath of Secrecy when she did that CPR on Saul in her fur. Bobby said she observed the spirit of the oath, and he's right; but she's still worried about it."

Benjamin sighed, "The oath says to 'respect and preserve all life, as Life is sacred unto Heaven.' What it also says is that if she were to expose herself, she was to notify a Servant and keep the human with her until that Servant could sort things out. She did that. What is her problem?"

"Well, he said that he recognized her in her fur; and so she's thinking that she must have given herself away somehow. She starts College th' fall after she graduates, and she's scared that somehow she gave herself away to him, and it could happen again," Harry explained.

Benjamin asked, "And Luther is disabusing her of this?" under raised eyebrows.

"He's trying to," Harry replied.

"Look," Servant Benjamin said gently, "If she is still upset, tell her that he was so near death that he must have seen her spirit, and that doesn't shift. He saw something he couldn't have seen unless he was almost dead, and even without Servant intervention, he would have made it into a dream or illusion once he was awake and aware again. She has nothing to worry about. She upheld every part of the oath she made when she saved his life yesterday. If she hadn't done so, Mother-Beloved would have had some words with her soul once she was before Her and telling of her life this time around. Letting someone die is not a way we protect the secret unless there is no other method!"

"That's what I thought," Harry sighed, "but it's good to be supported by a Servant."

"May I help you with that tractor?" Servant Benjamin asked wistfully; "Mechanics were a hobby of mine before I took on the white coat of Service, and it's really rare that I manage to indulge myself."

"Grab some gloves and a shop coat," Harry laughed; "and you can indulge to your heart's content. I could use some help, and Bobby is in town with a shopping list his mother gave him."

In the kitchen, Serena was finally coming to terms with what she had done; that it was not in any way contrary to her Oath, and was in some ways expected of her as a Child of the Wolf.

"In many areas, at least a quarter of every search-and-rescue team is made up of our People," Luther was explaining patiently, "and it isn't unusual for really small children to be found and gently led back to where they can be found by one of us acting alone."

"Wulf-children, you mean?" Serena asked worriedly; to which Luther shook his head in negation.

"No; all children, smooth or wolf, will frequently be herded back to their "pack" by a wulf who is working on his or her own. Children are the future, and whether they are wolf or smooth doesn't matter; they are to be protected," he replied.

Then he sighed, "Of course, they will forget; or say it was a 'big doggie' that did it, and most people will think the child is fantasizing. That is safety for us, if you think about it."

Serena nodded; "So I won't get stuck in the kennel for a month?" she asked hopefully.

Luther laughed, "I seriously doubt it," he said around a chuckle. "I remember your brother saying he would move in next to you, and your parents won't allow that."

"Why?" Serena asked, to be answered by Luther's raised "eyebrow".

"Oh," she said, as her ears pinked up in embarrassment.

"When is Uncle Saul going to wake up?" she asked, to change the subject.

Luther stared into space for a moment, then said; "About half an hour from now. Why?"

"Because I want to get dressed for him. He liked my amber dress; he said it made him feel better. Because...oh, I don't know; it just seems right," she confessed.

Luther smiled. "Because you care about him, and how he feels. You want to make him feel better about himself, so you give him a reason to do so. Serena Wolfe, you have grown into a wulf that our Mother-Beloved would be proud to call 'daughter'..."

He withheld the word, "again" by strength of will. She need not know, not yet.

It was almost forty-five minutes later that Saul wakened to see Serena sitting beside his bed, knitting.

This time she was wearing classic "Farm Girl" clothing; Blue Jeans, a loose shirt top, and sandals on her feet.

She looked like a wolf who had decided to play "dress-up" in human clothing, for some reason. She wasn't.

Saul smiled a little, and asked; "Have you been there very long? There must be more entertaining things to do, besides watching an old man sleep."

Serena shook her head, "No, I was concerned that you might need something when you woke up, and might be too tired from the Healing to get it for yourself. Don't be concerned, this way I get the afternoon off and get some time to do some knitting without being half asleep when I do it."

Saul chuckled, "Of all the hobbies I imagined that a werewolf might take up, knitting was certainly not one of them. Why do you knit?" He was puzzled at her choice of activity until she explained it.

"We wulfen lack the kind of grip you Smoothskins have when we're like this. Our grip is strong, but I can't touch my thumb to my ring or little finger on either hand. Knitting helps me with my dexterity when I'm like this, and when I'm passing in Smooth. In Smooth, some of us aren't very strong that way; so we Wolfes knit to increase our dexterity," she said proudly.

Then she held out the yarn she was using for him to see.

"This is some llama wool mixed in with some of my last winter's pelage, or inner fur coat. We shed like any other furred creature does, and we gather that fur and have it spun into yarn by a lady in Wolf Bend."

Then she grinned, "Then we make it into things to keep warm in, like socks and sweaters and lap-robes; sort of like the ultimate in re-cycling. Our fur keeps us warm even if it isn't in our coat, this way."

Saul laughed, and excused himself to use the bathroom while she kept knitting. She decided she wouldn't say that this was Martina's knitting material she was using; she didn't want to spoil the image.

When he returned to the bed, she asked him if he wanted anything since he hadn't had any lunch.

"I think so," he replied, "since for some reason, I'm rather hungry right now. Not too much, though," he cautioned; "I don't want to hurt my appetite for dinner."

"Would some fruit do?" Serena asked. "It's from the market, but it's pretty good anyway. I think it comes fromSouth America."

Saul nodded, "It does. It's almost winter, here; so it's almost summer down there. I can remember when things like fresh fruit were seasonal; this far into winter, all there would be was frozen in juice or prepared things. Now, we can have fresh fruit year round."

"Fruit? Seasonal?" Serena asked as she stood. "You mean there wasn't anything fresh this time of year?"

"No, there wasn't," he replied. "From late November to early April, all there was, was either frozen or cold storage. Freshness was not the issue, since I can remember years when things ran out."

Then he smiled, "On the whole, I prefer things the way they are now."

"We have oranges, pears and some grapes, " she offered, "which would you like? Fresh from--wherever it is."

"Pears, I think," he replied, "and could you cut them up for me? I still have most of my own teeth, but there is no reason to risk things."

She nodded and headed toward the kitchen, gently closing the door behind her.

He got up and took a box from his suitcase and slipped it under his bedcovers while she was gone. He also had a chance to inspect the knitting, and chuckled a bit. There were two hands making this--whatever it was. He could see where Serena had picked up the stitch, and where the previous knitter had stopped working.

She was trying to impress him, he realized. She was showing off.

He sighed, thinking of how diligently she was trying to make him see the good side of her people; and then realized that she was doing just that without the knitting at all. Whatever she looked like, she was a very decent and caring person, as was her entire family.

If he had only been thirty years younger! At fifty, he had still cut quite a figure as a man. Now, though, he was old; and wishing wouldn't make it otherwise.

Still, he could enjoy her youth from his vantage of old age; and cherish it. She might look like an upright wolf, but past that and just beneath the surface, she was a gentle and kind young lady who would be going to college in two years.

Two years he might not have. He sighed, what to do? The family would need legal competence here on the Ranch, just to keep on the right side of the new laws that were passed with every session of the Legislature. These laws were written by lawyers, not farmers or ranchers; and could be convoluted as hell in their interpretation, as well as expensive in their fines and damages when they were broken, even unknowingly.

Then he had an idea. He might not be there, but that didn't mean she would need to find an attorney to help her. Serena was smart, and some pre-law studies would serve her very well in the Wolfe family's businesses.

That was something that bore thinking about.

When she returned with his pears, sliced and on a plate; he surprised her with the little gift he had brought her.

"Oooh!" she sighed, "Chocolate covered Honeycomb! My favorite!"

He chuckled; "I remembered your enjoyment of it last year, and so I ordered it once the date for the Hunt was confirmed," he explained as he nibbled on a pear slice.

Then he grew worried, "Will the chocolate have any effect on you?" he asked; and Serena shook her head.

"No," she replied, "I don't eat that much at a time; and while the chocolate would be bad for a dog, I'm a wolf, and not a dog."

"I disagree," Saul replied with a small smile, "you are a very nice young lady who only somewhat resembles a wolf; at least in my opinion."

Then he chuckled, "Did you know that when you blush, the insides of your ears turn pink?"

Serena nodded, "That's because my fur is thin there. Thank you for the complement, though." Her ears stayed pink for some time after that.

"So, you were telling me about an event called the Scattering, I believe;" Saul commented. "What happened once your people were here in theAmericas?"

Serena picked up the story where she had left off, glad for her home-schooling in her People's history. It was a lot more interesting than Smooth history was; especially when it involvedEurope. The Europeans seemed to be as fond of fighting among themselves as any wolf pack, only with less effective results.

She was running up against one of the major difficulties that her people had when dealing with Smooth thinking; Smooths thought in complicated ways that the average wulf simply found confusing and with no real resolutions reached.

Wulfen were more direct and simple in their thoughts, without the whereases and wherefores that peppered Smooth logic and Smooth law. For a wulf, there were always exceptions; and they were dealt with in the spirit of what they were excepted from. Smooths, it seemed, had to try to include every possible interpretation in their laws, and when there was something the law didn't cover, it usually became illegal on general principles. Whatever those principles were, with Smooths.

These thoughts fluttered through her head as she told of how the Children of the Wolf had kept moving west, away from human contact; until they discovered there was an ocean in front of them.

Then they had gone to ground, and slowly began to lose territory to the human invaders that were seemingly without end, until they had become shadows of the people they had been; trapped in fear and in the need to hide while they were running out of hiding places.

"That was the time called the Fading," she said to Saul as she explained how her people had lost much of their ability to be anything other than wolves, and had come to depend on human inventiveness for nearly everything that did not involve hunting or finding safe places to live; and how they traded carefully with the human world for many simple things like nails and candles.

"That sounds ominous," Saul replied; "a time when you were forgetting who you had been. It sounds like your people became decadent to a degree that most societies never recover from. They just spiral down, like the lateWestern Roman Empiredid, until there's nothing left. How did your people avoid that fate?"

Her ears began to blush as she recounted the "Renewal", since it involved her own family.

"One of the ancestors of this family, a wulf named Damien of the Sweet Water People, had a vision. In it, Mother-Beloved asked him to lead Her People to a place where they could regain their pride in who they were. He was led to a human's farm by that vision and learned that the man who owned the farm was one of the few humans that we called 'Friend' in those days. The human made him as welcome as if he were some long lost son. When his brother Paul arrived looking for him, he too was made welcome.

"He stayed there and learned of the things humans were doing, and about a land-giveaway in the north; in theterritoryofMontana."

The blush deepened. "He fell in love with the farmer's daughter, and they dared to make her Cross Over and become a child of the wolf herself; only she got sick with what was called the "Flesh-Rending' back then, when her own body fought the change and she was going to die from that fight.

"Both he and she prayed to Mother-Beloved, and She answered their prayers and said that if his mate Susan would agree to serve Her, she would Cross unharmed. Since that usually means that the Crosser is going to be a Servant, Damien thought he would lose his mate to the white coat of Service, but he asked Susan to agree. He didn't want her to die because she was by now a part of him as deep as his own soul.

"Susan said 'yes' and she Crossed safely, but as a normally colored wulf, not a Servant; and she became Damien's mate. When she did her first reversion, they both saw what our Goddess had done.

"Susan had flat feet, not the usual wulf feet we have even in Smooth. Her ears were round, her teeth were flat, and her tail had disappeared. She looked like a normal Smooth human, only she wasn't. Whenever she would shift, she would become a Person, a wulf again."

Saul was intrigued and asked, "Why do you suppose this happened? You've been able to go among humans for years as you are. Why did your goddess do something like that?"

Serena bowed her head and replied, "To remind us of who we were, that we weren't just wolves who could look like humans; we were humans who had a divine ancestry, and because of that we could look like wolves; like Father Haouu, Her mate and holy Consort in the Place of Peace.

"Damien spent all summer trying to convince his people of what their Goddess wanted, and only Susan's miraculous shifting could make any of them believe him. Finally, two Packs and part of a third went with him to the land give-away, the land rush; and Damien and his brother Paul claimed both the central ranch land and the town's land too, as two different claimants."

Serena grinned, "That's when the family got its name. Damien was filling in the claim papers and when the clerk asked for his last name, he was stuck because he didn't have any last name. We didn't use them, back then. It was when Susan said, 'Wolf, with an e' that our family was named. His brother Paul took the name 'Nevins' because that was Susan's family name, and the rules said only one parcel to a family; so that way we got the town and the ranch together."

"Clever, very clever," Saul commented; "But why is the town named Wolf Bend, rather than Wolfe Bend?" He'd become curious about that.

"That's because the original town was located on a bend ofWolfCreek, which is now on our lands," Serena replied; "The current town is where the railroad went through, and although they kept the name the same, the location changed. We keep the old town up as a memorial to the brave wulfen who dared to come here and start it."

"What happened then?" Saul asked, by now completely wrapped up in the story Serena was telling.

"They had seven years together," Serena replied, "and two sons; Adam and Ransom Wolfe. Then the house the family had built caught fire, and Susan was killed when the room she was in fell into the cellar. Damien took the Reunion Cup and joined his Bonded mate in Mother-Beloved's Place of Peace and Renewal. Paul had become a Servant by then, but he raised his brother's sons to be proper Children of the Wolf and to continue adding to the house and to add to the lands we owned."

She looked around and said, "This bedroom dates from then. It was built by my ancestors; and in a way, I can feel that they are still around; blessing their descendants and protecting them."

Then she took Saul's hand. "This land and our People are here because of Founder Damien's trust in our Goddess and his showing that we can live in the human world, with them, if we're careful. Our Mother-Beloved saved us from extinction and led us to a place where we could grow and regain what we had lost. As a result, now we are everywhere; still hiding but with a promise that the day will come when we won't have to hide any more. When the time is right, we will be free of the sham we live in the Smooth world and we will be able to be who we are without fear of human attack."

She looked into Saul's eyes and whispered; "And that great Day is coming. She has said so. I'll see it, and live in it; and no Wolfe or wulf will ever have to hide again. We will be another People among all the Peoples of the Earth, and we'll be who we are, not who we pretend to be. We'll be free."

The intensity of her emotions had made her squeeze Saul's left hand, and when she let it go, three small drops of blood showed where her claws had punctured his thin skin. He hadn't even felt it.

"Oh!" she gasped, "I'm sorry. Let me get you a bandage for that."

Saul waved her away and took a tissue and blotted up the blood on the back of his hand. "Don't worry," he chuckled, "I do worse than this when I shave, sometimes. I'm not going to bleed to death, although I may bleed a bit since I'm on blood-thinners. I'll be fine."

He looked closely at his hand and commented, "In fact, they were so shallow that they've already healed over. There is nothing to worry about." Then he smiled at her.

Serena let out a worried breath. She hadn't realized that his skin was so thin. At least he wasn't bleeding any more, but she would have to be extra careful with him.

"That pear was good," he commented, "but do you know what's for dinner? While I'm not hungry, I am developing a bit of an appetite."

Serena smiled, "Tonight, it's roast buffalo. Mom fixed it special, because Dad's got cholesterol problems and it's very low on fat. It's richer tasting too, so she doesn't have to use salt on it. I think you've had it before, here."

Saul grinned, "That I have, that I have. You're right about the flavor, too; it's wonderful. It's the way I wish beef would taste."

Then he asked, "Do you think I could eat downstairs with the rest of your family? This room is awfully boring, all the history aside."

Serena nodded, "I think so; but let me ask mom. She's the one who has to say yes."

She got up from the bed, "Let me ask her now. That way we can set up the table for five instead of four."

As she hurried out of the room, Saul thought about the story she had told to him. He felt there were some simplifications in the thing, but that had been the way she had learned it, most likely. The "Reunion Cup" bothered him a little, because the way she had used the term; it sounded like Damien Wolfe had been euthanized for some reason. On the other hand though; he didn't know how badly this Damien Wolfe had been injured in the fire. It might have just been an overdose of something like Laudanum, mixed up by someone unfamiliar with its effects. That was one reason why such drugs were controlled these days; they were so easy to make mistakes with--lethal mistakes.

The story was odd, yet there was a ring of truth in it. These werewolves had fled Europeand the humans there. They had developed a habit of simply going farther west than the white settlers had gone, and yes; they would have found the Pacific Oceana barrier to further flight. Their degeneration was something to expect, with their fear of humans and their capability to live off the land without tools or farming. Being mobile, they would have lost most manufacture, since that required steady access to supplies and materials they wouldn't have had.

Then their Goddess had chosen a Prophet? And made his wife the proof of his divine anointing? That was odd, since the Judaism of his youth had usually claimed that Prophets were loners, serving only God, and were their own authentication without any help from the distaff side.

Yet, why not? If you're making a point, having your Prophet's wife capable of something that was decidedly impossible by normal standards was a great help in that respect. It would also enforce pairing; which was necessary for children.

It made sense.

That was what decided him. It made sense. He decided to ask Healing Servant Benjamin about some parts of the story tomorrow. Since these "Servants" appeared to be the religious authorities for these amazing people, they would know more than Serena could tell him.

And as an attorney, he knew how to ask questions of people and get the answers he wanted.

He was curious, now, as he waited for dinner.

Dinner had been everything he had hoped for. Both Servants were there, and had answered his general questions about themselves and the people they were a part of. Serena had been dressed nicely again, in a skirt instead of the jeans she had worn that afternoon, and had actually flirted with him unconsciously.

And theBuffaloroast had been heavenly. He made a mental note to talk to the local butcher shop about having some of theBuffalomeat brought intoBozeman. It would be popular as a "Cowboy" meat with the tourists, and the flavor would make many people want it as a regular item on their table.

As the two Servants were about to leave, he asked Luther; "Do you know who it was that founded Wolf Bend? Serena claims it was some ancestor of hers; one Damien Wolfe by name. Is this real, or is my hostess having a bit of historical fun with me?"

Luther nodded; "Indeed it was Damien Wolfe; or as he was called then, Damien of the Sweet Springs people. He was the man who was chosen by our Goddess to lead us to a new place and a new way of living. He is something of a local legend among us; a wulf who began our renewal as a people at our Mother-Beloved's request."

Servant Benjamin added, "His wife and mate was blessed by Lunara to appear completely human when she was in her Smooth skin. That was how we knew that She was calling us to begin a new life here, since Susan Wolfe is the only Lycanthrope who ever was able to go completely from smooth human form to wulfen in form when she shifted. Even today, we still have our feet and ears and tail-stubs as a part of our wolf heritage. Only Susan was able to completely go from one body shape to another. That is why we followed Damien and his mate; She had given us proof of Her divine will for us, and we have reaped Her blessing since."

They bade him a good night and reminded him to rest, then left the house. Servant Benjamin would be back tomorrow afternoon for another treatment.

And Saul thought long into the night.

Although he had protested against it, the family had moved his things down to the ground floor, and into a bedroom across from Harry and Marina's. It was larger, and had a fireplace of its own; and the heat from the fireplace radiated into the bathroom that was next to it, warming it so he could have a bath and take some time to think about what he had learned.

When he went to bed, he was still thinking; weighing what he had heard with the same dedication he had brought to a murder trial the year before. The accused should have been guilty, since he had the means, the motive and the opportunity to kill his wife; only he had said he was innocent. After weighing every shred of evidence, Saul had believed him. When the State had offered a reduced charge and reduced sentence, any other attorney would have taken it. Saul hadn't; and in the end had proven the man's innocence after tying up a courtroom and jury for almost three months.

Near the end, the State had offered a manslaughter plea; simply to get the case over with. Saul had refused, and had won acquittal for his client...

Who couldn't pay him because he was essentially dirt-poor with a drinking problem and hadn't held a job for months prior to being charged with murder.

Saul had taken the case Pro Bono, simply because he had seen justice being sacrificed for expediency. The whole thing had been hugely expensive; to the State, and to him.

Justice was served, and truth was made plain. And he had lost almost one hundred thousand dollars doing it, from other cases not taken and fees not charged, from hiring investigators and experts in various fields covered in the criminal complaint to prove his client's innocence in the face of what had appeared to be damning evidence. After the trial, he'd had a heart attack; likely brought about by the strain he had been under to find the evidence that would acquit his client.

It had been worth it.

He had teased one tiny scrap of truth from all the evidence he had studied, seized, acquired, and hired; and had realized that his client was innocent of the charges.

He was now doing that to what he had learned from Serena and from his careful questioning of the Servants.

When he finally fell asleep, he was still examining the evidence he had acquired, just like a legal case. In his dreams, wolves plowed fields and farmers howled in the hills, and he chased the dim-glowing bit of information he knew he needed over night dark landscape. He wouldn't stop until he caught it and knew what it was.

Morning came, and the sounds of the house awakened him. He realized with a surprise that he had forgotten his oxygen mask and had slept the night without its aid.

Still, he felt better than he had in months. Apparently, sleeping in a werewolf's house was good for the constitution. Or the air was a lot cleaner out here.

He chuckled and got dressed, still thinking.

Maybe it was that "Faith healing" he was undergoing, administered by a white-furred upright wolf called a Healing Servant. He knew he had felt something when Serena was fighting for his life out in the ranchlands. He had felt the same thing, stronger though, from that fellow Luther when he had come to the ranch and done something that he still didn't understand. The next day, Luther and another "Servant" had treated him again; and that had felt even stronger to him, although that treatment had tired him out more than any of the others.

Today, Healing Servant Benjamin was due out here to "Heal" him again, and provide an address in Bozemanfor another healer who would take over the healing work that was in progress now.

As he shaved, he stared into the mirror; so far nobody had said anything about money...or "Coming up to be Saved", and he doubted that either would happen to him. That wasn't the way these wolf-people worked. It was simply a part of their lives; all of this, and they lived it. Briefly, he envied them in that honesty.

He rinsed the razor in the sink and then ran it a bit to dry it. As he did, he glanced down at his left hand holding the razor, and noticed three little white dots among the wrinkles and age spots.

He smiled a moment; that was where Serena had squeezed his hand a little too hard and broken the skin. The punctures had stopped bleeding in seconds, and now he had three little white scars as a souvenir of his experience.

That had been fortunate. If his skin had scarred, that meant the punctures had been deeper than he'd thought. He could have bled a lot, considering the blood thinners he was taking to make his heart's work a bit easier.

He decided it was good luck on his part.

Or maybe Somebody had helped a little, according to the history Serena had told him. Somebody who had made a Prophet who led his people away from extinction.

He really didn't know, and he was hungry. He went to the kitchen for breakfast.

Breakfast was a surprise. There were pancakes, hot cereal, eggs from a carton, and steak; carefully trimmed of any and all fat. There was coffee as well, which tasted very rich but was de-caffeinated.

When he askedMarina, she explained; "We don't do well with caffeine; it's a very powerful stimulant for us. Instead, we drink de-caf; and Harry gets this coffee from somewhere inLouisiana. It has chicory in it, and I particularly like it that way."

"Did you trim the steak just for me?" he asked, curious.

Marinashook her head and sat down across from him, coffee in hand. She said, "Let me tell you just how human we really are. The second year that he and I had the ranch from his parents, we were sold a lot of cattle with hoof-and-mouth disease. We had been given fraudulent papers on their health and mixed them in with another part of our market herd. When we learned that we had a batch of sick cattle, we contacted the state agricultural people and they told us that every single animal in that herd was now considered contaminated and would have to be destroyed and their bodies burned.

"The agricultural department sent out some people who made certain of what the disease was, and then supervised the destruction of two-thirds of our market herd for that year. It was terrible, and we had to work like we were slaves to keep the ranch from going bankrupt." She buried her head in her hands so that only her ears were visible for a moment. Then she sat back up and continued her story.

"Harry had a heart attack. I was beside myself with worry, but Luther and the doctors at the hospital pulled him through. They said it was just a little one, but we can have problems with cholesterol in our diet; just like humans, so I put him on a low-fat diet that I still keep him on today."

She chuckled, "I've gotten really good at trimming fat off our food, and keeping Harry from sneaking things like bacon and yellow cheese into his diet. Making heart-healthy meals has become a staple here at the ranch; and the buffalo helps there too, since they have hardly any fat to think of in their meat."

Then she looked over at him and said, "Saul, you don't have to leave tomorrow. If you don't feel up to driving, you can stay as long as you need to. You're a good friend to our family, and I don't want you doing something that will do you harm. If you need to stay longer, that's all right with us."

Saul asked, "Does my now being Kindred have something to do with this offer?"

Marinashook her head, "No, but it's a lot more comfortable for us now that you are. Staying in Smooth is unpleasant for us. It's like feeling you're in a really tight corset and you can't breathe right or hear right. We have to keep our mouths closed so we don't show our teeth, and keep our ears covered so they don't show either."

Saul queried, "I take it that these things don't change when you do? You keep your teeth and ears the way they are now?" He ruminated for a moment, then said; "That must be extremely uncomfortable for you then, isn't it?"

Marinanodded. "Oh yes," she said, "it's what we have to do when we leave the ranch or the town and go into the outside world. We have to hide what we are, which is something Serena will need to learn perfectly before she goes to college. In college, she will be on display for most of the day and night. Fortunately, there is a chapter of the Kindred at the college, and they try to pair up wolves and Smooths in the same rooms so at least there she'll be able to relax when she sleeps."

"This Kindred organization must be pretty wide spread, if there is a chapter at the college," Saul commented, "and I suspect that the same goes for most of the campuses throughout the state."

Marinanodded; "In the old days, there might be one 'Friend' in a whole county who was trusted by the People. It was Founder Damien who came up with the idea of making it an organization, rather than a simple contact point for our people to stay when they were trading for things they couldn't make. Since the town was already growing, he had less opposition to his ideas about that than the original idea of actually making a town where we could live as we are. In the first five years there were more people who became our Kindred than had existed as 'friends' for as long as we could remember. Apparently there were people out there who would listen rather than try to kill us on sight, and we took them in as our kin, as humans who were accepted by the People as trustworthy with the Secret of our existence."

She smiled, "That was the best idea he had, in my opinion. My best friend was a human named Jennifer. She and I were like sisters, we were that close. She introduced me to a guy from the Army named Harry, and we Bonded almost instantly. When he decided to go to college, we Declared as mates; and Jennifer Declared with Harry's best friend, Charles Clark." A shadow of sadness came over her face for a moment as she remembered her best friend, now gone to the Place of Peace with her mate Charles.

"They would be Bobby's parents, right?" Saul commented. "I remember drawing up the adoption papers and the name-change as well."

Marinanodded slowly. "You know, I still miss her at times," she replied; "and I raised her son up as my own flesh and blood. He's an honor to both our families, but I do wish he would Cross. He'll be at a disadvantage here if he doesn't."

"Cross?" Saul asked, "what's that?"

"Become one of us,"Marina replied. "Crossing Over is the process where a Smooth Human becomes a true child of the wolf. That's why I'm so happy that he and Martina seem to be growing close to each other. If they declare, he'll Cross Over after their Mating Night celebration."

"Ah-ha," Saul said smiling, "he'll be ahhh, exposed then, to whatever it is that makes a human into a werewolf."

"Interesting," he thought, "so it's transmissible sexually as well as by the fabled movie 'bite'."

"Yes,"Marinareplied, smiling with both mouth and ears.

She continued, "It was such a pity that his father couldn't Cross. He wanted to, but the Servants said he would die from the 'Flesh Rending' that happens to some people who try becoming like we are by Crossing. His wife stayed Smooth as well, since she couldn't Cross and still be intimate with him."

She sighed, "That caused a lot of trouble with her parents. They wanted her to Cross Over because they were third generation Kindred and thought their daughter should become one of us. When Charles couldn't Cross, they tried to get Jennifer to divorce him, and Jen refused. Then she had her son, Bobby; and she was so in love with Charles. Her parents still made such a fuss that she just stopped talking to them."

"Then they were killed, and Harry drove straight toDenverto get Bobby and bring him back here. We've never tried to keep him separate, and he shares our food and everything else; but he just doesn't start the Crossing."

She smiled; "If things don't work out with Martina, Serena has her eye on him. One way or another, he'll be a Child of the Wolf and a part of our family in every way possible. His uncle will be happy about that."

"Uncle?" Saul asked, vaguely remembering that there was family inColoradofor the young man.

"His uncle Bruce,"Marinareplied. "He farms, just like us; and has a mate who is a Healing Servant. They have four children and I recall she's expecting again. At the time Charles and Jen were killed though; Bruce was having serious financial problems with the farm, and with three children and his mate working all hours; he was happy to let Harry be the Sworn Parent and take Bobby up here with us."

She smiled radiantly. "Bobby is the son that both Harry and I needed, I think. He has been such a wonderful young man that I am proud to be his mother, and Harry is fit to bust buttons over his school work. He's going to get a Scholarship for certain."

Then she looked Saul straight in the eye and said, "That's what werewolves are, Saul. We work, we love and we care; just like our SmoothKin human friends. I noticed you asking some questions last night, and I decided to answer a few of them for you. You're Kindred now. You're part of our People, and you should know what sort of people we are. Do you have any more questions, hmmm?"

Saul blushed and shook his head. "Not in the least,Marina; not at all. My only regret is that I had to wait eighty-five years to have them answered."

Marinasmiled; "Harry would say that you weren't ready until now, and that our Mother-Beloved waited until you were ready for them to be answered, and I would agree with my mate--but don't you tell him that!"

Saul chuckled. Marinawas always correcting Harry, and Harry always went along.

Briefly, he felt very alone. He could have married, but he'd always been too busy with the Law. His brother's family was family, but only just. They were Orthodox Jews and he wasn't. There had always been a tension between them over that. The women he had briefly entertained were usually more interested in his net worth than in him. And then it had happened; his eightieth birthday, and it was all now academic.

Marinaseemed to have read his mind when she reached across the table and said gently, "You're Kindred now, Saul; and that means you're family to us and every other wulf of the Goddess. If you need to spend some time here to heal that other heart problem, do so. There are no Secrets between us now."

Not trusting his voice, he only nodded.

Getting up, he said huskily; "I think I'll go look in on Harry, if he's about."

Marinanodded, "He's in the shop with Bobby working on one of the trucks. Remember, though; it's Watch Only for you." Then she smiled at him and turned back to preparing what looked like chicken stew for the night's dinner.

He met Serena as she was emerging from the horse barn with a wheelbarrow of manure to be dumped into the compost pile that was nearest the door. He fell into step with her.

"I didn't know you still used horses," he commented; and she replied, "Oh, yes we do. They still can go places a motorcycle can't, and we have to get them used to our scent as colts and fillies, since we smell somewhat of wolf to them. Once they're used to us, they're like gold. I had the past few days off, so now I'm doing Bobby's chores as well as my own while he and daddy work on a truck."

She grinned, "I'd just as soon do this anyway, since trucks are dirty and oily and greasy and I have fur that absorbs all of that sort of stuff. It takes me hours to get all the 'truck' smell out of my fur when I do have to work on one, so I was happy to trade with Bobby."

"You work on the trucks here?" Saul asked in surprise.

"On everything," she replied; "Our 'chores' are training for us in running the ranch and everything on it, some day. Some of the lessons aren't too bad, but when it involves grease or oil, I prefer to let Bobby learn while I clean up the horse poop."

She glanced at him and commented, "You seem a lot better today; Mom was right."

"Your mother told you I'd be feeling better?" he asked in some surprise.

"Yes," Serena replied, "she said you'd..." She paused, "That's odd, because I barely saw mom this morning because I slept a little late and rushed breakfast; but I distinctly remember her saying that you would be much better today when I saw you."

She looked over at him and asked, "You are feeling better, aren't you?"

Saul nodded and replied, "Last night I forgot to hook up my oxygen, but I slept like a rock. I think that whatever that Servant fellow is doing is working. I haven't felt this good in months."

Serena gave him a glance that was just likeMarina's and warned, "Well, don't push things. Healing takes time, Uncle Saul. One push could undo all the good that Luther and Benjamin have done."

Saul nodded, "You're right. I'll go watch your father and your brother work on a truck." He looked around and asked where the garage was in the collection of buildings around them.

"Go along the road by the workers' housing past this row of buildings. It's the big new steel building with what looks like a porch on it. That's the garage, and that's where they'll be," she said as she pointed to the road in question. "I'll be there later with tea and cornbread for a snack," she added with a little smile.

Saul followed her directions and soon found him in the heated office of a large steel building with thick insulation on the walls and ceiling. Harry and Bobby were working on the brakes of one of the ranch trucks and had waved when he came in.

He settled himself on one of the chairs near the heater and watched them. Apparently, Harry was teaching his son how to replace the brake shoes on this particular type of vehicle. Bobby was watching and getting tools for his Werewolf father, who was wearing gloves, a shop coat, and a face visor to protect his eyes.

Seeing what looked like a wild animal dressed in human work gear was fascinating for Saul, and when his human son responded to his softly spoken instructions, it looked like some sort of reverse world, where the boy was helping his dog... cancel that; helping his wolf, because Harry in no way looked like a dog.

Apparently something else was needed, because Harry called out to Saul, "Hey, Saul, could you give me just a little hand here? I'm showing Bobby how to bleed these kind'a brakes, and I need somebody up in the cab to push the brake pedal for me."

He held up his tail and laughed, "'Cause my tail won't quite reach, y'see?"

Saul laughed back and walked out to the truck and carefully climbed up to the driver's seat while commenting, "You know, Harry, I was working on brakes over sixty years ago. I spent one summer at a gas station working in the attached service area, during college. You're bleeding the cylinders, right?"

"Right," Harry replied, "so you know how hard it is to show how to do it unless you have a foot in the cabin to press the pedal down."

"Ohhh, yes I do;" Saul chuckled. "We had some sort of vacuum thing for that, but it'd never work right. So, mostly, when there weren't any cars waiting for gas, I'd have one of the gas-people jump up and pump while I worked like crazy. Now?" he asked.

"Yep," Harry replied, then in a moment; "Okay, now release," as he showed his son how to bleed the air bubbles out of the hydraulic brake lines.

Saul commented, "Used to be, that if we did one set of brakes; we'd bleed all four brake lines and not just the ones we had replaced."

"Why was that, Uncle Saul?" Bobby asked.

"Because that brake fluid had been cylinders that gotten very hot very often," Saul replied, "and bleeding them moved some fresh brake fluid into the cylinders. That kept rust at bay and made the brake cylinders last longer."

Bobby's reply was, "Oh. Does that apply to motorcycle brakes, too?"

Saul answered, "Not if they're cable or rod actuated, it doesn't. It only applies to hydraulic brakes."

"Okay," Bobby replied more surely, "mine are cable. I just have to keep them tensioned, right?"

Harry spoke up, "No, Bobby; the brakes on your motorcycle have adjusters built into them. You have to adjust them and the cables, both; on a regular basis. I did it this time to save a bit, but you do need to know how. In another thousand miles, we'll both do it so's you know how."

Bobby grinned widely, "Okay, dad. They were feeling a little mushy when I rode partway to school so I did the cables, but now the handle's loose on that side."

Harry stared at his son and asked, "Why didn't you say so? We'll make time tonight, then. I don't want you riding with bad brakes on the roads around here, not in winter, especially."

Saul felt a pain in his chest that had nothing to do with his heart condition. He stared at the dashboard and pressed the pedal when Harry asked him to. In that moment, he would have traded places with Harry in an instant; Secret and all.

Later, as they ate cornbread and drank tea, Harry took the time to think about their visitor. He had been a family friend for years, but the Secret kept him out of most of their family life; and he had seen the look on the attorney's face when Bobby had spoken to him.

Loneliness, with a hint of grief.

That could be addressed, now. Have him fly, to save his heart. Have him come out to the ranch more often, so he could have the family he was just now realizing that he needed in his last years of life.

Harry decided to invite him for Sun's Return, the wulfen "Christmas". He would be with family then; Harry's family--now his too, with the Oath.

That was what She wanted for Her children; and in a way, Saul was one of Hers, now--by oath if not by blood. Maybe...

His mate interrupted his thinking when she came out to the garage and told Saul that Servant Benjamin was on his way from town.

Serena was neatening his room so the Healing Servant could work on him.

When Saul returned to his bedroom, he saw that the bed had been made, and a comfortable chair had been brought in beside it.

"That" he decided, "would be for the Healing Servant. Again the laying-on-of-hands, and strange feelings in my chest. Maybe there is more to this than faith healing. Maybe there is a lot more..."

He stopped the thought. He wasn't going to give in to mumbo-jumbo.

Unless it wasn't.

His memory went back to his childhood, and a surprise and disappointment. He had asked his father where the Prophets were today, and been told that there had been no "Prophets" of God since the fall ofJerusalemto the Romans. God had become angry at His People and stopped sending them, ever since.

When he had asked about the Prophets of other religions, he had been told that those "other religions" were false and the prophets of those religions had been less prophet than politician.

His father had gone on about all the "goysche" (non-Hebraic) beliefs at some length, telling Saul how they were simply traps for the credulous and not connected to God at all; that only Judaism of all the world's religions had a line to God--even if God wasn't answering that line any more.

He had believed, then.

Then he had met a Baptist boy in school, who had told him about Christ; and said that Judaism was false and only Christ's followers were in God's favor. The Jews were definitely not, anymore; even if Jesus had been born as a Jew himself.

He had asked his father about Jesus, and had been sent to his room without supper as punishment after being told that at best Jesus had been a very minor prophet, and that only a few Jews even granted him that status.

In his room that night, he had started thinking about religion; and hadn't stopped since. He had investigated religion after religion until he had come to the conclusion that in some ways, most of them were right. Only a few seemed to be of the whole cloth, as fabrications for power or wealth or both.

By the time he was inLawSchool, he had adopted his current agnostic beliefs. There was a God of some kind. That God was nothing that a human could understand; other than in very general ways. There were only a few divine laws, which he had found in religion after religion after religion, repeated again and again.

"Treat others the way you wanted to be treated". Well, that made sense. "Respect or Love God" was another, with the inference that you should treat God the way you wanted God to treat you.

That was logical. God wanted the same treatment you gave to others.

Then, the final one: "Don't try to understand God or God's actions. Give God the same respect you gave others, but don't try to understand the why of things." You couldn't; you weren't God. You didn't know all the reasons for things that happened in the world. God did. Have faith that God is doing good, no matter what; and live accordingly, doing the best that you could with what you could understand.

His "Faith" had grown from that, and had worked quite nicely for him, all his life. God had become an impersonal entity, incomprehensible and imponderable. Focus on your work, and try to do what was good to the best of your knowledge. Leave the rest to God, whoever or whatever that deity might be.

Now, these wolf-people wanted him to forget all that and personalize God again, into some wolf deity that they believed in to an absolute degree. To further complicate things, these "Servants" seemed to actually be able to heal his heart problems better than modern medicine could manage.

"Am I getting better, or do I simply want to think I'm getting better?" he asked himself. He had defended a "Faith Healer" from fraud charges, largely because the woman had asked for nothing in return; only accepting small "gifts" that she used to pay her rent and buy her food. She had lived a simple life, using prayer to heal; and only an over-zealous District Attorney who wanted to be re-elected had caused any problems for her.

He'd won an acquittal on legal points, there. He'd proved that she had not "defrauded" anyone of anything under the law; and had admitted to her clients that she didn't know how she did things, only that they worked most of the time. She had not broken the law, and he had proved it.

Three years later, he had helped a family recover money and property from a scam-artist who used the term "Faith-Healer" to defraud victims out of millions of dollars worth of things with fake "cures" and hysteria. This creep had lived in luxury while scamming people out of seeking proper medical treatment for their ills and eventually leaving them destitute and still sick; even fatally sick in several cases.

"You think I'd know which was which by now," he thought to himself; "but obviously I don't. The fact that these wolf-people exist is contrary to science in itself. Maybe they're the exception that proves the rule; and maybe there is something to this goddess of theirs...or maybe I'm grasping at straws because death still scares me; and having a nice afterlife even among these wolf-people beats not knowing if there is an afterlife at all. I just don't know."

Then Healing Servant Benjamin had come into his bedroom, and had given him another "healing" which had made him feel a lot better, despite the mental questioning he was still involved in.

After the "treatment", and as he was sitting back up, the Healing Servant asked him, "What has you so troubled? You're a bundle of nerves right now, and that is not good for you. Stress is harmful to a person with a heart like yours, since it makes it work harder than it needs to, to keep you alive. Is it something you want to talk about with me; about the People? I can't promise answers, but I will give it a good try."

Saul shook his head. "I'm still trying to figure out what it is that I want to know, but I warn you that when I do; I'll want to know a lot. I've lived a very long time the way I am now, spiritually; and now I'm starting to wonder if I made some sort of mistake somewhere. You have a personal Goddess, and I don't believe that Deity can be personalized that way. God--or Goddess is beyond comprehension, the way I think; while you say the exact opposite, and seem to have the means to prove it. That makes for a lot of questioning on my part, of and for myself. Until I get that resolved, I can't even try for anything else, because I don't know what it is that I'm looking for."

Then he sighed, "Does that make any sense to you?"

The Healing Servant laughed; "More than you'd think. I came to Service late in life, and had a lifetime's worth of questions when I was asked to Serve. She simply said that before, 'I hadn't been ready'. Now, I was."

He sat in the chair with his jaw resting on a fist, his ears dropped slightly. "When I had a question as to the why of something about my Service; that answer remained the same. I simply hadn't been ready for my life-task until then," he continued, "and I suspect that is the case with you. You had to learn certain things that only life teaches, and life keeps its own schedule."

Saul asked, "What happens if I die before I figure out what I need to ask? What will happen to me then?"

Servant Benjamin sighed, "That is something I can't tell you, other than that your soul is immortal. Where you'll go after you put your body down is not resolved in your case. You simply don't have enough focus to determine the answer to that one, not right now. You'll go somewhere, that is a certainty; but exactly where is something you haven't decided on yet--and I'm not allowed to make you decide. It must be your own free will that determines your after-here existence."

Saul looked over at the Healing Servant, gauging and thinking about his next question. Then he asked it; "How could I spend eternity with this Goddess of Serena's?"

Benjamin replied, "You can't. Serena's 'Mother-Beloved' is different from how you would see Her, how you would respond to Her. She is different to each one of Her children, even as a human parent would be. First, though, you would have to accept Her as your own Mother-Beloved, and see Her with your own soul's eyes. That is Heaven's Law; or more appropriately, that's how it works. She is the same for all of us; and at the same time, completely personal for all of Her children. That is how it is for humans, even in the tightest of families; that's how it is for us, too." He grinned, "Think of how differently Serena and Martina see their mother Marina; and yetMarina is demonstrably one single person. Then add in how her mate Harry sees her; and finally how she sees herself. That's a lot of people in one soul, and in one body; but that's how it is."

Saul sat there for a moment, then chuckled, "You're right about that. At least now I have something of a direction to look in. It's a start."

Servant Benjamin suggested, "You could come to one of our Song-Nights. I could ask your Servant inBozemanto let you come to one of them, if you're interested. If nothing else, you'd have more People you could ask once you figure out what it is you want to ask."

Saul nodded, "That sounds like a good idea. I just hope it won't be forty-below when it happens. I don't do well with extreme cold due to arthritis."

Servant Benjamin nodded, "Neither do I, although I can grow a thicker coat to deal with it," he paused, then asked Saul for his telephone number.

Saul gave his home and cell number, explaining that; "I'm only in the office when I'm taking a case; and so far, I don't have any more for this year. I am retired, after all."

Servant Benjamin warned him, "It's likely that the Council inBozemanwill be more conservative than what you've been exposed to here, so be patient. We've learned to be wary of humans; even new-Kindred humans. It will take time for you to be accepted by anyone other than the Servant; although you were as a part of your Oath-taking made a member of Harry's family pack. In fact, your Servant will probably refer to Harry as a way of identifying himself to you, so keep your ears sharp. You'll have to convince your Servant as to your level of trustworthiness, and he'll have to convince his Council. You may have to wait until spring for a Song-Night on weather issues, too; although that will give your Servant time to get to know you as a person. All in all, I think that's good."

"I tend to agree," Saul replied; "and it will give me time to get used to your people as well. It goes without saying that any legal issues your people have at Bozeman, I'll take on Pro Bono, no matter how things work out. I meant that part of my oath, absolutely. Your people are a bit too open about those things to be effective in a courtroom."

Servant Benjamin grinned; "You mean 'too blunt', don't you? I agree. That's why we hire lawyers when we need them. Human laws are too convoluted for most of us."

Saul grew thoughtful for a moment, then asked; "Do you think Serena could handle Pre-Law in college? It's mostly learning how to look things up and how to read the laws that are already in effect. There are logic courses, too. I figured she would need them if she had to handle running the ranch."

He was puzzled when Servant Benjamin started laughing, but then the Servant explained, "Of all the people here outside of Robert, who is human; Serena spends so much time getting around her mother's restrictions that I'm certain that Pre-Law will be quite within her capabilities. She already argues her actions with her mother to the degree that I wonder if she might be the rare werewolf who would be good at law. If she is, she would be wasted here on the ranch; but that's her decision to make."

Saul yawned, much to his surprise. "I apologize," he said, "I didn't think that just talking would wear me out like this. I'm actually tired."

Servant Benjamin took his hand and focused for a second, then relaxed. "No problems," he replied, "You're just now feeling the energy change from your Healing. Sleep for a while; it's common for Healing patients to nap after having a treatment. I'll let you rest, now; while I get a snack. I'll see you at dinner,Marina's making chicken fricassee tonight, and I love her recipe."

Saul nodded and settled down to rest. It was odd, how just lying there while the Healer worked on him could tire him out, but it had happened. Soon he was asleep.

Meanwhile, Healing Servant Benjamin had headed out to the garage building where he found Harry and Bobby working on the young man's motorcycle. He put on a smock and gloves and was soon helping them with the brakes on the machine while he thought over what he had found during this most recent Healing treatment.

Saul had been Blooded; the Viroid was present in the human's blood in minute amounts. Yet the human had said nothing about it, and was seemingly holding to the opinions he had held before this event. That was unusual, unless the Blooding had been accidental; an exposure from a shared glass or utensil could do it. He seriously doubted that the man had requested the thing, given their conversation a little while ago.

Still, this was a good thing. Unless he resolutely held to his impersonal deity concepts; he was as good as Lunara's when he left this life.

He held his words though; since Saul had no memory of the event there was no reason to upset the Wolfe family. What had happened, had happened.

As he held the rear wheel of Bobby's motorcycle while the young man adjusted its brakes, he wondered a bit about what Mother-Beloved would make of a Lawyer showing up in Her Place of Peace.

Then he concluded She would probably ask him why he had taken so long getting there.

Saul dreamed he was in a wonderful place. It was a forest, the likes of which had long ago been harvested bare for lumber, weapons and fires. It looked pristine, somehow; as if no man's axe had ever scarred even the tiniest sapling here. Above him, the sky was a shade of blue that he had never seen before in his life, pure and clear; with an occasional cloud that made it look even more glorious. Even the air was sweet and rich with the scents of the growing things that were literally all around the small clearing he was standing in. Before him a wide plain of grasses and an occasional tree stretched out to the limits of his sight. He had never seen such simple perfection anywhere, before.

He saw a log and went over to it and sat down on it; and it was just the right size for him to sit comfortably upon, being neither too low or too high.

He simply rested and enjoyed the place.

Soon, there was the sound of someone moving through the grasses and a young woman walked into his vision; tall and strong with brown hair and eyes and sun-tanned limbs; wearing a leather kilt and vest-like leather upper garment. She strode toward him, and stood before him with an easy smile on her face.

He stood, offering her a seat, and she took it.

"So; you are called Saul," she said in a low contralto voice; "My name is Luin-hra. It means 'Clever woman', and was given me by my father when he saw I was the one who would take over the spirit-working from my mother when she went to the Summer Hunting Lands."

He was confounded by this dream person, and nodded slowly; "My name is Saul, yes, but where did you learn of me?" he asked curiously.

"From my daughter," she replied; "whom you know as Serena in the world you live in. She is very impressed by your learning, and I admit; so am I. It is like the place where a stream enters into the sea, with many windings and twistings; yet still it goes from one water-place to another in a simple and smooth passage. Many good things grow in these places, and there is always the pleasant sound of the water flowing in your ears."

Saul chuckled, "If you're saying my mind is like a river delta; well, the idea never occurred to me, but I can see your point. Sometimes you have to wander around a little to see where things link up and where the truth can be found."

"This 'truth' is important to you, isn't it?" she asked bluntly.

He nodded, "Yes, absolutely. Truth isn't that fancy or special, usually; but in my career as an attorney, I've found that the truth is inseparable from what we call justice. The law is the guide, but the truth is what makes things work properly."

He sighed, "Recently I had a case where all the evidence pointed to the conclusion that my client was guilty, but the truth was that he wasn't. What he was, was stupid, violent and a drunkard. What he wasn't, though, was a murderer. The prosecution felt that guilty or not, society was better off without him. Maybe that was so, but what was claimed, the murder of his wife--that was untrue, and I couldn't let the man go to prison for something he didn't do. That would be supporting a lie, and I try not to do that."

"Then why are you lying to Harold about your sickness?" she asked quietly.

He gave a start at the question, then asked, "How do you know..."

"Let it be the truth that I do know," she replied evenly; "and I know that your doctor was most unhappy that you decided to go hunting, rather than submit to the surgery he wants you to have."

Saul was upset; while the girl was certainly a pleasant dream partner, her questions were not. Still, he felt he had to answer her.

"Because if I have the surgery, there is not a lot of hope that I won't be stuck in some bed afterwards," he replied. "The doctor wants to replace a couple of valves in my heart, and I'm not exactly a good surgical prospect. I might stroke out on the table. I might have a stroke after the surgery. I might die even if the surgery is successful," he explained.

"Then the recovery will be slow and painful, because at my age the bones don't always want to heal properly. Because of my age, I'll have to live a very careful life because of the strain these new valves will place on my heart and circulatory system. My body has adapted to low blood pressure and low bloodflow, because one of those heart valves controls both of those things. If I got excited, I could die of the rise in blood pressure. I'd have to keep myself walled off from most of life, just to stay alive."

By now he was looking at his feet; somehow ashamed of what he'd said. He finished with, "I decided on one more--maybe one last--hunt, with my friends, the Wolfes. Harry is a...a friend, and I don't have many of them left at my age. I learned something wonderful about them that I can't tell you; other than they are even more special than I had ever imagined. And, if their dreams come true, they are going to need attorneys to protect their interests," then he sighed; "and I'm too old. I have a nephew that maybe..."

He looked at the woman seated beside him and said, "You're her, aren't you? Serena told me about her Goddess Lunara, and now I'm dreaming about her, as you."

Luin-hra smiled; "You aren't exactly dreaming, Saul Goldfarb. This is where my people grew in numbers, after my mate Haouu led them here. We call this place 'Muria', which means 'beautiful' in our language. We lived here many generations, and had visitors from many places who traded with us and told us of the greater world outside of our own lands. In time we visited those lands ourselves, although we disguised ourselves as being without our wolf heritage, since the cousins in those lands were more violent than they were in our own country."

Saul grew confused, "You say I'm not dreaming? Then, what am I doing; and why am I imagining you?"

Luin-hra explained, "This is the Place my Mate and I made for our children. This is a part of it, where those who remember the older days before we scattered from Europecome to renew themselves. You are in a place that some call 'Heaven' although it is nothing like what most concepts make of it. You will only remember this place as a dream, though; that is one of the rules that apply when the still-embodied visit here."

Then she grew solemn and said, "In a very few years, my People will be free as the Day of Liberation dawns. Already, those who will be my Three are being led into the learning they will need when they arise and lead my people into the greater world. They will need help from people such as yourself, Saul. We are not by nature a people who think in the ways that you do, and will be at some risk from those with clever minds who mean us ill.

"I ask you to simply consider my people when your time comes. Speak my name as the Romans did; Lunara, and your soul will come to this place. There will be many here who will be eager to learn from you, for very few of us have taken the Law as a life-task in the other place. I can offer you nothing, other than the knowledge that Serena's people will be protected in their early days out in the world, if you agree."

She became even more solemn as she said; "This will mean you will have to commit to the concept of a personal deity, something you have avoided all of your adult life. All I can say is that people like you will be needed by the Children of the Wolf, and all I can offer is a place like this where your soul can renew itself. It will be for the Harrys and Serenas and all my other children that you choose, Saul; not a single Goddess or a single God. It will be for them, not us, that you commit yourself."

Then She stood and kissed him on his forehead, and She and the place faded into daylight as he awakened from what had been an incredible and strange dream.

As he rambled into the bathroom to do his morning ablutions, he glanced in the mirror and stopped in shock. It was fading, but on his forehead there was the distinct marking of a pair of lips, pursed in a kiss. When he had returned from more pressing matters, the mirror showed only the faintest outline, which faded into invisibility as he watched.

As he dressed, his mind was going a mile-a-minute as he tried to remember that incredible dream he'd had last night; but like all dreams, it proved elusive and gave over only tidbits of what he had experienced in its coils.

Breakfast was again a memorable experience, and he realized he needed to get home. He had been given a contact telephone number, but had been told to expect to be contacted, rather than use the number himself. That number was only for emergencies.

Loading his car with his suitcase was over; young Robert had helped with everything including the oxygen bottle that sat in the passenger seat and was belted in beside him. Serena had hung in the background, seeming genuinely sorry he was leaving, her wolf's ears drooping and her eyes sad.

He admitted to himself that he was; but there was a case back inBozeman he was thinking of advising on and he had to be there to do it.

Leave-taking was unusually difficult this time. He had seen and experienced so many incredible things here, he really didn't want to go. Still, he had to. That was the thing, he had to leave and try to put all this into perspective.

Serena was dressed in that nice dress again, and hugged him as he came to her to say goodbye.

"Drive safely, Uncle Saul," she said softly as she rubbed her cheek against his. Then she added, "Come back soon, okay?" There was real concern in her eyes.

Saul smiled and replied; "Remember, I have another hunt scheduled for the first week in March. Unless I have a case that's tying me to the court, you can bet I'll be back here then. We can go hunting, and you won't have to pretend to be a dog this time; I'll enjoy that."

She brightened; "So will I! I could do the guiding and everything!"

As he shook Harry's hand, Harry asked, "Saul, are you doing anything the week before Christmas?"

Shaking his head, Saul replied, "Other than avoiding my brother over missing Hanukkah services again, nothing. Why?"

"Because we'd like to invite you up for our holidays, Sun's Birth; which is the day after the first day of winter. We'll pay the airfare both ways, so we can have some more family around for the holidays."

Saul paused a moment, then decided. Spending the season avoiding his own family was annoying. There were no cases pending he was involved with, not over the holidays.

And he wanted to spend some more time with these strange wolf-people. They felt better to him than his own brother did, especially during the holidays. His brother was always after him to come back to theTempleand pick up the Judaism he had set aside so many years ago; most strongly during the holidays.

"I'll do it," he replied, "but I pay the airfare. We talk a little business, I advise you on something, and I take it off my taxes as a professional call. Okay?"

Harry chuckled and nodded, "Okay. Just bring yourself and Serena will be in heaven. She may even stay dressed, which will make her mother very happy; and I won't have to mediate over having her spend Christmas in the kennel, like last year."

Saul was puzzled, "You keep your daughter in the kennel?"

Harry explained, "Her mother uses that as punishment. It doesn't hurt us, after all; Serena was naked when she was playing the hunting dog and there was a couple'a feet of snow on the ground. It's justMarina's way of trying to show Serena that she isn't some animal. By now, it's as much a game between them as anything else."

"Ahhh," Saul replied, trying to sound like he understood. He decided he probably would, eventually.

There was a hug, a smile, and a cheek rub from Marina; and then Saul went to his car and started it. He had a two day drive, back toBozeman, and he would spend the time thinking about what had happened here. He would need that time, probably. He let out the brake and put his car in gear, then waved and headed toward the road and the highway. There had been no snow, and everything had been plowed when he had arrived, so he didn't anticipate any difficulties getting back to the highway.

There weren't.

Harry had discussed having Saul over for the holidays with his mate, and Marina had agreed happily. She liked the old human. He was a good influence on her daughter.

Serena had howled with happiness when Harry told her that Saul would be back for Sun's Birth.

For Bob, it would be different. Martina was starting to "help" him, and he wasn't sure he liked it all that much. Having Saul here would keep Martina's hands off him and busy in the kitchen; while he and Dad took care of the ranch and the worker's days off.

He liked Martina a whole lot. She was a pretty wulf, and he was beginning to feel a deep attraction to her. She made him feel happy when he was around her, and she was becoming more than just a sister, much more.

Serena, too, made him feel the same way he felt when he was around Martina; but she was always into things and making him feel like a human, not a Wolfe. It wasn't intentional, he knew; and if he had been wulf himself, she would have been a lot of fun to be with. It was just that she never seemed to realize that she could do things that he couldn't, not as a Smooth.

As he headed to the horse barn, he wondered why he hadn't Crossed yet. It wasn't like he had avoided it; he'd kissed Martina on the lips lots of times. They had cuddled and necked. He had shared food with everybody. He should have started, or something, by now. He had lived with werewolves as a werewolf himself for seven years, and nothing had happened.

His thoughts continued downward as he began mucking out the horse stalls.

He'd almost gone to bed with Martina the last time she had been home from College, only she had studies and was barely aware of anything but them, even when Dad had offered to let her take the car to town and shop.

Did College do that to you?

When he'd seen Serena naked on her bed with a collar on her throat; and again in the dog run when they had gone into the "doghouse" and he'd seen the deep dog bed, he'd felt the stirrings of desire for her...and then been dumb and shown off the hole in the floor...

He muttered to himself about how dumb he was. Serena was as pretty as Martina, and if he had been a wulf--but he wasn't. And he knew that Martina and Serena would fight if he chose to go to bed with Serena instead of her sister. That was how it was, and he didn't want his sisters fighting over anything. Fighting over something like that was, was dumb squared.

He'd talked to his father about Crossing, but Harry had simply said that it would happen when She wanted it to happen, and don't worry about it.

He'd also seen the worry in his father's eyes. Staying smooth this long in a wulf household wasn't normal. Sally Green had been adopted by her sworn parents when her single mother had died of cancer, and she had stayed Smooth for less than six months before spotting up and doing the child's Crossing; and her parents had tried to keep that from happening until she was sixteen.

He should have asked Luther, when he had been out here for Uncle Saul's treatment, but he had forgotten in all the excitement with Serena huddled close to him for comfort...and he had enjoyed that a lot. So, he'd forgotten again. Dumb.

Maybe there was something wrong with him. He knew it wasn't Mother-Beloved's disapproval because Her hand-mark was on his chest, over his heart. She had given him that dying cub's soul as a soul companion and blessed him; even before he knew who She was, other than vague hints. She had said She loved him and had high hopes for him when he was grown as one of Her own People.

He stopped, the mucking shovel in his hands forgotten for the moment. Did She want him to Serve Her by Serving Her People? Was he supposed to be a Servant when he Crossed? He swallowed, thinking about the possibility.

He didn't want to be one, unless that was what She asked him to be. He had heard of the dreams that those who were called to Serve experienced when they were almost adult, around fifteen or so; and he hadn't had any. Or did that only apply to wulf children, and not Smooths? He didn't know, dumb again.

His shoulders drooped and his head sagged, and he went back to shoveling the horse muck. At least he could do that as well as anyone else.

Serena was wandering. She had felt a need to get out of the house once her chores were done, and leaving the house also meant leaving Mom's minute-by-minute oversight of her activities. That was a good thing, she thought.

She had put her pretty dress away and was now in her usual (around Mom) cutoffs and tee-shirt with moccasins. Now, the tee was wrapped around her waist since she was outside, and away from Mom.

As she walked past the horse barn, she saw what looked like a little old man mucking out the stalls. Correct that: that was her brother Bobby, and by his look, he was unhappy about something.

Her feet took on a life of their own, and she quietly walked up behind him.

"What's wrong, Bobby?" she asked as she slipped her arms around him and leaned her head against his back.

"Uhhh!" he gasped, surprised; then, "nothing. Nothing at all."

She stepped around him and looked him squarely in the eyes.

"I'm your sister, Bobby; and your packmate. We don't keep secrets from each other about our feelings," she reminded him as she closed the distance between them and rubbed his cheek with her own. Close contact was imperative as a communications and comfort channel for the wulfen as much as it was between the Cousins.

"What hath my own brother been sorrowed over?" she whispered in the Haouu`l, the old Wulfen language that every wulf was born knowing how to speak.

Bobby couldn't resist, "Mine shape is not as thine," he replied in the same tongue, "For a hand and two fingers of years have I dwelt with my family, yet I am shaped as a stranger. I have a family and a house and a people, yet I am not as they are. I feel as if I am alone, even though I know I am not. I have been a dutiful child of my parents, yet I am still not as they are. I am feared that I am cast out for some reason I know not of, and fear that I may never be accepted as a Person outside of my own family and pack."

This was a serious confession, Serena knew. You just did not lie when speaking the Haouu`l. If you had to do that, you chose another language.

Slowly, she asked in English, "Have you had, you know, the Dreams? Do you think you are being called to Serve?" This was a serious thing, since Bobby had not been tested for any Servant's Gifts by anybody she knew of.

He shook his head, "Would'a been okay if I had, but no, I haven't. At least I don't think so. I just don't know, and that's got me worried as to what She has in store for me, what with my staying Smooth for so long."

Serena began to grin.

Then she said, "Look, Bobby, 'Tina and I have this sort of agreement that you aren't reaching twenty-one in Smooth, even if one of us has to start things ourselves. When 'Tina comes home for the holidays, I'm telling her she has a year to get you fuzzy. If she can't, or won't; then I fuzz you up and if I get pregnant, I get pregnant. We Declare and work out College around the kids."

"Won't that start a fight if 'Tina doesn't agree?" Bobby asked worriedly.

"Probably," Serena agreed unhappily, "but what I want to know is, will you get angry if we have a bitch fight over you?"

Bobby started to answer, then an odd glimmer came into his eyes and he said, "It is not proper that two males fight over a female, nor two females fight over a male; for such actions presume ownership, and that is forbidden within the People. If there is disagreement, let all the parties seek one who has no interest in the matter, and seek that person's judgment. If that person is a Servant of the People of the Wolf, then that judgment shall be as from our Goddess' own lips and observed as such."

Serena's jaw had dropped almost to her chest. That did not sound like Bobby. That was someone much older and a lot wiser than her brother. What had happened here?

Bobby was also surprised, and his own dropped jaw showed it.

"What did I just say?" he asked in amazement, "and why did I say it?" A growing knot of fear in his stomach replied that the words sounded like Servant-talk, when they were delivering a judgment over something.

The two youngsters came to a decision then and there. They would go ask Mom, who was the family expert in the Words of the People, the laws under which Werewolf society was governed.

After they had foundMarinaon the porch instead of her usual haunts in the kitchen, and had told her what had happened; she glared at Serena and went inside to sit and think. They followed a couple of steps behind her.

"You remember our little conversation, don't you?" she asked her daughter, who nodded so violently her ears flapped against her skull.

"Really, Mom," Bobby interjected, "it wasn't anything like that. She was worried about Martina getting in a fight with her if we...did something to get me started Crossing if Martina didn't do it first." He was getting redder by the word, but it was a point of honor that he tell the truth of what they had spoken about.

"I was afraid that Martina would go after Serena if she even suggested the idea, and I didn't want that to happen," he said; concluding what had happened before his unexpected speech.

Marinasighed, and motioned her two children to sit, which they did.

"Martina and Serena won't fight over Serena's idea," she said firmly, "because I'll talk to Martina when she comes home for the holidays first. It isn't the first time that this sort of thing has happened around here, and it won't be the last."

She glanced at Serena, saying, "Remember, you have to respect what there is between Bobby and Martina. You also have to ask yourself if you want to risk your College and your future over something that can be taken care of by a simple transfusion of Servant's blood."

Then she turned to Bobby and said, "Your father and I have been curious about your lack of response to what amounts to continuous exposure to us. Young Sally Green Crossed even though her wulf parents tried to keep her from doing so, and she was less exposed than you are, and for less time. My guess is that our Goddess has plans for you, and those plans don't include Crossing right now, even though you have the same wulf soul that the rest of us have."

She reached out and stroked Bobby's hair. "Sometimes, we forget that She has a life-task for all of us, and can't understand why things are happening the way they are. In your case, that might include learning things as a Smoothskin that you couldn't learn the same way as a wulf. You can go places and do things that we can't, not as wulfen passing in Smooth. Maybe She wants you to learn something or do something as a Smoothskin that you can bring to your People as a wulf would. Maybe it is just not the right time, now."

She took Bobby and Serena into an embrace; "I don't see any difference between you two as my children, and neither does your father. You are both good and decent people, and you bring happiness to us as your parents, because that means we did the most important job of our lives properly; we raised you to be proper Children of the Wolf.

"If we died tomorrow, we could go before our Goddess without shame; because we have carried Her words and ideals on to the next generation of Her People successfully as parents and examples of how to live in Her light."

She kissed them both, a cheek rub, then said; "Bobby, you'll come into your heritage when the time is right. Believe that because it's true. Serena, I'm glad you've taken your shirt off, since there is that big stewpot in the kitchen that needs to have its bottom scrubbed out, and you wouldn't want to get that shirt dirty now, would you?"

Serena went into a pout immediately. Mom could comfort and discipline at the same time. It was just plain awful, how she could do that so easily.

Finally, Marinathought about what Bobby had said, and commented, "While what Bobby said is a part of the Law, it isn't put together neatly like that. He probably had some help, and an indication of what he may become some day; a wise advisor for our family and our People."

Feeling him tense up, she added, "And that doesn't mean you're going to be called to Serve. It just means that you have the potential to be a wise voice among our People, as one of those People."

Then she looked at her son and asked, "It was Saul that got you thinking that way, wasn't it?"

Bobby nodded, embarrassed. "I could see myself like him, an old man and still Smooth..."

Marinashook her head. "No. You could never be like him. He has known who and what we are for a very few days out of a life of eighty-five years. You have been raised by us, as our son."

Then she smiled, "Your father and I have a little plan for your twentieth birthday. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I think I'll tell you now.

"If you are still Smooth by that date, since our blood-types match, I will donate a half-pint of my blood to Cross my son Over. Luther will handle the transfusion, but you will Cross and lay claim to who you are on that date, if you haven't already. Your father and I have set money aside for that, should it be necessary. It will be our last gift to your parents; to Charles who loved Harry so much but couldn't Cross, and his mate Jen who chose to stay Smooth to be with him."

Bobby drew back in surprise; "My birth parents wanted to Cross? Why didn't they?" Question piled on question in his surprised mind.

Marinagrew sad as she remembered, "Charles wanted to Cross, but three of the best Crossing Servants he asked said he would die of the flesh-rending sickness. They have a way to test that is pretty accurate, the same way a Healing Servant can find sickness or injury in a person's body. Jen's parents wanted her to Cross anyway, since she was fourth generation Kindred; but she refused, saying she would live as her mate did for all her days. It made her parents and your parents grow apart, but I can give my best friend a son who is what she and her mate couldn't be; a true Child of the Wolf, in mind, soul, and body."

She smiled a moment as she added, "I think she'll be happy about that. We had talked about it a little, after Charles found out he couldn't Cross, and she was pregnant with you. It was a real tragedy, since Charles's brother Bruce Crossed Over and took that Healing Servant as his mate; and they are so happy together along with your grandparents. Yet your father Charles accepted our Mother-Beloved's decision about his life-task, and was in every way Her own child. He was truly a wulf in Smooth skin, and everyone who knew him was proud to know him, and his Smoothness wasn't ever an issue in his Pack."

She thought back to the day when Charles had told Harry that he couldn't Cross and come to help him at the ranch.

"Harry was heartbroken when he found out. He was willing to spend everything he had to send Charles to Servants and maybe find one who could Cross him over safely. Then Charles told Harry that the next time around, he'd ask that they be born as brothers in some wulf family, so they could grow up together as People in a Free world. Harry believed him, and they swore it the last Song night that they were here together. Then Charles and Jen went toDenver and a good paying job that allowed them to visit us every month or so, by flying up here for a three-day weekend. It was a wonderful time, especially when you were old enough to play with our daughters."

Bob sighed, remembering the night when Harry had come to get him, after the police had told him that Charles and Jen had been killed in a freak accident. Things were blurry until some time after he had come to live with--with his parents, who could look like wolves.

He looked up at his mother, Marina, and asked; "It isn't what I look like, is it? It's who I am, inside; that's what counts, isn't it?"

Marinasnuffled back a tear and nodded. "That's what counts, Bobby. That's all that counts in our Mother-Beloved's eyes. She knows us as who we are, not what we look like."

Then she tapped him on the breast, over his heart, and said; "And She put Her own hand on your heart, so that no wulf would ever question whether or not you were one of Her children. You may not have fur like your sisters, but you are a wulf as much as they are; and you are a Wolfe as well. You're my son in every way, and I can trace my family back over fifty generations of wulfen. You are one of us, Bobby; smooth or not. You're one of us."

Bobby sniffled for a moment, then stood and kissed his mother on the cheek. "Got chores to finish," he said in a slightly shaky voice, and headed toward the kitchen and the mud room for his cold gear and muck-boots.

Serena slouched after him, realizing that there was a greasy stewpot waiting for her in the sink. It could have been washed in the dishwasher, but Mom had told her to do it herself because she "wouldn't mess up her tee-shirt" which was still wrapped around her waist. She'd forgotten to put it on when they had come in to the house.

Her mother's voice follower her; "Be sure to wear a bib apron, Serena, or you'll have to wash that grease out of your chest as well as your arms."

"Yes, mom," she replied in a not quite grumble, "Bib apron, yes mom."

Then she had an idea. It would brighten up Bobby's day, at least.

Before Bobby had finished zipping his parka, Serena had brought him some cookies as a snack before he went back to work. There was something odd about her, he decided; but couldn't figure out what it was.

Then when she turned and headed back into the kitchen, he saw what the difference was. The apron was all she was wearing. She turned and grinned, "This way, I'll keep that greasy water off my shorts, too; don'cha think?"

Then she sauntered back into the kitchen, still grinning.

Bobby chuckled and blushed. His sister was awfully cute, and if mom found out what she'd done, she'd be scrubbing things for the rest of the week.

A week later, things were back to normal at the Wolfe ranch house. Serena had made an "A" on her history test and another "A" in bookkeeping. Things like bookkeeping were high-school subjects in the Wolf Bend school system because of all the farm and ranch businesses in the area. There were several departures from what other children studied in other parts of the country in this particular school district, all based on the economy of the region. Farm kids needed to know how to keep books, as well as do carpentry work and metal work (both classes being co-educational). Ranching or farming were a specialized set of skills, and some of those skills were taught in the schools.

Bobby had scored another "A+" in his elective course of electronics by building a short-wave receiver that fit in a cigar box and could pick up both Japanese and Norwegian short wave transmissions. The "plus" part of his grade came from his making a compact antenna based on drawings he'd seen in an Electronics magazine. The teacher was gently pushing him toward getting a short-wave license, but Bobby was less interested in that than in computer science, which had become his favorite interest of everything he was learning. He had a computer that he did his school work on, but he wanted to speed it up and make it into a gaming machine.

His parents had said "no." If he wanted to do that, he would have to buy a machine himself to experiment with. This one was for school and for work on the ranch, keeping records.

Harry had received a call from Saul confirming that he would fly to Wolf Bend on the nineteenth of December, getting out of town while his brother's family was atTempleservices.

"You don't know what a relief this will be, Harry," Saul had said over the telephone; "it's this time of year that my family makes me miserable over not being Jewish any more. The whole week is one long string of invites to dinners and services that ruins whatever plans I may make to try to have a little fun. I will be very much be looking forward to spending this holiday letting my answering machine deal with them, instead of dodging them in person."

Then he had asked if there was anything he could bring for their holidays.

"Just some warm stuff for yourself," Harry had advised; "since we sing outside on that little hill at the back of the living area. Make sure it's warm; real warm, since it's outside and lasts a couple of hours. We'll provide a chair for you to sit on, or maybe a hay bale or two if it's slushy. I think you'll be impressed when you hear us sing, since most folks don't hear it up close and they lose the harmonies in the distance."

"Now, I'm interested;" Saul replied. " I just hope it isn't snowing."

They exchanged a few more words, then Saul rang off.

Harry went upstairs to Serena's room and knocked on the doorframe, as she was once again studying and dancing at the same time. He didn't see how she could do it, but she obviously could.

She turned and smiled at him, dislodging her ear-buds and shutting the music off.

"Serena," he said, " I got some good news for you."

She instantly became apprehensive; "This isn't about me being a dog again is it, Daddy?" She started to back away.

Harry laughed, "No, pupkins, it isn't. I just got off the phone with Saul, and he's coming up on the Saturday before Sun's Birth. I hope he can stay the week, since he can have Christmas with us then, too."

Serena howled with happiness and hugged her father, saying, "This is wonderful! It'll be so neat to have him here!"

Harry glanced down at his daughter and smiled, commenting; "You seem to really like him a lot, don't you? Why?"

She replied, "He's a good man. He's smart, and he doesn't talk down to me like some of the guys in school do, just because this is my first year in high school." Then she grew thoughtful and added, "And he feels like one of us, like a wulf; even though he isn't. He's a very good man, and Mom likes him a lot, too."

"I didn't knowMarinahad mentioned that to you," Harry replied; "but she does like him. He's the most considerate non-Wulf guest when he's here for his hunts, and now that we don't have to hide, I expect that we'll get along even better."

Harry sighed, "If there were more people like him, we wouldn't have to hide; but yeah, he's someone we all like. I wonder how your sister will take his being Kindred, now? She was awfully worried the last time he was here about something."

"Shedding," Serena replied bluntly. "That was when we were going from winter to summer coats, and she sheds enough for all of us, all by herself. We were cleaning fur out of everything the last time he was here, and she was studying for her SAT tests at the same time. She claims that she can't study as well in Smooth as she can in her normal fur, and she was worried about that, as well."

"Well, it is a strain," Harry replied, "but I bet that's why she spent so much time in her room, then. She'd fuzz up so's she could study in peace."

Then he looked down at his youngest daughter and asked, "What about you? You're going to College in two or three years, and you'll have to stay smooth at least fourteen hours a day. How do you think you'll handle it?"

"Easy," she replied, "staying Smooth is no strain for me. I revert, I stay there until I actively shift. But then, I have a wolf's coat; not a Saint Bernard's."

Harry chuckled, "Better not let your sister hear that. You know what she did to Bobby when he compared her to a St. Bernard; and she snapped at him when he suggested a curry comb for her tangles."

"I was there," Serena giggled, "and he did come up with that vacuum-comb thing that we all use. He's smart."

"Yeah," Harry replied, "but I'd surely be relieved if he spotted up and Crossed before we have to resort to a transfusion. The older he gets, the more I worry that Charles's trouble may have been inherited by his son; and he couldn't Cross."

Then he gave Serena a hard stare; "And I don't mean for you to get the thing started yourself, unless Martina and Bobby have separated for at least three months. Your mother told me about your little talk, and I'm saying that they have to separate and stay that way for three Song Nights before you and he start him Crossing. And if you get pregnant..."

Serena finished the statement; "If I get pregnant, then Bobby and I will work out College and everything else as mates always have. If we have children, I know we will stay together for a lot longer than eighteen years."

The werewolf looked at his daughter in surprise. "You really do love him, don't you?" he asked.

"Yeah, Daddy, I do," she replied quite seriously; "and I'm glad he isn't related to me by blood, because I might defy the Words and seek him anyhow. If I had been a year older, Martina would never have had a chance with him."

Both of them were surprised at the force of her words, but Harry recovered first.

"Pupkins," he said, "If they break up, Bobby will be the one needing the time to heal. Humans are like that. But if that happens, you know that I will support your mating with him. If it doesn't, then you know how big your wolf's heart is; and there will be someone who will fill it to overflowing."

Then he kissed her on her forehead and whispered, "You make me proud, Pupkins. Your heart is as big as your mother's was when she took in a disillusioned wulf and healed him with her love. You'll do the same, and I wish you all the happiness I've had in my life with your mother."

Then he sniffed the air and commented, "And I think your mother has made her rosemary pork for dinner tonight. Shall we go see?"

Serena grinned, "Yeah, lets go see what's for dinner."

After dinner, which had been delicious as usual; Harry sought out his son. Bobby was in his room, online at some electronics website that had a chat room. Peeking over his son's shoulder, he was amazed to see what Bobby was talking about; something about a security weakness in the most recent edition of a common computer operating system, and how to bolster the defenses that were there.

Harry wasn't computer illiterate, but he could understand maybe one word out of three on the screen, and almost none of the code instructions.

He knocked on the doorframe, and Bobby stopped typing and turned around to look at his father with attentive eyes.

Harry glanced at the monitor and asked, "Just what is that stuff you are talking about, there? Where did you learn so much about computers out here in the wilds ofMontana?"

Bobby grinned and blushed, "The school has a computing sciences lab, and I've been helping the teacher during lunch breaks. He teaches me about how coding works, and the languages that are used, and I help him keep the computers running when somebody downloads a homemade virus into the system as a joke."

"A joke?" Harry asked in amazement; "why would somebody want to sabotage the computer lab as a joke? Suppose that program got into the school's main computer system? It wouldn't be very funny, then."

Bobby sighed, "To some kids, it would. There was a thing that happened a month ago, when somebody got into the attendance computers and changed all the freshman girls names to Japanese Anime-type names, using a series of rotating name combinations. They got caught, and one of the staff Servants had a talk with them. I don't think they're going to do that any more."

Harry let out the breath he'd been holding. Trouble in the attendance records would have the State checking things out; and that was something to be avoided at all costs. There were some things in the childrens' records that could blow the Secret past the moon, if they got out.

Then his curiosity kicked in. "Did you see if your sister got tagged with one of those names?" he asked.

"Yeah," Bobby said around a chuckle, "she was 'Space Princess Neko'. They got the records fixed, though; and attendance was called with the day before's lists and corrected once things were fixed. Nobody but the attendance people and me and the computer teacher knew about it."

"Watch your grammar," Harry warned, "you don't want to sound like me; an ignorant farmer-type. I can get away with it, but your mother would wash out your mouth with soap for something like that; and then blame me for it." Then he grinned, "I'm just lucky I'm too big for her to do it to me, and I plan to keep it that way."

Then he came to the thing he'd wanted to speak with his son about.

"Bobby," he said in a quiet voice, "Your father was someone I loved as much as I love Marina, and you're all I have left of him in this life. When he said he couldn't Cross, it was like all the light went out of the sky for me. When he died, a part of me died with him and your mom. I want you wulf, yes; but I want you alive more than that. The girls have a plan to start you Crossing; I expect you can imagine how they plan to do it."

Then he took a deep breath and asked, "I want you to say no; not until you've been checked for the flesh-rending sickness by Luther and one of the Specialist Healers. I lost the guy I loved as much as I love your mother when he died, and I don't want to lose you, too. I'd rather have you Smooth the rest of your life than see you die that way."

He shuddered, "I saw it; once. It was the most horrible thing I've ever seen; and I don't want it to happen to you."

He looked his son squarely in his human eyes. "I could order you as your First, but I won't. I'm asking you as your father, not telling you. Please; test first, before you let either of your sisters start your Crossing the intimate way."

Bobby took his father's furred and padded werewolf's hand in his own human one, and said, "I promise, Dad. I'll tell them I need to test first, before we..." he stopped speaking for a moment, then added, "I wouldn't want to hurt either of them that way; or you or mom either. I'll do as you ask, because you're all I have of my folks, too."

Harry whispered a "thank you" and patted his son on the head. He wasn't sure if he could stand to lose Bobby that way; not and stay sane. If he lost Bobby to flesh-rending, he might just go for "the long run" into Father Haouu's way and forget his human part; simply because that part hurt too much to stay with.

As he went down the stairs from the children's rooms, he whispered a thanking to Mother-Beloved for the web of love and caring that a wulfen family was. How some humans could do what they did, with their dysfunctional families; he simply could not understand.

Then Thanksgiving was past, and December was at hand. Harry had received several letters from Saul, telling about his treatments with the "Specialist" and the parallel treatments he was getting from his own Cardiologist.

He confided he was no longer using oxygen at night, and he was taking some walks with "one of the Specialist's friends" to improve his circulation and to strengthen his regenerated heart muscles.

In the last letter that Harry had received, though, Saul was complaining about his brother and his doctor with some force.

Saul had written, "My brother seems to think that I need to come toTempleservices this year, and to 're-confirm my ancestral religion before it's too late' as he puts it. I had to ask him out of my office at the firm when he became so insistent that his voice was carrying out into the other offices in the suite. Just because he's a partner in the firm, he doesn't have the right to spread my philosophy about religion to all the other partners and the juniors and the secretaries; not to mention the clients.

"Fortunately, the Specialist I'm seeing is not raising the religious issue with me, other than asking me to give what I learned out at your place a fair and unbiased consideration, which I am. I will agree there is something there, and I am finding it more and more attractive as I think about it," he added.

"Then there are the dreams. I thought they were simply a reaction on my part to learning some of your family history; and it seems I'm wrong there. If I can manage to obtain some concurrence from you or your family in regards to them, I just may change my habits a little. I've been told that I will find out for certain when I fly up for your religious holiday, and to wait until then.

"I will be flying up and expect to take the mid-afternoon flight; arriving around four-twenty in the afternoon of the 19th. I'll rent a car and drive out to your place, so expect me around dinner time. I plan to indulge myself on your wife's cooking, which is far better than what I've been eating around here. You would think in a city the size ofBozeman that there would be one restaurant that served buffalo meat, but outside of a couple of Barbeques that drown the meat in sauce and smoke flavoring, there are none.

Yes, Harry, that is a hint. I've come to consider that roastMarina fixed the day before I left as thehigh point of my dining in the last five years, and possibly more.

"I'm sending Serena an early Christmas gift enclosed in a card, and I would appreciate if you would keep her from opening it until I arrive and can see for myself what her reaction is. I think she will enjoy it, although she may come to regret it once she is in College; and that is all I plan to say for now."

He had concluded that last letter with good wishes for their whole family, and again thanked them for providing him a hiding place from his brother over the holidays.

Harry scratched his head over some of the comments in the letter. What dreams were Saul talking about? How did they figure in with the Sun's Birth that they were going to sing that night? Saul was obviously being cryptic as a security precaution with the letter, but some of his references were too cryptic for him to figure out.

Two days later, the referenced Christmas card-sized envelope arrived for Serena, with Saul's return address in the corner. Harry put it in his desk, as Saul had requested him to do. Why Saul couldn't bring it with him when he flew up, Harry couldn't decide, other than as an old human's fancies.

On the day of the 19th, Harry and Serena were at the airport, waiting for Saul. If he wanted to do some driving and perhaps visit the real Wolf Bend while he was here, the four-wheel drive of the Jeep wagon would be far better on the now slushy gravel roads than a rental from the airport's tiny fleet of rental cars. They were for paved roads, which went to the suburbs of Wolf Bend; where wulfen retired after a life of hiding and their bones and joints were no longer up to the strains of Shifting on a daily basis.

The plane arrived forty-five minutes late, which was odd. The regional airline that served the airport was noted for timeliness and adherence to schedule.

When Harry heard his name being called on the public address system, he began to worry.

Checking in with the airport authorities gave Harry the reason for the plane's lateness. Saul had had a serious heart attack as the plane was taxiing for takeoff, and he had been taken toBozeman GeneralHospitalin an ambulance, once the plane had returned to the terminal.

Serena was a study in shock and worry. As they drove back to the house, Harry decided to give her the card now, rather than wait for Saul to arrive. He wasn't going to; not this year, not in time for Christmas or anything else. Harry drove back to the ranch with deep concerns, both for Saul and for Serena, who had closed down into deep worry beside him in the car and wouldn't respond to him other than in monosyllables. It was already full dark when they crossed theWolfRiverbridge, and Serena was as dark inside the car as the sky was outside of it.

Once they had arrived at the ranch,Marinacalled the entire family into the kitchen and told them the news she had received on the telephone fromDenver, from Saul's Healing Servant.

Martina was late. She had been brushing herself in her room and hadn't heard her mother's first call. Once she was there, and the whole family was together,Marinatold them what she had learned.

"It was just after you and Serena had left for the airport that I got a call from Saul's Servant," she began; "He said that he had cautioned Saul about flying but Saul was determined that he was coming here for Sun's Birth; so he had given him a little extra Healing to help him deal with the stress of the trip."

She sighed, "It apparently didn't work, because Saul rode with him to the airport and he could feel the human starting to degrade in the seat beside him. He tried to stop Saul from going again, but Saul said something about needing to be here; that there was going to be something special he would be a part of, as a gift from Mother-Beloved."

Bobby asked, "You mean Saul used Her name just like that?"

Marinanodded gravely, "According to the Servant, those were his exact words. When he was taken away in the ambulance, the Servant had to go to the hospital himself; since he's a therapist there and could keep track of Saul's condition."

Serena stared at the table, her eyes full of pain; her fists clenched in front of her.

Harry handed her the card that Saul had sent only days before, commenting; "Saul said to hide this until Christmas, 'cause he wanted to see you open it. Why don't you open it now, so we can tell the Servant how surprised you were; and he can tell Saul. It'll cheer Saul up, I'll bet you."

Mystified, Martina asked, "Why would he send Serena a card? He doesn't know her other than as one of the family, does he?" Her ears were fully forward with curiosity.

"I'll tell you later," Harry replied; "but she was part of gettin' Saul Kindred; last time he was here."

"He's Kindred?" Martina asked in surprise; "when did that happen?"

"Last time he was here," Harry repeated himself; "the rest, your mother and I will tell you later." He glanced at his elder daughter and stared for a second. The First had spoken.

Martina realized that her father meant just that, and fell silent.

Serena had meanwhile slit open the envelope with a claw and was reading the paper that was inside the cheery Christmas card. She dropped the card and the paper and began to silently weep; her eyes streaming and her jaw quivering, yet without making a sound. Bobby hurried to her side, as did her mother; while Harry picked up the card, the piece of paper, and the check that was paper-clipped to it.

"Dear Serena," it began; "I want to again thank you for letting me learn about your wonderful people, your beliefs, and your hopes for the future. It's a simple fact that at my age, I may see the liberation of your people; but I won't be able to do much about it. They are going to need legal protections as you come out of your hiding from the world, and I have been told that you have a rare mind that can most likely handle the twists and turnings of Law where most of your people have problems with it.

"Enclosed is a check for the first two years of college-level Pre-Law studies, as I was advised by the local branch of theStateUniversity. I would ask you to include them as a minor in your studies, to see if indeed you are the rare wulf whose mind can encompass Human law and its applications in your people's struggle for equality in this too fallible human world. Use it, I ask you; to see if indeed you can handle the mental gymnastics involved. If so, I would advise you to take the Law as a major and use it to be one of the first of your people admitted to the bar in this state, as proof of your people's intelligence and civic responsibility.

"If it proves too difficult for you to try to follow human logic, do not be ashamed, since most born humans can't do so either. That's why those of us who can do so are so important; we are the mediators between confusing statute and real life. If the law seems too human to understand, Pre-Law will still give you the tools to excel in your other studies for your degree, as well as exposure to logic and legal method. These will make you an asset to your people as an advisor and counselor in their bid for freedom, when it comes.

"And finally, I want to thank you for saving my life, so that I might meet both a wonderful people and find at last a divine concept I can accept. You have given me a wonderful gift, so please let me give you a small token of my appreciation of that gift.

"Yours most sincerely and respectfully,

--Uncle Saul"

There was silence around the table while Harry read the note. Serena continued to weep and to receive comfort from her family and Packmembers.

Finally, Martina asked, "What did my sister do?" Her face was a perfect example of a surprised wolf; eyes wide and ears pointed at her father.

"Something wonderful,"Marinareplied quietly, "more wonderful than we realized at the time," as she continued to comfort her daughter.

The telephone rang, and Harry went to get it.

When he returned, he spoke with sadness; "Saul's gone. That was his Servant, inBozeman. Saul was never fully conscious after the heart attack, but he thinks he was saying one word over and over again; only he was so weak, nobody could be sure."

He sighed, "Healing Servant Miller thinks that Saul was saying, 'Lunara' over and over again, but he wasn't certain because the man was so weak."

The words galvanized Serena into action. She tore the clothing from her body and before anyone could stop her was out the door and into the night.

In a few moments, a Song was heard; one that no one but Harry was familiar with.

"What is she singing?" Martina asked; "I've never heard that Song before..."

Bobby was nodding, as was his mother. This Song was unknown to them, as well.

Harry stood stunned for a moment before responding. "That's an old, old, Song named 'Call to the Lost' and I don't know where she learned it. The last time I heard it was when an Outcast we had working here was killed before he had earned his Name back among the People, and Luther sang it. Serena hadn't even been born then."

He shook his head and asked again, "Where did she learn it?"

His mate stroked his head and replied, "Maybe she already knew it. We need to be ready for when she changes to 'Passing Sorrow,' so we can counterpoint her with the 'Mother's Promise'."

As the wulfen went to their rooms to undress so they could Sing; Bobby was boiling some water for a tea. Serena would need it.

Serena sang the Call until her throat was raw and she was coughing with every change in pitch or inflection. Her cheeks were ice-rimed, stiff and cold with frozen tears. Finally, she lost her voice and could no longer Sing. All she could do was cough, kneeling in the snow.

The snow crunched beside her and Bobby was there with an open thermos and a cup in his hand.

"Take it," he said; "it's lemon and honey and sage. It'll help your throat."

"Thank you, Bobby," she whispered. Then she sipped the tea as her father crunched I up beside her and settled into the snow; a wolf on a hill.

"I'll start the 'Passing Sorrow'," he said gently; "until your throat feels better. He was my friend, too."

She sat and sipped, the warm liquid soothing her throat; while Bobby kept the cup filled for her. Finally, she joined her father in the wulfen lament for the dead.

At the foot of the hill, the rest of her family and most of the workers were seated in their fur and waiting for the break in the lament that signaled their response in "Mother's Promise." Few of them knew Saul, but they all knew that Serena was bereaved, and they were her help and relief as they Sang their Goddess's Promise that as wulfen, She and they would never be parted by death.

Beside her, Serena heard her brother Singing the Promise; even though as a human he couldn't reach all the tones or hear the harmonies. He was singing for his sister, because she hurt and his human version of the Song could bring her some comfort.

In that moment, she loved him very, very much.

It is a fact that while wulfen grieve deeply, they do not grieve long. By the new year, Serena was all but healed of her sorrows.

Martina had been briefly jealous of Bobby's attentions toward her sister, until she had been spoken to by her mother about what had happened. Then she had seen Bobby as someone who cared deeply for his whole family, and the blossom of love in her heart began to open toward this human who was her brother and would be her mate in time. Of that, she was certain.

When it was time for her to return to College, she and he had spent a long night together; deepening the bond that was growing between them. She departed happy and not at all jealous of her sister.

Indeed, she had new respect for Serena, who had risked the wrath of the People's Law to preserve and honor a human's life.

Serena had done what was right; and that was all that was important.

It was the first week of March, and Serena had something she had to do.

"Mom, can I have the day off?" she asked innocently.

Marinawas immediately on guard. When Serena had a "day off," there was usually trouble the next day.

"Why?" she asked, seeking a reason to say no. Serena had been entirely too good of recent, and that worried her mother a bit.

"I want to go up to the place where Saul almost died. It's like, like something I need to do," Serena replied.

"You mean where you bent the oath into a pretzel to save his life?" her mother asked, curiously. Out there, she couldn't cause that much trouble. On the other hand, the State was doing a survey not that far away for a possible electrical transmission tower easement, whichMarina was not in any way in favor of.

There was the temptation to say no, but then she remembered Saul had reserved this weekend for a hunt. Her daughter wanted to go and remember him, where she had exposed herself to him and put herself at risk.

The word no was on her lips, but somehow it came out as yes.

"But," she added, "you go the same way you went there before. Nothing but a hunter's collar. And stay away from the survey team, or we'll have to collect you from the pound...in a week or so."

Serena's sigh told her that she had anticipated her daughter's second plan; to go watch the survey crew. Her daughter was taking an unusual interest in Smooths, and the survey team was on the muscular side.

Being naked around humans was safer than letting her daughter go out there in whatever little clothing she decided to wear.

"And you do double chores tomorrow," she added; "if you get a day off, so does your brother."

Half an hour later, as she trotted past the horse barn, she met her brother.

"Double chores tomorrow?" Bobby asked as she stopped beside him.

"You were right," she grumbled, "You get the day off tomorrow while I shovel horse poop."

Bobby grinned, "I'll help you. This is important to you, isn't it?"

She nodded, "Yeah, and I can't think why. It's just like something I have to do."

He stood quietly for a moment, then guessed; "A chance to say good-bye to a friend, in the place where he became your friend? Stay safe, sis; and feel better."

Serena rubbed her cheek against his leg. She had too much stuff on her hands to stand and hug him.

Then she headed out to where her adventure with the human Saul had begun. She missed him, a little. He was safe, though, with mother.

"Now where did I get that idea?" she asked herself. Mom had nothing to do with it.

Once out of the settled area around the ranch house, Serena started to run. She was already nearly the fastest wolf on the ranch, and Mom had offered to show her a jump-revert-land trick that would let her revert to biped from quadruped in the air, not on the ground. She would run into it as a wolf, jump and flip, and then land on two feet as a wulf. The idea sounded neat and would be something to wow the other kids at school with, once she'd learned it.

When she ran, it was like flying close to the ground. She would land, kick off, and sail through the air for twenty feet or more. Daddy was already coaching her in the art of running in a dry streambed, and had said she was going to be very fast once she had mastered the art of the run. Greg would be so proud...

She slowed to a lope as she thought about Greg, and what had happened to him; or them, once they had entered High School.

In Junior High, they had been fast friends. She had even fantasized about asking him to Cross and mate with her when they were grown; they had been that close. He had made her feel safe and warm and loved when he was with her.

Then in High School, things had changed. They had started with the same relationship they had enjoyed in Junior High. Then for some reason, he had stopped seeing her. It was almost as if he were afraid of her for some reason, once she had become an adult among the People. They had gone from potential mates to distant acquaintances in less than a month.

She suspected he had found some human girl and replaced Serena with a member of his own species. Lucky girl.

Into that vacuum, several wulfen boys had come and kept her from grieving over Greg with affections from her own kind. None of them were Greg, but they all were fun to be with; and Greg had become a distant memory.

They still met in school, only now as students, not as friends; not as potential mates.

Well, Johnny Gault was almost as much fun as Greg; and they could kiss without having to take protective measures. That simplified things a lot, in her eyes; even when Johnny made the mistake of saying that "that human wasn't man enough for you."

That had earned him snarling fangs and dropped ears, and he had taken the hint. What she had enjoyed with Greg was still part of her, and would be for the rest of her life. She briefly hated that lucky human girl, then banished the memory.

Wulfen lived in the now, not the past. That was the province of the Singers, not ordinary People like her.

She picked up the pace again, the tags on her collar jingling in her ears as she ran.

Her course took her past the survey team, and she watched them from a brush row; being careful not to be seen. She wished she had sneaked her camera out of the house, but Mom had seen to it that she had nothing to carry it in; and she would wreck it if she held it in her mouth.

Mom was entirely too clever for Serena's own interests. It was as if she somehow knew what her daughter was planning, even before Serena had planned it. It was as if Mom could read her mind, somehow.

Was Mom some kind of secret Servant?

After enjoying her free show provided by the survey crew, Serena set out for the place where it all started; where she had risked the Secret to save a human's life by giving him CPR in her fur when he wasn't Kindred.

She made the trip in less than twenty minutes to the place where Uncle Saul had almost died and she had not only saved his life, she had taken the deer he had only wounded with his own rifle; standing up and ending the pretense that she was just a hunting dog.

The thought still gave her chills, even though everybody from her sister to Bobby to her parents had finally agreed that she had done the right thing.

Then, he had died coming to visit them over their winter holidays; and she had Sung for him with a Song she didn't realize she had learned. That was spooky. According to the Servants, that meant she had already learned that song in another life; and the memory was there when she had needed it. That was double-spooky!

She sat on the log where Saul had almost died, and remembered him as she had last seen him. He was old, but not aged. He had liked her dress, and had complemented her on it. He had brought her chocolate covered honeycomb candy, which was her secret vice. Even though she couldn't eat much chocolate at any one time, she loved the stuff.

Now, it was all gone; and there wouldn't be any more.

"Oh, I wouldn't bet on that," came a voice from behind her.

She whirled as she stood up, wondering who could have snuck up on her. She should have heard them!

There was a man standing there with a box tucked under one arm and a smile on his face. He looked so familiar...

"Uncle Saul?" she asked, not daring to believe what she was seeing.

"The same, pretty girl;" the man said as he sat down on the log she had just stood up from.

"Y-y-you're dead," Serena stuttered in shock. "The Servant called and I Sang for you..." Her emotions were whirling around in her mind; this couldn't be happening!

"Please, Serena; have a seat," the man said gently; "I have a bit of a story for you."

She sat beside him. There was something odd about him and then she realized that he had no scent. There was a scent of chocolate from the box under his arm, but from him there was nothing. It was as if he wasn't there.

Saul smiled at his young friend. "You know, you saved me with your stories about your people," he began; "and your faith somehow managed to make an old man see things in a new way, and meet someone who I could honestly conceive of as a Goddess."

He grew sober. "I was so intent on visiting my new-old friends, I ignored my Servant and my Doctor," he said remorsefully; "they were concerned that I might not be able to handle the stress that flying is, nowadays. They were right. I had more than a heart attack on the plane; the aortic valve literally blew out and I almost died right there. I managed to keep enough awareness to do what a young woman named Luin-hra told me to do, I called her name over and over until I couldn't call any more."

He bowed his head, "And then I was standing beside my body with no idea of what to do next. Then I heard a song in the distance, calling a lost soul to come to its singer, and somehow I managed to do that, although I don't remember how I did it.

"I saw you on that little hill in back of your house. You had stopped singing by then, and your brother was handing you a cup of something from a thermos. You drank it while Harry started singing the saddest song I've ever heard while the rest of your people sang something different that complemented it so beautifully."

Then he smiled and said, "I saw that woman I had dreamed about so often, walking on the air toward me. She took my hand, and led me to a wonderful place where there were many of your people who wanted to learn what I knew of the law and human courts. That's what I do now, mostly; I teach. I teach your people how to manage and deal with human complexities in their laws; and when they're born they will remember and become lawyers on their own." He was really smiling, now.

"Occasionally, I get called back here to deal with an occasional 'hopeless' legal problem," he explained. "This time, it was a question of Eminent Domain taking a generations-old Place of Song for some developer who wanted to build yet an other housing tract on the site."

He grinned, "Like this, I can do Discovery like nobody else. I managed to find out about the bribes that the developer had given certain City Councilpersons to get the illegal Eminent Domain business started in the first place. The State's Attorney-General is investigating them and that Eminent Domain business is over and done with permanently."

"I took a little detour on my way back to the Place, to see how my young friend was doing; and I brought you a little remembrance," he said as he handed her the box of candy.

Serena could barely see for the tears in her eyes. Uncle Saul was with mother, now. He was in Mother-Beloved's Place of Peace, and teaching her people to deal with human law.

As she took the package, Saul blotted her tears with his handkerchief; repeating, "It's okay, Serena; I made it," while she wept for joy more than sorrow, and he stroked her head to comfort her.

Finally she managed to ask him why he had changed his mind about Mother-Beloved.

Saul smiled again and replied, "Because She asked me to call to Her; not for myself nor for Her; but so my knowledge could protect all the Harrys and Serenas in the world. She wasn't interested in Her_self; _She was interested solely in Her children and what will happen to them when they burst forth upon an unsuspecting world, a world that thinks them to be legends and stories and monsters. She was concerned for Her people, and that won me over. It's the first time that any God I've investigated has ignored the divine 'ME' aspect and concentrated solely on the good of their worshippers. That's what won me over, because it was unique."

Serena asked, "Will I ever see you again?" as hope warred with reality in her soul.

Saul nodded, "Oh, absolutely! I should have my teaching work done in twenty years or maybe less; then I've been promised to be reborn among my friends, the wolf-people. When I'm grown, I'll come look you up; and yes, I will remember. That's part of the agreement I made with my...Goddess." He chuckled, "I still have difficulty saying that. Old habits die hard."

Then he remembered something, "Don't go setting your hat for Bobby, since most likely he will have a role to play with the freeing of your people," he warned; "and don't give up on old friends, either. Time may mend what was broken, in your case."

He stood; "It's time I was back at work, teaching. Every now and then, you'll find a box of honeycomb on your dresser. Don't tell your...mother though; because she likes the stuff too; and I can only manage one."

Then he smiled and began to fade, and in a few moments there was nobody there but Serena. She looked around and a hesitant smile played over her features. Uncle Saul was with her People, as one of them now.

She carefully opened the candy box and crunched a piece of the chocolate covered foamed sugar. Then she smiled. Saul was with the Goddess, and her People would learn law as a tool, not just a confusing chunk of human word-play.

Mother had won, and she never puzzled over what that thought meant.

She tucked the box under her arm and started walking home.

End... and Beginning, too...

The Deer Hunt

Set in the Wulfen Blood Universe

By Kyllein F. MacKellerann

And E.True: Research

Harry put down the telephone and smiled. Saul Goldfarb was coming for his semi-annual deer hunt and once again Harry would guide him over the lands that made up the Wolf Creek Ranch.

For his services, he would get $1500.00; which would go for Serena's College money after she had graduated high school. She would also have a day with "Uncle Saul" helping him get loaded up and accompanying them for a part of the way into the back country.

It would also mean that everybody on the ranch would either have to be out on the range or Passing in Smooth as a Smoothskin rather than the Werewolves they were. Well, that was life for the Wulfen people; hiding in plain sight when non-Kindred Smoothskins were around.

For Serena, it would also be her first time as an "Adult" dealing with her were' nature. She had passed her "Proving" test early that autumn and was now an adult werewolf in the eyes of the People. No more expecting help in reversion; she was capable of the process on her own.

Even when Bobby had set off that firecracker and she had jumped almost a foot; she had stayed Smooth. She had sashayed up to her brother and kissed him on the nose; which had made him blush scarlet; considering that she was stark naked and Smooth at the time, and she was a very pretty girl even without her fur.

Harry wondered; was she setting her eye on her adopted brother? That might be interesting; since he and Martina were making their first tentative overtures toward each other; and as the older sister, Martina frequently got what she wanted.

Maybe that would be the thing that would get Bobby to Cross. Since he had come to live at the Wolfe household at the age of ten when his parents had been killed in a terrible car/truck wreck, there had been no special precautions taken to prevent him "catching" Lycanthropy from contact or from sharing meals or even utensils, yet he was as Smooth today as he had been when Harry had brought his best friend's son home to stay--in a house full of werewolves.

That had been eight years ago. Now, as far as Harry and his mate and family were concerned; Bobby was as wulf as they were, even if he didn't Shift. He was his son, and that was all there was to it.

Harry was a little less calm half an hour later, after he had visited the dog kennels and found "Sheila," his Wolf-Shepherd mix stretched out dead on the floor of her kennel-run. She looked like she had just keeled over from a heart failure. She was almost ten years old, and something about the Wolf in the crossbreed decreased the lifespan of the hybrids dramatically.

"What am I gonna do?" he thought to himself; "Saul is on the way, and he's driving; so I can't call him and tell him to come later when I can borrow another dog." Regular hunters couldn't smell deer in these conditions, with three and more feet of snow on the ground; you had to have a wolf-crossbreed to get the scent.

Then he had an idea.

Serena was the despair of her mother about staying dressed. He suspected it was a form of competition with her older sister; especially since she had completed the Change in less than two years, and had as full a coat of fur at fourteen as her sister had at seventeen.

Serena loved to run naked in the snow in her four-footed form, and her mother was always scolding her about it, not there was a nudity thing among the werewolves.

That was play.

Maybe, if she had to stay on four feet and naked for a reason, she would find it a bit less attractive.

Harry glanced at his youngest daughter's window, and saw that the light was on. She would be listening to the radio or her CD's while doing homework on her computer.

She might get a day or so out of school if things worked out right; and she'd like that.

Add in that she was starting to run with some of the rowdier of the young wolves on the campus; this might help things out a lot. Too bad that nice Massey boy was a Smooth. He and Serena had been good friends in junior high...

Serena, in fur, was at the age of just "plus" sixteen a very pretty werewolf, with light tans and grays in her face and body with the hints of a back coat that was lightly speckled in tans, browns, and ochre that resembled fallen leaves on a deeper gray ground. She was somewhat vain about it, although her older sister Martina pointed out that those colors were more like a hyena than a wolf; she brushed herself regularly, frequently to her latest acquisition in black metal. She even danced a little while she studied, sometimes, holding her book and reading while doing some rather adult hip gyrations.

That was what she was doing when Harry knocked on her doorjamb and came into her room at the back of the house. She turned and grinned at her father and said, "Hi, dad. How's things? Just a day to the weekend and no Friday tests for a wonder; at least for me." By that time the stereo was turned off and she was now paying attention to her First and father.

Harry grimaced, "Uhhh, honey; there's a little problem that's come up..."

When he was finished, Serena was looking at him like had gone slightly off his werewolf rockers.

"Let me get this straight," she began; "Sheila's dead. We don't have a backup deer dog. Uncle Saul is coming here to go hunting this weekend, and you want me to pretend to be a hunting dog?" The last two words were delivered at a rising pitch combined with a lowering level of belief in what she had heard.

Harry explained; "Well, you seem to like runnin' in the snow; and that money goes to your college fund, an' your mother won't say anything for a change..."

She was certain, now. Her father, First of the pack at the ranch, was totally nuts. Better humor him...

"Daddy, Sheila was one quarter wolf and three quarters Shepherd. I'm not; and there's no way that Saul wouldn't realize that I'm not Sheila. I look like what I am; a wolf, not a cross-mix. Besides, I have this big test I have to study for in two days..."

"In two days, it'll be Saturday;" Harry reminded her. Then, "Does that mean you're gonna practice acting like a dog for the weekend?" he asked with forced hope gleaming in his eyes.

Serena grew positively catlike as she asked, "Can I have Bobby critique me as a dog? He has the experience, since he took care of Sheila." There was something glittering in her deep gold-blue eyes as she asked the question of her father.

Harry knew what it was, too. "No seducing your brother!" he warned; "Martina has her eye on him, and if you get in her way--just remember she's bigger than you and a lot more possessive." She was also a much better fighter because of her age; but Harry didn't bring that up, since Serena already knew it from painful experience.

Then he lowered the boom. "And no 'just for fun' stuff, either. If he starts spotting up and you're the reason; you two will Declare for five years, minimum; whether you two want to or not. That means no College if you get pregnant."

That got him a, "Yes, daddy," with lowered ears and tucked tail...but he still didn't really trust his youngest daughter's submission display. He knew her all too well.

"And I'll have Bobby tell me how you're doin' regularly;" he further warned. They both knew that Bobby was prone to blush at anything sexual that came up; that was part of his Smooth heritage.

Serena knew when she was cornered, and ducked her head under Harry's jaw in submission and so he couldn't see her pout, and replied; "Yes daddy. Only dog stuff."

Harry sensed that he'd managed all that he could, so he offered a treat; "Look, honey, you do good and I'll spot you a couple of hundred for a little shopping--Gurk!"

The "Gurk" was her head popping up to meet his eyes and hitting his jaw. She was smiling and now quite agreeable to what he wanted.

He wished that she didn't have such a hard head, though. He'd almost bitten his tongue.

Bobby was finishing his chores when Harry found him. Taking him aside, he explained what was happening, and what he needed from his son.

"She has to be convincing as just a dog, Bobby;" Harry explained for the third time, "and stay that way long enough for Saul to get in his autumn hunt and not get wise to who's actually on the end of the lead line. She's gotta be as much like Sheila as possible; I'll say she's one of Sheila's pups or maybe a new purchase from the breeder we got Sheila from." He sighed for a moment.

"Bobby, you understand, you're my son; but Saul is a plain vanilla Smooth Human and he thinks that we're just stories and legends. If there was any other way, I'd do it; but he's on the way here and there's no way I can reach him to tell him we don't have a dog that can track deer in this much snow." Harry was still worried about the way things were going, but Saul had been coming here to hunt for over twenty years and probably didn't have many hunts left in him. He had a deal with the man, and as a wulf; that was it.

He'd just have to take his chances. If something bad happened, there were Servants at the hospital to scramble Saul's memory.

Truth was, Harry liked Saul. Saul was kindly and gentle-spoken and nobody would connect him with Goldfarb, Goldfarb, Myles, Samson, and Weiss; one of the biggest and most powerful legal firms in Montana, the top sharks in the legal ocean around here.

Yet, in court, Saul was as savage as any of the Cousins when he sensed that fair-play was being ignored and the truth was going out the window. Even though the whole family would be lying with their bodies while he was here; Harry respected the man's commitment to truth.

He also suspected that if Saul learned the truth about the family, he wouldn't be much different with them than he was now. Yet the law said that the Secret was to be kept, even from friends who were not Kindred; and Harry observed the laws of his People diligently.

It was the honorable thing to do, to balance the lie they would live in the greater world off the ranch. Only in their city of Wolf Bend could they be who they were in public. The rest of the time, it was hide, hide, and lie if they were questioned.

That was the world of the Scattering; Harry's world. Maybe he'd live to see the Day, when the lies and hiding could end. He hoped so, but this was here and this was now.

And Serena had to learn to be a dog in less than two days time.

Bob Wolfe went up the stairs to Serena's room and stopped dead at the door when he saw his sister, in Smooth and stark naked. She was lying on her side on her bed with a collar around her throat and was holding a leash in her hand.

"Hi, Bobby," she said in a sultry voice; "I have to learn to act like a doggie and you're supposed to help me."

She slid into an upright position and began to shift, holding back her laughter by main force. Her brother turned so red when he was shocked like this!

The Shift complete, she looked over at her brother and finally lost her control and began to laugh in earnest.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, "but you should have seen your face..."

"That wasn't funny," Bob replied, flustered; "It's uncomfortable enough when Martina cuddles up, but at least she's in fur when she does it. You were...were..."

"Naked?" she asked brightly.

Her brother nodded, his blush beginning to fade.

"Think about it, Bobby," she said; "I get to be naked for two or three days out in the cold and pretend to be a dog so daddy can do this Guide job for Uncle Saul. While you're nice and warm in bed, I get to sleep on snow or maybe in the tent; if we go that far.

"I wanted one little laugh to tide me over when I get kibble for dinner, kibble for breakfast, and nothing but hard four-footed work in between." She had stepped to her brother and was rubbing her cheek against his as a sort of wolf "kiss" and apology.

He squirmed, and she remembered that he didn't have a sheath, and so might be a little uncomfortable after seeing her in the nude.

That, she decided, was interesting. She definitely loved her brother in a more than sisterly way, but Martina had moved in first and had made it clear that she wanted him for herself; and being senior in the family had made her able to back Serena away long enough for a relationship to develop between herself and Bobby.

If only Greg hadn't disappeared... But, he had once she started high school. Some lucky Smooth girl was getting his attentions now; while all she got was a mumbled "Hello" when they passed in the hall.

Fortunately, there were other guys; Were's like her. She wasn't exactly alone.

Still, Martina was away at College, in her first year. She saw Bobby maybe once a month, if that.

Serena was not a Werewolf who let an opportunity like that just slip away, not by any means.

It was obvious that Bobby found her attractive. Now, to work on that attraction; while learning how to act like a dumb old dog.

She was up to the challenge.

Grinning, she did the little shift that made her a true quadruped and hid her human style hair in a dog's ruff.

Then she handed her brother the end of the lead-rope as she dropped into four-footed position on the floor. She even wagged her tail as she looked up at him expectantly.

By dinner time, they were both ready to scream at each other.

For her, it seemed that the least bit of simple sensible activity got her a "No!" from Bobby, and then an explanation as to why she had done something wrong.

For Bob, it seemed that his sister was just too smart for her own good. Dogs did not sweep the ground with a forepaw before sitting down, and they didn't tuck their tails under them when they did sit.

When she did it for the third time, he had almost yelled at her to "not do that!"

She had snapped, "Think about what I'm putting against frozen ground, Bob-ee; that's the one area where I'm not under a layer of fur! I'd suggest you try it, but that Smooth bulgy ass of yours would protect that particular area, and I have nothing! The cold actually hurts me when I sit like you say to! I'm as bare-skinned there as you are, only I don't have anything to protect me from the snow and ice on the ground."

There was a fight brewing so she asked, "Suppose that I sat on a thigh, like Sheila used to do? We've both seen her do that..."

Bobby stood for a second, while her words penetrated, then said; "Yeah, she did that a lot. Sorry I yelled at you," he said miserably.

"I'm sorry I yelled too, Bobby; but you have to remember a werewolf isn't exactly like a dog or a wolf down there. You can't see it when I stand, and my tail is in the way when I'm on all fours; but we're more like you are than we are like wolves in that part of our bodies," she replied; finally making him realize she was sensitive to the cold in that area of her body, and also reminding him that in that way, she was as human as he was. Even if it was covered buy her tail or the thin layer of fur that she had down there, she was as human as he was.

Maybe he'd realize that meant more than in just appearance...

Then Mother called them in to dinner; or more accurately, called Bobby in to dinner. She had to go wash up thoroughly before sitting down to eat. Mom had a cleanliness rule about the table that was iron-clad. Even Daddy washed up when she said to, just because she said to.

Ten minutes later, when she came down stairs in a robe; she saw that Bobby had waited on starting his dinner for her to come down.

That got him a lick-kiss on the cheek.

Then they both settled down to eat.

After dinner, but before dessert, her father asked her to do something odd; or it seemed odd to her.

"Honey, I want you to come outdoors with me for just a minute," Harry asked as he headed to the back door of the "mud room" that led from the kitchen to the actual outside of the building via a reinforced storm door. Bobby trailed along, curious; after getting into his cold gear that was hanging in the vestibule.

Once outside, Harry asked her for her robe; and she handed it to him, now quite puzzled at what he wanted.

"This is something we don't teach th' kids," he said; "and you'll see why in a minute."

Next he said, "Revert to your skin and stay there for about thirty seconds."

Puzzled, she did; provoking another blush from Bobby. Then she started getting cold. The air temperature was just at freezing, and she started shivering almost instantly as the cold hit her still warm-from-the-shower skin.

When she was almost covered in goose-bumps and was getting seriously cold; Harry told her to Shift back to werewolf, which she did as fast as she could.

As her fur began to grow in, she felt something odd happening, but couldn't exactly figure out what it was.

When the shift was complete, she finally knew what had happened. The middle layer of her fur, the pelage, was thicker than it had ever been before. She was easily as fluffy as Martina was most of the time.

What's more; she was warm, as her fur trapped her body heat and kept it in, next to her skin. She would be warm in the deepest and wettest snow, now.

Harry grinned; "That's a little thing we don't teach kids, 'cause they might try to use it instead of covering up to stay warm; and it only works reliably once you're an adult with a mature coat, not a juvenile one."

She turned to Bobby and asked, "Am I pretty like this?" wondering how she really did look with all this extra fur.

The dropped jaw and wordless nodding gave her the answer she wanted. If this was what Bobby liked, she would take a cold shower every morning...

"You'll probably want to turn off the heat in your bedroom, close the door, and open the windows," her father was warning; "'cause like this, you'll be too warm in the house if you don't."

Serena grinned; "Then while I'm inside; I'd better not wear anything; right?"

Her father raised one eyebrow. "If you can convince your mother, then okay. I wouldn't give bets on your being able to do that, though; as a regular thing."

Serena pouted a little. She would get away with it tonight. That was a start.

As she came back into the house, her mother raised a eyebrow, but said nothing. Apparently Harry had mentioned what he was going to do to his mate.

Bobby came back in after hanging up his jacket in the mud room, and sat back down at the dinner table next to his sister.

Mother Marina served dessert; hot apple pie with graham cracker crust.

As they ate, Serena began to notice that she was rather warm in the kitchen. After finishing her dessert she headed into the Greatroom, but the heat just kept up with her. Finally she took refuge by the front door after having opened it s little.

"Silly girl, get up to your bedroom!" her mother called out as she saw what Serena was doing and still starting to pant. "Open the windows and turn off the heat--and keep your door closed! We can't heat the whole outdoors."

That meant she wouldn't have time with Bobby. She could study though, and with the windows open, the room would chill to near freezing and she would be comfortable. She tried not to pout as she climbed the stairs, but her mother saw it and snickered.

"Yes, like that, you don't have to dress," she chuckled; "but you'll cook if you try to stay in with the rest of us. Show some sense and spend the night studying. Saul will be here sometime tomorrow morning, and you need to be ready to leave with him and your father.

"And remember, the rest of us will be stuck in Smooth while he's on the ranch; so don't look so put-upon."

Chastened, Serena sought out her bedroom.

Once there, she got comfortable by shutting off the heat and opening the windows after closing her door. The terrible sense of heat began to leave her and she puzzled what she would have done if there was no cool place available.

Then she realized she would have to revert and shift to regain the proper coat for the temperature she was in. Having to do that a lot would make her tired and probably hungry. Slowly the thought of being able to wear nothing grew less and less interesting, the more she considered it.

Out of curiosity, she looked in her full length mirror and was amazed at how rich and regal she looked. Her mid-coat had added color to her outer coat and the combination was stunning...and the only people who would see it would be Daddy and Uncle Saul. Drat.

Bobby would be in school tomorrow, while she got the day off. Then after the hunt, it would be Monday and time for school again. Double drat!

Not Fair! The only way she could show off for her brother would be for her to near freeze, then shift.

That began to sound less and less fun, the more she thought of it. There must be other ways of getting his attention, but not right now.

Right now was her history book where she had left it when Daddy had come in and this whole mess had started.

She studied until bedtime at nine thirty, then went to bed; leaving the covers off so she would be comfortable. She closed the bathroom door so things wouldn't freeze, and turned the heat to low in the room so she wouldn't melt in the morning.

As she settled down to sleep, she realized one simple fact.

At least she would be warm in the snow. Big deal.

She was awake at the usual time, and hurried into the bathroom to "take care of business." Even with the heat set low, she was almost panting when she came out and headed out the door into the hall, only to turn back and cool off in her room as the near furnace-heat of the interior of the house hit her in the hallway.

She stayed there cursing herself for not reverting and then shifting in the bath, where her normal indoor winter coat would have come in. Just as she was about to try it, there was a knock at her hallway door and her brother Bobby was asking if he could come in.

"Come in," she called, "but remember it's colder than heck in here."

"I know," he said as he hurriedly entered the room with a tray and her breakfast; "Mom warned me, so I dressed for the outside." He closed the door with his foot to keep the chill out of the house.

She stared at her brother, wrapped up in his snow gear; as he set her breakfast on her desk and then stepped back so she could sit and get something to eat.

Things were missing, though; there was a lot more meat and cereal, but the eggs and sweets were absent; and instead of tea there was a glass of water.

"Why didn't you just revert and then shift into your regular fur?" Bobby asked as she ate.

"Because...because," she tried for some esoteric reason for staying the way she was and failed; "because I'm an idiot, Bobby; that's why."

Bobby grinned; "Nah, you're just surprised at how much fur you can put on," he chuckled.

As he headed back into the warm part of the house, he added; "Mom says if you want to get dressed, there's tea in the kitchen."

"I'll take her up on that," Serena replied, "since I have to get through the house to get out, anyway. It was like a furnace when I tried the hall."

Then he was gone and she was thinking about where to do the reversion-and-shift when she realized that if she reverted, hurried into the hall, then shifted again; she ought to be all right.

Then she corrected herself, the bathroom; at around forty degrees, ought to give her the right amount of body fur for the weather. The hall, at around seventy degrees, would give her summer-weight fur, which she didn't particularly want right now.

Fifteen minutes later, she was in the kitchen wearing the same robe she had worn the night before. The windows were closed in her room and the heat was up, too; for later when she was getting things in order for her trek in the snow as a hunting dog.

As she drank the tea, her mother brought her more meat and her eggs.

When asked why the extra meat, her mother has simply asked her what her fur was made of.

Right. Protein, which werewolves needed a lot of in their diet, anyway. That was why she had eaten almost three pounds of steaks and ham. She was more wolf, internally, than she was human; and had to eat in accordance with those needs.

"Now, young lady," her mother said in a firm voice; "when you've finished, we'll go outside and you'll shift again and stay in your winter fur while Mr. Goldberg is here. Once you're shifted, I want you to go out to the road and switch the signs to warn the neighbors it's Smoothskin-only here; and then do the a same with the marker at the end of the worker's housing and at the trail head to the creek."

"Why can't Bobby do that?" she asked, the extra food making her slightly sleepy.

"Because Bobby is doing your chores as well as his own this morning, that's why. Once you're done, go to kennel run three and stay there until your father and Mr. Goldberg come to get you; and I mean inside the run, young lady, not lounging in the office watching television."

"Oh, and your father said for you to put this on..." her mother said as she handed her a hunter's dog collar with the tags on it.

That was when Serena finally realized that for the next few days she was going to have to be literally a dog in every way; and be convincing about it for Uncle Saul.

"And don't you dare pout, young lady;" her mother added as she began to do exactly that. "Dogs don't pout. Neither will you," she said as she gave her daughter the "I mean it" glare that warned of dire consequences if ignored.

"Yes, mom;" Serena sighed. This not pouting was going to be work. It was one of her favorite tools.

After finishing breakfast and tea, she and her mother went outside, where she again reverted. Bobby was passing by, so she made a show of handing her mother her robe so he could see her body again as he headed for the horse barn.

Then the cold took over, and she shifted back to winter fur in a hurry.

Her mother looked her up and down and apparently approved of her fur thickness; then commented, "I don't think you want a fight with your older sister over Bobby. She would win, and he would probably be offended by the whole thing. Let them have their time with each other. If it's right, it's right. If not...maybe you could try catching him on the rebound. It's worked for other girls with big sisters."

Then she winked, and returned to the house.

Serena stood there for almost a minute, dumbfounded. Mom knew!

Sighing, she fastened the collar around her neck.

On four-foot, she trotted out to the county road, and after a careful look in all directions, stood and reversed the sign that said "Wolf Creek Ranch".

This way, it was green letters on a white background. The other way around, it was white on green. One way meant that the ranch was safe; the other meant "Smooth Only". It was common throughout the county, this sign coloring. That way, nobody got confused, or caught.

She went back to four-foot and trotted along the road back to the house, meeting Bobby on the way to school on his motorbike. He rode in all weathers, and she was considering getting a motorcycle herself, for school and other things. She yipped, and he waved back.

The problem lay in the fact that her mother seemed to know what those "other things" consisted of, and has so far denied her requests. She said her daughter was "too young yet", but Serena suspected she could be six hundred instead of sixteen and her mother would still say no.

It was almost as if she knew what was on Serena's mind.

No. That was impossible. Mom was too upstanding to have done some of the things her youngest daughter had already done; or some of the things she was planning to do, for that matter.

Wasn't she? Serena realized she really didn't know that much about mom when she had been her own age. Maybe she should ask around.

When she had finished the sign changing, she headed for the kennel. Run three had been readied, with water and kibble. She went inside and shut the wire-mesh door.

It was when the door clicked as she latched it that Serena realized she had just locked herself inside the dog run.

That would be mom, again. Drat.

She was surprised when, an hour later; her brother showed up with a basket. Unlocking the door to the run and setting the lock to "off", he settled down beside her.

He showed her the contents of the basket; corn muffins, honey, and a thermos of tea.

"I have a cold," he explained; "and Dad and Mom said I could do this once and not get in trouble. I'll be better Monday and study all weekend to keep up."

"Do what?" Serena asked, wondering why he was still here at the ranch. He actually liked most of the classes he was taking and wasn't prone to skip school. He was just like a werewolf child in that respect. Every Child of the Wolf knew how valuable an education was, and tended to be good students as a result.

Then she realized that he had braved their parents' disapproval to take a day away from his studies, so she wouldn't be alone. He'd turned back on the road to town and come back to the ranch to be with _her. _ Her heart fluttered for a second.

"You did this for me, didn't you?" she asked; making sure of things.

"Yeah," he replied, blushing a bit; "It just didn't seem right, you being stuck out here alone. Besides, we can practice up until Mr. Goldberg arrives. Dad said to let you run a little, too; so you look a little muddy. That will help disguise your hands better, too." He was looking at the floor as he spoke. His sister was a very pretty girl, and he felt a hint of more than familial attraction to her, even though Martina was supposed to be his "steady date".

Martina was in College, and Bob was lonely, although he didn't realize it.

Just as Serena was feeling a bit of a glow over him, he motioned her to the "doghouse" section of the run; actually a decent sized room that had a dog-door to the outside run.

There was a thick sleeping pad that had Serena's mind starting down a dangerous road for her, if Martina found out. Bobby was so cute, and...

She put the brakes on her libido instantly. She didn't want to have to fight her sister over Bobby, and starting his Crossing that way would do just that. Unless Bob and Martina actually separated, she would be facing her sister's wrath over starting his Crossing by bedding him; even though both girls had debated doing just that, should the need arise.

At seventeen, since he had not even shown the slightest hint of exposure to the virus or whatever it was that started the Crossing, both girls had concluded that it would be an embarrassment to the family if he remained Smooth at the age of twenty-one. Serena began to feel a warm glow again at the thought of "starting him" if Martina couldn't or didn't do the deed in, say; a year. He would be such a wonderful wulf mate...

All that came to a crashing halt as he showed her the appliance in the floor. It was a porcelain-lined "hole in the floor" for "ease of cleanup" in the dog run. What it actually was, was a kind of toilet that a were' could use and still pretend to be either a dog or a "captured wolf", should the need arise. It was standard stuff in some countries, where people still squatted to take care of business. He'd seen it and talked his father into ordering some if he did the work of installing them in the dog runs and helped the plumber connect them to the septic tank. He'd worked on it all last summer. Now he was showing it off.

Serena pouted. Bobby had all the romantic nature of a rock, she decided. Briefly, she wondered if that was because he was Smooth--or because he was just a jerk.

Smooth won out. No brother of hers was a jerk. She never considered that he might be naïve, which was the real cause of what had happened.

They shared the tea and muffins; Serena loved her mother's corn muffins but had yet to get the recipe for them, so she was dependant on Mom's schedule of when to make the things. There was honey and butter, too; yummm...

She and her brother were a bit sticky when the last muffin was consumed.

With her brother watching out, she hurried to the restroom to wash; then returned to the run after putting the basket in the office. Then Bobby had the chance to clean up, which was a bit easier for him; no fur and his mouth didn't leak when full of muffin and honey.

Clean again, she asked him to watch out for one more minute while she used the hole in the floor. She had drunk a lot of tea today, and needed to get rid of some of it. Done, she had to admit that this thing in the floor was better than the usual Smooth-designed toilet; since you couldn't fall off the floor.

When she returned to the indoor section of the kennel, Bobby was there and the lessons in "Doggie 101" recommenced until the phone rang and Bob hurried her back to the run. That had been Mom's signal that Mr. Goldberg had finally arrived and that Daddy was talking to him. Her hands were nicely muddy, as were her feet.

With the door unlocked and ensconced on the dog-bed; Serena awaited her father and Mr. Goldberg. Then the hunt (and the results of Bobby's lessons) would begin.

She hoped that they would find a deer quickly. This "being a dog" was lame at best, and boring the rest of the time. After a while, she dozed.

She would have been surprised to learn that her generation was the first generation since the Scattering where those lessons were not a part of a Wolf-child's regular training. They were no longer considered necessary. Werewolves could hide in other ways now; and becoming a "dog" or a "wolf" was no longer considered necessary training for survival.

Meanwhile, in the house, Harry was hearing some alarming news. Saul had arrived with rifle and gear and with something new that bothered Harry a bit.

It was a heart condition.

Saul made light of it, but Harry made a mental note to have Serena give the old man a listen with her wolf ears.

His own were disguised under his hair and flaring sideburns; flat against the side of his head. In that position, his hearing was less than half what it would normally be. Normally, he would be able to hear Saul's heartbeat if he were within five feet of him. Now, his hearing was little better than Smooth hearing for that purpose.

After gettingMarinato keep the old lawyer occupied; he quickly sent Bobby out to the kennel with word for Serena to keep listening for the old man's heartbeat.

He'd become aware of this situation when Saul had asked him if Marinacould cook things for a heart-sensitive diet, and had handed him a list of things to eat and to avoid. That was no problem; Harry was already on a low-cholesterol diet prescribed by his doctor and approved by Luther, the ranch-pack's Servant and general healer.

Luther worked in town at the hospital, but came out to the ranch for Song nights; joking that it was the one night a month when he didn't have to worry about emergency calls, since he was the senior Servant atWolfBendHospital.

Luther had also acquired the habit of "just dropping by" every ten days or so; to keep a check of Harry's health and cholesterol management regimen.

Harry wondered if he might call Luther for a "visit" while Saul was at the ranch; but the Servant had to be in his fur to work effectively, and Saul was not Kindred.

That was the sticking point. Saul was a good friend and legal advisor, as well as a good client for the "Guide" services that Harry offered to a discrete clientele; but the Law said that if Saul was not Kindred, it was nearly forbidden for someone like Harry to reveal what he really was. Harry was a "First" or "Alpha" of the ranch and family Pack; and thus had to maintain Smooth appearance because there were so many People dependent on his leadership. Furthermore, if he were found out; that could be a danger to every werewolf on the ranch, since it was a given that like their cousins the wolves; werewolves tended to group together.

Serena could walk naked in her fur through the living room and cause less danger to the People than Harry accidentally showing an ear or his fangs. Thus said the Law.

Sometimes the Law didn't make things easy; but it always was focused on keeping the People safe from hostile Smooth Humans.

Hostile Smooths had been the cause of the Scattering. A Smooth-skinned human was to be considered dangerous unless that person was also Kindred of some sort.

And, regrettably, Saul was non-Kindred; and Harry couldn't invite him into the Kindred because of who he was, a First.

Marina had no trouble with the food restrictions (Saul had offered to stay in town if that were the case) and for a wonder, Bobby had actually sounded like he had something and was very congested. Harry was impressed.

Back in the kennel, Serena's doze was interrupted by her brother asking her something and sounding funny when he spoke.

"So, ca you keeb lisding for Saw's hawd bead?" Bobby asked again.

"What's with you?" she queried; "You sound like you have a terrible cold. You were okay earlier..."

"He-wing pwodectos ih by doze, dot by eahs. Ca you lissn?"

"Yes, I can listen to his heart rate," she replied, then asked; "you stuck hearing protectors in your nose? That's why you sound so plugged up? Eeew!" she laughed.

"Just don't use them again, okay?" she added; chuckling. Bobby was so clever!

Thinking for a moment, she commented; "If I'm a doggy, I can lean against him when he's sitting; Sheila used to do that a lot." After a bit more thought, she added, "And I can listen to the bloodflow in his legs if he isn't wrapped up like a mummy. Tell daddy that I will, and if there's anything I hear that worries me; I'll hump daddy's leg. That way he and I can step away while he "disciplines" me."

"I dod't khow if Dad' uh wike dat, buh I'uh teh hib," Bobby replied, and then he scurried back to the house.

Harry chuckled at his daughter's "idea" when Bobby told him, but had to agree that it would work well as a warning. Bobby had taken to using the foam hearing protectors easily after Harry had explained them to him. They had served him well when he had to maintain the secret in a group of people, and there were some who were sick.

Everybody knew that werewolves didn't get colds, so Harry with a cold had to be human--or a werewolf with foam rubber earplugs in his nose.

It was almost noon when Harry and Saul finally took the jeep wagon and headed up into the hills with Serena in a dog-cage in the back.

Bobby's last view of his sister was of her staring out the back of the station wagon, hunched down and with a massive pout on her face.

"What happened to Sheila?" Saul asked as they drove up into the hills.

"She died a couple of days ago," Harry replied sadly. "Fortunately, we had this one pretty well trained for deer, and some squirrel work, too;" he added.

"Squirrel work?" Saul asked, "you use a dog to hunt squirrels, Harry?"

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "you gotta start them with something small, see; then work them up to bigger stuff. Since squirrels are pretty tiny, they were fairly safe to work her with. She seems to be pretty smart for just a young pup; and I have high hopes for her as she gets older."

"Harry, I think your dog just gave you a raspberry."

"Nah, Saul; that's just how she sneezes. She's a bit sloppy there."

"What's her name? She's a pretty girl," Saul commented, looking back at Serena.

"We call her Pansy. Pretty, like the flower; y'know."

"She just sneezed again, Harry. Do you think she's all right?"

"Yeah, it's just bein' in the car that does that to her. Outside, she'll be okay."

"And where's Serena? I brought her some of those chocolates she likes so much."

"Serena's at school today. She's doing real well this semester."

"What's her best subject this year? Last year she was unhappy about history, as I recall."

"She's much better this year with history. In fact, she's involved in a living history thing about the folks around here. She's staying with a friend tonight; they'll study together and help each other out."

"That's good, although I hope to see her while I'm here," Saul replied sadly. "I may have to cut back on the hunting if the doctor doesn't see the improvements he wants."

"Saul," Harry asked bluntly; "Just what's wrong? I noticed that there was an oxygen bottle in your luggage when you set up in your room. Are you, like real sick?"

He was worried. Saul was a friend, even if he was a Smooth.

"Harry," Saul said firmly; "the only thing wrong with me is that I'm eighty-five this year, with an eighty-five year-old heart. I figure that I have maybe another five or six years; but once you pass the big e-i-g-h-t o-h; you're running on luck as much as anything else. I use the oxygen when I sleep; it makes things easier for me, and I sleep better. In fact, it was the oxygen that made me quit smoking for good; once I set fire to a hundred-dollar Havana "Celeste Superior" cigar by just exhaling through it. I thought it was funny, myself; but the family got all upset about it. So I finally quit. That's all."

In the mirror, Harry could see the worried look on "Pansy's" face. He was worried, too.

How to do it? How to get Saul Kindred, somehow. That way, he could be treated by a Healing Servant and get more out of his life; what was left of it.

Harry continued the banter as he drove, but his mind was elsewhere. Bobby, maybe? He was full Brotherhood Kindred, and had been introduced to the Pack and the Goddess at his sixteenth birthday; just like a werewolf child, and had been accepted by both, naturally. Even Serena could do it, if she wasn't being the hunting dog. Saul had a soft spot for Serena. Maybe she could...

He came back to himself when Saul asked about breeding "Pansy".

"You know," Saul said; "the market for these wolf-dog crosses is drying up. If you want to have many more without spending the whole crop on one dog, you should look into getting her bred while she's young. She would throw beautiful pups."

Harry glanced in the rearview mirror to see Serena looking shocked, for maybe the first time in her life. He chuckled.

"Yeah," he replied with a grin; "maybe I should do that. Reason I got her so cheap was that she was chasing her brother around and posturing, while he was just lookin' confused. Breeder wanted them apart before someone got bit."

He added; "Maybe a litter of pups will settle her down; I know it did for her mother."

"Harry," Saul interrupted; "your dog is pouting. She is definitely pouting!"

"Naaah," Harry replied; "that's just something she does with her lower lip. Makes her look kinda' dumb; but looks aren't everything. She's got potential!"

As the trip continued, Serena contemplated biting her father. Daddy was being clever at her expense. That was not nice!

Once they were at the location where deer had been reported by the ranch hands, Serena was let out of the jeep and tied to the bumper while Harry unloaded the car and Saul sat back and watched the hills for the spots that were deer. He didn't see any, to his regret. He wasn't much of a hiker these days and worried that he might not be able to stalk his deer like he used to.

This land was gorgeous, with tree-lines intersecting the meadows and deep erosion cuts and the brooks that made them all over the place. Good brush to hide in, and plenty of cover to get there, and the cuts weren't deep enough to make crossing them a problem. Saul began to feel like the hunter he had been for years, once again.

Then there was Harry's new dog, Pansy. She was a beauty, that was certain; and she reminded him of someone very strongly.

But, Harry had said that she was in town. Odd, how this dog reminded him so much of Serena; even thought there was absolutely no reason or resemblance.

When he saw Harry strapping a field first-aid kit to the dog, he asked about it. He was not going to be a burden on anyone.

Harry replied; "Last year, a couple of hunters got hurt real bad. Remember reading about it? Well, this is what the County requires now if you act as a Guide; a heavy duty first aid kit. Sheila carried it for a couple of hunts, and now it's time for Pansy to take over with that job."

"Smart," Saul commented, "using the dog as the carrier. Is it heavy?"

"Not really," Harry replied; "maybe ten pounds or so. This way, the dog can be called if there is an injury, instead of having to go back to where we left the jeep when we stalk."

He let Serena-Pansy loose, and she wandered over to where Saul was sitting, sniffing the ground. He reached out and scratched her and she settled against his chest; both enjoying the scratch and listening to his heart. At that point, she realized that she had no idea of what to listen for; but a faint shh-shh-shh set her instincts alert, telling of a weak heart and an easy prey.

When Saul started getting his rifle and binoculars together, she wandered over to her father and half-heartedly mounted his leg.

"Need to go, girl?" Harry asked; and she mounted again.

"She's campsite broken?" Saul asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Harry replied; "like I said, she's a smart one. I'll take her, you go glass and see if there are any deer around."

Saul nodded and stood, heading for a high spot where he could use his binoculars to "glass" for deer while Harry took the dog for a walk.

For a youngster, Saul thought, she was very well trained.

_ _

Out of sight, Serena actually did piddle before standing and telling Harry what she had heard.

"I get the instinct thing," he replied; "but what I don't get is what it means in Saul. Do you have any ideas, or do we just watch him close-like?"

"Close, I think," she said after thinking a little. "It sounded like something leaking; but that doesn't make any sense."

Harry shrugged; "Me neither, since that sort of thing in us means we call the Servant. I don't know what it means in a Smooth. We need to get some first aid classes, is what we need to do."

"What we need to do," Serena retorted as she dropped back into four-foot mode, "is to find Saul and stay with him."

Harry nodded and let Serena guide him to where the man was on the hill, looking out at the snow-covered land with a smile on his face.

He pointed; "Over there is a herd with several decent bucks. They're feeding and wandering. Looks like we didn't need the dog after all."

"We'll need her to find them once they scatter. She's got a pretty good nose, so we won't lose them," Harry replied calmly. "That meadow is almost a mile away, and by the time we get there, they'll be gone."

"Use the jeep?" Saul asked, speculating on the distance.

"Scatter 'em faster," Harry replied. "Better we walk. We won't lose them, that's why I brought the dog."

Saul grinned; "Let's go then," and got up; heading vaguely downhill toward the herd with Harry and "Pansy" following.

Harry led them around some of the more difficult terrain, and within half an hour they were at the edge of the field; hidden in the tree-line.

The deer had indeed departed, but Serena could smell them easily and tugged at the lead attached to her collar to get them to follow her, bouncing on her front legs.

Harry noticed, and tapped Saul on the shoulder. They both chuckled at the dog's antics and let her lead them through the trees.

Soon, they caught up with half a dozen deer; five does being led by a single stag. He was not the most appealing sight, looking a bit bony and with an uneven rack of antlers, so the group went onward, following their "dog's" lead.

Next, they came upon the majority of the herd; a dozen does and three stags, one of which was a superb specimen of deer body and musculature, with a large rack of antlers that could be reckoned at over ten points, easily.

The wind was in their faces rather strongly, so no sound or scent betrayed them.

Carefully, Saul found a place to make his shot; the fork of a branch where it left the tree-trunk. He worked the bolt and then in a matter of seconds there was a loud crack and the ten-point deer went down; while the rest of the herd grew restless for a moment; then resumed grazing.

Harry looked through his binoculars and commented; "You dropped him right well, Saul. That was one shot, and he didn't even try to run. You're shooting has improved a bit since last year."

"Not really," Saul replied, "this time I got lucky, I think," as a shadow passed over his features for a moment and he surreptitiously leaned against the tree he'd used.

"Whatever," Harry chuckled; "you landed some prime venison, this time. I'll go get the transportation," and set off at a jog to do just that; leaving Serena with Saul to keep him company.

It was a good thing he did.

Saul was sitting and panting as if he'd run a mile, and his color wasn't good at all. Serena grew worried, although as the "dog" there was little she could do about it.

Then the buck stirred and struggled to rise.

Saul tried to get up but couldn't. He struggled to a semi-standing position, then fell back to where he was sitting on fallen log, gasping.

Serena couldn't take it any more; Uncle Saul was in trouble, and the buck he thought he'd killed was only wounded.

She stood up from where she had been sitting beside him and extended her hand for the gun.

Saul looked up at her and whispered, "Thank God it is you;" and passed her the rifle.

She dropped the buck with one shot, then passed the rifle back to the man; resuming her "canine" posture as she did so. Her heart was in her mouth, she was so nervous. What would he do?

Uncle Saul shook his head as he saw her fear, and whispered; "Don't worry, Serena. I've had my questions about your family for years; and I'm neither shocked or surprised. I'm just glad it was--" Then he slid off the log he was sitting on and onto the ground; gasping for a few seconds before his breathing stopped entirely.

Serena tore off the first aid kit still strapped around her chest and yanked out the CPR breathing mouthpiece. It was intended to prevent the transfer of things like A.I.D.S. but it would work to prevent a case of lycanthropy as well.

She started breathing and doing CPR the way she had been taught to do. It would have seemed odd to anyone who saw it; a dog pumping the man's chest five times then breathing into a mask over the lower part of his face; but it was keeping Saul alive until her father returned with the jeep.

By the time Harry had returned, Saul was awake and breathing better while Serena was monitoring his heartbeat by putting her ear on his chest--in her fur.

"Oh boy," he muttered to himself, "we got trouble now." When he saw the two of them were talking in low voices, he knew that the charade was over with.

"Serena," he called out; "what's wrong with Saul?"

She looked up and called back; "He's real sick. I think it's his heart. He collapsed. I did the CPR like we were taught in school, and used the mask on him."

Saul glanced over at Harry and spoke in a rasping whisper; "It's nothing I haven't considered, Harry; and for once I'm glad I was right. Don't worry; I won't say anything. Your family is too special to this old man for me to cause you trouble."

As Harry knelt by the man, Saul whispered; "I just knocked the deer out. He was about to get away, wounded. Serena got the kill."

Then he grimaced; "If I say a werewolf took the shot that put that buck down; I'd be in a 'Home' so fast I'd get dizzy. My brother's family wouldn't believe me. If I said that the hunting dog actually took the shot that put the deer down, my family would believe me all to easily. They know how I shoot."

He wheezed a laugh; "I do have a little vanity here, you know."

Harry smiled at the man; "While I believe you, we do have to take a couple of precautions. When we get you back to the house; I'll call someone who can help you with your heart, and maybe let you keep your memory of what happened here; if you'll make a couple of promises."

"Whatever, Harry, whatever;" Saul replied as Serena supported him; "I'm just glad it was Serena and not some hunting dog. I'd have died, otherwise."

On the way back, Serena stayed in the back seat with Saul. The deer was in the back of the jeep wagon, where Harry had put it after collapsing the dog cage. Serena was more concerned over Saul's predicament than her own.

Finally, back at the house, Saul had been transferred to the Greatroom and Serena was about to be exiled to the kennel when Harry had intervened and simply said "no." Marina seemed surprised, but stayed silent about it. They would talk later.

Serena, on the other hand seemed to be more interested in Saul's state of health than in her own fate; which Harry had taken notice of and privately approved quite highly. His daughter had learned what her parents had taught her.

Once Saul had settled down, she stayed close to him and to her brother as well.

There was the Secret. Then there was life itself. Saul had almost died, despite Serena's ministrations, and she had unhesitatingly kept him alive without trying to pretend that she was anything but what she was; a werewolf, a legend, and supposedly a monster. She hoped Saul would think otherwise about the monster part.

Luther would deal with things, once he got there. He'd been called as soon as the jeep had pulled up to the house and Saul moved inside.

Luther showed up after about an hour, allowing things at the house to settle a bit.

When he came into the Greatroom and walked over to Saul Goldfarb, his white Servant's coat was quite visible along with the medical greens that he was wearing; he was a white wolf in surgical scrubs. Saul had glanced up and nodded with no fear in his eyes.

After talking with Saul for some time, Luther told him; "I see no reason why you can't swear the Associate Oath and be let in on the 'big secret' of our existence. Harry vouches for you, and you are well liked by the entire family here. It will also make life more comfortable for them, since they won't have to hide themselves in smooth skin while you're here.

"As a member of our Kindred, you will also have access to our Healers; people like myself, who will make your life a lot more comfortable for you. We heal in different ways from your doctors, and using both ways of healing will give you more quality of life and better control over your disease.

"It's that, or I scramble your memories of what happened, and you will be convinced that your memories of the dog giving you CPR are just illusions of an oxygen-deprived brain."

"Your choice," Luther offered, then sat back to hear the answer.

"Of course I'll swear," Saul replied easily; "I've had my suspicions about this whole family for some time. I knew there was something odd here, but I didn't know what it was. Actually, this makes more sense that some of the ideas I floated around about them in my mind. They are friends. So they are what people call werewolves; so what. I've come to know them as people, and whatever they are, they are good people; and that's what's important to me."

Luther smiled; "If that were the opinion of enough people today; we'd all be free. Unfortunately, there are still people who respond to our appearance with violence and fear; so we hide. Eventually that won't be so; and that is the day we all wish for."

"I brought a Bible with me, as well as a pocket Torah, a book of Mormon, and a Koran. Which will we be using for the oath?" he asked.

While Luther and Saul were talking, Serena and Bobby were in a cuddle; she needed comfort and he was it.

"I'm afraid Mom'll send me to the kennel forever once this is over," she whispered in her brother's ear; "Bobby, I broke the Secret! I swore to protect it and when Saul got sick; I just forgot and broke the Secret with him." She was actually shaking with fear, now that she had time to think. She'd done what every werewolf dreaded; she had exposed herself to a non-Kindred human. She had broken her adult oath.

"I don't think so," her brother replied gently. "First, you remember you swore to 'honor life and to protect it', right?"

That brought a nod.

"You saved Saul's life out there, didn't you?" her brother kept up; wearing her fear down a layer at a time. "That counts for a lot where the Secret is involved; we have to think about what we do, not just react."

"Then I'm not a bad person?" she asked in a small voice, daring to hope.

"No," Bobby replied; "you are a good person and you observed the spirit of the Oath; not just the words. If you had let him die to keep the Secret; then you'd be a bad person, because you let a life end that didn't need to end, just to keep the Secret what it is. It's more than just a promise to stay hidden. It's a promise to be a caring and decent person as a wolf-child; just like our Goddess wants us to be. We are in hiding, yes; but we can be a decent people in hiding--and that's what She wants of us."

"Do you think Mom will banish me to the kennel for this?" she asked bleakly; fearing the loss of her room and her family and all the things that made her life happy.

"I don't think so," Bobby replied with a chuckle, " 'cause I said that if you got banished, I'd set up in the kennel run next to you. You're my sister; and we stick together, like packmembers should."

"You did?" Serena's eyes were wide with amazement at her brother's offer to share her punishment.

"Yeah," he replied, blushing; "Mom got flustered up and Dad grinned; but they couldn't do anything about it, since I'm an adult and can make that sort of decision. You wouldn't be alone."

That got him a tearful hug and a kiss from his very relieved sister.

Meanwhile, there was a slight problem with the oath.

"You say you're an Agnostic?" Harry asked Saul for the third time in a row.

"Yes, Harry," Saul replied; "while I don't doubt the existence of some sort of divinity, I don't believe that it can be found in any so-called "holy book". God, or Goddess, for that matter; is bigger than that. Most so-called 'divine revelation' is either politics or an excuse for something that's already happened."

He shook his head. "My 'religion', so to speak, is based on the soul and the activities that soul takes in life. A good 'soul' is one that tries to make the world a better place for having lived in it. A 'good soul' is one that tells the truth when that truth serves what is overtly good and stays silent otherwise."

Luther asked; "And if you were offered a young body just for doing one tiny evil thing that nobody would know about?"

Saul shook his head, saying; "I'd know, and that would be more than enough for me. Honestly; I've found that being honest and decent is the easiest way to go in the end, and at eighty-five, you might say I've proven it. What few things I've done that I'm ashamed of, I've either tried to make right or apologized to the people I'd done wrong to.

Every day I ask myself, 'if God didn't exist, would I behave any differently?' and managed to say no. Either I have a massive ego, or I've learned to live properly among my fellows. Even my brother says I'm too honest to be a good lawyer; but I still take the occasional case because I think I can make a difference for good; not the status-quo."

Luther was laughing by now, and finally managed to say; "She says that She will take your word on its own; that your past is quite satisfactory as a guarantee for your good behavior, in Her eyes. I just asked and She told me to administer the oath."

Then he grew serious; "You know you will be bound by what you agree to, and will not be able to change things once you say yes?"

Saul nodded; "I'd guessed that there would be something like that happening, not that I plan to try to break my word on anything."

Luther smiled back; "Then let's get your oath and relieve Harry and Marina. They both look a little nervous."

"And how's Serena?" Saul asked with some concern.

"Fine, Uncle Saul. Take the oath, please!" Serena called back. She was still nervous, even with Bobby holding her. She cuddled a bit closer, calming her nerves; while Bob's face began to pink up again.

Luther asked Saul to raise his right hand and place his left over his heart. Then he began.

"Will you keep secret the existence of the People of the Wolf for all your life, telling no one what you know of us; until the Day comes when we need not hide and all are free to speak of us?"

Saul replied, "Yes, I will; for as long as I live."

"Will you give such aid as you may to any Kindred, Smooth or Wolf, who comes to you in need; provided they have done no wrong?"

"I will; and if they have done wrong, I will defend them if that is what they need...after all, I am a lawyer," Saul responded evenly.

"Will you discourage the discussion of sightings and other evidences of our existence; and do all you can to maintain the secret of our existence from others, until the Day of Freedom when we will not need to hide?"

"I will," Saul replied; "and after this 'Day' I will lend my legal abilities to your people gaining the same rights enjoyed by others, if I'm still around and able to."

Luther relaxed. The human was now Kindred; bound by his word to keep the Secret and assist in its maintenance. He doubted the human would find it a problem.

"You know," he said jokingly; "if you were a believer, you might find yourself wearing a white coat of fur in your next life. You'd make a superb Seeking Servant."

Saul made an odd comment in reply; "I'm not dead yet, and although it would take a lot to make me abandon my agnostic position; I'll keep an open mind on the matter."

Harry asked, "Is it okay for us to relax, now?" from the kitchen doorway.

"Yes," responded both Saul and Luther together. Then they laughed.

Contrary to expectations, it did take Saul a little while to get used to seeing upright wolves where before he had seen a rancher, his wife, and daughter. First, though, he and Luther disappeared into his bedroom where the Servant did what repair work on the old human's heart that he was able to do, given the man's life of rich foods, cigarettes, and minimal exercise outside of basic jogging and stretching.

In truth, Luther was amazed at the man's continued vigor outside of his heart trouble; since there was cholesterol throughout the human's system and some lung damage in addition to the heart trouble that was the result of what had been a three pack-a-day habit with cigarettes and the occasional cigar.

These humans were a lot tougher than the average wolf would expect.

He also found something that had him curious as he Healed what damage he could; someone had been there before and although it was simple; Saul Goldberg had been the recipient of some actual Wulfen Healing, and quite recently; too.

He had his suspicions confirmed when he asked Serena what she had done when the man had literally collapsed and tried to die during the hunt.

"I did the CPR we were taught in school and prayed a lot," she said by way of explanation. "I'm just glad that the safety mask was in the first aid kit, or he might be spotting up right about now."

"Have you been tested for Servant's Gifts?" he asked, and her dropped ears and guilty look gave him the answer he was looking for. She hadn't.

"Why?" she asked defensively, "I haven't had any of the dreams or the other stuff that potential Servants start getting at my age, and I really don't want to be a Servant. I want to find a mate and settle here on the ranch, like Dad and Mom did."

Then out of nowhere came, "And I'd like to do that with Bobby, but Martina moved in and..." she suddenly stopped speaking and clamped both hands over her muzzle. Her eyes were wide with shock and her ears flat with embarrassment.

"Could you forget that I said that?" she asked meekly.

Luther nodded affably and chuckled a bit. "Of course," he replied; "Servant's seal on it."

He continued; "The reason I asked was that you seem to have Healed Mr. Goldfarb's heart just enough to keep him alive until I could get to him. My first work on him after the Oath was enough to keep him going until he got home; but I was loath to do more without being sure that some human doctor wouldn't notice my handiwork. New heart muscle usually doesn't grow on its own after a heart attack as serious as that one was. Now, I can just warn him to stay silent about his heart 'rejuvenation' when he sees his specialist next time. By then, the new tissue will have joined with what's there and be unremarkable."

"I Healed Uncle Saul?" Serena gasped; "but that's impossible, isn't it? I mean, neither Mom or Dad show any Servant's Gifts, and neither does Martina; and they've been tested. That runs in families, doesn't it?"

She looked confused and worried, so Luther let her in on a little Servant's secret.

"Some gifts are indeed familial in nature. They will be potential in several members of a family, then manifest in one member of that family; and that one is the one the Goddess has a talk with and becomes Her hands in the world," he explained.

"What isn't spoken of much is that the one who manifests the Servant's abilities will for a certainty not transmit those abilities to their children, since the manifestation of Servant's abilities means that the wolf in question will be sterile. They won't be able to beget children, no matter how hard they try.

"Only Healers seem exempt to this rule. That's why they mate and have families, while the rest of us take our Mother-Beloved and our People as our mate."

As he had been relating the reason that Servants didn't mate he had seen Serena tensing up, and understood why. She wanted children, and would probably have them in time.

It was too bad that young Gregory was human. He and she had been very close, and would have been a natural mated pair. Yet, facts were facts; and although Luther was close to Gregory Massey as his Servant in town; Serena had gone her own way, with her own kind. He had counseled Gregory about this many times.

"Out of curiosity, may I test you for Healing potential?" he asked while Serena was still off balance and amenable to suggestion.

She nodded and he placed his hands on her head to test...

And dropped them as he realized who Serena was, or had been. It came through crystal clear. Of course, when she had prayed to her own Mother-_Beloved, Healing would have been granted. Now, it all made sense. This was fodder for many meditations about the promised _Return of the Ancients when the world was ready for them and would need them. Was that time coming? Luther wondered a little bit about it for a moment.

He would say nothing to her; she had her own life to live, at least for the time being. What might happen later, as she matured, however, was for the future to deal with.

"Uhhh, did you find anything?" she was asking as he came back to the present.

"Only a bit of potential, I'm afraid," he said; making it a not-quite-untruth. "Not quite up to trainable. You are able to do some simple work, but it would not be reliable enough to petition for the Lunar Coat of Service. Your current colors are still your own, and as unique as they are; I'd say you should keep them."

She was obviously quite relieved--as was he.

Glancing around, and seeing nobody in the room; he asked where everyone was.

"Daddy and Bobby are out butchering the deer that Saul shot," Serena replied; "and Mom is in the kitchen starting dinner."

Then a question struck her; "What will Uncle Saul be able to eat? Regular food, or will he need something special that I could fix for him?"

Luther smiled; "You really like him, don't you?"

Serena nodded, saying; "He's always seemed to be like one of us, really decent and genuinely good. I kept wondering if he wasn't Kindred somehow, but he wasn't." Her ears drooped as she said that, thinking about how he had almost died; and how she had broken the Secret to keep him alive until first Daddy and then Luther could come.

A thought struck her; "He recognized me even in my fur. He said that he thought it was me, when I was playing at being a dog; how was that possible? He's never seen me in my fur; I've been super careful of that. All he should have seen was a hunting dog giving him CPR, yet he recognized me! How could that happen?"

Luther looked into her eyes and asked; "Do you really think that a spirit in dire need wouldn't recognize its rescuer? Yes, he saw the dog; but his spirit saw his young friend named Serena trying to save his life."

"But he said that he had been wondering about our family, that there was something special about us; and when he saw we were Werewolves, he wasn't that much surprised!" Serena added with worry in her voice. What if some of Daddy's other Guiding clients had the same curiosity?

Luther sensed her worry and calmed her. "Look," he explained; "Mr. Goldfarb is an attorney; trained to read people and able to see what others don't even notice. He is by nature an observant man, and saw things that got him curious. That is his own trained ability, and in no way reflects on any failure on this family's part in the keeping of the Secret. I imagine that he would have figured out something in another few years, but as Kindred; you're actually safer than before now. Now, there is no Secret to be kept from him, and no risk of discovery. All in all, our Mother-Beloved has let things work out for the best for all of us; even though I really do wish he would accept Lunara as his own Goddess and let us blood him to Her. That way we won't lose him when he dies."

Serena's ears dropped like a shot. "Dies?" she questioned; "What do you mean; 'when he dies'? Isn't he better now?" There was a world of worry in her eyes.

Luther sighed; he had hoped this would not come up, but it had.

"Serena," he said gently, "Saul is an old human. He has led a very full life; perhaps too full in some ways, and now that is starting to catch up to him. He is sick, and there is no way around that. Even if he desired to, he is too old and too ill to Cross, even in an emergency Crossing. My estimate is that he has perhaps five years left to live in this life. Then he will pass away from this world, and into the next. That is the way of life. As an agnostic, there will be no Place for him. He will drift in the sea of souls until he is reborn some day; but the person he was will be gone, and he will be as a new soul; starting life anew. He will never die; but he will probably not be the same person when he is reborn, unlike us. We retain something of what we were because of the Place and our time there to reflect and to grow within our Goddess's light."

Luther hung his head; "He will not. He will do what so many souls do; start over and try again. Maybe next time, he will find a belief that will let him keep his personality to some degree, but unless he makes a choice before he dies; and is focused on that belief when he dies, he will return to the sea of souls and eventually...just forget who he was."

Serena was weeping into his chest. She looked up at him and asked; "Is there anything I--We as a family can do to keep this from happening; like talking to him about our Goddess and how She is there..."

"You can try, Serena," Luther replied; "but remember, Saul has a life of belief that he has lived day to day; and he would probably not respond well to being lectured about our religion. He has to choose, not you. I know that sounds terrible, but that is part of our 'Free Will' that we enjoy."

Then he had an idea. "I can connect him with a Healing Servant where he lives," he suggested; "and let the experience help to convince him to at least consider our way. You can also help, through example of what and how we believe. Do it gently, though; he has the right to his own beliefs, even if they cause us to feel sorrow."

He held the young wulfess at arm's length and stared into her eyes. "Do you understand me? He has to choose, and not have someone else choose for him. That is Heaven's law, as well as our Goddess's."

Serena nodded dumbly, but agreed. She would do what she could for her friend--and she realized that was what Saul was; a good and special friend. She had known only one other like him. She would respect her friend's beliefs, while trying to gently show there might be another way for him. It wouldn't be easy, but Uncle Saul was special, and worth it.

Luther had suggested that Saul have complete bed rest for a day at least, to help the Healing settle in place.

When Serena showed up in the kitchen to get his dinner and to bring it to him, not only was she dressed but dressed nicely; and her mother was all but dumbstruck.

Harry was at the table along with Bobby, and the two were trying very hard not to laugh atMarina's expression as her daughter left the room with Mr. Goldfarb's tray.

When she turned to them, they lost control and began to laugh. She glared and asked, "What is so funny about my daughter finally acting like a proper young lady? It isn't as if I haven't been trying to get her to act like a responsible adult; and now that she is, you two seem to find it hilarious."

"It was just the look on your face, mom," Bobby choked out; "You looked like you weren't sure it was Serena, like maybe she was some 'pod-person' from that science-fiction movie we saw last week."

Marinaglared at her son; "Just because she is acting properly for a change, doesn't alter the fact that she broke the Secret with a human. Your father may have saved her from a week in the kennel, but it will be her good manners that keep her from a month of being grounded. Don't forget, the Secret is all that we have to protect us; and to expose herself before a non-Kindred human like that bent her oath into a pretzel if it didn't break it outright. I will be having words with her over this, and Harry; this is woman's business, and not the concern of the First of our Pack."

"Just remember, honey; that we 'exposed' ourselves to a certain young human for some years before he was even considered for Kindred status," Harry cautioned.

"Who?"Marinaasked angrily--and then realized that her son was the "human" her mate was speaking of. "That was different," she said sternly; "Robert is family; our son. Just because..." she stopped. Harry was right.

In a way, Saul was "family" to her daughter. She sighed.

She knew Serena was somewhat lonely, ever since that smooth boy had wandered away; and Saul Goldfarb had been a good client and family friend for longer than Serena had been alive. Serena was attaching her affections to someone who would hurt her in a few years by dying.

Feelings worked that way, sometimes.

In the meanwhile, as long as he was here; Saul would be someone that Serena's loving wulf heart could sing with, if only in metaphor. The old human was good for her daughter in that way.

She was saved from more woolgathering by Luther's entry into the kitchen. The Servant had been busy, and would need a good meal; which she got up to plate for him. Maybe later, if he were still here; she would have a talk with him, like the ones she had when she was first in Bond with Harry, and not knowing what to do.

He had helped her so much then; maybe now too; with Serena as well.

Serena knocked on the door of Saul's bedroom, and then entered at his request. He looked so tired in the bed, and she felt a pang of sorrow at the fix he was in.

Saul looked her up and down and smiled, then gave a low wolf-whistle.

"You are a very pretty girl, Serena," he said with a smile; "and you make me wish I had met you thirty years ago, back when I was young."

Serena's eartips blushed, and she set the tray on his lap so he could eat comfortably.

"Would you mind staying a little while?" he asked; "It's lonely up here, and perhaps we could talk a little?"

She nodded and smiled shyly, "Of course, Uncle Saul. I'd like that."

He saw a wolf in a nice russet dress that complemented her fur coloring. The only things that kept the "wolf" illusion from being complete was her hair, dark blonde that went to her neck when she was like this, and the look of humanity in her human-shaped eyes. She was a very pretty girl, even to an old man like him.

The very alien-ness of her appearance was one of the things that accentuated her beauty, in his eyes.

As he ate, they spoke of the hunt and he apologized about his accident with the buck. She replied that she was worried about the animal getting away wounded; and had acted unthinkingly.

"Then it was too late," she said sadly, "I had broken the Secret with you, and put my whole family at risk. I'm just glad that you were as understanding as you were with us. A lot of people wouldn't be, even after saving their lives."

"Luther mentioned that," Saul replied; "and he had some way of scrambling my memories so I wouldn't have remembered, right?"

She nodded. Servants did that, sometimes they did that a lot.

"I felt him doing something with me, when he said he was 'Healing me,' is that something that he can do, just like that?"

"Well, according to Luther and the other Servants; their Healing capacity is a gift from our Goddess, Lunara. She lets some of us Heal others, when they're too sick for their own healing capabilities to deal with our injuries or illnesses."

"Ah! So, it's 'faith healing' then." "Not the way you say it. I've seen those people on television, and they look more like used-car salesmen than 'faith healers'. Ours aren't like that," Serena replied.

"Not a bad simile. I agree, I felt something when he was working on me," Saul admitted.

"I also felt the same thing when you were trying to keep me from dying out there," he said quietly; "are you a 'Healer' too?" He looked over at her, curious about what she would say.

"I prayed," Serena replied; "Mother-Beloved heard me and granted enough healing to get you back here. I really don't have any special abilities, other than being a Child of the Wolf. I can shift, and revert; but that's about all I can do." She was blushing furiously as she spoke, and couldn't figure out why.

Saul laughed; "That's like saying; 'I can set biology on its right ear, and physics on its left ear, but that's about all'," he said with a grin. "You and your people are a wonder, and at my age one can appreciate wonders a bit more fully than younger people can."

Serena blushed even deeper. Saul said such neat things.

"How is it that you can do these things?" Saul asked curiously. "Really, I am curious about that one. How can you do what science says is impossible?"

"Well," Serena replied, "that is a part of our religion. Would you be interested in hearing about it?" She was hoping he would say yes.

"I'm not going anywhere," Saul replied; "so tell me how your religion figures in all this?"

She did, into the night. She was no Servant, and sometimes Saul asked questions that she couldn't answer. Yet, he listened as she told of how a human woman had become a Goddess through the love of her Divine Consort, and how the People had been made out of her tribe, back in the stone age.

And Saul listened.

When Marinacame upstairs to get her daughter, now also an upright wolf; Saul thanked both her and Serena for meal and company, and alone in his room, he grew thoughtful.

The next day, Saul came down for breakfast despite the concerns of both Harry and Marina; saying that the Healing had left him feeling better than he had for some time. He ate carefully asMarinadid her "worried mother" impersonation over the items on his plate, and he won a smile from her after he was finished.

He followed Harry out to see the meat that had been butchered from the deer carcass and was impressed with the number of points on the deer's antlers; there were twelve of them, nicely balanced.

That was where Serena caught up with him and sent him back to the house; Luther had called and would be out in a while to check on the Healing and also to do some "touch-ups" that he hadn't had the time to handle the afternoon before.

He was also bringing a real Healing Servant out to see what else could be done to make Saul more comfortable.

In the Greatroom, he and Serena talked more about the People and their history; and for once, Serena was glad she had studied the history of her People as thoroughly as she had.

"So the werewolves ofEuropefled to theAmericasfor survival, and that is what you call the Scattering?" Saul asked after Serena had told him about the great exodus fromEuropefrom the seventeenth into the nineteenth centuries.

Serena nodded; "In fact, we still live in the time of the Scattering today; and will continue to do so until the Day comes and we are a free people."

"And this 'Day'," Saul asked, "what's that?"

"According to Mother's Promise after the Scattering began," Serena explained; "there will be a Day when we won't have to hide. It will be heralded by the returning of the Three to the world, and after the Day we will be able to wear our fur whenever we want to. We won't have to live a lie with out bodies, pretending to be Smoothskinned when we aren't. We can be who our Goddess made us to be; Her wolves and Her children, and our Smoothskinned brothers and sisters will accept us as we are, not as we pretend to be."

Saul sighed, "Maybe, someday; but you're asking a lot of people when you say that. I was involved with the civil rights movement in the sixties, and it was rough; very rough. People could be next-door neighbors, but try to get their children to go to the same school when one was white and one was black; and it was like fighting the Civil War all over again. People would swear that they weren't racist; but let a black man marry a white woman, and you'd think the world was going to end."

He sighed again in concern; "And those people were visibly human, just differently colored. One sixteenth of an inch of pigmented skin caused riots and demonstrations all over the place. Your faith in human nature is greater than mine, I'm afraid."

Serena shook her head, "No," she said; "it isn't my faith in human nature, it's my faith in our Goddess. Through Her messengers, our Three; She will cause people to wait, to look, and to think before they act. They will see we aren't monsters, that we are as caring and loving and decent as they are themselves. We aren't monsters, we are people just like they are." There was a hint of both hope and defiance in her voice as she spoke.

Saul sat quiet for a moment. "I wish that for just five minutes I could have the total faith and belief in anything that I heard in your voice just then," he said sadly. "Your strength of belief is..." He was interrupted by a sound.

It was a knocking at the door and Serena went to open it. It was Luther and another Servant she didn't recognize.

Their time to talk was over for now.

In his bedroom, Luther asked Saul what he and Serena had been talking about, as the other Servant helped him settle on the bedding. He introduced himself as simply Healing Servant Benjamin, and that he specialized in Smoothskin medical treatment. He was gentle as he tested Saul and then stood to consider what he had found.

"There was a great sorrow in you when we came in," he commented, "and I would like to know its source. Strong emotions can have some serious physical effects, and you don't need that on top of what you already have to deal with."

Saul smiled bitterly; "Nothing, really; other than yearning to have the strength of belief and faith that a young woman of your people possesses in such great measure."

He looked at the two werewolves in his room and explained, "Serena was telling me about your history, and about something called the "Day" that she believes in. I found her faith in people, both yours and mine, to be something I envied to a very great degree."

Servant Benjamin knelt to bring his gold colored eyes level with Saul's own and placed his right hand over the human's heart, and asked him why he had such a lack of faith in people.

Saul chuckled morosely; "Fifty-one years in various courts have had something of an erosive effect in my faith in people. I know what happened when we humans tried to mix Caucasian and Negro populations in the sixties and seventies; and when Serena said that she believed that your people could mix with mine in some mystical 'Day'; I could only see the blood and violence happening all over again."

He shook his head, explaining, "I've known Harry and his family for longer than Serena's been alive; and I know they are good people, decent and caring. I also know what some of my own race would do to the first wolf they saw standing on two legs and talking. Yet, for a moment, I believed in what she said; totally. I know it can't be that way, yet her faith in people had me convinced..."

It was Luther who answered.

"When Wolf Bend was first settled, there were less than a hundred of us," he said slowly; "and there was an Army fort less than thirty miles away from our new town. We could have been exterminated, if they had found out who and what had settled in the newly opened lands; yet our Goddess had promised to place Her hands around our new place of residence and protect us from harm until we were strong enough that no force of soldiers or settlers could dislodge us from what we had begun there. She had said that we must do this that our People might live; and although there were some close shaves in those first years, nobody came to kill us; and in time we grew to trust the humans in the area enough to bring them into our shining hope called Wolf Bend, and they learned to accept us as we were, without the disguise we wear now when we leave the places safe for our kind. That is what Serena believes, as do all of us; that when the Day dawns we will be accepted by our human brothers and sisters as another note in the great song that is life."

Then the Servant smiled, "Our Goddess protected us once, so we could grow here in Montana; and She will protect us again on that Day; so that we have the time to be recognized as a People, not a collection of monsters. You have come to know us as upright Wolves for less than three days; yet you were able to accept us enough to swear to protect our great Secret and the people of that secret. Do you think your fellow humans could not be so open to us? Do you think so little of your human people's ability to see past the surface of things?"

Saul sat, thinking for a moment; then replied, "Perhaps I'm just an old man with an old man's fixed opinions, but I would suggest that you have very good legal representation working for you. Maybe it would work like you said, but it would take a real miracle for it to last past the 'ohhh, Shiny' stage."

He looked up at the Healing Servant and said, "While I'm alive, you can count on me to support you and your people. Maybe I can convince my nephew, too--if there's someone in the town where I live to sweep up if I make a mistake. Beyond that--I don't know."

"There are Healing Servants in Bozeman," Servant Benjamin admitted, "as well as a number of our People. I will give you the contact information before you leave, so we can keep your Healing treatments going and make you feel better as time goes on. As for faith in the protection our Goddess can provide, every one of us knows that we are sustained by that protection every day we Pass in Smooth. This will be something She wants us to do, and She will protect us in our early days among our Smooth-skinned brothers while they learn about us and become our friends; those who can do so."

Saul asked, "Can your Healers show me how to have the faith that I see so strongly in you and your people? I would like to learn..."

Servant Benjamin sighed and replied; "We can't teach you faith, no one can; but they can show you how to find that faith within yourself. If you can desire it, it is already within you, and you just have to find it yourself."

Saul sighed, "I might just want to do that, so I don't envy Serena so much with what she has," and lowered his eyes in thought.

Servant Benjamin nodded to Luther, then began the Healing treatment of the old human's heart disease. There were more than a few problems there, but he would treat what he could and send Saul back home with an address and a list for his new Healer to deal with. This human might live another six or seven years with proper treatment, and enjoy all of it. That much, Wulfen Healing could accomplish. More, would be up to others.

The matter of faith though, would be up to the man himself, the Healer knew; and perhaps with the help of a young woman of his people, this human might find it. It was there; still in place after years of making deals in the courtroom, after having to defend people he knew were manifestly innocent from trumped up charges and bigotry. The very drive that made him such a profoundly decent man was rooted in that faith, and grew from it like a strong oak from fertile soil.

If he could admit to himself that there was a divine Someone who cared about him as a person; then that faith would find a way of expressing itself that was different from its current channel of profound respect for the Law and an almost maniacal determination that Justice, not Convenience, was to be served.

Healing Servant Benjamin prayed that this human would manage that leap of faith before death called in the claim it already had on him and he passed into the greatSea ofSouls that waited for those who would not allow Heaven to preserve them.

After the Healing, Servant Benjamin sent the human to sleep with a word; he needed to rest after what had been done to him. He didn't have many reserves of strength, and the Healer had called on most of them for the parts of the Healing he could not do himself. Over the next two or three days, as he did more work on the man's heart, he would use more of his own reserves of energy, but this first day had to be done with the human's own energy; to set the pattern that the healing would take inside the human's body. Using wulfen energies this first time could damage or kill the man; as the healing accomplished would be wulfen and not human in pattern.

So, until sometime tonight, the human would sleep and replenish what had been used in this first and most important Healing.

In the kitchen, Benjamin found Luther and Serena in a close and private conversation about something, so he quietly slipped into the room and then exited to the outdoors where he could himself relax and start to consider what to do next.

He wandered into the barn and found Harry at work on a tractor, where he appeared to be fitting some new hoses into place on the machine. A raised hand brought him over to the tractor and Harry, who had a few questions for him.

Wiping his hands on a somewhat clean rag, he gestured the Healing Servant to the small "Office" area that was enclosed and a little warmer than the outside There was also hot tea and a place to sit and talk, which both the Healing Servant and Harry took advantage of.

"I tell you," Harry began, "these Chinese tractors with their hydraulic drive systems are darn handy out here, but the hoses they use don't last more than a season or two before they start dyin' and leaking all over the place; usually in the middle of a job like today. I was cleaning up some snow off the road and suddenly the back wheels stopped working and I had to drive it back here with the oil cut off so the reservoir didn't run dry."

"How'd you do that?" Benjamin asked curiously, "I mean drive with the rear wheels un-powered?"

Harry grinned, "Th' same reason I got these tractors; they're four wheel drive. Lose two wheels, you still have two to get you back to the shop. A guy over inNashua does up replacements with heavier hose and guarantees them for five years, all you have to do is bring him the old ones with the proper fittings. They cost, but I think they'll be worth it. That's the last set of original hoses I'm replacing now with new ones. Hopefully, I can relax then."

Then he got to business. "Outside of tractors, how's Saul doing? I'm worried about him because Serena seems to have kinda fixed on him, and I don't want her to get surprised if he dies suddenly. I know there is a confidential relationship you have with him as a patient, but I'm worried about my daughter; so could you give me something of an idea of what we're lookin' at?"

Benjamin nodded, "I can, to a degree. I don't think Saul is going to die out here; his heart is stronger now, and I plan to do at least one and maybe two more healings on him. He's sleeping now to rebuild his strength from the healing I did. I had to use some of his reserves to keep the muscle patterns right this first time; next time, I'll use my own strength to build on what we did today."

Then he sighed, "He is very ill. I was optimistic in my estimate of his lifetime remaining. If he lives another two years, that'll be about the best we can hope for. There are two valves in his heart that are in trouble, and one of them is right on the aorta. If that tears or otherwise fails, he'll be gone in a few days because he is just too weak for surgery. I'll try working on that, since wolf and human are alike there; but he really doesn't have a lot of time left with us."

"I'll break th' news to Serena as gentle as I can, then," Harry replied sadly.

"Do you know what she is talking with Luther about?" Benjamin asked curiously; "The two of them were literally in a huddle in the kitchen when I went through it."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, she's still upset over breaking the oath of Secrecy when she did that CPR on Saul in her fur. Bobby said she observed the spirit of the oath, and he's right; but she's still worried about it."

Benjamin sighed, "The oath says to 'respect and preserve all life, as Life is sacred unto Heaven.' What it also says is that if she were to expose herself, she was to notify a Servant and keep the human with her until that Servant could sort things out. She did that. What is her problem?"

"Well, he said that he recognized her in her fur; and so she's thinking that she must have given herself away somehow. She starts College th' fall after she graduates, and she's scared that somehow she gave herself away to him, and it could happen again," Harry explained.

Benjamin asked, "And Luther is disabusing her of this?" under raised eyebrows.

"He's trying to," Harry replied.

"Look," Servant Benjamin said gently, "If she is still upset, tell her that he was so near death that he must have seen her spirit, and that doesn't shift. He saw something he couldn't have seen unless he was almost dead, and even without Servant intervention, he would have made it into a dream or illusion once he was awake and aware again. She has nothing to worry about. She upheld every part of the oath she made when she saved his life yesterday. If she hadn't done so, Mother-Beloved would have had some words with her soul once she was before Her and telling of her life this time around. Letting someone die is not a way we protect the secret unless there is no other method!"

"That's what I thought," Harry sighed, "but it's good to be supported by a Servant."

"May I help you with that tractor?" Servant Benjamin asked wistfully; "Mechanics were a hobby of mine before I took on the white coat of Service, and it's really rare that I manage to indulge myself."

"Grab some gloves and a shop coat," Harry laughed; "and you can indulge to your heart's content. I could use some help, and Bobby is in town with a shopping list his mother gave him."

In the kitchen, Serena was finally coming to terms with what she had done; that it was not in any way contrary to her Oath, and was in some ways expected of her as a Child of the Wolf.

"In many areas, at least a quarter of every search-and-rescue team is made up of our People," Luther was explaining patiently, "and it isn't unusual for really small children to be found and gently led back to where they can be found by one of us acting alone."

"Wulf-children, you mean?" Serena asked worriedly; to which Luther shook his head in negation.

"No; all children, smooth or wolf, will frequently be herded back to their "pack" by a wulf who is working on his or her own. Children are the future, and whether they are wolf or smooth doesn't matter; they are to be protected," he replied.

Then he sighed, "Of course, they will forget; or say it was a 'big doggie' that did it, and most people will think the child is fantasizing. That is safety for us, if you think about it."

Serena nodded; "So I won't get stuck in the kennel for a month?" she asked hopefully.

Luther laughed, "I seriously doubt it," he said around a chuckle. "I remember your brother saying he would move in next to you, and your parents won't allow that."

"Why?" Serena asked, to be answered by Luther's raised "eyebrow".

"Oh," she said, as her ears pinked up in embarrassment.

"When is Uncle Saul going to wake up?" she asked, to change the subject.

Luther stared into space for a moment, then said; "About half an hour from now. Why?"

"Because I want to get dressed for him. He liked my amber dress; he said it made him feel better. Because...oh, I don't know; it just seems right," she confessed.

Luther smiled. "Because you care about him, and how he feels. You want to make him feel better about himself, so you give him a reason to do so. Serena Wolfe, you have grown into a wulf that our Mother-Beloved would be proud to call 'daughter'..."

He withheld the word, "again" by strength of will. She need not know, not yet.

It was almost forty-five minutes later that Saul wakened to see Serena sitting beside his bed, knitting.

This time she was wearing classic "Farm Girl" clothing; Blue Jeans, a loose shirt top, and sandals on her feet.

She looked like a wolf who had decided to play "dress-up" in human clothing, for some reason. She wasn't.

Saul smiled a little, and asked; "Have you been there very long? There must be more entertaining things to do, besides watching an old man sleep."

Serena shook her head, "No, I was concerned that you might need something when you woke up, and might be too tired from the Healing to get it for yourself. Don't be concerned, this way I get the afternoon off and get some time to do some knitting without being half asleep when I do it."

Saul chuckled, "Of all the hobbies I imagined that a werewolf might take up, knitting was certainly not one of them. Why do you knit?" He was puzzled at her choice of activity until she explained it.

"We wulfen lack the kind of grip you Smoothskins have when we're like this. Our grip is strong, but I can't touch my thumb to my ring or little finger on either hand. Knitting helps me with my dexterity when I'm like this, and when I'm passing in Smooth. In Smooth, some of us aren't very strong that way; so we Wolfes knit to increase our dexterity," she said proudly.

Then she held out the yarn she was using for him to see.

"This is some llama wool mixed in with some of my last winter's pelage, or inner fur coat. We shed like any other furred creature does, and we gather that fur and have it spun into yarn by a lady in Wolf Bend."

Then she grinned, "Then we make it into things to keep warm in, like socks and sweaters and lap-robes; sort of like the ultimate in re-cycling. Our fur keeps us warm even if it isn't in our coat, this way."

Saul laughed, and excused himself to use the bathroom while she kept knitting. She decided she wouldn't say that this was Martina's knitting material she was using; she didn't want to spoil the image.

When he returned to the bed, she asked him if he wanted anything since he hadn't had any lunch.

"I think so," he replied, "since for some reason, I'm rather hungry right now. Not too much, though," he cautioned; "I don't want to hurt my appetite for dinner."

"Would some fruit do?" Serena asked. "It's from the market, but it's pretty good anyway. I think it comes fromSouth America."

Saul nodded, "It does. It's almost winter, here; so it's almost summer down there. I can remember when things like fresh fruit were seasonal; this far into winter, all there would be was frozen in juice or prepared things. Now, we can have fresh fruit year round."

"Fruit? Seasonal?" Serena asked as she stood. "You mean there wasn't anything fresh this time of year?"

"No, there wasn't," he replied. "From late November to early April, all there was, was either frozen or cold storage. Freshness was not the issue, since I can remember years when things ran out."

Then he smiled, "On the whole, I prefer things the way they are now."

"We have oranges, pears and some grapes, " she offered, "which would you like? Fresh from--wherever it is."

"Pears, I think," he replied, "and could you cut them up for me? I still have most of my own teeth, but there is no reason to risk things."

She nodded and headed toward the kitchen, gently closing the door behind her.

He got up and took a box from his suitcase and slipped it under his bedcovers while she was gone. He also had a chance to inspect the knitting, and chuckled a bit. There were two hands making this--whatever it was. He could see where Serena had picked up the stitch, and where the previous knitter had stopped working.

She was trying to impress him, he realized. She was showing off.

He sighed, thinking of how diligently she was trying to make him see the good side of her people; and then realized that she was doing just that without the knitting at all. Whatever she looked like, she was a very decent and caring person, as was her entire family.

If he had only been thirty years younger! At fifty, he had still cut quite a figure as a man. Now, though, he was old; and wishing wouldn't make it otherwise.

Still, he could enjoy her youth from his vantage of old age; and cherish it. She might look like an upright wolf, but past that and just beneath the surface, she was a gentle and kind young lady who would be going to college in two years.

Two years he might not have. He sighed, what to do? The family would need legal competence here on the Ranch, just to keep on the right side of the new laws that were passed with every session of the Legislature. These laws were written by lawyers, not farmers or ranchers; and could be convoluted as hell in their interpretation, as well as expensive in their fines and damages when they were broken, even unknowingly.

Then he had an idea. He might not be there, but that didn't mean she would need to find an attorney to help her. Serena was smart, and some pre-law studies would serve her very well in the Wolfe family's businesses.

That was something that bore thinking about.

When she returned with his pears, sliced and on a plate; he surprised her with the little gift he had brought her.

"Oooh!" she sighed, "Chocolate covered Honeycomb! My favorite!"

He chuckled; "I remembered your enjoyment of it last year, and so I ordered it once the date for the Hunt was confirmed," he explained as he nibbled on a pear slice.

Then he grew worried, "Will the chocolate have any effect on you?" he asked; and Serena shook her head.

"No," she replied, "I don't eat that much at a time; and while the chocolate would be bad for a dog, I'm a wolf, and not a dog."

"I disagree," Saul replied with a small smile, "you are a very nice young lady who only somewhat resembles a wolf; at least in my opinion."

Then he chuckled, "Did you know that when you blush, the insides of your ears turn pink?"

Serena nodded, "That's because my fur is thin there. Thank you for the complement, though." Her ears stayed pink for some time after that.

"So, you were telling me about an event called the Scattering, I believe;" Saul commented. "What happened once your people were here in theAmericas?"

Serena picked up the story where she had left off, glad for her home-schooling in her People's history. It was a lot more interesting than Smooth history was; especially when it involvedEurope. The Europeans seemed to be as fond of fighting among themselves as any wolf pack, only with less effective results.

She was running up against one of the major difficulties that her people had when dealing with Smooth thinking; Smooths thought in complicated ways that the average wulf simply found confusing and with no real resolutions reached.

Wulfen were more direct and simple in their thoughts, without the whereases and wherefores that peppered Smooth logic and Smooth law. For a wulf, there were always exceptions; and they were dealt with in the spirit of what they were excepted from. Smooths, it seemed, had to try to include every possible interpretation in their laws, and when there was something the law didn't cover, it usually became illegal on general principles. Whatever those principles were, with Smooths.

These thoughts fluttered through her head as she told of how the Children of the Wolf had kept moving west, away from human contact; until they discovered there was an ocean in front of them.

Then they had gone to ground, and slowly began to lose territory to the human invaders that were seemingly without end, until they had become shadows of the people they had been; trapped in fear and in the need to hide while they were running out of hiding places.

"That was the time called the Fading," she said to Saul as she explained how her people had lost much of their ability to be anything other than wolves, and had come to depend on human inventiveness for nearly everything that did not involve hunting or finding safe places to live; and how they traded carefully with the human world for many simple things like nails and candles.

"That sounds ominous," Saul replied; "a time when you were forgetting who you had been. It sounds like your people became decadent to a degree that most societies never recover from. They just spiral down, like the lateWestern Roman Empiredid, until there's nothing left. How did your people avoid that fate?"

Her ears began to blush as she recounted the "Renewal", since it involved her own family.

"One of the ancestors of this family, a wulf named Damien of the Sweet Water People, had a vision. In it, Mother-Beloved asked him to lead Her People to a place where they could regain their pride in who they were. He was led to a human's farm by that vision and learned that the man who owned the farm was one of the few humans that we called 'Friend' in those days. The human made him as welcome as if he were some long lost son. When his brother Paul arrived looking for him, he too was made welcome.

"He stayed there and learned of the things humans were doing, and about a land-giveaway in the north; in theterritoryofMontana."

The blush deepened. "He fell in love with the farmer's daughter, and they dared to make her Cross Over and become a child of the wolf herself; only she got sick with what was called the "Flesh-Rending' back then, when her own body fought the change and she was going to die from that fight.

"Both he and she prayed to Mother-Beloved, and She answered their prayers and said that if his mate Susan would agree to serve Her, she would Cross unharmed. Since that usually means that the Crosser is going to be a Servant, Damien thought he would lose his mate to the white coat of Service, but he asked Susan to agree. He didn't want her to die because she was by now a part of him as deep as his own soul.

"Susan said 'yes' and she Crossed safely, but as a normally colored wulf, not a Servant; and she became Damien's mate. When she did her first reversion, they both saw what our Goddess had done.

"Susan had flat feet, not the usual wulf feet we have even in Smooth. Her ears were round, her teeth were flat, and her tail had disappeared. She looked like a normal Smooth human, only she wasn't. Whenever she would shift, she would become a Person, a wulf again."

Saul was intrigued and asked, "Why do you suppose this happened? You've been able to go among humans for years as you are. Why did your goddess do something like that?"

Serena bowed her head and replied, "To remind us of who we were, that we weren't just wolves who could look like humans; we were humans who had a divine ancestry, and because of that we could look like wolves; like Father Haouu, Her mate and holy Consort in the Place of Peace.

"Damien spent all summer trying to convince his people of what their Goddess wanted, and only Susan's miraculous shifting could make any of them believe him. Finally, two Packs and part of a third went with him to the land give-away, the land rush; and Damien and his brother Paul claimed both the central ranch land and the town's land too, as two different claimants."

Serena grinned, "That's when the family got its name. Damien was filling in the claim papers and when the clerk asked for his last name, he was stuck because he didn't have any last name. We didn't use them, back then. It was when Susan said, 'Wolf, with an e' that our family was named. His brother Paul took the name 'Nevins' because that was Susan's family name, and the rules said only one parcel to a family; so that way we got the town and the ranch together."

"Clever, very clever," Saul commented; "But why is the town named Wolf Bend, rather than Wolfe Bend?" He'd become curious about that.

"That's because the original town was located on a bend ofWolfCreek, which is now on our lands," Serena replied; "The current town is where the railroad went through, and although they kept the name the same, the location changed. We keep the old town up as a memorial to the brave wulfen who dared to come here and start it."

"What happened then?" Saul asked, by now completely wrapped up in the story Serena was telling.

"They had seven years together," Serena replied, "and two sons; Adam and Ransom Wolfe. Then the house the family had built caught fire, and Susan was killed when the room she was in fell into the cellar. Damien took the Reunion Cup and joined his Bonded mate in Mother-Beloved's Place of Peace and Renewal. Paul had become a Servant by then, but he raised his brother's sons to be proper Children of the Wolf and to continue adding to the house and to add to the lands we owned."

She looked around and said, "This bedroom dates from then. It was built by my ancestors; and in a way, I can feel that they are still around; blessing their descendants and protecting them."

Then she took Saul's hand. "This land and our People are here because of Founder Damien's trust in our Goddess and his showing that we can live in the human world, with them, if we're careful. Our Mother-Beloved saved us from extinction and led us to a place where we could grow and regain what we had lost. As a result, now we are everywhere; still hiding but with a promise that the day will come when we won't have to hide any more. When the time is right, we will be free of the sham we live in the Smooth world and we will be able to be who we are without fear of human attack."

She looked into Saul's eyes and whispered; "And that great Day is coming. She has said so. I'll see it, and live in it; and no Wolfe or wulf will ever have to hide again. We will be another People among all the Peoples of the Earth, and we'll be who we are, not who we pretend to be. We'll be free."

The intensity of her emotions had made her squeeze Saul's left hand, and when she let it go, three small drops of blood showed where her claws had punctured his thin skin. He hadn't even felt it.

"Oh!" she gasped, "I'm sorry. Let me get you a bandage for that."

Saul waved her away and took a tissue and blotted up the blood on the back of his hand. "Don't worry," he chuckled, "I do worse than this when I shave, sometimes. I'm not going to bleed to death, although I may bleed a bit since I'm on blood-thinners. I'll be fine."

He looked closely at his hand and commented, "In fact, they were so shallow that they've already healed over. There is nothing to worry about." Then he smiled at her.

Serena let out a worried breath. She hadn't realized that his skin was so thin. At least he wasn't bleeding any more, but she would have to be extra careful with him.

"That pear was good," he commented, "but do you know what's for dinner? While I'm not hungry, I am developing a bit of an appetite."

Serena smiled, "Tonight, it's roast buffalo. Mom fixed it special, because Dad's got cholesterol problems and it's very low on fat. It's richer tasting too, so she doesn't have to use salt on it. I think you've had it before, here."

Saul grinned, "That I have, that I have. You're right about the flavor, too; it's wonderful. It's the way I wish beef would taste."

Then he asked, "Do you think I could eat downstairs with the rest of your family? This room is awfully boring, all the history aside."

Serena nodded, "I think so; but let me ask mom. She's the one who has to say yes."

She got up from the bed, "Let me ask her now. That way we can set up the table for five instead of four."

As she hurried out of the room, Saul thought about the story she had told to him. He felt there were some simplifications in the thing, but that had been the way she had learned it, most likely. The "Reunion Cup" bothered him a little, because the way she had used the term; it sounded like Damien Wolfe had been euthanized for some reason. On the other hand though; he didn't know how badly this Damien Wolfe had been injured in the fire. It might have just been an overdose of something like Laudanum, mixed up by someone unfamiliar with its effects. That was one reason why such drugs were controlled these days; they were so easy to make mistakes with--lethal mistakes.

The story was odd, yet there was a ring of truth in it. These werewolves had fled Europeand the humans there. They had developed a habit of simply going farther west than the white settlers had gone, and yes; they would have found the Pacific Oceana barrier to further flight. Their degeneration was something to expect, with their fear of humans and their capability to live off the land without tools or farming. Being mobile, they would have lost most manufacture, since that required steady access to supplies and materials they wouldn't have had.

Then their Goddess had chosen a Prophet? And made his wife the proof of his divine anointing? That was odd, since the Judaism of his youth had usually claimed that Prophets were loners, serving only God, and were their own authentication without any help from the distaff side.

Yet, why not? If you're making a point, having your Prophet's wife capable of something that was decidedly impossible by normal standards was a great help in that respect. It would also enforce pairing; which was necessary for children.

It made sense.

That was what decided him. It made sense. He decided to ask Healing Servant Benjamin about some parts of the story tomorrow. Since these "Servants" appeared to be the religious authorities for these amazing people, they would know more than Serena could tell him.

And as an attorney, he knew how to ask questions of people and get the answers he wanted.

He was curious, now, as he waited for dinner.

Dinner had been everything he had hoped for. Both Servants were there, and had answered his general questions about themselves and the people they were a part of. Serena had been dressed nicely again, in a skirt instead of the jeans she had worn that afternoon, and had actually flirted with him unconsciously.

And theBuffaloroast had been heavenly. He made a mental note to talk to the local butcher shop about having some of theBuffalomeat brought intoBozeman. It would be popular as a "Cowboy" meat with the tourists, and the flavor would make many people want it as a regular item on their table.

As the two Servants were about to leave, he asked Luther; "Do you know who it was that founded Wolf Bend? Serena claims it was some ancestor of hers; one Damien Wolfe by name. Is this real, or is my hostess having a bit of historical fun with me?"

Luther nodded; "Indeed it was Damien Wolfe; or as he was called then, Damien of the Sweet Springs people. He was the man who was chosen by our Goddess to lead us to a new place and a new way of living. He is something of a local legend among us; a wulf who began our renewal as a people at our Mother-Beloved's request."

Servant Benjamin added, "His wife and mate was blessed by Lunara to appear completely human when she was in her Smooth skin. That was how we knew that She was calling us to begin a new life here, since Susan Wolfe is the only Lycanthrope who ever was able to go completely from smooth human form to wulfen in form when she shifted. Even today, we still have our feet and ears and tail-stubs as a part of our wolf heritage. Only Susan was able to completely go from one body shape to another. That is why we followed Damien and his mate; She had given us proof of Her divine will for us, and we have reaped Her blessing since."

They bade him a good night and reminded him to rest, then left the house. Servant Benjamin would be back tomorrow afternoon for another treatment.

And Saul thought long into the night.

Although he had protested against it, the family had moved his things down to the ground floor, and into a bedroom across from Harry and Marina's. It was larger, and had a fireplace of its own; and the heat from the fireplace radiated into the bathroom that was next to it, warming it so he could have a bath and take some time to think about what he had learned.

When he went to bed, he was still thinking; weighing what he had heard with the same dedication he had brought to a murder trial the year before. The accused should have been guilty, since he had the means, the motive and the opportunity to kill his wife; only he had said he was innocent. After weighing every shred of evidence, Saul had believed him. When the State had offered a reduced charge and reduced sentence, any other attorney would have taken it. Saul hadn't; and in the end had proven the man's innocence after tying up a courtroom and jury for almost three months.

Near the end, the State had offered a manslaughter plea; simply to get the case over with. Saul had refused, and had won acquittal for his client...

Who couldn't pay him because he was essentially dirt-poor with a drinking problem and hadn't held a job for months prior to being charged with murder.

Saul had taken the case Pro Bono, simply because he had seen justice being sacrificed for expediency. The whole thing had been hugely expensive; to the State, and to him.

Justice was served, and truth was made plain. And he had lost almost one hundred thousand dollars doing it, from other cases not taken and fees not charged, from hiring investigators and experts in various fields covered in the criminal complaint to prove his client's innocence in the face of what had appeared to be damning evidence. After the trial, he'd had a heart attack; likely brought about by the strain he had been under to find the evidence that would acquit his client.

It had been worth it.

He had teased one tiny scrap of truth from all the evidence he had studied, seized, acquired, and hired; and had realized that his client was innocent of the charges.

He was now doing that to what he had learned from Serena and from his careful questioning of the Servants.

When he finally fell asleep, he was still examining the evidence he had acquired, just like a legal case. In his dreams, wolves plowed fields and farmers howled in the hills, and he chased the dim-glowing bit of information he knew he needed over night dark landscape. He wouldn't stop until he caught it and knew what it was.

Morning came, and the sounds of the house awakened him. He realized with a surprise that he had forgotten his oxygen mask and had slept the night without its aid.

Still, he felt better than he had in months. Apparently, sleeping in a werewolf's house was good for the constitution. Or the air was a lot cleaner out here.

He chuckled and got dressed, still thinking.

Maybe it was that "Faith healing" he was undergoing, administered by a white-furred upright wolf called a Healing Servant. He knew he had felt something when Serena was fighting for his life out in the ranchlands. He had felt the same thing, stronger though, from that fellow Luther when he had come to the ranch and done something that he still didn't understand. The next day, Luther and another "Servant" had treated him again; and that had felt even stronger to him, although that treatment had tired him out more than any of the others.

Today, Healing Servant Benjamin was due out here to "Heal" him again, and provide an address in Bozemanfor another healer who would take over the healing work that was in progress now.

As he shaved, he stared into the mirror; so far nobody had said anything about money...or "Coming up to be Saved", and he doubted that either would happen to him. That wasn't the way these wolf-people worked. It was simply a part of their lives; all of this, and they lived it. Briefly, he envied them in that honesty.

He rinsed the razor in the sink and then ran it a bit to dry it. As he did, he glanced down at his left hand holding the razor, and noticed three little white dots among the wrinkles and age spots.

He smiled a moment; that was where Serena had squeezed his hand a little too hard and broken the skin. The punctures had stopped bleeding in seconds, and now he had three little white scars as a souvenir of his experience.

That had been fortunate. If his skin had scarred, that meant the punctures had been deeper than he'd thought. He could have bled a lot, considering the blood thinners he was taking to make his heart's work a bit easier.

He decided it was good luck on his part.

Or maybe Somebody had helped a little, according to the history Serena had told him. Somebody who had made a Prophet who led his people away from extinction.

He really didn't know, and he was hungry. He went to the kitchen for breakfast.

Breakfast was a surprise. There were pancakes, hot cereal, eggs from a carton, and steak; carefully trimmed of any and all fat. There was coffee as well, which tasted very rich but was de-caffeinated.

When he askedMarina, she explained; "We don't do well with caffeine; it's a very powerful stimulant for us. Instead, we drink de-caf; and Harry gets this coffee from somewhere inLouisiana. It has chicory in it, and I particularly like it that way."

"Did you trim the steak just for me?" he asked, curious.

Marinashook her head and sat down across from him, coffee in hand. She said, "Let me tell you just how human we really are. The second year that he and I had the ranch from his parents, we were sold a lot of cattle with hoof-and-mouth disease. We had been given fraudulent papers on their health and mixed them in with another part of our market herd. When we learned that we had a batch of sick cattle, we contacted the state agricultural people and they told us that every single animal in that herd was now considered contaminated and would have to be destroyed and their bodies burned.

"The agricultural department sent out some people who made certain of what the disease was, and then supervised the destruction of two-thirds of our market herd for that year. It was terrible, and we had to work like we were slaves to keep the ranch from going bankrupt." She buried her head in her hands so that only her ears were visible for a moment. Then she sat back up and continued her story.

"Harry had a heart attack. I was beside myself with worry, but Luther and the doctors at the hospital pulled him through. They said it was just a little one, but we can have problems with cholesterol in our diet; just like humans, so I put him on a low-fat diet that I still keep him on today."

She chuckled, "I've gotten really good at trimming fat off our food, and keeping Harry from sneaking things like bacon and yellow cheese into his diet. Making heart-healthy meals has become a staple here at the ranch; and the buffalo helps there too, since they have hardly any fat to think of in their meat."

Then she looked over at him and said, "Saul, you don't have to leave tomorrow. If you don't feel up to driving, you can stay as long as you need to. You're a good friend to our family, and I don't want you doing something that will do you harm. If you need to stay longer, that's all right with us."

Saul asked, "Does my now being Kindred have something to do with this offer?"

Marinashook her head, "No, but it's a lot more comfortable for us now that you are. Staying in Smooth is unpleasant for us. It's like feeling you're in a really tight corset and you can't breathe right or hear right. We have to keep our mouths closed so we don't show our teeth, and keep our ears covered so they don't show either."

Saul queried, "I take it that these things don't change when you do? You keep your teeth and ears the way they are now?" He ruminated for a moment, then said; "That must be extremely uncomfortable for you then, isn't it?"

Marinanodded. "Oh yes," she said, "it's what we have to do when we leave the ranch or the town and go into the outside world. We have to hide what we are, which is something Serena will need to learn perfectly before she goes to college. In college, she will be on display for most of the day and night. Fortunately, there is a chapter of the Kindred at the college, and they try to pair up wolves and Smooths in the same rooms so at least there she'll be able to relax when she sleeps."

"This Kindred organization must be pretty wide spread, if there is a chapter at the college," Saul commented, "and I suspect that the same goes for most of the campuses throughout the state."

Marinanodded; "In the old days, there might be one 'Friend' in a whole county who was trusted by the People. It was Founder Damien who came up with the idea of making it an organization, rather than a simple contact point for our people to stay when they were trading for things they couldn't make. Since the town was already growing, he had less opposition to his ideas about that than the original idea of actually making a town where we could live as we are. In the first five years there were more people who became our Kindred than had existed as 'friends' for as long as we could remember. Apparently there were people out there who would listen rather than try to kill us on sight, and we took them in as our kin, as humans who were accepted by the People as trustworthy with the Secret of our existence."

She smiled, "That was the best idea he had, in my opinion. My best friend was a human named Jennifer. She and I were like sisters, we were that close. She introduced me to a guy from the Army named Harry, and we Bonded almost instantly. When he decided to go to college, we Declared as mates; and Jennifer Declared with Harry's best friend, Charles Clark." A shadow of sadness came over her face for a moment as she remembered her best friend, now gone to the Place of Peace with her mate Charles.

"They would be Bobby's parents, right?" Saul commented. "I remember drawing up the adoption papers and the name-change as well."

Marinanodded slowly. "You know, I still miss her at times," she replied; "and I raised her son up as my own flesh and blood. He's an honor to both our families, but I do wish he would Cross. He'll be at a disadvantage here if he doesn't."

"Cross?" Saul asked, "what's that?"

"Become one of us,"Marina replied. "Crossing Over is the process where a Smooth Human becomes a true child of the wolf. That's why I'm so happy that he and Martina seem to be growing close to each other. If they declare, he'll Cross Over after their Mating Night celebration."

"Ah-ha," Saul said smiling, "he'll be ahhh, exposed then, to whatever it is that makes a human into a werewolf."

"Interesting," he thought, "so it's transmissible sexually as well as by the fabled movie 'bite'."

"Yes,"Marinareplied, smiling with both mouth and ears.

She continued, "It was such a pity that his father couldn't Cross. He wanted to, but the Servants said he would die from the 'Flesh Rending' that happens to some people who try becoming like we are by Crossing. His wife stayed Smooth as well, since she couldn't Cross and still be intimate with him."

She sighed, "That caused a lot of trouble with her parents. They wanted her to Cross Over because they were third generation Kindred and thought their daughter should become one of us. When Charles couldn't Cross, they tried to get Jennifer to divorce him, and Jen refused. Then she had her son, Bobby; and she was so in love with Charles. Her parents still made such a fuss that she just stopped talking to them."

"Then they were killed, and Harry drove straight toDenverto get Bobby and bring him back here. We've never tried to keep him separate, and he shares our food and everything else; but he just doesn't start the Crossing."

She smiled; "If things don't work out with Martina, Serena has her eye on him. One way or another, he'll be a Child of the Wolf and a part of our family in every way possible. His uncle will be happy about that."

"Uncle?" Saul asked, vaguely remembering that there was family inColoradofor the young man.

"His uncle Bruce,"Marinareplied. "He farms, just like us; and has a mate who is a Healing Servant. They have four children and I recall she's expecting again. At the time Charles and Jen were killed though; Bruce was having serious financial problems with the farm, and with three children and his mate working all hours; he was happy to let Harry be the Sworn Parent and take Bobby up here with us."

She smiled radiantly. "Bobby is the son that both Harry and I needed, I think. He has been such a wonderful young man that I am proud to be his mother, and Harry is fit to bust buttons over his school work. He's going to get a Scholarship for certain."

Then she looked Saul straight in the eye and said, "That's what werewolves are, Saul. We work, we love and we care; just like our SmoothKin human friends. I noticed you asking some questions last night, and I decided to answer a few of them for you. You're Kindred now. You're part of our People, and you should know what sort of people we are. Do you have any more questions, hmmm?"

Saul blushed and shook his head. "Not in the least,Marina; not at all. My only regret is that I had to wait eighty-five years to have them answered."

Marinasmiled; "Harry would say that you weren't ready until now, and that our Mother-Beloved waited until you were ready for them to be answered, and I would agree with my mate--but don't you tell him that!"

Saul chuckled. Marinawas always correcting Harry, and Harry always went along.

Briefly, he felt very alone. He could have married, but he'd always been too busy with the Law. His brother's family was family, but only just. They were Orthodox Jews and he wasn't. There had always been a tension between them over that. The women he had briefly entertained were usually more interested in his net worth than in him. And then it had happened; his eightieth birthday, and it was all now academic.

Marinaseemed to have read his mind when she reached across the table and said gently, "You're Kindred now, Saul; and that means you're family to us and every other wulf of the Goddess. If you need to spend some time here to heal that other heart problem, do so. There are no Secrets between us now."

Not trusting his voice, he only nodded.

Getting up, he said huskily; "I think I'll go look in on Harry, if he's about."

Marinanodded, "He's in the shop with Bobby working on one of the trucks. Remember, though; it's Watch Only for you." Then she smiled at him and turned back to preparing what looked like chicken stew for the night's dinner.

He met Serena as she was emerging from the horse barn with a wheelbarrow of manure to be dumped into the compost pile that was nearest the door. He fell into step with her.

"I didn't know you still used horses," he commented; and she replied, "Oh, yes we do. They still can go places a motorcycle can't, and we have to get them used to our scent as colts and fillies, since we smell somewhat of wolf to them. Once they're used to us, they're like gold. I had the past few days off, so now I'm doing Bobby's chores as well as my own while he and daddy work on a truck."

She grinned, "I'd just as soon do this anyway, since trucks are dirty and oily and greasy and I have fur that absorbs all of that sort of stuff. It takes me hours to get all the 'truck' smell out of my fur when I do have to work on one, so I was happy to trade with Bobby."

"You work on the trucks here?" Saul asked in surprise.

"On everything," she replied; "Our 'chores' are training for us in running the ranch and everything on it, some day. Some of the lessons aren't too bad, but when it involves grease or oil, I prefer to let Bobby learn while I clean up the horse poop."

She glanced at him and commented, "You seem a lot better today; Mom was right."

"Your mother told you I'd be feeling better?" he asked in some surprise.

"Yes," Serena replied, "she said you'd..." She paused, "That's odd, because I barely saw mom this morning because I slept a little late and rushed breakfast; but I distinctly remember her saying that you would be much better today when I saw you."

She looked over at him and asked, "You are feeling better, aren't you?"

Saul nodded and replied, "Last night I forgot to hook up my oxygen, but I slept like a rock. I think that whatever that Servant fellow is doing is working. I haven't felt this good in months."

Serena gave him a glance that was just likeMarina's and warned, "Well, don't push things. Healing takes time, Uncle Saul. One push could undo all the good that Luther and Benjamin have done."

Saul nodded, "You're right. I'll go watch your father and your brother work on a truck." He looked around and asked where the garage was in the collection of buildings around them.

"Go along the road by the workers' housing past this row of buildings. It's the big new steel building with what looks like a porch on it. That's the garage, and that's where they'll be," she said as she pointed to the road in question. "I'll be there later with tea and cornbread for a snack," she added with a little smile.

Saul followed her directions and soon found him in the heated office of a large steel building with thick insulation on the walls and ceiling. Harry and Bobby were working on the brakes of one of the ranch trucks and had waved when he came in.

He settled himself on one of the chairs near the heater and watched them. Apparently, Harry was teaching his son how to replace the brake shoes on this particular type of vehicle. Bobby was watching and getting tools for his Werewolf father, who was wearing gloves, a shop coat, and a face visor to protect his eyes.

Seeing what looked like a wild animal dressed in human work gear was fascinating for Saul, and when his human son responded to his softly spoken instructions, it looked like some sort of reverse world, where the boy was helping his dog... cancel that; helping his wolf, because Harry in no way looked like a dog.

Apparently something else was needed, because Harry called out to Saul, "Hey, Saul, could you give me just a little hand here? I'm showing Bobby how to bleed these kind'a brakes, and I need somebody up in the cab to push the brake pedal for me."

He held up his tail and laughed, "'Cause my tail won't quite reach, y'see?"

Saul laughed back and walked out to the truck and carefully climbed up to the driver's seat while commenting, "You know, Harry, I was working on brakes over sixty years ago. I spent one summer at a gas station working in the attached service area, during college. You're bleeding the cylinders, right?"

"Right," Harry replied, "so you know how hard it is to show how to do it unless you have a foot in the cabin to press the pedal down."

"Ohhh, yes I do;" Saul chuckled. "We had some sort of vacuum thing for that, but it'd never work right. So, mostly, when there weren't any cars waiting for gas, I'd have one of the gas-people jump up and pump while I worked like crazy. Now?" he asked.

"Yep," Harry replied, then in a moment; "Okay, now release," as he showed his son how to bleed the air bubbles out of the hydraulic brake lines.

Saul commented, "Used to be, that if we did one set of brakes; we'd bleed all four brake lines and not just the ones we had replaced."

"Why was that, Uncle Saul?" Bobby asked.

"Because that brake fluid had been cylinders that gotten very hot very often," Saul replied, "and bleeding them moved some fresh brake fluid into the cylinders. That kept rust at bay and made the brake cylinders last longer."

Bobby's reply was, "Oh. Does that apply to motorcycle brakes, too?"

Saul answered, "Not if they're cable or rod actuated, it doesn't. It only applies to hydraulic brakes."

"Okay," Bobby replied more surely, "mine are cable. I just have to keep them tensioned, right?"

Harry spoke up, "No, Bobby; the brakes on your motorcycle have adjusters built into them. You have to adjust them and the cables, both; on a regular basis. I did it this time to save a bit, but you do need to know how. In another thousand miles, we'll both do it so's you know how."

Bobby grinned widely, "Okay, dad. They were feeling a little mushy when I rode partway to school so I did the cables, but now the handle's loose on that side."

Harry stared at his son and asked, "Why didn't you say so? We'll make time tonight, then. I don't want you riding with bad brakes on the roads around here, not in winter, especially."

Saul felt a pain in his chest that had nothing to do with his heart condition. He stared at the dashboard and pressed the pedal when Harry asked him to. In that moment, he would have traded places with Harry in an instant; Secret and all.

Later, as they ate cornbread and drank tea, Harry took the time to think about their visitor. He had been a family friend for years, but the Secret kept him out of most of their family life; and he had seen the look on the attorney's face when Bobby had spoken to him.

Loneliness, with a hint of grief.

That could be addressed, now. Have him fly, to save his heart. Have him come out to the ranch more often, so he could have the family he was just now realizing that he needed in his last years of life.

Harry decided to invite him for Sun's Return, the wulfen "Christmas". He would be with family then; Harry's family--now his too, with the Oath.

That was what She wanted for Her children; and in a way, Saul was one of Hers, now--by oath if not by blood. Maybe...

His mate interrupted his thinking when she came out to the garage and told Saul that Servant Benjamin was on his way from town.

Serena was neatening his room so the Healing Servant could work on him.

When Saul returned to his bedroom, he saw that the bed had been made, and a comfortable chair had been brought in beside it.

"That" he decided, "would be for the Healing Servant. Again the laying-on-of-hands, and strange feelings in my chest. Maybe there is more to this than faith healing. Maybe there is a lot more..."

He stopped the thought. He wasn't going to give in to mumbo-jumbo.

Unless it wasn't.

His memory went back to his childhood, and a surprise and disappointment. He had asked his father where the Prophets were today, and been told that there had been no "Prophets" of God since the fall ofJerusalemto the Romans. God had become angry at His People and stopped sending them, ever since.

When he had asked about the Prophets of other religions, he had been told that those "other religions" were false and the prophets of those religions had been less prophet than politician.

His father had gone on about all the "goysche" (non-Hebraic) beliefs at some length, telling Saul how they were simply traps for the credulous and not connected to God at all; that only Judaism of all the world's religions had a line to God--even if God wasn't answering that line any more.

He had believed, then.

Then he had met a Baptist boy in school, who had told him about Christ; and said that Judaism was false and only Christ's followers were in God's favor. The Jews were definitely not, anymore; even if Jesus had been born as a Jew himself.

He had asked his father about Jesus, and had been sent to his room without supper as punishment after being told that at best Jesus had been a very minor prophet, and that only a few Jews even granted him that status.

In his room that night, he had started thinking about religion; and hadn't stopped since. He had investigated religion after religion until he had come to the conclusion that in some ways, most of them were right. Only a few seemed to be of the whole cloth, as fabrications for power or wealth or both.

By the time he was inLawSchool, he had adopted his current agnostic beliefs. There was a God of some kind. That God was nothing that a human could understand; other than in very general ways. There were only a few divine laws, which he had found in religion after religion after religion, repeated again and again.

"Treat others the way you wanted to be treated". Well, that made sense. "Respect or Love God" was another, with the inference that you should treat God the way you wanted God to treat you.

That was logical. God wanted the same treatment you gave to others.

Then, the final one: "Don't try to understand God or God's actions. Give God the same respect you gave others, but don't try to understand the why of things." You couldn't; you weren't God. You didn't know all the reasons for things that happened in the world. God did. Have faith that God is doing good, no matter what; and live accordingly, doing the best that you could with what you could understand.

His "Faith" had grown from that, and had worked quite nicely for him, all his life. God had become an impersonal entity, incomprehensible and imponderable. Focus on your work, and try to do what was good to the best of your knowledge. Leave the rest to God, whoever or whatever that deity might be.

Now, these wolf-people wanted him to forget all that and personalize God again, into some wolf deity that they believed in to an absolute degree. To further complicate things, these "Servants" seemed to actually be able to heal his heart problems better than modern medicine could manage.

"Am I getting better, or do I simply want to think I'm getting better?" he asked himself. He had defended a "Faith Healer" from fraud charges, largely because the woman had asked for nothing in return; only accepting small "gifts" that she used to pay her rent and buy her food. She had lived a simple life, using prayer to heal; and only an over-zealous District Attorney who wanted to be re-elected had caused any problems for her.

He'd won an acquittal on legal points, there. He'd proved that she had not "defrauded" anyone of anything under the law; and had admitted to her clients that she didn't know how she did things, only that they worked most of the time. She had not broken the law, and he had proved it.

Three years later, he had helped a family recover money and property from a scam-artist who used the term "Faith-Healer" to defraud victims out of millions of dollars worth of things with fake "cures" and hysteria. This creep had lived in luxury while scamming people out of seeking proper medical treatment for their ills and eventually leaving them destitute and still sick; even fatally sick in several cases.

"You think I'd know which was which by now," he thought to himself; "but obviously I don't. The fact that these wolf-people exist is contrary to science in itself. Maybe they're the exception that proves the rule; and maybe there is something to this goddess of theirs...or maybe I'm grasping at straws because death still scares me; and having a nice afterlife even among these wolf-people beats not knowing if there is an afterlife at all. I just don't know."

Then Healing Servant Benjamin had come into his bedroom, and had given him another "healing" which had made him feel a lot better, despite the mental questioning he was still involved in.

After the "treatment", and as he was sitting back up, the Healing Servant asked him, "What has you so troubled? You're a bundle of nerves right now, and that is not good for you. Stress is harmful to a person with a heart like yours, since it makes it work harder than it needs to, to keep you alive. Is it something you want to talk about with me; about the People? I can't promise answers, but I will give it a good try."

Saul shook his head. "I'm still trying to figure out what it is that I want to know, but I warn you that when I do; I'll want to know a lot. I've lived a very long time the way I am now, spiritually; and now I'm starting to wonder if I made some sort of mistake somewhere. You have a personal Goddess, and I don't believe that Deity can be personalized that way. God--or Goddess is beyond comprehension, the way I think; while you say the exact opposite, and seem to have the means to prove it. That makes for a lot of questioning on my part, of and for myself. Until I get that resolved, I can't even try for anything else, because I don't know what it is that I'm looking for."

Then he sighed, "Does that make any sense to you?"

The Healing Servant laughed; "More than you'd think. I came to Service late in life, and had a lifetime's worth of questions when I was asked to Serve. She simply said that before, 'I hadn't been ready'. Now, I was."

He sat in the chair with his jaw resting on a fist, his ears dropped slightly. "When I had a question as to the why of something about my Service; that answer remained the same. I simply hadn't been ready for my life-task until then," he continued, "and I suspect that is the case with you. You had to learn certain things that only life teaches, and life keeps its own schedule."

Saul asked, "What happens if I die before I figure out what I need to ask? What will happen to me then?"

Servant Benjamin sighed, "That is something I can't tell you, other than that your soul is immortal. Where you'll go after you put your body down is not resolved in your case. You simply don't have enough focus to determine the answer to that one, not right now. You'll go somewhere, that is a certainty; but exactly where is something you haven't decided on yet--and I'm not allowed to make you decide. It must be your own free will that determines your after-here existence."

Saul looked over at the Healing Servant, gauging and thinking about his next question. Then he asked it; "How could I spend eternity with this Goddess of Serena's?"

Benjamin replied, "You can't. Serena's 'Mother-Beloved' is different from how you would see Her, how you would respond to Her. She is different to each one of Her children, even as a human parent would be. First, though, you would have to accept Her as your own Mother-Beloved, and see Her with your own soul's eyes. That is Heaven's Law; or more appropriately, that's how it works. She is the same for all of us; and at the same time, completely personal for all of Her children. That is how it is for humans, even in the tightest of families; that's how it is for us, too." He grinned, "Think of how differently Serena and Martina see their mother Marina; and yetMarina is demonstrably one single person. Then add in how her mate Harry sees her; and finally how she sees herself. That's a lot of people in one soul, and in one body; but that's how it is."

Saul sat there for a moment, then chuckled, "You're right about that. At least now I have something of a direction to look in. It's a start."

Servant Benjamin suggested, "You could come to one of our Song-Nights. I could ask your Servant inBozemanto let you come to one of them, if you're interested. If nothing else, you'd have more People you could ask once you figure out what it is you want to ask."

Saul nodded, "That sounds like a good idea. I just hope it won't be forty-below when it happens. I don't do well with extreme cold due to arthritis."

Servant Benjamin nodded, "Neither do I, although I can grow a thicker coat to deal with it," he paused, then asked Saul for his telephone number.

Saul gave his home and cell number, explaining that; "I'm only in the office when I'm taking a case; and so far, I don't have any more for this year. I am retired, after all."

Servant Benjamin warned him, "It's likely that the Council inBozemanwill be more conservative than what you've been exposed to here, so be patient. We've learned to be wary of humans; even new-Kindred humans. It will take time for you to be accepted by anyone other than the Servant; although you were as a part of your Oath-taking made a member of Harry's family pack. In fact, your Servant will probably refer to Harry as a way of identifying himself to you, so keep your ears sharp. You'll have to convince your Servant as to your level of trustworthiness, and he'll have to convince his Council. You may have to wait until spring for a Song-Night on weather issues, too; although that will give your Servant time to get to know you as a person. All in all, I think that's good."

"I tend to agree," Saul replied; "and it will give me time to get used to your people as well. It goes without saying that any legal issues your people have at Bozeman, I'll take on Pro Bono, no matter how things work out. I meant that part of my oath, absolutely. Your people are a bit too open about those things to be effective in a courtroom."

Servant Benjamin grinned; "You mean 'too blunt', don't you? I agree. That's why we hire lawyers when we need them. Human laws are too convoluted for most of us."

Saul grew thoughtful for a moment, then asked; "Do you think Serena could handle Pre-Law in college? It's mostly learning how to look things up and how to read the laws that are already in effect. There are logic courses, too. I figured she would need them if she had to handle running the ranch."

He was puzzled when Servant Benjamin started laughing, but then the Servant explained, "Of all the people here outside of Robert, who is human; Serena spends so much time getting around her mother's restrictions that I'm certain that Pre-Law will be quite within her capabilities. She already argues her actions with her mother to the degree that I wonder if she might be the rare werewolf who would be good at law. If she is, she would be wasted here on the ranch; but that's her decision to make."

Saul yawned, much to his surprise. "I apologize," he said, "I didn't think that just talking would wear me out like this. I'm actually tired."

Servant Benjamin took his hand and focused for a second, then relaxed. "No problems," he replied, "You're just now feeling the energy change from your Healing. Sleep for a while; it's common for Healing patients to nap after having a treatment. I'll let you rest, now; while I get a snack. I'll see you at dinner,Marina's making chicken fricassee tonight, and I love her recipe."

Saul nodded and settled down to rest. It was odd, how just lying there while the Healer worked on him could tire him out, but it had happened. Soon he was asleep.

Meanwhile, Healing Servant Benjamin had headed out to the garage building where he found Harry and Bobby working on the young man's motorcycle. He put on a smock and gloves and was soon helping them with the brakes on the machine while he thought over what he had found during this most recent Healing treatment.

Saul had been Blooded; the Viroid was present in the human's blood in minute amounts. Yet the human had said nothing about it, and was seemingly holding to the opinions he had held before this event. That was unusual, unless the Blooding had been accidental; an exposure from a shared glass or utensil could do it. He seriously doubted that the man had requested the thing, given their conversation a little while ago.

Still, this was a good thing. Unless he resolutely held to his impersonal deity concepts; he was as good as Lunara's when he left this life.

He held his words though; since Saul had no memory of the event there was no reason to upset the Wolfe family. What had happened, had happened.

As he held the rear wheel of Bobby's motorcycle while the young man adjusted its brakes, he wondered a bit about what Mother-Beloved would make of a Lawyer showing up in Her Place of Peace.

Then he concluded She would probably ask him why he had taken so long getting there.

Saul dreamed he was in a wonderful place. It was a forest, the likes of which had long ago been harvested bare for lumber, weapons and fires. It looked pristine, somehow; as if no man's axe had ever scarred even the tiniest sapling here. Above him, the sky was a shade of blue that he had never seen before in his life, pure and clear; with an occasional cloud that made it look even more glorious. Even the air was sweet and rich with the scents of the growing things that were literally all around the small clearing he was standing in. Before him a wide plain of grasses and an occasional tree stretched out to the limits of his sight. He had never seen such simple perfection anywhere, before.

He saw a log and went over to it and sat down on it; and it was just the right size for him to sit comfortably upon, being neither too low or too high.

He simply rested and enjoyed the place.

Soon, there was the sound of someone moving through the grasses and a young woman walked into his vision; tall and strong with brown hair and eyes and sun-tanned limbs; wearing a leather kilt and vest-like leather upper garment. She strode toward him, and stood before him with an easy smile on her face.

He stood, offering her a seat, and she took it.

"So; you are called Saul," she said in a low contralto voice; "My name is Luin-hra. It means 'Clever woman', and was given me by my father when he saw I was the one who would take over the spirit-working from my mother when she went to the Summer Hunting Lands."

He was confounded by this dream person, and nodded slowly; "My name is Saul, yes, but where did you learn of me?" he asked curiously.

"From my daughter," she replied; "whom you know as Serena in the world you live in. She is very impressed by your learning, and I admit; so am I. It is like the place where a stream enters into the sea, with many windings and twistings; yet still it goes from one water-place to another in a simple and smooth passage. Many good things grow in these places, and there is always the pleasant sound of the water flowing in your ears."

Saul chuckled, "If you're saying my mind is like a river delta; well, the idea never occurred to me, but I can see your point. Sometimes you have to wander around a little to see where things link up and where the truth can be found."

"This 'truth' is important to you, isn't it?" she asked bluntly.

He nodded, "Yes, absolutely. Truth isn't that fancy or special, usually; but in my career as an attorney, I've found that the truth is inseparable from what we call justice. The law is the guide, but the truth is what makes things work properly."

He sighed, "Recently I had a case where all the evidence pointed to the conclusion that my client was guilty, but the truth was that he wasn't. What he was, was stupid, violent and a drunkard. What he wasn't, though, was a murderer. The prosecution felt that guilty or not, society was better off without him. Maybe that was so, but what was claimed, the murder of his wife--that was untrue, and I couldn't let the man go to prison for something he didn't do. That would be supporting a lie, and I try not to do that."

"Then why are you lying to Harold about your sickness?" she asked quietly.

He gave a start at the question, then asked, "How do you know..."

"Let it be the truth that I do know," she replied evenly; "and I know that your doctor was most unhappy that you decided to go hunting, rather than submit to the surgery he wants you to have."

Saul was upset; while the girl was certainly a pleasant dream partner, her questions were not. Still, he felt he had to answer her.

"Because if I have the surgery, there is not a lot of hope that I won't be stuck in some bed afterwards," he replied. "The doctor wants to replace a couple of valves in my heart, and I'm not exactly a good surgical prospect. I might stroke out on the table. I might have a stroke after the surgery. I might die even if the surgery is successful," he explained.

"Then the recovery will be slow and painful, because at my age the bones don't always want to heal properly. Because of my age, I'll have to live a very careful life because of the strain these new valves will place on my heart and circulatory system. My body has adapted to low blood pressure and low bloodflow, because one of those heart valves controls both of those things. If I got excited, I could die of the rise in blood pressure. I'd have to keep myself walled off from most of life, just to stay alive."

By now he was looking at his feet; somehow ashamed of what he'd said. He finished with, "I decided on one more--maybe one last--hunt, with my friends, the Wolfes. Harry is a...a friend, and I don't have many of them left at my age. I learned something wonderful about them that I can't tell you; other than they are even more special than I had ever imagined. And, if their dreams come true, they are going to need attorneys to protect their interests," then he sighed; "and I'm too old. I have a nephew that maybe..."

He looked at the woman seated beside him and said, "You're her, aren't you? Serena told me about her Goddess Lunara, and now I'm dreaming about her, as you."

Luin-hra smiled; "You aren't exactly dreaming, Saul Goldfarb. This is where my people grew in numbers, after my mate Haouu led them here. We call this place 'Muria', which means 'beautiful' in our language. We lived here many generations, and had visitors from many places who traded with us and told us of the greater world outside of our own lands. In time we visited those lands ourselves, although we disguised ourselves as being without our wolf heritage, since the cousins in those lands were more violent than they were in our own country."

Saul grew confused, "You say I'm not dreaming? Then, what am I doing; and why am I imagining you?"

Luin-hra explained, "This is the Place my Mate and I made for our children. This is a part of it, where those who remember the older days before we scattered from Europecome to renew themselves. You are in a place that some call 'Heaven' although it is nothing like what most concepts make of it. You will only remember this place as a dream, though; that is one of the rules that apply when the still-embodied visit here."

Then she grew solemn and said, "In a very few years, my People will be free as the Day of Liberation dawns. Already, those who will be my Three are being led into the learning they will need when they arise and lead my people into the greater world. They will need help from people such as yourself, Saul. We are not by nature a people who think in the ways that you do, and will be at some risk from those with clever minds who mean us ill.

"I ask you to simply consider my people when your time comes. Speak my name as the Romans did; Lunara, and your soul will come to this place. There will be many here who will be eager to learn from you, for very few of us have taken the Law as a life-task in the other place. I can offer you nothing, other than the knowledge that Serena's people will be protected in their early days out in the world, if you agree."

She became even more solemn as she said; "This will mean you will have to commit to the concept of a personal deity, something you have avoided all of your adult life. All I can say is that people like you will be needed by the Children of the Wolf, and all I can offer is a place like this where your soul can renew itself. It will be for the Harrys and Serenas and all my other children that you choose, Saul; not a single Goddess or a single God. It will be for them, not us, that you commit yourself."

Then She stood and kissed him on his forehead, and She and the place faded into daylight as he awakened from what had been an incredible and strange dream.

As he rambled into the bathroom to do his morning ablutions, he glanced in the mirror and stopped in shock. It was fading, but on his forehead there was the distinct marking of a pair of lips, pursed in a kiss. When he had returned from more pressing matters, the mirror showed only the faintest outline, which faded into invisibility as he watched.

As he dressed, his mind was going a mile-a-minute as he tried to remember that incredible dream he'd had last night; but like all dreams, it proved elusive and gave over only tidbits of what he had experienced in its coils.

Breakfast was again a memorable experience, and he realized he needed to get home. He had been given a contact telephone number, but had been told to expect to be contacted, rather than use the number himself. That number was only for emergencies.

Loading his car with his suitcase was over; young Robert had helped with everything including the oxygen bottle that sat in the passenger seat and was belted in beside him. Serena had hung in the background, seeming genuinely sorry he was leaving, her wolf's ears drooping and her eyes sad.

He admitted to himself that he was; but there was a case back inBozeman he was thinking of advising on and he had to be there to do it.

Leave-taking was unusually difficult this time. He had seen and experienced so many incredible things here, he really didn't want to go. Still, he had to. That was the thing, he had to leave and try to put all this into perspective.

Serena was dressed in that nice dress again, and hugged him as he came to her to say goodbye.

"Drive safely, Uncle Saul," she said softly as she rubbed her cheek against his. Then she added, "Come back soon, okay?" There was real concern in her eyes.

Saul smiled and replied; "Remember, I have another hunt scheduled for the first week in March. Unless I have a case that's tying me to the court, you can bet I'll be back here then. We can go hunting, and you won't have to pretend to be a dog this time; I'll enjoy that."

She brightened; "So will I! I could do the guiding and everything!"

As he shook Harry's hand, Harry asked, "Saul, are you doing anything the week before Christmas?"

Shaking his head, Saul replied, "Other than avoiding my brother over missing Hanukkah services again, nothing. Why?"

"Because we'd like to invite you up for our holidays, Sun's Birth; which is the day after the first day of winter. We'll pay the airfare both ways, so we can have some more family around for the holidays."

Saul paused a moment, then decided. Spending the season avoiding his own family was annoying. There were no cases pending he was involved with, not over the holidays.

And he wanted to spend some more time with these strange wolf-people. They felt better to him than his own brother did, especially during the holidays. His brother was always after him to come back to theTempleand pick up the Judaism he had set aside so many years ago; most strongly during the holidays.

"I'll do it," he replied, "but I pay the airfare. We talk a little business, I advise you on something, and I take it off my taxes as a professional call. Okay?"

Harry chuckled and nodded, "Okay. Just bring yourself and Serena will be in heaven. She may even stay dressed, which will make her mother very happy; and I won't have to mediate over having her spend Christmas in the kennel, like last year."

Saul was puzzled, "You keep your daughter in the kennel?"

Harry explained, "Her mother uses that as punishment. It doesn't hurt us, after all; Serena was naked when she was playing the hunting dog and there was a couple'a feet of snow on the ground. It's justMarina's way of trying to show Serena that she isn't some animal. By now, it's as much a game between them as anything else."

"Ahhh," Saul replied, trying to sound like he understood. He decided he probably would, eventually.

There was a hug, a smile, and a cheek rub from Marina; and then Saul went to his car and started it. He had a two day drive, back toBozeman, and he would spend the time thinking about what had happened here. He would need that time, probably. He let out the brake and put his car in gear, then waved and headed toward the road and the highway. There had been no snow, and everything had been plowed when he had arrived, so he didn't anticipate any difficulties getting back to the highway.

There weren't.

Harry had discussed having Saul over for the holidays with his mate, and Marina had agreed happily. She liked the old human. He was a good influence on her daughter.

Serena had howled with happiness when Harry told her that Saul would be back for Sun's Birth.

For Bob, it would be different. Martina was starting to "help" him, and he wasn't sure he liked it all that much. Having Saul here would keep Martina's hands off him and busy in the kitchen; while he and Dad took care of the ranch and the worker's days off.

He liked Martina a whole lot. She was a pretty wulf, and he was beginning to feel a deep attraction to her. She made him feel happy when he was around her, and she was becoming more than just a sister, much more.

Serena, too, made him feel the same way he felt when he was around Martina; but she was always into things and making him feel like a human, not a Wolfe. It wasn't intentional, he knew; and if he had been wulf himself, she would have been a lot of fun to be with. It was just that she never seemed to realize that she could do things that he couldn't, not as a Smooth.

As he headed to the horse barn, he wondered why he hadn't Crossed yet. It wasn't like he had avoided it; he'd kissed Martina on the lips lots of times. They had cuddled and necked. He had shared food with everybody. He should have started, or something, by now. He had lived with werewolves as a werewolf himself for seven years, and nothing had happened.

His thoughts continued downward as he began mucking out the horse stalls.

He'd almost gone to bed with Martina the last time she had been home from College, only she had studies and was barely aware of anything but them, even when Dad had offered to let her take the car to town and shop.

Did College do that to you?

When he'd seen Serena naked on her bed with a collar on her throat; and again in the dog run when they had gone into the "doghouse" and he'd seen the deep dog bed, he'd felt the stirrings of desire for her...and then been dumb and shown off the hole in the floor...

He muttered to himself about how dumb he was. Serena was as pretty as Martina, and if he had been a wulf--but he wasn't. And he knew that Martina and Serena would fight if he chose to go to bed with Serena instead of her sister. That was how it was, and he didn't want his sisters fighting over anything. Fighting over something like that was, was dumb squared.

He'd talked to his father about Crossing, but Harry had simply said that it would happen when She wanted it to happen, and don't worry about it.

He'd also seen the worry in his father's eyes. Staying smooth this long in a wulf household wasn't normal. Sally Green had been adopted by her sworn parents when her single mother had died of cancer, and she had stayed Smooth for less than six months before spotting up and doing the child's Crossing; and her parents had tried to keep that from happening until she was sixteen.

He should have asked Luther, when he had been out here for Uncle Saul's treatment, but he had forgotten in all the excitement with Serena huddled close to him for comfort...and he had enjoyed that a lot. So, he'd forgotten again. Dumb.

Maybe there was something wrong with him. He knew it wasn't Mother-Beloved's disapproval because Her hand-mark was on his chest, over his heart. She had given him that dying cub's soul as a soul companion and blessed him; even before he knew who She was, other than vague hints. She had said She loved him and had high hopes for him when he was grown as one of Her own People.

He stopped, the mucking shovel in his hands forgotten for the moment. Did She want him to Serve Her by Serving Her People? Was he supposed to be a Servant when he Crossed? He swallowed, thinking about the possibility.

He didn't want to be one, unless that was what She asked him to be. He had heard of the dreams that those who were called to Serve experienced when they were almost adult, around fifteen or so; and he hadn't had any. Or did that only apply to wulf children, and not Smooths? He didn't know, dumb again.

His shoulders drooped and his head sagged, and he went back to shoveling the horse muck. At least he could do that as well as anyone else.

Serena was wandering. She had felt a need to get out of the house once her chores were done, and leaving the house also meant leaving Mom's minute-by-minute oversight of her activities. That was a good thing, she thought.

She had put her pretty dress away and was now in her usual (around Mom) cutoffs and tee-shirt with moccasins. Now, the tee was wrapped around her waist since she was outside, and away from Mom.

As she walked past the horse barn, she saw what looked like a little old man mucking out the stalls. Correct that: that was her brother Bobby, and by his look, he was unhappy about something.

Her feet took on a life of their own, and she quietly walked up behind him.

"What's wrong, Bobby?" she asked as she slipped her arms around him and leaned her head against his back.

"Uhhh!" he gasped, surprised; then, "nothing. Nothing at all."

She stepped around him and looked him squarely in the eyes.

"I'm your sister, Bobby; and your packmate. We don't keep secrets from each other about our feelings," she reminded him as she closed the distance between them and rubbed his cheek with her own. Close contact was imperative as a communications and comfort channel for the wulfen as much as it was between the Cousins.

"What hath my own brother been sorrowed over?" she whispered in the Haouu`l, the old Wulfen language that every wulf was born knowing how to speak.

Bobby couldn't resist, "Mine shape is not as thine," he replied in the same tongue, "For a hand and two fingers of years have I dwelt with my family, yet I am shaped as a stranger. I have a family and a house and a people, yet I am not as they are. I feel as if I am alone, even though I know I am not. I have been a dutiful child of my parents, yet I am still not as they are. I am feared that I am cast out for some reason I know not of, and fear that I may never be accepted as a Person outside of my own family and pack."

This was a serious confession, Serena knew. You just did not lie when speaking the Haouu`l. If you had to do that, you chose another language.

Slowly, she asked in English, "Have you had, you know, the Dreams? Do you think you are being called to Serve?" This was a serious thing, since Bobby had not been tested for any Servant's Gifts by anybody she knew of.

He shook his head, "Would'a been okay if I had, but no, I haven't. At least I don't think so. I just don't know, and that's got me worried as to what She has in store for me, what with my staying Smooth for so long."

Serena began to grin.

Then she said, "Look, Bobby, 'Tina and I have this sort of agreement that you aren't reaching twenty-one in Smooth, even if one of us has to start things ourselves. When 'Tina comes home for the holidays, I'm telling her she has a year to get you fuzzy. If she can't, or won't; then I fuzz you up and if I get pregnant, I get pregnant. We Declare and work out College around the kids."

"Won't that start a fight if 'Tina doesn't agree?" Bobby asked worriedly.

"Probably," Serena agreed unhappily, "but what I want to know is, will you get angry if we have a bitch fight over you?"

Bobby started to answer, then an odd glimmer came into his eyes and he said, "It is not proper that two males fight over a female, nor two females fight over a male; for such actions presume ownership, and that is forbidden within the People. If there is disagreement, let all the parties seek one who has no interest in the matter, and seek that person's judgment. If that person is a Servant of the People of the Wolf, then that judgment shall be as from our Goddess' own lips and observed as such."

Serena's jaw had dropped almost to her chest. That did not sound like Bobby. That was someone much older and a lot wiser than her brother. What had happened here?

Bobby was also surprised, and his own dropped jaw showed it.

"What did I just say?" he asked in amazement, "and why did I say it?" A growing knot of fear in his stomach replied that the words sounded like Servant-talk, when they were delivering a judgment over something.

The two youngsters came to a decision then and there. They would go ask Mom, who was the family expert in the Words of the People, the laws under which Werewolf society was governed.

After they had foundMarinaon the porch instead of her usual haunts in the kitchen, and had told her what had happened; she glared at Serena and went inside to sit and think. They followed a couple of steps behind her.

"You remember our little conversation, don't you?" she asked her daughter, who nodded so violently her ears flapped against her skull.

"Really, Mom," Bobby interjected, "it wasn't anything like that. She was worried about Martina getting in a fight with her if we...did something to get me started Crossing if Martina didn't do it first." He was getting redder by the word, but it was a point of honor that he tell the truth of what they had spoken about.

"I was afraid that Martina would go after Serena if she even suggested the idea, and I didn't want that to happen," he said; concluding what had happened before his unexpected speech.

Marinasighed, and motioned her two children to sit, which they did.

"Martina and Serena won't fight over Serena's idea," she said firmly, "because I'll talk to Martina when she comes home for the holidays first. It isn't the first time that this sort of thing has happened around here, and it won't be the last."

She glanced at Serena, saying, "Remember, you have to respect what there is between Bobby and Martina. You also have to ask yourself if you want to risk your College and your future over something that can be taken care of by a simple transfusion of Servant's blood."

Then she turned to Bobby and said, "Your father and I have been curious about your lack of response to what amounts to continuous exposure to us. Young Sally Green Crossed even though her wulf parents tried to keep her from doing so, and she was less exposed than you are, and for less time. My guess is that our Goddess has plans for you, and those plans don't include Crossing right now, even though you have the same wulf soul that the rest of us have."

She reached out and stroked Bobby's hair. "Sometimes, we forget that She has a life-task for all of us, and can't understand why things are happening the way they are. In your case, that might include learning things as a Smoothskin that you couldn't learn the same way as a wulf. You can go places and do things that we can't, not as wulfen passing in Smooth. Maybe She wants you to learn something or do something as a Smoothskin that you can bring to your People as a wulf would. Maybe it is just not the right time, now."

She took Bobby and Serena into an embrace; "I don't see any difference between you two as my children, and neither does your father. You are both good and decent people, and you bring happiness to us as your parents, because that means we did the most important job of our lives properly; we raised you to be proper Children of the Wolf.

"If we died tomorrow, we could go before our Goddess without shame; because we have carried Her words and ideals on to the next generation of Her People successfully as parents and examples of how to live in Her light."

She kissed them both, a cheek rub, then said; "Bobby, you'll come into your heritage when the time is right. Believe that because it's true. Serena, I'm glad you've taken your shirt off, since there is that big stewpot in the kitchen that needs to have its bottom scrubbed out, and you wouldn't want to get that shirt dirty now, would you?"

Serena went into a pout immediately. Mom could comfort and discipline at the same time. It was just plain awful, how she could do that so easily.

Finally, Marinathought about what Bobby had said, and commented, "While what Bobby said is a part of the Law, it isn't put together neatly like that. He probably had some help, and an indication of what he may become some day; a wise advisor for our family and our People."

Feeling him tense up, she added, "And that doesn't mean you're going to be called to Serve. It just means that you have the potential to be a wise voice among our People, as one of those People."

Then she looked at her son and asked, "It was Saul that got you thinking that way, wasn't it?"

Bobby nodded, embarrassed. "I could see myself like him, an old man and still Smooth..."

Marinashook her head. "No. You could never be like him. He has known who and what we are for a very few days out of a life of eighty-five years. You have been raised by us, as our son."

Then she smiled, "Your father and I have a little plan for your twentieth birthday. It was supposed to be a surprise, but I think I'll tell you now.

"If you are still Smooth by that date, since our blood-types match, I will donate a half-pint of my blood to Cross my son Over. Luther will handle the transfusion, but you will Cross and lay claim to who you are on that date, if you haven't already. Your father and I have set money aside for that, should it be necessary. It will be our last gift to your parents; to Charles who loved Harry so much but couldn't Cross, and his mate Jen who chose to stay Smooth to be with him."

Bobby drew back in surprise; "My birth parents wanted to Cross? Why didn't they?" Question piled on question in his surprised mind.

Marinagrew sad as she remembered, "Charles wanted to Cross, but three of the best Crossing Servants he asked said he would die of the flesh-rending sickness. They have a way to test that is pretty accurate, the same way a Healing Servant can find sickness or injury in a person's body. Jen's parents wanted her to Cross anyway, since she was fourth generation Kindred; but she refused, saying she would live as her mate did for all her days. It made her parents and your parents grow apart, but I can give my best friend a son who is what she and her mate couldn't be; a true Child of the Wolf, in mind, soul, and body."

She smiled a moment as she added, "I think she'll be happy about that. We had talked about it a little, after Charles found out he couldn't Cross, and she was pregnant with you. It was a real tragedy, since Charles's brother Bruce Crossed Over and took that Healing Servant as his mate; and they are so happy together along with your grandparents. Yet your father Charles accepted our Mother-Beloved's decision about his life-task, and was in every way Her own child. He was truly a wulf in Smooth skin, and everyone who knew him was proud to know him, and his Smoothness wasn't ever an issue in his Pack."

She thought back to the day when Charles had told Harry that he couldn't Cross and come to help him at the ranch.

"Harry was heartbroken when he found out. He was willing to spend everything he had to send Charles to Servants and maybe find one who could Cross him over safely. Then Charles told Harry that the next time around, he'd ask that they be born as brothers in some wulf family, so they could grow up together as People in a Free world. Harry believed him, and they swore it the last Song night that they were here together. Then Charles and Jen went toDenver and a good paying job that allowed them to visit us every month or so, by flying up here for a three-day weekend. It was a wonderful time, especially when you were old enough to play with our daughters."

Bob sighed, remembering the night when Harry had come to get him, after the police had told him that Charles and Jen had been killed in a freak accident. Things were blurry until some time after he had come to live with--with his parents, who could look like wolves.

He looked up at his mother, Marina, and asked; "It isn't what I look like, is it? It's who I am, inside; that's what counts, isn't it?"

Marinasnuffled back a tear and nodded. "That's what counts, Bobby. That's all that counts in our Mother-Beloved's eyes. She knows us as who we are, not what we look like."

Then she tapped him on the breast, over his heart, and said; "And She put Her own hand on your heart, so that no wulf would ever question whether or not you were one of Her children. You may not have fur like your sisters, but you are a wulf as much as they are; and you are a Wolfe as well. You're my son in every way, and I can trace my family back over fifty generations of wulfen. You are one of us, Bobby; smooth or not. You're one of us."

Bobby sniffled for a moment, then stood and kissed his mother on the cheek. "Got chores to finish," he said in a slightly shaky voice, and headed toward the kitchen and the mud room for his cold gear and muck-boots.

Serena slouched after him, realizing that there was a greasy stewpot waiting for her in the sink. It could have been washed in the dishwasher, but Mom had told her to do it herself because she "wouldn't mess up her tee-shirt" which was still wrapped around her waist. She'd forgotten to put it on when they had come in to the house.

Her mother's voice follower her; "Be sure to wear a bib apron, Serena, or you'll have to wash that grease out of your chest as well as your arms."

"Yes, mom," she replied in a not quite grumble, "Bib apron, yes mom."

Then she had an idea. It would brighten up Bobby's day, at least.

Before Bobby had finished zipping his parka, Serena had brought him some cookies as a snack before he went back to work. There was something odd about her, he decided; but couldn't figure out what it was.

Then when she turned and headed back into the kitchen, he saw what the difference was. The apron was all she was wearing. She turned and grinned, "This way, I'll keep that greasy water off my shorts, too; don'cha think?"

Then she sauntered back into the kitchen, still grinning.

Bobby chuckled and blushed. His sister was awfully cute, and if mom found out what she'd done, she'd be scrubbing things for the rest of the week.

A week later, things were back to normal at the Wolfe ranch house. Serena had made an "A" on her history test and another "A" in bookkeeping. Things like bookkeeping were high-school subjects in the Wolf Bend school system because of all the farm and ranch businesses in the area. There were several departures from what other children studied in other parts of the country in this particular school district, all based on the economy of the region. Farm kids needed to know how to keep books, as well as do carpentry work and metal work (both classes being co-educational). Ranching or farming were a specialized set of skills, and some of those skills were taught in the schools.

Bobby had scored another "A+" in his elective course of electronics by building a short-wave receiver that fit in a cigar box and could pick up both Japanese and Norwegian short wave transmissions. The "plus" part of his grade came from his making a compact antenna based on drawings he'd seen in an Electronics magazine. The teacher was gently pushing him toward getting a short-wave license, but Bobby was less interested in that than in computer science, which had become his favorite interest of everything he was learning. He had a computer that he did his school work on, but he wanted to speed it up and make it into a gaming machine.

His parents had said "no." If he wanted to do that, he would have to buy a machine himself to experiment with. This one was for school and for work on the ranch, keeping records.

Harry had received a call from Saul confirming that he would fly to Wolf Bend on the nineteenth of December, getting out of town while his brother's family was atTempleservices.

"You don't know what a relief this will be, Harry," Saul had said over the telephone; "it's this time of year that my family makes me miserable over not being Jewish any more. The whole week is one long string of invites to dinners and services that ruins whatever plans I may make to try to have a little fun. I will be very much be looking forward to spending this holiday letting my answering machine deal with them, instead of dodging them in person."

Then he had asked if there was anything he could bring for their holidays.

"Just some warm stuff for yourself," Harry had advised; "since we sing outside on that little hill at the back of the living area. Make sure it's warm; real warm, since it's outside and lasts a couple of hours. We'll provide a chair for you to sit on, or maybe a hay bale or two if it's slushy. I think you'll be impressed when you hear us sing, since most folks don't hear it up close and they lose the harmonies in the distance."

"Now, I'm interested;" Saul replied. " I just hope it isn't snowing."

They exchanged a few more words, then Saul rang off.

Harry went upstairs to Serena's room and knocked on the doorframe, as she was once again studying and dancing at the same time. He didn't see how she could do it, but she obviously could.

She turned and smiled at him, dislodging her ear-buds and shutting the music off.

"Serena," he said, " I got some good news for you."

She instantly became apprehensive; "This isn't about me being a dog again is it, Daddy?" She started to back away.

Harry laughed, "No, pupkins, it isn't. I just got off the phone with Saul, and he's coming up on the Saturday before Sun's Birth. I hope he can stay the week, since he can have Christmas with us then, too."

Serena howled with happiness and hugged her father, saying, "This is wonderful! It'll be so neat to have him here!"

Harry glanced down at his daughter and smiled, commenting; "You seem to really like him a lot, don't you? Why?"

She replied, "He's a good man. He's smart, and he doesn't talk down to me like some of the guys in school do, just because this is my first year in high school." Then she grew thoughtful and added, "And he feels like one of us, like a wulf; even though he isn't. He's a very good man, and Mom likes him a lot, too."

"I didn't knowMarinahad mentioned that to you," Harry replied; "but she does like him. He's the most considerate non-Wulf guest when he's here for his hunts, and now that we don't have to hide, I expect that we'll get along even better."

Harry sighed, "If there were more people like him, we wouldn't have to hide; but yeah, he's someone we all like. I wonder how your sister will take his being Kindred, now? She was awfully worried the last time he was here about something."

"Shedding," Serena replied bluntly. "That was when we were going from winter to summer coats, and she sheds enough for all of us, all by herself. We were cleaning fur out of everything the last time he was here, and she was studying for her SAT tests at the same time. She claims that she can't study as well in Smooth as she can in her normal fur, and she was worried about that, as well."

"Well, it is a strain," Harry replied, "but I bet that's why she spent so much time in her room, then. She'd fuzz up so's she could study in peace."

Then he looked down at his youngest daughter and asked, "What about you? You're going to College in two or three years, and you'll have to stay smooth at least fourteen hours a day. How do you think you'll handle it?"

"Easy," she replied, "staying Smooth is no strain for me. I revert, I stay there until I actively shift. But then, I have a wolf's coat; not a Saint Bernard's."

Harry chuckled, "Better not let your sister hear that. You know what she did to Bobby when he compared her to a St. Bernard; and she snapped at him when he suggested a curry comb for her tangles."

"I was there," Serena giggled, "and he did come up with that vacuum-comb thing that we all use. He's smart."

"Yeah," Harry replied, "but I'd surely be relieved if he spotted up and Crossed before we have to resort to a transfusion. The older he gets, the more I worry that Charles's trouble may have been inherited by his son; and he couldn't Cross."

Then he gave Serena a hard stare; "And I don't mean for you to get the thing started yourself, unless Martina and Bobby have separated for at least three months. Your mother told me about your little talk, and I'm saying that they have to separate and stay that way for three Song Nights before you and he start him Crossing. And if you get pregnant..."

Serena finished the statement; "If I get pregnant, then Bobby and I will work out College and everything else as mates always have. If we have children, I know we will stay together for a lot longer than eighteen years."

The werewolf looked at his daughter in surprise. "You really do love him, don't you?" he asked.

"Yeah, Daddy, I do," she replied quite seriously; "and I'm glad he isn't related to me by blood, because I might defy the Words and seek him anyhow. If I had been a year older, Martina would never have had a chance with him."

Both of them were surprised at the force of her words, but Harry recovered first.

"Pupkins," he said, "If they break up, Bobby will be the one needing the time to heal. Humans are like that. But if that happens, you know that I will support your mating with him. If it doesn't, then you know how big your wolf's heart is; and there will be someone who will fill it to overflowing."

Then he kissed her on her forehead and whispered, "You make me proud, Pupkins. Your heart is as big as your mother's was when she took in a disillusioned wulf and healed him with her love. You'll do the same, and I wish you all the happiness I've had in my life with your mother."

Then he sniffed the air and commented, "And I think your mother has made her rosemary pork for dinner tonight. Shall we go see?"

Serena grinned, "Yeah, lets go see what's for dinner."

After dinner, which had been delicious as usual; Harry sought out his son. Bobby was in his room, online at some electronics website that had a chat room. Peeking over his son's shoulder, he was amazed to see what Bobby was talking about; something about a security weakness in the most recent edition of a common computer operating system, and how to bolster the defenses that were there.

Harry wasn't computer illiterate, but he could understand maybe one word out of three on the screen, and almost none of the code instructions.

He knocked on the doorframe, and Bobby stopped typing and turned around to look at his father with attentive eyes.

Harry glanced at the monitor and asked, "Just what is that stuff you are talking about, there? Where did you learn so much about computers out here in the wilds ofMontana?"

Bobby grinned and blushed, "The school has a computing sciences lab, and I've been helping the teacher during lunch breaks. He teaches me about how coding works, and the languages that are used, and I help him keep the computers running when somebody downloads a homemade virus into the system as a joke."

"A joke?" Harry asked in amazement; "why would somebody want to sabotage the computer lab as a joke? Suppose that program got into the school's main computer system? It wouldn't be very funny, then."

Bobby sighed, "To some kids, it would. There was a thing that happened a month ago, when somebody got into the attendance computers and changed all the freshman girls names to Japanese Anime-type names, using a series of rotating name combinations. They got caught, and one of the staff Servants had a talk with them. I don't think they're going to do that any more."

Harry let out the breath he'd been holding. Trouble in the attendance records would have the State checking things out; and that was something to be avoided at all costs. There were some things in the childrens' records that could blow the Secret past the moon, if they got out.

Then his curiosity kicked in. "Did you see if your sister got tagged with one of those names?" he asked.

"Yeah," Bobby said around a chuckle, "she was 'Space Princess Neko'. They got the records fixed, though; and attendance was called with the day before's lists and corrected once things were fixed. Nobody but the attendance people and me and the computer teacher knew about it."

"Watch your grammar," Harry warned, "you don't want to sound like me; an ignorant farmer-type. I can get away with it, but your mother would wash out your mouth with soap for something like that; and then blame me for it." Then he grinned, "I'm just lucky I'm too big for her to do it to me, and I plan to keep it that way."

Then he came to the thing he'd wanted to speak with his son about.

"Bobby," he said in a quiet voice, "Your father was someone I loved as much as I love Marina, and you're all I have left of him in this life. When he said he couldn't Cross, it was like all the light went out of the sky for me. When he died, a part of me died with him and your mom. I want you wulf, yes; but I want you alive more than that. The girls have a plan to start you Crossing; I expect you can imagine how they plan to do it."

Then he took a deep breath and asked, "I want you to say no; not until you've been checked for the flesh-rending sickness by Luther and one of the Specialist Healers. I lost the guy I loved as much as I love your mother when he died, and I don't want to lose you, too. I'd rather have you Smooth the rest of your life than see you die that way."

He shuddered, "I saw it; once. It was the most horrible thing I've ever seen; and I don't want it to happen to you."

He looked his son squarely in his human eyes. "I could order you as your First, but I won't. I'm asking you as your father, not telling you. Please; test first, before you let either of your sisters start your Crossing the intimate way."

Bobby took his father's furred and padded werewolf's hand in his own human one, and said, "I promise, Dad. I'll tell them I need to test first, before we..." he stopped speaking for a moment, then added, "I wouldn't want to hurt either of them that way; or you or mom either. I'll do as you ask, because you're all I have of my folks, too."

Harry whispered a "thank you" and patted his son on the head. He wasn't sure if he could stand to lose Bobby that way; not and stay sane. If he lost Bobby to flesh-rending, he might just go for "the long run" into Father Haouu's way and forget his human part; simply because that part hurt too much to stay with.

As he went down the stairs from the children's rooms, he whispered a thanking to Mother-Beloved for the web of love and caring that a wulfen family was. How some humans could do what they did, with their dysfunctional families; he simply could not understand.

Then Thanksgiving was past, and December was at hand. Harry had received several letters from Saul, telling about his treatments with the "Specialist" and the parallel treatments he was getting from his own Cardiologist.

He confided he was no longer using oxygen at night, and he was taking some walks with "one of the Specialist's friends" to improve his circulation and to strengthen his regenerated heart muscles.

In the last letter that Harry had received, though, Saul was complaining about his brother and his doctor with some force.

Saul had written, "My brother seems to think that I need to come toTempleservices this year, and to 're-confirm my ancestral religion before it's too late' as he puts it. I had to ask him out of my office at the firm when he became so insistent that his voice was carrying out into the other offices in the suite. Just because he's a partner in the firm, he doesn't have the right to spread my philosophy about religion to all the other partners and the juniors and the secretaries; not to mention the clients.

"Fortunately, the Specialist I'm seeing is not raising the religious issue with me, other than asking me to give what I learned out at your place a fair and unbiased consideration, which I am. I will agree there is something there, and I am finding it more and more attractive as I think about it," he added.

"Then there are the dreams. I thought they were simply a reaction on my part to learning some of your family history; and it seems I'm wrong there. If I can manage to obtain some concurrence from you or your family in regards to them, I just may change my habits a little. I've been told that I will find out for certain when I fly up for your religious holiday, and to wait until then.

"I will be flying up and expect to take the mid-afternoon flight; arriving around four-twenty in the afternoon of the 19th. I'll rent a car and drive out to your place, so expect me around dinner time. I plan to indulge myself on your wife's cooking, which is far better than what I've been eating around here. You would think in a city the size ofBozeman that there would be one restaurant that served buffalo meat, but outside of a couple of Barbeques that drown the meat in sauce and smoke flavoring, there are none.

Yes, Harry, that is a hint. I've come to consider that roastMarina fixed the day before I left as thehigh point of my dining in the last five years, and possibly more.

"I'm sending Serena an early Christmas gift enclosed in a card, and I would appreciate if you would keep her from opening it until I arrive and can see for myself what her reaction is. I think she will enjoy it, although she may come to regret it once she is in College; and that is all I plan to say for now."

He had concluded that last letter with good wishes for their whole family, and again thanked them for providing him a hiding place from his brother over the holidays.

Harry scratched his head over some of the comments in the letter. What dreams were Saul talking about? How did they figure in with the Sun's Birth that they were going to sing that night? Saul was obviously being cryptic as a security precaution with the letter, but some of his references were too cryptic for him to figure out.

Two days later, the referenced Christmas card-sized envelope arrived for Serena, with Saul's return address in the corner. Harry put it in his desk, as Saul had requested him to do. Why Saul couldn't bring it with him when he flew up, Harry couldn't decide, other than as an old human's fancies.

On the day of the 19th, Harry and Serena were at the airport, waiting for Saul. If he wanted to do some driving and perhaps visit the real Wolf Bend while he was here, the four-wheel drive of the Jeep wagon would be far better on the now slushy gravel roads than a rental from the airport's tiny fleet of rental cars. They were for paved roads, which went to the suburbs of Wolf Bend; where wulfen retired after a life of hiding and their bones and joints were no longer up to the strains of Shifting on a daily basis.

The plane arrived forty-five minutes late, which was odd. The regional airline that served the airport was noted for timeliness and adherence to schedule.

When Harry heard his name being called on the public address system, he began to worry.

Checking in with the airport authorities gave Harry the reason for the plane's lateness. Saul had had a serious heart attack as the plane was taxiing for takeoff, and he had been taken toBozeman GeneralHospitalin an ambulance, once the plane had returned to the terminal.

Serena was a study in shock and worry. As they drove back to the house, Harry decided to give her the card now, rather than wait for Saul to arrive. He wasn't going to; not this year, not in time for Christmas or anything else. Harry drove back to the ranch with deep concerns, both for Saul and for Serena, who had closed down into deep worry beside him in the car and wouldn't respond to him other than in monosyllables. It was already full dark when they crossed theWolfRiverbridge, and Serena was as dark inside the car as the sky was outside of it.

Once they had arrived at the ranch,Marinacalled the entire family into the kitchen and told them the news she had received on the telephone fromDenver, from Saul's Healing Servant.

Martina was late. She had been brushing herself in her room and hadn't heard her mother's first call. Once she was there, and the whole family was together,Marinatold them what she had learned.

"It was just after you and Serena had left for the airport that I got a call from Saul's Servant," she began; "He said that he had cautioned Saul about flying but Saul was determined that he was coming here for Sun's Birth; so he had given him a little extra Healing to help him deal with the stress of the trip."

She sighed, "It apparently didn't work, because Saul rode with him to the airport and he could feel the human starting to degrade in the seat beside him. He tried to stop Saul from going again, but Saul said something about needing to be here; that there was going to be something special he would be a part of, as a gift from Mother-Beloved."

Bobby asked, "You mean Saul used Her name just like that?"

Marinanodded gravely, "According to the Servant, those were his exact words. When he was taken away in the ambulance, the Servant had to go to the hospital himself; since he's a therapist there and could keep track of Saul's condition."

Serena stared at the table, her eyes full of pain; her fists clenched in front of her.

Harry handed her the card that Saul had sent only days before, commenting; "Saul said to hide this until Christmas, 'cause he wanted to see you open it. Why don't you open it now, so we can tell the Servant how surprised you were; and he can tell Saul. It'll cheer Saul up, I'll bet you."

Mystified, Martina asked, "Why would he send Serena a card? He doesn't know her other than as one of the family, does he?" Her ears were fully forward with curiosity.

"I'll tell you later," Harry replied; "but she was part of gettin' Saul Kindred; last time he was here."

"He's Kindred?" Martina asked in surprise; "when did that happen?"

"Last time he was here," Harry repeated himself; "the rest, your mother and I will tell you later." He glanced at his elder daughter and stared for a second. The First had spoken.

Martina realized that her father meant just that, and fell silent.

Serena had meanwhile slit open the envelope with a claw and was reading the paper that was inside the cheery Christmas card. She dropped the card and the paper and began to silently weep; her eyes streaming and her jaw quivering, yet without making a sound. Bobby hurried to her side, as did her mother; while Harry picked up the card, the piece of paper, and the check that was paper-clipped to it.

"Dear Serena," it began; "I want to again thank you for letting me learn about your wonderful people, your beliefs, and your hopes for the future. It's a simple fact that at my age, I may see the liberation of your people; but I won't be able to do much about it. They are going to need legal protections as you come out of your hiding from the world, and I have been told that you have a rare mind that can most likely handle the twists and turnings of Law where most of your people have problems with it.

"Enclosed is a check for the first two years of college-level Pre-Law studies, as I was advised by the local branch of theStateUniversity. I would ask you to include them as a minor in your studies, to see if indeed you are the rare wulf whose mind can encompass Human law and its applications in your people's struggle for equality in this too fallible human world. Use it, I ask you; to see if indeed you can handle the mental gymnastics involved. If so, I would advise you to take the Law as a major and use it to be one of the first of your people admitted to the bar in this state, as proof of your people's intelligence and civic responsibility.

"If it proves too difficult for you to try to follow human logic, do not be ashamed, since most born humans can't do so either. That's why those of us who can do so are so important; we are the mediators between confusing statute and real life. If the law seems too human to understand, Pre-Law will still give you the tools to excel in your other studies for your degree, as well as exposure to logic and legal method. These will make you an asset to your people as an advisor and counselor in their bid for freedom, when it comes.

"And finally, I want to thank you for saving my life, so that I might meet both a wonderful people and find at last a divine concept I can accept. You have given me a wonderful gift, so please let me give you a small token of my appreciation of that gift.

"Yours most sincerely and respectfully,

--Uncle Saul"

There was silence around the table while Harry read the note. Serena continued to weep and to receive comfort from her family and Packmembers.

Finally, Martina asked, "What did my sister do?" Her face was a perfect example of a surprised wolf; eyes wide and ears pointed at her father.

"Something wonderful,"Marinareplied quietly, "more wonderful than we realized at the time," as she continued to comfort her daughter.

The telephone rang, and Harry went to get it.

When he returned, he spoke with sadness; "Saul's gone. That was his Servant, inBozeman. Saul was never fully conscious after the heart attack, but he thinks he was saying one word over and over again; only he was so weak, nobody could be sure."

He sighed, "Healing Servant Miller thinks that Saul was saying, 'Lunara' over and over again, but he wasn't certain because the man was so weak."

The words galvanized Serena into action. She tore the clothing from her body and before anyone could stop her was out the door and into the night.

In a few moments, a Song was heard; one that no one but Harry was familiar with.

"What is she singing?" Martina asked; "I've never heard that Song before..."

Bobby was nodding, as was his mother. This Song was unknown to them, as well.

Harry stood stunned for a moment before responding. "That's an old, old, Song named 'Call to the Lost' and I don't know where she learned it. The last time I heard it was when an Outcast we had working here was killed before he had earned his Name back among the People, and Luther sang it. Serena hadn't even been born then."

He shook his head and asked again, "Where did she learn it?"

His mate stroked his head and replied, "Maybe she already knew it. We need to be ready for when she changes to 'Passing Sorrow,' so we can counterpoint her with the 'Mother's Promise'."

As the wulfen went to their rooms to undress so they could Sing; Bobby was boiling some water for a tea. Serena would need it.

Serena sang the Call until her throat was raw and she was coughing with every change in pitch or inflection. Her cheeks were ice-rimed, stiff and cold with frozen tears. Finally, she lost her voice and could no longer Sing. All she could do was cough, kneeling in the snow.

The snow crunched beside her and Bobby was there with an open thermos and a cup in his hand.

"Take it," he said; "it's lemon and honey and sage. It'll help your throat."

"Thank you, Bobby," she whispered. Then she sipped the tea as her father crunched I up beside her and settled into the snow; a wolf on a hill.

"I'll start the 'Passing Sorrow'," he said gently; "until your throat feels better. He was my friend, too."

She sat and sipped, the warm liquid soothing her throat; while Bobby kept the cup filled for her. Finally, she joined her father in the wulfen lament for the dead.

At the foot of the hill, the rest of her family and most of the workers were seated in their fur and waiting for the break in the lament that signaled their response in "Mother's Promise." Few of them knew Saul, but they all knew that Serena was bereaved, and they were her help and relief as they Sang their Goddess's Promise that as wulfen, She and they would never be parted by death.

Beside her, Serena heard her brother Singing the Promise; even though as a human he couldn't reach all the tones or hear the harmonies. He was singing for his sister, because she hurt and his human version of the Song could bring her some comfort.

In that moment, she loved him very, very much.

It is a fact that while wulfen grieve deeply, they do not grieve long. By the new year, Serena was all but healed of her sorrows.

Martina had been briefly jealous of Bobby's attentions toward her sister, until she had been spoken to by her mother about what had happened. Then she had seen Bobby as someone who cared deeply for his whole family, and the blossom of love in her heart began to open toward this human who was her brother and would be her mate in time. Of that, she was certain.

When it was time for her to return to College, she and he had spent a long night together; deepening the bond that was growing between them. She departed happy and not at all jealous of her sister.

Indeed, she had new respect for Serena, who had risked the wrath of the People's Law to preserve and honor a human's life.

Serena had done what was right; and that was all that was important.

It was the first week of March, and Serena had something she had to do.

"Mom, can I have the day off?" she asked innocently.

Marinawas immediately on guard. When Serena had a "day off," there was usually trouble the next day.

"Why?" she asked, seeking a reason to say no. Serena had been entirely too good of recent, and that worried her mother a bit.

"I want to go up to the place where Saul almost died. It's like, like something I need to do," Serena replied.

"You mean where you bent the oath into a pretzel to save his life?" her mother asked, curiously. Out there, she couldn't cause that much trouble. On the other hand, the State was doing a survey not that far away for a possible electrical transmission tower easement, whichMarina was not in any way in favor of.

There was the temptation to say no, but then she remembered Saul had reserved this weekend for a hunt. Her daughter wanted to go and remember him, where she had exposed herself to him and put herself at risk.

The word no was on her lips, but somehow it came out as yes.

"But," she added, "you go the same way you went there before. Nothing but a hunter's collar. And stay away from the survey team, or we'll have to collect you from the pound...in a week or so."

Serena's sigh told her that she had anticipated her daughter's second plan; to go watch the survey crew. Her daughter was taking an unusual interest in Smooths, and the survey team was on the muscular side.

Being naked around humans was safer than letting her daughter go out there in whatever little clothing she decided to wear.

"And you do double chores tomorrow," she added; "if you get a day off, so does your brother."

Half an hour later, as she trotted past the horse barn, she met her brother.

"Double chores tomorrow?" Bobby asked as she stopped beside him.

"You were right," she grumbled, "You get the day off tomorrow while I shovel horse poop."

Bobby grinned, "I'll help you. This is important to you, isn't it?"

She nodded, "Yeah, and I can't think why. It's just like something I have to do."

He stood quietly for a moment, then guessed; "A chance to say good-bye to a friend, in the place where he became your friend? Stay safe, sis; and feel better."

Serena rubbed her cheek against his leg. She had too much stuff on her hands to stand and hug him.

Then she headed out to where her adventure with the human Saul had begun. She missed him, a little. He was safe, though, with mother.

"Now where did I get that idea?" she asked herself. Mom had nothing to do with it.

Once out of the settled area around the ranch house, Serena started to run. She was already nearly the fastest wolf on the ranch, and Mom had offered to show her a jump-revert-land trick that would let her revert to biped from quadruped in the air, not on the ground. She would run into it as a wolf, jump and flip, and then land on two feet as a wulf. The idea sounded neat and would be something to wow the other kids at school with, once she'd learned it.

When she ran, it was like flying close to the ground. She would land, kick off, and sail through the air for twenty feet or more. Daddy was already coaching her in the art of running in a dry streambed, and had said she was going to be very fast once she had mastered the art of the run. Greg would be so proud...

She slowed to a lope as she thought about Greg, and what had happened to him; or them, once they had entered High School.

In Junior High, they had been fast friends. She had even fantasized about asking him to Cross and mate with her when they were grown; they had been that close. He had made her feel safe and warm and loved when he was with her.

Then in High School, things had changed. They had started with the same relationship they had enjoyed in Junior High. Then for some reason, he had stopped seeing her. It was almost as if he were afraid of her for some reason, once she had become an adult among the People. They had gone from potential mates to distant acquaintances in less than a month.

She suspected he had found some human girl and replaced Serena with a member of his own species. Lucky girl.

Into that vacuum, several wulfen boys had come and kept her from grieving over Greg with affections from her own kind. None of them were Greg, but they all were fun to be with; and Greg had become a distant memory.

They still met in school, only now as students, not as friends; not as potential mates.

Well, Johnny Gault was almost as much fun as Greg; and they could kiss without having to take protective measures. That simplified things a lot, in her eyes; even when Johnny made the mistake of saying that "that human wasn't man enough for you."

That had earned him snarling fangs and dropped ears, and he had taken the hint. What she had enjoyed with Greg was still part of her, and would be for the rest of her life. She briefly hated that lucky human girl, then banished the memory.

Wulfen lived in the now, not the past. That was the province of the Singers, not ordinary People like her.

She picked up the pace again, the tags on her collar jingling in her ears as she ran.

Her course took her past the survey team, and she watched them from a brush row; being careful not to be seen. She wished she had sneaked her camera out of the house, but Mom had seen to it that she had nothing to carry it in; and she would wreck it if she held it in her mouth.

Mom was entirely too clever for Serena's own interests. It was as if she somehow knew what her daughter was planning, even before Serena had planned it. It was as if Mom could read her mind, somehow.

Was Mom some kind of secret Servant?

After enjoying her free show provided by the survey crew, Serena set out for the place where it all started; where she had risked the Secret to save a human's life by giving him CPR in her fur when he wasn't Kindred.

She made the trip in less than twenty minutes to the place where Uncle Saul had almost died and she had not only saved his life, she had taken the deer he had only wounded with his own rifle; standing up and ending the pretense that she was just a hunting dog.

The thought still gave her chills, even though everybody from her sister to Bobby to her parents had finally agreed that she had done the right thing.

Then, he had died coming to visit them over their winter holidays; and she had Sung for him with a Song she didn't realize she had learned. That was spooky. According to the Servants, that meant she had already learned that song in another life; and the memory was there when she had needed it. That was double-spooky!

She sat on the log where Saul had almost died, and remembered him as she had last seen him. He was old, but not aged. He had liked her dress, and had complemented her on it. He had brought her chocolate covered honeycomb candy, which was her secret vice. Even though she couldn't eat much chocolate at any one time, she loved the stuff.

Now, it was all gone; and there wouldn't be any more.

"Oh, I wouldn't bet on that," came a voice from behind her.

She whirled as she stood up, wondering who could have snuck up on her. She should have heard them!

There was a man standing there with a box tucked under one arm and a smile on his face. He looked so familiar...

"Uncle Saul?" she asked, not daring to believe what she was seeing.

"The same, pretty girl;" the man said as he sat down on the log she had just stood up from.

"Y-y-you're dead," Serena stuttered in shock. "The Servant called and I Sang for you..." Her emotions were whirling around in her mind; this couldn't be happening!

"Please, Serena; have a seat," the man said gently; "I have a bit of a story for you."

She sat beside him. There was something odd about him and then she realized that he had no scent. There was a scent of chocolate from the box under his arm, but from him there was nothing. It was as if he wasn't there.

Saul smiled at his young friend. "You know, you saved me with your stories about your people," he began; "and your faith somehow managed to make an old man see things in a new way, and meet someone who I could honestly conceive of as a Goddess."

He grew sober. "I was so intent on visiting my new-old friends, I ignored my Servant and my Doctor," he said remorsefully; "they were concerned that I might not be able to handle the stress that flying is, nowadays. They were right. I had more than a heart attack on the plane; the aortic valve literally blew out and I almost died right there. I managed to keep enough awareness to do what a young woman named Luin-hra told me to do, I called her name over and over until I couldn't call any more."

He bowed his head, "And then I was standing beside my body with no idea of what to do next. Then I heard a song in the distance, calling a lost soul to come to its singer, and somehow I managed to do that, although I don't remember how I did it.

"I saw you on that little hill in back of your house. You had stopped singing by then, and your brother was handing you a cup of something from a thermos. You drank it while Harry started singing the saddest song I've ever heard while the rest of your people sang something different that complemented it so beautifully."

Then he smiled and said, "I saw that woman I had dreamed about so often, walking on the air toward me. She took my hand, and led me to a wonderful place where there were many of your people who wanted to learn what I knew of the law and human courts. That's what I do now, mostly; I teach. I teach your people how to manage and deal with human complexities in their laws; and when they're born they will remember and become lawyers on their own." He was really smiling, now.

"Occasionally, I get called back here to deal with an occasional 'hopeless' legal problem," he explained. "This time, it was a question of Eminent Domain taking a generations-old Place of Song for some developer who wanted to build yet an other housing tract on the site."

He grinned, "Like this, I can do Discovery like nobody else. I managed to find out about the bribes that the developer had given certain City Councilpersons to get the illegal Eminent Domain business started in the first place. The State's Attorney-General is investigating them and that Eminent Domain business is over and done with permanently."

"I took a little detour on my way back to the Place, to see how my young friend was doing; and I brought you a little remembrance," he said as he handed her the box of candy.

Serena could barely see for the tears in her eyes. Uncle Saul was with mother, now. He was in Mother-Beloved's Place of Peace, and teaching her people to deal with human law.

As she took the package, Saul blotted her tears with his handkerchief; repeating, "It's okay, Serena; I made it," while she wept for joy more than sorrow, and he stroked her head to comfort her.

Finally she managed to ask him why he had changed his mind about Mother-Beloved.

Saul smiled again and replied, "Because She asked me to call to Her; not for myself nor for Her; but so my knowledge could protect all the Harrys and Serenas in the world. She wasn't interested in Her_self; _She was interested solely in Her children and what will happen to them when they burst forth upon an unsuspecting world, a world that thinks them to be legends and stories and monsters. She was concerned for Her people, and that won me over. It's the first time that any God I've investigated has ignored the divine 'ME' aspect and concentrated solely on the good of their worshippers. That's what won me over, because it was unique."

Serena asked, "Will I ever see you again?" as hope warred with reality in her soul.

Saul nodded, "Oh, absolutely! I should have my teaching work done in twenty years or maybe less; then I've been promised to be reborn among my friends, the wolf-people. When I'm grown, I'll come look you up; and yes, I will remember. That's part of the agreement I made with my...Goddess." He chuckled, "I still have difficulty saying that. Old habits die hard."

Then he remembered something, "Don't go setting your hat for Bobby, since most likely he will have a role to play with the freeing of your people," he warned; "and don't give up on old friends, either. Time may mend what was broken, in your case."

He stood; "It's time I was back at work, teaching. Every now and then, you'll find a box of honeycomb on your dresser. Don't tell your...mother though; because she likes the stuff too; and I can only manage one."

Then he smiled and began to fade, and in a few moments there was nobody there but Serena. She looked around and a hesitant smile played over her features. Uncle Saul was with her People, as one of them now.

She carefully opened the candy box and crunched a piece of the chocolate covered foamed sugar. Then she smiled. Saul was with the Goddess, and her People would learn law as a tool, not just a confusing chunk of human word-play.

Mother had won, and she never puzzled over what that thought meant.

She tucked the box under her arm and started walking home.

End... and Beginning, too...