Winter Wolf, (C)1998
Anne Fraser and Sara Weber
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Chessie wasn't sure at first where to go as she entered the 
woods, but she found that this too was something her newly 
sharpened sense told her.  Smoke loped along next to her, 
content to follow where the werecat guided her.  As they 
approach a clearing not too far into the woods, Chessie no 
longer needed her second sight to guide her -- the sounds of 
the fighting were all too distinct.  She slowed, unsure what 
to do next.

Smoke took over, leading her to a strand of birch trees 
close to the edge of the clearing.  Silently, the panther 
climbed the side of the tree and began edging her way out 
along a particularly strong branch.   she 
encouraged her friend, 

Chessie looked doubtfully up the tree, but decided that 
Smoke was right.  Choosing a tree some distance apart from 
Smoke's, she too climbed up into the branches and then edged 
out over the clearing.  At first the two wolves moved away 
from them in their struggle, out of reach of the two cats.  
Then suddenly they were almost directly below them, Mitch 
pinned beneath the smaller, white wolf.

 Smoke thought, tensing and then springing off her 
branch.  Not allowing herself time to be scared, Chessie 
followed her friend, landing squarely between the shoulders 
of the white wolf.  Frightened, she dug her claws into the 
wolf's fur, and was greeted by a howl of pain.

The wolf began to thrash, quickly dislodging Smoke who had 
landed on her left haunch.  Chessie hung on and waited, not 
knowing what she was waiting for or what else to do.

Mitch used the opportunity Chessie had given him to recover 
his breath.  That silly little kitten is going to get 
herself killed, said the still-human part of his brain.  DO 
something about it.

Just as Beth, Lady Jeanne, Gideon and Josh all came running 
onto the scene, the foremost yelling, "Chessie, no!", Mitch 
hurled himself at Trouble's exposed throat as the white wolf 
fought to get this sharp-clawed kitten off of her back.  

, Mitch's wolf voice growled 
inside Chessie's skull.  

As Trouble thrashed and started to fall under Mitch's 
weight, Smoke leapt in and snatched Chessie by the scruff of 
her neck.  The kitten struggled in this humiliating posture, 
but Smoke did not let go.  The gray panther deposited the 
werecat into Beth's open hands.

"I'll go help Mitch," Gideon said after a glance assured him 
that Chessie was fine.

But with a scream that rent the night, Trouble had fallen 
and lay under Mitch's teeth and claws in the traditional 
submission posture.  Now her blood smoked on the snow while 
Mitch snapped and growled above her if she so much as 
twitched.  A dank-scented mist rose around the wicked female 
and suddenly there was a short, compactly muscled human 
female in white-embroidered white clothing, her short white 
hair sticking up, crimson blood trickling from her mouth and 
neck.

"Spare me," she gasped.

 Mitch's growly mental voice commanded his 
employer, and there was a ring in it that made Gideon stop 
in his tracks.   he asked 
his pack leader, the one who had bitten him and changed his 
life, made him a beast.  

"If you kill me, the pack will hunt for you," Trouble 
replied, and Mitch could smell the truth in her words, 
blood-red and howling.  "You cannot defeat the pack, and 
everyone around you will die." 

<> 

"NO!" Mitch howled.

"Spare me," said Trouble again.

 Mitch snarled into her mind, refusing to 
turn until he had secured his price.  

"Granted," Trouble gasped, feeling her life leak from her 
throat.  "Granted, sworn by paw and tail, by blood and bone."

It was an oath no werewolf, no matter how wicked, would 
break.  Grunting, Mitch slowly backed off the prone body of 
the white-clad woman.  And then he was a tall young man 
again, naked in the snow, but a young man with iron in his 
eyes.  Trouble's own limbs stretched, warped, and she was 
again a silver wolf.  This wolf whined, licked Mitch's 
outstretched hand, and loped off into the woods.

Slowly, very slowly, Mitch climbed the hill towards the 
tableau of watchers.  He reached Gideon first and put a hand 
on his employer's shoulder while Gideon offered him his suit 
jacket.  Mitch wrapped it around his waist apron-fashion 
although it was a bit late for modesty.  "Thanks for the 
thought, boss, but it was my fight," he said softly.  "I 
couldn't let you get involved."

"Understood," Gideon replied.  "And well-fought."

Mitch nodded, and kept going.  He came to Lady Jeanne and 
Joshua.  "Same goes," he said, "I couldn't let you get 
involved, especially not Josh.  But your coming out to try 
to help is really great.  Thanks."

"Are you okay?" Josh asked in concern, seeing blood running 
freely from some of Mitch's wounds.

"Battle scars," Mitch replied.  "They'll heal." He turned to 
Beth and Chessie, the latter still a frightened were-kitten 
huddled in Beth's hands.  "Little sister, I owe you my 
life," he said.  "Come back to us, Cheshire, Cheshire.  
Little Cheshire Cat, be human again." Calling her true name 
three times, of course, worked the charm and Chessie was 
back to a little girl.  Mitch scooped her up in his arms.  
"I owe you and Smoke my life," he said again.  "Thank you, 
kitten."

"I had to help," she whispered in his ear.  "I could hear 
her, Mitch."

"Could you now?" He set her down with a kiss.  "You are on 
your way to learning, Chessie." Then he looked at Beth, and 
no words at all passed between them.  Not out loud.  There 
was no need.  On that cold moonlight night, with blood and 
the signs of a tremendous struggle on the snow, an 
understanding was born on the hill at Birch Fields Farm.

"Let's go in and get warm," Lady Jeanne suggested.


It was a little odd, a little surreal as they walked back to 
the house.  Despite the positive outcome of the battle, no 
one felt much like talking.  Perhaps they were all a little 
overwhelmed.  In any case, each was absorbed in his or her 
own thoughts as they returned to the kitchen and resumed the 
chairs they'd previously abandoned.  Beth fetched Mitch a 
blanket and he wrapped it around himself while trying not to 
bleed on it.

Lady J held Chessie in her lap, looking at her adopted 
daughter and feeling vaguely guilty.  The little werecat had 
been so brave, it didn't seem right to scold her.  And 
yet...  Chessie, exhausted from the night's events, had 
simply curled up against her Mama J and fallen asleep as 
soon as they'd gotten inside.

Beth had disappeared again after getting Mitch the blanket, 
and now returned with her medicine kit and some towels.  
Walking over to where Mitch sat, she took the chair next to 
him and opened up the bag, spreading various small packets 
on the table.

Mitch looked at the various packets curiously, and grinned.

"Looks like Beth and Pandora would get along, eh boss?" he 
said, looking across the table to Gideon.

"Who's Pandora?" Beth asked, looking up from the bag she'd 
been searching through.  Mitch grinned at the edge her voice 
had taken on, and Joshua laughed.

"Pandora and her _husband_ are neighbors of ours," Gideon 
replied to Beth.  "She is a wonderful healer, more reliant 
on a knowledge of herbs than most in this age."

"Hmm," Beth said, blushing slightly as she realized how 
she'd sounded.  "We likely would get along then.  When my 
mother died, grandmama moved in to help Dad raise my sister 
and me.  She was an Ojibway elder, and taught me all that 
her mother had taught her."

Turning back to Mitch, she added, "With your permission, I'd 
like to take a look at some of those battle wounds of yours."

Joshua stifled a yawn just then, the third such as far as 
Gideon had caught.  Joshua tried to wave away the concern he 
saw in his husband's eyes, but truth was the evening _had_ 
rather tired him out.

"I think it would be best if I retired for the evening," 
Joshua said, forestalling anything Gideon was about to say.  
"That was rather more fresh air than I've been accustomed to 
of late.  No, really, I am _fine_," he added, seeing the 
concerned looks on the others' faces.  "I'm just tired." 

He grinned as he spied the kitchen clock an added, "And 
unlike _some_ nightowls I know, 2:00 a.m. is rather late for 
me!"

Beth and Mitch both blushed, and Lady J chuckled.  Standing 
carefully, so as not to wake her sleeping burden, she spoke 
softly to her guests.

"I think it's time for me to put this little one in her bed 
as well," Lady J said.  "I'll accompany you upstairs." 
Turning to Beth and Mitch, she added, "And I think you two 
would be best off getting _some_ sleep before she wakes up!"

"Yes, Mom." 

Beth and Mitch grinned at each other after speaking in unison.

Following Lady J up the stairs, the three paused outside the 
guest room.

"I wish you sound sleep and pleasant dreams, Joshua," Lady J 
said, smiling ruefully.  "This hasn't exactly been the 
restful vacation I promised you two, has it?"

"Trouble tracking Mitch here wasn't anything you planned," 
Gideon said quickly, while Josh nodded emphatically.  "You 
have nothing to apologize for."

Lady J shrugged, but said nothing more about it.  Instead, 
she told the Baron that she planned to return to the living 
room for a while after she settled Chessie in, and he was 
welcome to join her there later in the night if he so chose. 
 With that, she carried Chessie off to bed.

     *  *  *  *  *  *

It was quiet for a few minutes after the others left.  Mitch 
relaxed in his chair, watching Beth as she carefully mixed 
together the various ingredients into a salve.

"This may sting a bit at first", she said, looking up at him 
through her hair.  Mitch nodded.  The worst of his wounds 
were on his neck, where Trouble had torn at his throat.  
While they would most likely heal well enough without extra 
attention, Mitch wasn't about to turn down the chance to 
have Beth fussing over him.

Mitch hissed as he found out she hadn't been kidding about 
the salve.  However, the stinging was soon replaced by a 
slightly cool and numb feeling, though he could still feel 
the gentle touch of her hands.

Sitting back in her chair, Beth smiled.

"That will prevent any infection from getting in," she said, 
looking pleased. "If your healing is anything like Chessie's 
is, you'll be right as rain in a week or less."

Mitch nodded, smiling back at her.  Well, perhaps grinning 
would be a more accurate description.

"But aren't you going to kiss it and make it all better?" he 
asked to Beth, his grin broadening.

Beth laughed, not exactly the response Mitch had been 
looking for.  "Why am I reminded of a certain scene from one 
of the Indiana Jones movies?" she asked, winking at him.  

Before Mitch could begin to look disappointed though, she 
leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips.  When Mitch 
would've deepened the kiss, she pulled back slightly.

"Mmm, too public," she said softly.  "Why don't we go up to 
the studio?" Mitch smiled and nodded, taking her hand as 
they rose and left the room.

     *  *  *  *  *  *

The next evening, Beth packed them all into the Cherokee and 
took them to the airport to catch the private chartered 
plane back to Fletcherville.  Mitch was a bit stiff and 
sore, but not too badly off.  Chessie was snuggled right 
beside him on the trip.

"Do you hafta go home?" she asked as they arrived in the 
airport parking lot.

"I'm afraid so," Mitch replied.  "I've got my wolf to look 
after there, and besides, that's where we live." He ruffled 
her hair.  "But I promise to come back and visit," he said, 
but it wasn't Chessie he was making the promise to.

"And you must come and visit us, too, Chessie," Josh spoke up.

"Oh, I'd like that, Uncle Josh!" she exclaimed.  "And thank 
you again for the doll!"

"You're very welcome." 

They made their way through the small airport, Lady Jeanne 
once again assuring the officials that they did not notice a 
large gray panther and a small brown-and-white spaniel.  
Pumpkin was sulking--she hadn't been allowed to have any fun 
at all this trip.

"Thank you, Jeanne, for a most interesting time," Gideon 
said to their hostess at the gate.  "We will return your 
hospitality sometime soon, I assure you."

"I am sorry things turned out as they did," she began.

"Don't be," replied all three men at once, and they all 
laughed.

"It was for the best, really," said Mitch, with meaning.

"We're cleared for take-off in twenty minutes," said the 
pilot meaningfully, coming up behind his planeload.

"We'd best get on board, then," Gideon bowed.  

"I hate long good-byes," Mitch said.

"Then we won't say them," Josh firmly hustled the other two 
and the two animals out the gate and towards the waiting 
plane.  They turned and waved, and Mitch blew Beth a kiss.

Beth stayed and watched, Chessie and Lady Jeanne at her 
side, until the plane was only a speck of light in the sky.

     *  *  *  *  *  *

"Mitch, you've got a rather large package here."

"Cool!" Mitch grinned as he joined Evan in the living room 
at Oakwoods.  Looking down at the return label, his smile 
broadened, and he started to tug at the packaging tape.  
Evan sighed as Mitch began to growl and took out his pocket 
knife before Mitch could either become too frustrated or 
damage the contents in his eagerness to open it.

"May I?" the Nameless One asked, and Mitch nodded.  Evan had 
the tape cut through and the outer wrapping removed in short 
order, revealing a rectangular package, only an inch or two 
thick but fairly tall and wide.  It was wrapped simply in 
red paper, with a white bow and an attached card.

Ripping off the red paper, Mitch found a somewhat familiar 
painting.  However, Beth had made some changes since he had 
first seen it in her studio.

Chessie had an additional playmate, Smoke, and a faint 
overlay image of herself in kitten form.  Among the birch 
trees that formed the backdrop, Beth had added two adult 
figures, herself and Mitch, who was overlaid with the 
ghostly form of his wolf shape.  Mitch had his arm about her 
waist, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"Hey, that's really nice," Evan said.

"More than just nice," Mitch replied with a smile.  He 
turned it over, to find that the inscription was one he 
didn't really want to share with Evan.  It had the word 
"love" in it for one thing.  He blushed, but Evan refrained 
from kidding him and simply offered to help him hang it 
wherever he liked.

The painting was entitled "Winter Wolf".
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The End

For Now

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