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Sheep-Dog

Chapter 3 - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Those first few weeks the differences between life in the borderlands and that in the Capital almost overwhelmed Bobby, but he soon discovered that not all dogs were like Dan, the senior dog at Bayfield. Most were just like those from his home farm: loyal, dependable and obedient.

"Watch out for Dan." One of the other good dogs told Bobby early on. "He'll try to tempt you into breaking the rules and then hold it over you for the rest of your life."

"Someone should report him to Commander Festus." Bobby suggested.

"We've tried, but the complaints never seem to go anywhere."

"That Corgi, Angel, is probably intercepting them." Another guard speculated. "She and Dan are friends, or something."

Other than Dan's indiscretions with the senior students, which were actually not all that frequent, life at the school was as Bobby expected it. He stood guard duty in twelve hour shifts with one day off a week to attend to personal business. He rotated through duty at the front gate, where all visitors had to register; the main entrance to the school building, where he verified the visitors and counted the sheep as they entered; and on roving patrol, where he kept an eye out for intruders and for ewes trying to sneak out without authorization. He was charged with running off the intruders and reporting the students, but since his chain of command was through Dan he felt that reporting the ewes only fueled the Doberman's misbehaviour, so he usually just turned them around with a stern warning.

He carried a club to deal with the intruders. Like most guard dogs he was proficient with the sword and bow, but only rams were allowed to carry arms openly. Those belonging to the Watch, including the small guard force at Bayfield, were kept under lock and key unless there was an imminent threat, like if a patrol of wolves were to be spotted in the area.

When he was off duty Bobby was expected to keep himself in shape and maintain his proficiency with weapons. To that end there was a small training area outside the guard barracks where one could practice with a wooden sword or spar with other guards with real ones signed out for that purpose. They were also allowed to use the school archery range and gymnasium early in the morning or in the early evening. In addition, Bobby would often run around the perimeter of the school grounds wearing just a loose pair of shorts and an old undershirt.

He became familiar with the lambs and ewes at the school quickly enough. There were dozens of breeds represented there; the stocky cream coloured Texel, the grey Charollais that spoke with a strange accent, the light brown Leicester and the greyish Swalesdale with their black heads and white noses. Then there were the shaggy striped Lleyn and the Racka with their twirled horns that stuck straight out at forty-five degrees. Of the all-white breeds there were the Lincoln, Cheviot, Southdown and Merino. There were also a number of Dorset who were distinct because of their woolless black heads and limbs.

Many of the students came from the farming districts and were friendly and respectful towards the guards, but others were breed and raised in the city, and they had nothing but distain for the dogs that protected them. The Shropshire, Betty Sue, who Booby had seen performing oral sex on Dan, was one of them. She hung out with a clique of similar senior students with pretences toward sophistication and other hangers-on. Bobby tried to ignore their slights and insults when he had to stop them to be counted.

One of the group stood out though, a young Dorset ewe, barely more than a lamb, who seemed out of place in the snotty Shropshire's group.

The Dorset were a large breed that tended to the heavy side, but this particular ewe was slim and fit, with long lithesome legs. She followed Betty Sue and her group but did not partake in the insults or haughty looks the others cast at the dogs; when the others did so she hung her head down and looked up apologetically as she passed the guard post. She had very dark expressive eyes, he noted, that were surrounded by white so that they stood out from her all-black face. Bobby did not think that he had never seen her before, but considering that she would have been ten when she left for school he was not sure if he would recognize her even if he did.

Bobby would occasional see the group in the mornings when he was exercising or in the evenings when he showed up to use the sports facilities. As members of the senior class they had the earliest and latest times for group sports, the times just after or before the guards were allowed to use the facilities. When they showed up early they would order Bobby and any other dogs out and if they stayed late the guards had to wait for them to clear out before they could begin, often when it fully dark. But despite their disdain Bobby occasionally caught them admiring him and the other dogs as they worked out; except for the Dorset ewe, who looked away whenever a dog in revealing exercise gear was present. At least she did most of the time. Bobby thought that she might be peaking at him from the corner of her eye but he could not be sure. Maybe like him she though she might recognize a Border Collie recently from the home district, but she was likely mistaking him for one of his many similarly marked cousins.

When Bobby was on roving patrol he had to keep an eye on the perimeter near the sports fields. When doing so he tried not to let his gaze linger on the sheep, because being caught staring could bring a complaint, even from the same ewes that brushed up against him invitingly when they were queuing to be counted back into the main building, and especially from any that though he might be rejecting them. Fortunately, Dan was always willing top step in to manage the complaints, actually just positioning himself to fulfill their perverse urges in Bobby's opinion, but he kept the heat off the rest of them nonetheless.

One evening when he was out patrolling he came upon a number of the off-duty guards. Instead of being on the practice field they were crowded behind a row of bushes between the fields and the senior dorm.

"What are you guys doing?" Bobby asked.

"It's agriculture day for the seniors." One of the others replied without looking around.

Bobby knew that all the classes took turns tending the crops that the school raised to supplement its kitchens. He di not know why the day that senior class worked the fields would be special, so he asked one of them to explain.

"After working the fields they have to shower before they can go to supper." One answered impatiently, never taking his eyes off the dorm building. Normally they shower at night, after dark, when you can't see anything."

"What would there be to see?"

"Shush! They're opening up now."

The dogs all ducked down and Bobby did likewise. He did as they were doing and peeked through the fronds toward the dorm. It took him a minute to find what they were looking for.

There on the first floor was a double set of windows. The shutters were standing open and a trickle of steam was coming out though them. In the mist Bobby could see the forms of female sheep moving back and forth but they were very indistinct. They could be showing their wool or be wrapped in towels, it was impossible to tell.

He was disappointed, not just because his fellow guards would spy on their charges but also that they would do it for something so mundane. "This is what you're all here to see?"

"Wait for it."

Bobby waited. A minute passed and he was about to turn away and continue his patrol when movement caught his eye. The Shropshire Betty Sue and a Lincoln he did not know the name of were standing in the window, right up by the sill where the steam did nothing to obscure the view. It looked to Bobby like they were draped in smooth pink towels.

"Ah! My two favorites." The dog beside Bobby whispered. "We're in for a treat."

Bobby was about to ask what kind of treat when he noticed that it was not towels that gave them a pink appearance - the two ewes were naked and sheared to the skin. The only fur they had was in places that could be seen while wearing the school uniform.

While he watched with his muzzle hanging open Betty Sue leaned down and sucked on the breasts of the Lincoln. When she was done the Lincoln returned the favour. Then the two ewes kissed while their hands roamed over each other, at times disappearing between firm thighs.

The two ewes kept looking over toward the bushes and Bobby was sure that they knew they were being watched. Perhaps that was the whole point. Bobby began to see why agriculture day attracted such a crowd. He wondered what they would do next.

He did not have long to wait. The Lincoln bent down below the sill and came back up with a straight razor, the kind some lady dogs like Poodles used to shave their thick curly fur down in the summer.

Betty Sue turned to face the hidden audience and the Lincoln moved in behind her. They could see the Shropshire from the thighs up and even from this distance they could make out a curly patch of wool at their junction. There was a collective gasp as the Lincoln brought the razor around and began slowly, carefully shaving that patch away.

Something was straining at Bobby's groin and he realized that he had grown a sizable erection. He shifted his garments a bit to give it more room.

At the window the dangerous blade was inching closer and closer to the juncture of thigh and abdomen. Betty Sue spread her legs and put one hoof up on the windowsill as her friend leaned around and cleared out the last of the wool. Satisfied that there was nothing left but skin She put her hand in her mouth and wet it with her saliva, and then she rubbed her dripping hand over and between the twin mounds that she had exposed.

Betty Sue was no longer watching the hidden dogs. Her head was thrown back against the shoulder of the Lincoln and her eyes rolled back as the other's hand sped up and her digits began disappearing inside. Here mouth was open as she drank in the air in short, sharp gasps. Her hips began rocking in time with the hand on her slit and she pulled at her own breasts, squeezing them and pinching her nipples cruelly.

Bobby's crotch ached worse than when he recalled that afternoon with Ronnie, but he dared not pull his cock out. Not that all of the rest of the watchers were so shy; Bobby could hear more than one pouch pounding his puppy.

Just as it seemed that the big ewe could take no more there was a cry from some other student hidden in the steam. Betty Sue and the Lincoln moved as if a pack of wolves were after them, rushing to hide the razor before diving back into the concealing steam of the shower room. A second later the head mistress appeared at the window, yelling about modesty and manners as she looked around to see if anyone were outside.

As one the other dogs dropped to the ground but Bobby was frozen in place. The Head Mistress gazed at the spot where his face would be but this late in the evening the shadows would be deep and his mostly black face would blend in with the dappled lighting. He kept still and after a few moments she shrugged and then leaned out to close the shutters. Through them he could hear her berating the senior ewes for their lack of propriety.

The other dogs got up, some of them tucking their limp members back in their trousers. One of them looked at Bobby and pointed, laughing, at the new guard's groin. Bobby looked down and was mortified to see a stain soaking through where the tip of his cock had been a minute earlier. He had not even realized that he had cum.

"Better go see the Doctor about that leak." The pointing dog laughed. "You don't want that happening every time an ewe bends over."

He was not the only one that was concerned with Bobby's sexual well-being. Dan also seemed overly concerned with Bobby's health in aspects other than fitness.

"You need to get laid." He often said when reviewing Bobby's faultless performance reports.

The first time he did so Bobby crossed his eyes in an effort to interpret the pronunciation. "Like a chicken egg?" He asked uncertainly.

Dan almost fell of his chair laughing. "No, like getting your wick dipped." The Doberman paused to gauge the Collie's reaction. "Not familiar with that one? Bumping uglies? Hiding the hot dog? Oh my Lord, Bobby, what do you say when you want to fuck?"

"Uh, I don't know ... I mean ... I never ... that is..."

Dan fixed him with a steely gaze. "Are you a virgin?"

"Almost."

"Almost? That's like being almost pregnant!"

"Really?"

"No ... yes ... maybe." Dan waved his paws, clearly flustered. "That's beside the point. Have you stuck your cock in anyone's hole yet or not?"

"Not inside, no."

Dan bit his lip. "I'm not going to ask what that means. You are technically a virgin; therefore you should be spending most of your time and effort rectifying that situation. Have any of the sheep come onto you?"

"Cum on me?"

"Made advances. Indicated a willingness to let you park your buggy in their stable?" He noted Bobby's blank stare. "To let you fuck them, Bobby."

Bobby's skin turned red under the sparse fur around his snout and eyes. "Well, maybe one or two. It's hard to tell."

Dan laughed again. "I've heard something hard, and on a hair trigger. Anyways, best not to be shagging the sheep, or at least to be caught doing it. That would result in a tribunal and since you don't have anyone important as a protector you would end up in the army, assigned to the furthest, loneliest outpost they have. You could give Angel a visit, but if she's already engaged with a new toy your best bet is to save some money and try Suzie's layer Cake."

Bobby's eyes crossed in confusion as he tried to figure out how dessert could cure his virginity. Maybe it was another of Dan's expressions for sex. He was forced to ask what the Doberman meant.

"It's not an expression," the senior dog answered impatiently, "it's a place. A brothel, to be exact. Do you have those out in the borderlands? Bordellos, bawdy houses, whore houses and the like?"

"We had a cathouse, but my father said that good dogs don't go to places like that; one can catch a disease, he said."

"Well, that's true enough, but Suzie's is a very clean place with a top-notch reputation. Suzie is and old ewe from a poor family that worked her way up in the trade, so to speak, when she was young and beautiful. She was smart enough to save her money and buy her own pace; the Layer Cake. It's called that because it has three floors, each painted a different pastel colour and with separate entrances for catering to different sorts of clientele. It's just a couple of streets behind the Assembly. The Ground floor has its entrance on the north side, right on the main street where anyone can see who's going in or out. That floor is for Rams too young or lowly to have a wife yet seeking ewes. Fairly normal stuff. The second floor is accessed from the south side, close to the slums where the other species live. Other than sheep the ladies and their clients can be any other species. That's the floor you want to visit."

"And the third floor?"

"Only rams can go there; old ones and young ones, but mostly rich ones. Ones with peculiar tastes. Its private entrance is through the dark alley on the east side of the building. They have females of various species up there, and a few males for the Rams that like that sort of thing."

Bobby was puzzled again. "What sort of thing?"

Dan provided Bobby with an elaborate description of what a ram might want to do to another male, or have done to it. By the end Bobby had to fight to keep his lunch down, a battle that was not lost on Dan.

"I can see that you don't lean that way." Dan commented. "Too bad, a good-looking guy like you could earn enough to buy his way back out to the countryside. Stay away from that alley and if you see anyone you know coming out of it just forget that you saw them. Oh, and if you ever do visit the second floor and you hear thumping and screaming coming from above just ignore it; it's more likely coming from the clients than the employees."

Bobby's curious side wanted to ask how Dan knew that, but his sensible side decided that he really did not want to hear the answer. He had altogether too much information about the sexual habits of the city's citizenry than he could handle lately. He also decided not to visit the Layer Cake, not just because good dogs didn't do that sort of thing but also because he thought that the city stank, and anyone who spent all their time there was likely to have picked up the smell of coal fires, sewage and stale beer that permeated the urban centre.

Bobby preferred to stay at Bayfield on his days off. It was far enough outside the city and sufficiently upwind for the air to smell clean, if not exactly like back home. His favourite part of the grounds was in the back where the fields were. The school grew its own vegetables and corn to supplement the menu and the students had to tend to the crops just like they would if they were on a farm in case they were married off to a country ram. Most of the young ewes took the duty in stride but city-raised ewes like Betty Sue did not. They were sure that they would end up in the harem of an Assembly Representative or senior bureaucrat and would have servants to 'grub around in the muck' as they called it.

Bobby noted that the tall Dorset ewe with the dark eyes enjoyed her time in the fields. The only time that he ever saw her smile was when she was tilling the dark soil or pulling weeds out from around the young plants.

Bobby liked being assigned to watch over the students in the fields because it was just like being back on the farm with the familiar sights and sounds of ewes working. Even the smell of fresh turned earth and sheep sweat was familiar, although the soil here was richer and the sweat sharper, more youthful, than the smell of the older ewes he was familiar with. It was not a bad smell though, and on the rare occasion when he drifted off and caught himself staring at Betty Sue's big butt or her bulging chest under her expensive but all-too-tight working clothes the smell was even a little bit exciting. But he quickly put those thoughts out of his head.

The guard had to be particularly watchful when the ewes were working the fields because they were close to the farthest part of the surrounding wall where an adventurous ewe like Betty Sue might take the opportunity to slip away. In that case Bobby's count would be short when he returned the sheep back to their dorm and he would be disciplined for it. A second possibility, although a very rare one, was that a wolf might grab one of the ewes from the edge of the field near the wall and carry her off. Were that to happen the guard would have to turn out to chase it down and hope that they caught it before it did anything to her.

He shuddered to think about what a lone wolf might do to an innocent lamb. The wolves were much larger and stronger than the ewes and even outweighed most of the dogs. A wolf could have his way with a young ewe before the guard could mount a proper posse even if she fought back. But then he would see Betty Sue shirking work by pretending to have a cramp while she put on a display of elaborate and slightly erotic stretches and he would think about what would happen if a wolf got its paws on her. Bobby suspected that she would not put up a fight; in fact, it was quite likely the posse would find them still going at it and capture the wolf easily in a state of blissful exhaustion.

On one warm summer's day while keeping watch on the fields he was having trouble keeping track of all the sheep. Betty Sue and a few others kept trying to sneak off to the wall, probably to get out and visit the city, although they claimed they just wanted to rest in the shade for a bit. Bobby was forced to situate himself with his back to the wall to keep them away from it, a position that made him uncomfortable given that he could not watch both the wall and the sheep at the same time from there. But the risk was low; no one had seen any wolves this far south in months.

When it was time to return to the school Bobby blew three blasts on his whistle to tell them to gather by him to be escorted to the dorm. Normally the sheep would enter their dorm through the main building, being counted by the guard on duty there. But after working in the fields they were all covered in dirt and the headmistress did not want them spreading it through the halls so on those occasions the dog on field duty would use their master key to open the emergency exit on the far end of the dorm where the showers were located and count the sheep in himself. The counting was rarely done, however, because most of the dogs were either confident that they had not lost an ewe or, if they had, did not want to confirm it, preferring to claim that they were all returned in good order and any missing sheep must have snuck out later in the day.

They were also usually in a rush to join their comrades in the bushes for the show Betty Sue and her friends usually put on. But Bobby was not one of those dogs. He would not only count them as they entered the dorm but also as they left the field just in case one did sneak off, so he could form a posse all that much sooner.

On this particular day he had set off with thirty-three ewes and lambs form the senior classes, so he was a little surprised to reach a count of thirty-four as they marched past him on their way to the dorm. He counted them again, a difficult task now that they were walking and chatting in small groups. He concentrated on counting the woolly-headed ones first then the ones without wool on their heads and came to thirty-four again. He began to wonder if the dog that had turned the group over to his charge earlier in the day had miscounted.

He broke into a trot to get ahead of the sheep, pulling the master key from the pocket of his trousers as he went. After he unlocked the door to the dorm he stood by it, holding it open and counting the sheep again as they funneled in.

He was much closer to the ewes now and could identify them by smell as well as sight, even the shy ones that filed past with their heads down, like that tall Dorset. But there was something about the sheep behind her, a very large white one whose face was obscured by the huge tuft of wool on its head. Bobby could not recall seeing anyone that big in the senior class before. He stepped in front of the opening, forcing the last few sheep to halt, which gave him the opportunity to draw in a deep whiff of sheep infused air through his sensitive nose.

He knew that something was wrong even before he processed the scent, and so did the wolf who was hiding under a crude costume made from tufts of wool that it must have gathered from the thickets, or from former victims. Before Bobby could draw his club the wolf had cast off his disguise and grabbed the sheep in front of him. That sheep just happened to be the Dorset Bobby had been wondering about knowing.

The wolf pressed his long, sharp claws into the wool around the ewe's neck, ready to rip her throat out. Grabbing her arm with his other paw he backed away from the door, scattering the remaining sheep. Bobby kept pace with him, raising his club but not calling out for help least the wolf kill the ewe and fling her body at Bobby to make a break for it.

"Take it easy pup and no one needs to get hurt."

The ewe's eyes were wide with fear and she bleated once but stopped when the wolf tightened his grip. Then she slumped in his arms, half unconscious from shock. Bobby could see fear in his eyes too, or at least concern. Bobby realized that with all the other ewes running around in a panic it was only a matter of time before the rest of the guards came on the run, and the wolf knew it. The hairy grey intruder was half again larger than Bobby, but he looked young and appeared to be unarmed; why else use his claws to threaten the ewe if he had a knife?

The wolf could not get away dragging the almost comatose sheep, but he could still hurt her and make a run for it while Bobby was trying to stop the bleeding. The decisive point would come when he heard the sound of a posse coming, so Bobby had to act before that, but what to do? It was not something that they trained for. His mind raced to find options that suited this situation but found none.

He decided to do something that he and the younger dogs had practiced back home, something that went against all the rules of combat, specifically the one that said never throw your weapon away.

"Alright, wolf." He said as he raised his empty paw up beside the one holding the short club and then brought them both up beside his ears as if surrendering. "Let the sheep go and I'll not chase you."

"Do you think that I'm stupid? This ewe is the only leverage I ..."

Bobby looked at a spot a few feet behind the wolf's left shoulder. "Grab him, Rover!" He shouted.

The wolf had to strain to look around while keeping the sheep between him and Bobby, but a quick glance was sufficient to discover that there was no one behind him. The distraction gave Bobby enough time to launch his club through the air at the wolf, however, and when the big beast turned his head back around the butt of the club caught him right between the eyes.

The wolf reeled, releasing his grip on the Dorset, who slumped to the ground. Bobby leapt over her and grabbed the wolf by the neck, forcing him down to the ground. He searched around for his club and brought it up and then down hard on the wolf's skull.

The wolf's eyes rolled up and it waved its paws about weakly as it fought for breath. Bobby took the opportunity to flip the wolf over onto its stomach and bring its paws up behind its back, locking them in place between its hairy shoulder blades by wedging them between his forearm and the club. Then he put all his weight on the back of the wolf's neck.

The wolf tried to struggle but the hold was as effective as Bobby's instructors had promised it would be and the wolf could do no more than wiggle in the dirt. It stopped trying as soon as it heard the approaching sound of a dozen dogs barking out commands and directions to the milling sheep.

"Hey, pup!" It said in a low voice between gasps. "Tell Dan that I got the gold. Standard deal, half on me and I lead him to the other half when he springs me. Make sure you tell him before they get carried away with their interrogations, got it, Kid?"

Bobby was stunned, but not enough to relax his hold on the wolf. It was probably a ploy, he told himself, something to put him off his guard so the wolf could turn the tables on him. He tightened his grip, determined to keep the wolf captive until the rest of the guards arrived.

"Ack! Lord, Kid, you're already a hero, no need to damage the goods before delivery."

At that point a group of dogs including Dan's Deputy came around the corner. They skidded to a halt at the sight of the young Collie that had rendered a much larger wolf helpless.

"Lord, Bobby!" The Deputy exclaimed. "You've caught a wolf!"

"Give him a prize." The wolf mumbled. "Must be the smartest of the bunch."

Bobby wrenched its paws further up its spine and got a satisfying yelp in return.

"He was trying to get into the dorm disguised as a sheep." Bobby told the Deputy as the senior dog directed the others into positions around the wolf.

"Ah, that old trick. Okay boys, everyone grab a limb. You can get off him now, Bobby. Good job spotting him. No telling what dire deeds he may have done if he got in there."

"I could tell you." A disappointed female voice called from the crowd of sheep that had formed around them.

Bobby looked around to find Betty Sue and a couple of the other senior ewes frowning at the sight of the wolf being trussed up like a chicken. Could they have been complicit in the attempted intrusion, he wondered? Checking out the rest of the crowd he saw knowing looks and giggles hidden behind hands. In fact, the only one of the senior ewes that was not enjoying Betty Sue's disappointment was the Dorset who had been the wolf's captive. She had recovered her senses and was sitting up on the grass several feet away where the wolf had dropped her, looking at Bobby with wide, dark eyes.

The fear was gone from them, Bobby saw, replaced by something slightly disturbing, something akin to the way Ronnie had looked at him that last afternoon together on the bench. It made Bobby feel uncomfortable, but he could not look away.

"Come on now." The Deputy told him, interrupting the spell as they hoisted the wolf to its feet. "We have to bring this criminal to Dan and you have to fill out what is sure to be a very lengthy report. Riley can finish getting the sheep put away."

Bobby dutifully followed, turning to look back just before turning the corner, only to find the Dorset ewe still staring after him.

Inside the main building it was like the circus had come to town. The dogs that had been too late to join the posse all tried to help drag the wolf down to the detention cell so they could claim later that they were instrumental in the capture while the sheep that ran the school all clamoured to get a look at the intruder. The deputy had to assign as many dogs to crowd control as he did to lock up the wolf. The only dog that he did not direct one way or the other was Bobby, who he led to the Security office. Once inside he sat Bobby down in front of his desk in the outer office and began searching the drawers for something. He let out a pleasantly surprised cry as he found what he was looking for and then he pulled out a sheaf of papers as thick as his arm and plopped them on the desk in front of Bobby.

"This here is the report for intruders, lupine, captured. You'll have to fill it out in triplicate. Don't leave any of the spaces blank, and there is space on the last few pages for you to describe the entire encounter in your own words."

Bobby stared at the pile of papers while the Deputy stared at Bobby.

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

"I don't have a pencil, sir."

"Oh! Sure." The Deputy dug around in another drawer and pulled out a stub that looked older than him. "There you go. Dan will be back from town soon, best to be done and ready for him when he arrives."

Bobby grabbed the pencil and bent to the task.

He was almost finished when he heard Dan roar something in the hall outside the Security Office. From the sound of his voice the head dog had been drinking. When he crashed into the outer office the smell and his uncoordinated movements confirmed it.

"You caught a wolf?" Dan said as he leaned on the desk across from Bobby in an incredulous tone that matched his astonished expression.

"Yes, Sir."

"All by yourself?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Don't 'Sir' me, I work for a living." He turned to the Deputy. "Bobby caught a wolf!"

"Yes, I know, Sir."

"Didn't I tell you not to call me sir? No, wait, that was the other one, the one that caught the wolf. Where did he go? Oh, there he is. Bobby ... Bobby ... don't call me sir."

Yes, Sir."

"That's better. Now, tell me ...," he leaned toward Bobby conspiringly, "... did the wolf say anything to you. Something you might not want to put in the report?"

"He said something about having gold." Bobby whispered back, almost overwhelmed by the stench of beer and the scent of females of several species rising up off the head dog. "Half on him and half later, but I think he wears lying."

Dan gave the Collie a friendly but forceful slap on the side of the muzzle. "Ah, Bobby boy, you leave finding the truth to me." Then he turned to his deputy, his voice suddenly cold and sober. "Has anyone else touched the wolf?"

"No, sir. As per your instructions he's been kept in the cell alone and no one has laid a paw on him or talked to him alone since we put him down there."

"Good. I'll head down and, ah, conduct an interrogation presently. Meanwhile, clear Bobby's schedule. He's earned some time off and I'm sure the Commander will want to express his gratitude for a job well done personally."

He turned back to Bobby and his face lit up with a drunken grin again. "Congratulations, Bobby. You're a fucking hero!"