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Pepper tried reading through the ten-month old magazine but nothing she found in it could distract her from worrying about Saul. She rose from her seat in the waiting room, casually tossed the periodical onto a nearby chair and paced slowly back and forth, trying to will the time to move faster. The emergency room doctor did not have much regard for cops and so had banned the vixen from the treatment room despite the fact she was his patient's partner. She was on her fifth cup of vending machine coffee when the examination room doors finally opened and Saul stepped into the room. His arm was hanging in a sling and his jacket was draped over one shoulder.

The vixen went over to the giant human and took hold of his good hand. "So what did the doctor say?"

"Well, he did a viral scan and found no trace of rabies, so thankfully I won't have to go through that particular treatment. He did give me a tetanus booster shot and about forty stitches and told me not to use my arm for about 24 hours, but otherwise everything looks good."

"No nerve damage?" she asked.

Saul shook his head. "None. I was pretty lucky there. The mauling missed the nerves in my arm and only nicked the main artery which is why I bled like a stuck pig, but otherwise I've got a clean bill of health and a one day pass off of work."

The unusual pair exited the emergency room and were met by a young sheriff's deputy who had been instructed to give them a ride home. Gratefully, they climbed into the floater which dipped alarmingly under Saul's massive frame.

"Sorry," the deputy responded. "I forgot to adjust the lifters for the extra weight." He pushed a small lever and the vehicle leveled out normally. Within moments, it was gliding silently along the road.

"I talked with the watch captain," offered the vixen. "He said a couple of animal control people tracked what attacked you through the park, but they lost it on the streets. Their best guess is that it was headed west."

"Do they know what kind of animal it was?"

"The lab coats think it was some kind of dog/wolf hybrid," Pepper said, "possibly a cross between a mastiff and a gray wolf."

"You mean someone bred that thing?"

"Possibly," the vixen replied. "The only sure thing is that its owner, if there is one, wasn't anywhere in sight."

"I don't like where this is going."

"Which is?"

Saul looked at her for a moment, then shook his head. "Never mind. A passing thought that is completely paranoid and makes no sense."

"But those are the best kind... Random thoughts trigger sequences of possibilities. That's the meat and potatoes of detective work."

"Let's wait until we get home and can talk privately."

The two detectives sat quietly for the remainder of the trip, thanking the young deputy when he dropped them off. It wasn't until they were in the house with the door locked firmly behind them that Saul's passing thought took form.

"Why'd you go all cloak and dagger on me in the car?" the vixen asked.

"Because the random thoughts I've had are so off the wall they're deserving of an all-expense paid visit to the looney bin. Even you might think it's crazy."

"Try me." Pepper challenged.

"Werewolf."

The vixen arched one eyebrow. "If we knew where the wolf was we'd be knocking on the owner's front door right now."

Saul's mouth curled into a bemused half-smile. "Not where... were, as is lycanthropes, silver bullets and Lon Chaney Jr."

"I don't get you. You think the owner might be this Chaney character?" Pepper looked at her partner as he faced palmed with his good hand and suppressed a deep chortle. Her expression became deadpan. "Is this another one of your old movie references?"

"Yes and no," the human said, lowering his voice. "Classic horror movies were based upon solidly known legends. Dracula, the Wolfman, Frankenstein... They all have their basis in ancient legend or famous novels based upon legends."

"So you're talking fantasy stories."

Saul shook his head. "It's not fantasy, both of us know that. Just look at your cousin and his mate. She is a bonified sorceress, isn't she?"

"Last I heard," admitted Pepper.

"And your cousin is a genuine were-dragon."

"A small one, yes," she admitted. The vixen looked at her partner intensely. "If we start going down that road, we might never be able to bring Rita's murderer to justice."

"Why not?"

"I talked to both Victor and Gwen about this whole magic thing once before. There is apparently a small sub-culture that exists just this side of our imagination. Those who live within it are fanatical about preventing the rest of the world from learning magic is a real thing."

"Fanatical enough to commit ritual murder?" Saul asked.

"I don't know... Maybe," Pepper replied.

The human looked at his bandaged arm. "You remember when you first introduced me to your cousin and his wife?"

"Which one? The sorceress or the djinn?"

"Weren't they all living together at the time?"

"Yes," the vixen replied. "Gwen was Sapphire's student back then. It wasn't until some months after Sapphire vanished that he married Gwen."

"That aside," the human said, "Do you remember why we went there in the first place?"

"Prisoner extradition," Pepper responded. "We were after George Leonard, the Human Leaguer, who'd killed a mixed Human-Construct couple." The vixen chuckled softly. "I remember when we found him he was only about three inches tall."

"Yes. We had to wait a couple days for the side-effects of Sapphire's potion to wear off. A potion, if you remember, she'd administered to cure him of lycanthropy."

The Zorr became quiet for a moment even as she reached out and gently touched Saul's bandaged arm. "I don't like where you're going with this," she muttered.

"Neither do I," the human said. "But the possibility isn't something we can afford to ignore. Not if we go even a little way down that path. It might be a good idea if you gave your cousin a call first thing tomorrow morning."

Pepper pulled out her cell phone. "It might be an even better idea if I call him right now."

"At three A.M.?"

"He'll survive... besides it's like I often say, 'When is now a good time?'"

"When did you ever say that?" Saul asked.

"Just now."

* * * *

The connecting flight from Kansas City landed at 5:25 that evening. Both Saul and Pepper were there to meet it, or more specifically to meet a certain passenger. It wasn't hard to spot the red-furred todd as he disembarked from the small, commuter airline. Crossing into the terminal building he was almost tackled by his cousin as she embraced him.

"Wow... Oh Wow! It's so good to see you again," the vixen gushed. "Is it true? Are you expecting a kit?"

Victor Peabody grinned, returning Pepper's hug. "Actually, it's Gwen doing the heavy lifting on this one. I'm just an innocent bystander."

"Not as innocent as you'd have us believe," rumbled Saul, holding out a massive hand. The Zorr gripped it as best as he could and returned the greeting. The human immediately noticed the thick rubberized gloves Victor wore.

"How are you doing, Detective Blackthorn?"

"Reasonably well, under the circumstances. And by the way, it's Saul. Not Mister, or Detective, or Officer... Got it?"

Victor nodded. "Got it! By the way, did you look up when moon rise is this evening?"

"Not until 9:42 p.m.," Pepper replied.

"Good. That should give me enough time to evaluate your condition and decide if you need the antidote."

With the vixen leading the way, the trio made their way first to the baggage area, then a parking structure across from the terminal. Once settled into the floater they headed for home.

Victor sat in the back seat away from Pepper, who had fortunately remembered to apply a dab of vapor-rub to her nosepad before greeting her cousin. "Could we make a quick stop at a convenience store or drive through. I really need a giant-sized ice water or I'm going to seriously overheat."

The vixen obliged and moments later she was passing the drink to her guest. The todd quickly gulped down about half the liquid, then reached into the cup and pulled out a handful of ice which he proceeded to jam down the front of his shirt. He sighed in absolute bliss, triggering a curious glance between the two detectives.

Arriving at their shared bungalow, Pepper and Saul escorted Victor into the house. The moment the door closed, the todd immediately began stripping down, removing his heavy, winter jacket, a sweater, two flannel shirts and two thick pairs of long, gym pants. Underneath all this he wore a form fitting scuba suit, complete with boots and gloves.

"What the hell's all this?" the human asked. "Are you trying to give yourself heat exhaustion in the middle of winter?"

"An inconvenient necessity, seeing it's that time of the month," Victor replied. "I couldn't very well go traveling across country in a pressurized aircraft without trying to subdue my scent. It would have given the female crew and passengers fits."

"A scuba suit? Really?" Pepper asked.

The todd shrugged. "Hey, it worked. The only one affected was a flight attendant on the commuter plane, and she spent the last half of the trip locked alone in one of the restrooms doing, well, you can imagine what. Victor unzipped the front of the scuba suit and flapped it in an effort to cool down. "I probably shouldn't have asked her for that bag of peanuts, but I needed the salt."

"Could you please do that in the bathroom?" Pepper asked, applying a slightly thicker dab of vapor-rub to her nose.

"Oh... right, sorry." The todd gathered up his scattered clothing. "Mind if I take a quick shower?"

"Be my guest," Saul chuckled. "Just don't take too long. It's already six-twenty."

"Right." Victor quickly disappeared down the hall and into the guest bathroom. Within moments, the sound of a shower could be heard.

"You know, I'd forgotten about his problem with the full moon and dragon musk," Blackthorn admitted. "It might have been better if Gwen had made the trip out here. She is the sorceress after all."

"She's also seven-months pregnant and has a pair of adopted kits to look after." Pepper's mouth twisted in a quizzical way. "I wonder just how she pulled off that pregnancy. By rights, Zorrs and Lappe shouldn't be able to breed."

"Probably some kind of magic was involved," Saul mused. "I really can't believe I'm saying that."

"Maybe I shouldn't have called him. I mean, we may just be over-reacting to what happened last night."

"Then again, we might not. I didn't want to mention this before but I've had a headache all day and I'm feeling a bit under the weather."

Pepper reached up and touched his forehead. "It feels like you're running a fever." She paused long enough to place a finger against his nose. "Well, the good news is your nose is still cold."

"Ha-Ha. Very funny."

"So why didn't you want to mention any of this earlier?

"Because I didn't want to worry you, and because I thought the whole thing might just be psychosomatic."

The vixen looked at Saul. "Is there anything else you're not saying?"

Blackthorn scratched the back of his neck with his good hand. "Well, for about the last three hours my arm has been kind of tingling, burning and itching. Not seriously, but enough to be annoying."

"That's not good," interrupted Victor as he came out of the bathroom, dressed in a tee-shirt and gym pants. "It could be an infection... or something else."

"You heard?" Pepper asked.

"Only the last part." He looked at his cousin. "I'd like to take a look at Saul's wound. Can you carefully unwrap his bandages and show me what happened?"

The two detectives sat down at the dining room table as the vixen slowly began unwinding the bandages on her partner's arm. As she worked, she mentally prepared herself for the ugly bite marks, sutures and scars she would see. To both Blackthorn's and her astonishment, his arm was completely unblemished, though it was missing the normal covering of hair one would expect.

Victor frowned in a knowing way. "Let me see your palm."

Saul opened his hand and watched as the Zorr traced a finger along his lifeline. He then stood and went over to his suitcase, snapping the locks open with a determined precision. Reaching in, he pulled out his toiletry kit and pulled out a small, amber disc that hung from a chain. Victor quickly dropped it around his own neck then sat next to the human, once again tracing his finger along the inside of Saul's palm. This time, a glowing shape began to form. Within seconds, it had coalesced into a pentagram.

"Well," the Zorr announced, "it would seem you are suffering from a full blown curse."

"What kind of curse?" asked Pepper.

"Lycanthropy. You know, full moons, werewolves and..."

"Lon Chaney Jr., yes I know," the vixen replied. "So, what can we do?"

"Well, the first step is relatively simple," Victor replied.

"And that is?"

"We get your partner drunk, as soon as possible."

* * * *

Saul Blackthorn sat on the living room couch feeling absolutely no pain as he held Pepper gently in his lap serenading her; proving to one and all he had never been a serious contender for his college glee club.

"How much is that doggie in the window? The one with the waggly tail. How much is that doggie in the window? I do hope that doggie's for sale!"

The vixen looked up from the couch. "Tell me again why this is necessary?"

"For the potion to be effective, Gwen had to modify it to deal with not only Saul's large size, but also to neutralize the effect the curse would have had on his now dormant acromegaly."

"You mean he would have started growing again?" Pepper asked.

"Only when the curse took effect. It would have made him the largest werewolf ever seen, until he returned to his human form. Unfortunately, Gwen's modifications would have a serious psychological backlash for anyone drinking the potion while stone cold sober. Being drunk cushions the psyche enough to neutralize the negative effects." Victor looked at the empty bottle of scotch. "You think he's had enough yet?"

_"I read in the papers there are robbers. With flashlights that shine in the dark.

My love needs a doggie to protect her. And scare them away with one bark."_

Saul gently took ahold of Pepper's hand and kissed it, one finger at a time while simultaneously running his other hand through her thick, plush tail. "When I become a big were... were... werewolf, can I have a tail like yours?"

The vixen looked at her cousin with a deadpan expression. "Oh, he's definitely drunk now."

Victor glanced at the nearby antique wall clock. "Nine-twelve. Okay, let's give him the antidote." He reached into his toiletry kit one more time and pulled out a plastic bottle filled with a dark, purple liquid. This he poured into a fluted wine-glass. He then pulled out a thin stick made of white ash and quickly stirred the mixture, counting to twelve. As he did, the liquid turned a pale amber color and began fizzing like champaign, except the bubbles spread outward from the center and went in all directions. Removing the stick, he tapped it gently, but firmly, against the glass three times. With each strike it emitted a chrystal chime that rose in pitch a full octave. The todd then handed the glass to Blackthorn.

"Here you go Saul... bottom's up."

"A toast?" the detective slurred. "That's niceee, but I never toast anything alone. You gotta join me."

Victor looked over at his cousin, stymied for a moment. Thinking quickly, Pepper hopped off of Saul's lap and dashed into the kitchen, emerging a few seconds later with a small bottle of champaign and two more fluted glasses.

"Here you go, big guy," she smiled coquettishly as she quickly filled a glass for herself and one for Victor. "Here's a toast... To Gwen and Victor, happy expectant parents."

"Cheers!" yelled Saul, downing his drink in one massive gulp even as the two Zorrs gently sipped on theirs. Moments later the human shuddered and stuck out his tongue. "Blecch! The champagne's gone bad. It tastes like fermented pickle juice." Seconds later he passed out.

Pepper looked down at her partner who was now snoring loudly. "Okay..." she muttered. "Is that all there is to this?"

"Wait for it," Victor replied.

Moments later Saul's body began glowing until it had achieved something akin to the pale luminosity of the moon. This lasted about two minutes, then abruptly faded. Pepper's mouth dropped open in surprise. Her partner had been replaced by an abnormally tall, skinny, pre-adolescent boy. The clothes he wore were now way too big for him, making it appear as if he were wearing parts of a tent.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

Victor took out his amber disc once more and used it to examine Saul's palm. "Excellent... the potion worked."

"YOU CALL THIS A SUCCESS?" the vixen yipped shrilly.

"Don't worry. He no longer has the curse on him," her cousin replied. "This is just the side effect of using Black Rose pollen. It could have been worse."

"Worse? How exactly could it have been worse? You turned him into a freaking nine years old."

"He might have wound up being a three inches tall nine year old."

Pepper just glared at him in silent frustration then went over to the human. "The least you can do is help me move him into the spare bedroom so he can sleep this off."

"Right."

With both Zorrs working together, they managed to transfer Saul from the living room couch to a small guest bedroom. He might have been only nine, but he was a very big kid. Once her partner was settled in they both returned to the living room.

"So how long will this last?" the vixen asked.

"Well, like George Leonard the effects should wear off in about thirty-six to forty-eight hours."

"Great!" the detective responded. "Now I have to come up with a plausible excuse to keep my partner out of sight for two days without ticking off our boss." She shook her head tiredly. "Sorry. I know you're just trying to help, but couldn't you have stayed home and sent Gwen instead? I mean I know she's pregnant and all, but we really need a sorceress here not a..."

"Antiques geek?"

The vixen frowned. "That's not what I was going to say."

"But that was what you were thinking, and I don't blame you," the todd responded. He held up a hand as she tried to object. "Believe me, I spent more than twenty years working through scientific and archeological concepts before being slapped upside the head by my first confrontation with magic. It threw me for a loop and rattled my confidence something fierce, but both Sapphire..." he paused for a moment before continuing, "and Gwen made me realize that though I couldn't manipulate the forces of magic, there was a lot of knowledge I could access, making me something of a sage when it comes to the mystic and occult. I can read many of the tomes my mate studies and even know enough etymology do dissect the meaning behind the words of a spell. I think it's actually worked to bring me and Gwen closer together because our skill sets complement each other. So after you called this morning, we both decided she'd brew the potion and I'd administer it. Kind of like the way a pharmacist and doctor work together.

As the todd finished speaking his cousin stood and wrapped a comforting arm around him. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you down. It's just that I've been worried sick about my partner since he was mauled last night. What made it worse was he got hurt pushing me out of the way. I should have been the one that got chewed up.

"I don't think Saul would ever allow that. He loves you too much." The two Zorrs put their foreheads together for a brief moment before separating.

"This is going to play havoc with our investigation," Pepper muttered with a heavy sigh.

"Oh... speaking of which." Victor dug into his suitcase and pulled out a large manila envelope which he handed to his cousin. She opened it and found it contained three pictures of three, highly ornate daggers, all with silver blades and all with an identical, ornately carved wooden handle.

"These look like our murder weapon," the vixen observed.

"They should. They're all part of a match set of four daggers that were used back in the fifteenth century during the Lycanthrope/Vampire wars."

"The what, now?" asked Pepper.

"A bit of secret antiquity that never made it into the standard history books. The daggers were created as magical weapons that would prevent someone from becoming a were-creature, should they be cursed by a lycanthrope. Those three daggers are all in museums throughout Europe. The fourth however was stolen about a hundred-seventy years ago and hasn't been seen since."

"Until now," the vixen said. "You don't suppose..." Pepper was suddenly interrupted by the sound of a soft pop. She watched as Victor's clothes collapsed to the floor. Moments later a pair of small, draconian hands pushed aside the folds of clothing and a miniature dragon crawled out of the pile. He grinned up at the Zorr, sheepishly.

"Sorry... I forgot the time."

"Naturally," she muttered to herself.