The Girl with the Autumn Fur
I "Coffee?", she asks, not patronizing me with "Sir". I approve. The steaming liquid has my attention until I see past the pot to the splash of russet-red fur. A tasteful figure, but females? Not really my thing. Until her scent wafts my way. Warm,...
Medicine Bear
Near the top of Black Mountain something blew in my truck. The cloud of steam and the dripping oil told me it wasn't going any further. _Well that's just great_, I thought as we rolled to a halt at the side of the road. I really didn't need this, on...
Monarch of the Back Country - Pt 1
**Monarch of the Back Country - Part 1** Theo S. Bernard Dairmid slid wet and gasping into the world on a clear morning in the fresh green of early summer. His mother was a tawny coated Red Deer, medium in stature but confident in her bearing,...
Chapter 7 - Rapid Transit
# Chapter 7 ## Rapid Transit Alenna hauled herself onto slab of mud-covered rock and shone her torch into the gloom on the far side. Her fur glinted in the reflected light, and no amount of grime could mask the determination on her face. _I'm not...
Chapter 6 - Gifts
# Chapter 6 ## Gifts A miserable dream of wandering through endless caves slipped away from Weskar. Half-awake, he pulled the blankets up and rolled over. But his pillow felt strange, and try as he might, he couldn’t get comfortable. An odd smell...
Monarch of the Back Country - Pt 2
**Monarch of the Back Country - Part 2** Theo S. Bernard The deer instinctively preferred the cover of the valleys, and climbing up into the open ground above the treeline made the two young stags nervous, but also excited. The saddle brought...
Monarch of the Back Country - Pt 3
**Monarch of the Back Country - Part 3** Theo S. Bernard There was a spring in Dairmid's step as he made his way through the forest. He and Alban followed a rough trail left by other red deer, and it grew clearer as they descended into a wide...
Jenklin and the Mayweather Diamond
## Jenklin and the Mayweather Diamond Theo S Bernard “Got something for you, Jenklin!” The gruff voice barked out of my phone handset. I pictured the grizzled face of the german shepherd at the other end of the line. Grey around the...
Chapter 8 - Outside
# Chapter 8 ## Outside Weskar stood, toes spread on the cool marble and ears forward, as he contemplated the row of portraits. The creatures depicted behind the glass were so like him – and yet quite different. Then his heart jumped in excitement...
Chapter 2 - Divine Mechanisms
# Chapter 2 ## Divine Mechanisms The wan light of a single globe revealed a drab concrete corridor leading straight into the city wall. Sam swung the door shut behind them, replacing the background sounds of the city with a distant mechanical hum....
Chapter 10 - Developments
# Chapter 10 ## Developments Sam's untidy fur stuck out in white tufts, and he sat with head cocked slightly to one side as he contemplated his friend over a plate of refried dried venison and buttery bread. He stirred his plate with a fork rather...
Chapter 9 - Discovery
# Chapter 9 ## Discovery A shaft of bright morning sunlight fell across the feather-stuffed pillow, interrupting a vague dream in which Weskar wandered through a winter forest, warm despite the snow. _Real Sunlight_, he thought as he stretched out...