Macster - The Last Dragon

Shaking his head, he looked up morosely at the slate-gray morning sky, still filled with the ugly churning masses of rainclouds. Its color and chaotic state reflected his mood perfectly, and the chill drizzle falling onto his upturned face could not be any colder than the fear that gripped his heart. Not even in Snow White Memorial Prison had he felt such despair and pain, because then he had not had anything to live for, any reason to enjoy life.

He had not known Virginia, or her love.

The wagon struck a deep rut in the surface of the soupy mud that passed for a road, and Wolf was thrown forward against the bars, nearly knocking out his front teeth. As it was he did receive a sharp blow to the head that blurred his vision and made everything suffused by a hazy white light for several minutes. Feeling the onset of a headache, he put a hand to his forehead and whimpered again, then looked back behind him. Virginia lay curled up on the moldy, urine-soaked straw on the floor of the wagon, his coat pulled over her in a futile attempt at warmth. She was gripping the planks until splinters stabbed into her hands so as not to be thrown about as he had been. Behind her, the Piper sat in the far corner with his knees drawn up before his chin, a furious and sullen expression on his aristocratic face. Although Wolf despised the prince and hated in particular being imprisoned with him, he understood how he felt--helpless.

And so they were. None of his wolfly skills or strengths could free them, and they had been searched back at the jail in Crookedtown and divested of all their belongings, including the Troll King's magic shoes and the Piper's pipe. There was no way to avoid the confrontation to come...or the inevitable conclusion. But what could he expect? The days of Happy Ever After were gone, and in any case wolves had never been the good guys in any of the old tales. Did he really think he, one lone wolf, could change centuries of prejudice and hatred all by himself? he thought bitterly. Wendell's pardon notwithstanding, there was simply too great an inertia against change, and it was embodied in Red Riding Hood III. She would never change, none of the Hoods would. Their fate was sealed.

Huff-puff.

Thoughts of the queen, and of the jail where they had been incarcerated until dawn, reminded Wolf of the terrible conditions they had been kept in--and what Virginia had asked him. He had been shivering on the cold stone floor only a few feet from the sump, and trying simultaneously to mask his trembling and ignore the awful stench nearby, when Virginia had called out to him from the bunk he had insisted she take (seeing as His Insufferable Highness had claimed the only other bunk already).

"Wolf?"

"Hmmm?"

"When are you going to tell me why Red Riding Hood wants you so badly?"

He'd stayed still for a long time, hoping she would think he had fallen asleep. But when she reached out and shook his shoulder gently, he'd turned and shook his head, lowering his eyes. "Not now. I don't want to talk about it, not yet." Maybe not ever. "I'm trying to think of a plan of escape...and I'll need my sleep for tomorrow."

She hadn't been convinced--after all, what sort of escape could even his cunning mind come up with on such short notice, and with so little to work with?--and she'd known he was upset and trying to hide it, but she'd relented, giving him his space. She was always doing that, and it made his heart melt how truly considerate she was. It also made him feel guilty. With all she had done for him, and the love she showed him, didn't he owe her at least this much?

But no, the pain was too great, he couldn't bring himself to share the true story of his past and the awful events that had scarred him for life.

Another jolt of the wagon brought Wolf back to the present, and he realized he'd been staring at Virginia the entire time. Now she was looking up at him questioningly. "What were you just thinking about?"

"Nothing," he answered quickly and then looked away, gripping the bars as he gazed dismally out through the rain at the forest trundling by.

She wasn't buying it; she knew him too well. "Wolf...what's wrong? Does this have to do with what you won't tell me?" She crossed her arms over her chest, making her chains rattle, and narrowed her eyes.

Wolf growled under his breath, but he knew there would be no deflecting her this time. He didn't have the excuse of sleep, and they would be stuck together for the long trip to the palace. He wouldn't be able to get away from her insistent voice and demanding eyes; eventually she would break down his will. It would be better to tell her now, because like it or not the danger they all faced made it necessary for her to know the truth, and she would benefit more from the knowledge the sooner she received it. Besides, he noticed out of the corner of his eye that several of the scarlet-garbed soldiers riding as escort for the wagon had drawn their horses close, listening. If he refused Virginia now, it would seem he had something to hide and further cement their hatred. Plus, he wouldn't put it past their captors to tell Virginia the story themselves out of spite--and he would much rather she hear his version than theirs.

Sighing, he finally gave in. Leaving the front of the wagon, he shuffled back to sit between Virginia and the Piper, folding his legs before him and shifting to get comfortable, or as comfortable as he could get when manacled and chained. This would take a while, for it was a long and cruel story, one filled with jealousy, betrayal, death, shattered hope, and unrequited love. In short it was a tragedy, and one that left him very vulnerable, seeing as he was a major player in it, and had such strong feelings for the others involved.

Bending forward and taking Virginia's hands in his, he lowered his voice to a whisper so that the soldiers would not hear. "Do you know the story of Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf?"

Virginia nodded slowly.

"Good, then I don't have to waste time retelling it." Wolf scratched at his temple distractedly and fixed his gaze on the rotten planks beneath his feet before he bit his lip and began.

"Well, remember when I told you us wolfies only pretend to do naughty things?" When she nodded again, he said, "The Big Bad Wolf, or Old Grey as he's sometimes called, was one of the few wolves who didn't just pretend. I make no apologies for him...he was an evil, nasty, vicious beast, very cunning and sly. I don't know if he just hated humans, or if he was overly hungry that day. But whatever the reason, he did everything he is accused of doing. That part of the tale is completely true." It hurt a great deal to admit that, since it would only help foster the stereotype of wolves and ingrain the hatred, but he had to be honest with Virginia. And anyway, by the time he was done relating his past, certain humans would look much worse in comparison.

"Red Riding Hood was a very lovely little girl, strong-willed and determined, and when she grew up and married the son of the woodsman who had saved her, she did all in her power to protect other little girls and make sure no wolf could ever do such a terrible thing again. She entered politics, giving speeches and calling for laws to control the wolves. She founded a woods awareness center that saved many young girls and put a stop to wolf attacks. In gratitude the people chose her as their new queen."

Virginia stirred, frowning in puzzlement. "Wow...um, I know how this'll sound, but I never thought I'd hear a wolf speak so highly of Red Riding Hood."

Wolf had been expecting this. Shrugging, he smiled a little. "Well, she was one of the Five Women Who Changed History. She was very brave, and worthy of respect, and she did do a great service to the Kingdoms, reining in the dangerous wolves and protecting the people. But, I am sorry to say, despite her ordeal with her grandmother, she remained quite naive. She had no clue how many ramifications there would be of her actions. She was so innocent that she did not understand the true hatred that can exist in human hearts. As queen she passed laws to ensure wolves would curb their excesses...but she only had experience with one, a wolf the rest of the species had outcast. She did not know of the nobility and honor common to most wolves. Still, matters would have worked out if not for the people, who treated all wolves the same and hated them with a passion. By her laws and programs Red Riding Hood meant only to protect...but the people twisted them, turning them into instruments of prejudice and malice. It became great sport to hunt down wolves, to accuse them of crimes just for the excuse to humiliate and torture the 'beasts', as well as to gain rewards for it--all under the aegis of the throne, to 'keep the realm safe'." He clenched his fists and snarled softly.

"And Red Riding Hood did not help matters by raising her daughter Scarlett to mistrust and avoid wolves. She was only attempting to protect her, to keep her from harm, but instead she instilled a sense of fear and loathing--and superiority as well. That was only increased when she met Old Grey's son, Darren."

The Piper, who had been listening silently, finally ventured to ask a question. "So he was like his father, was he?"

Wolf nodded glumly. "I'm afraid so...Old Grey's mate had a heart filled with bitterness and revenge, so she raised the cub to hate Red Riding Hood and all her family. She never admitted the truth to him, praising his father without saying the evil he had done. Red Riding Hood was described as an ignorant peasant girl in the wrong place at the wrong time, and Darren fully believed any danger that threatened her she brought on herself. He waited until he was grown to seek revenge, shadowing the trail of the queen's carriage through the forest. When young Scarlett wandered off on her own to pick flowers, he struck, attempting to kidnap and murder the child. Luckily her father the king was still a good hand with an axe and gave chase, rescuing his daughter and chopping off one of Darren's paws. But as a result, Scarlett came to fear and hate wolves more than ever.

"And she would come to pass that feeling on to her eldest daughter...Carmine, Red Riding Hood III."

Virginia tensed up, eyes wide and uncertain. "Okay...that explains why she hates wolves. But why is she after you specifically? What does this have to do with you?"

Wolf winced; he wished she weren't so direct and astute sometimes. Sighing, he clasped his hands and flexed his fingers nervously. This was where things started getting painful. "After he failed to kill Scarlett, Darren went into hiding to lick his wounds. His young mate was with cub, and he realized that the only course for him now was to raise another generation. So he focused all his time on bringing up a large family. The years passed. Scarlett grew up, married a prince, and had two daughters, Carmine and Cerise. Around the same time Darren had his tenth cub and sixth son, who he named Duncan. Busy honing his elder sons into weapons against the House of Red, he left Duncan's upbringing to his mate...but she instilled peace, gentleness, and acceptance in the cub. By the time he was sixteen he was the complete opposite of his grandfather, a wolf to make all wolves proud. And he was determined to put an end to the hatred and violence his father was so eager to continue. He was a true hero...one whose life would make sure the Kingdoms would never be the same. He deserved a medal. He could have earned a pardon for all wolves easily..." Wolf trailed off, his voice so thick with emotion it almost broke.

The gentle touch on his arm attracted his attention. Virginia was looking at him with teary eyes, shining with understanding and love. "He was your father, wasn't he?"

Not trusting himself to speak, Wolf nodded, emitting a soft whine of pain. Even now he could still see his father's handsome face...recall his warm, musky scent as he held him to his chest and growled contentedly...hear his deep, rich voice telling pack tales and the wild, irresistible howl beneath the moon that told a tale of its own. How he loved Duncan. How he missed him. And how he wished the honor he had received, that should have been his father's, had come when he could witness it.

After a long time, during which the only sounds were the creaking of the wagon wheels, the nickering of a horse, the chirping of a wren, and Wolf's whimpers, Virginia slid over by his side and gave him a quick hug. "I'm sure he was a wonderful wolf, if he was your father." Her words were so sincere they made him blush with embarrassment. "And what about your mother? Was she beautiful?"

"Oh yes!" Wolf cried enthusiastically. "Creamy skin, hair as golden as any straw spun by Rumpelstiltskin, eyes as blue as the sea, lips as red as Snow White's...she was the most beautiful mother a wolf could have, even though she wasn't our kind..." Her image seemed to hover before his mind's eye, and he could swear it was possible to reach out and touch her.

"What was her name?"

He froze, then turned slowly to look at Virginia. What would she say when she learned the truth? Swallowing hard, he said, "Cerise."

Now it was Virginia's turn to go still. Eyes as round and white as the full moon (no, that was a bad thought!), she tried to speak, her throat working silently, until at last she managed to stutter. "Wh-what? Cerise...th-the same...the one you said was the queen's sister...but that means you're...?"

The Piper finished her sentence for her. "A prince." Recognition of the truth dawned on his young face. "You are a wolf-prince...of the House of Red."

Wolf flushed at his bluntness. "Well yeah, technically. But you know they'd never accept me. And I wouldn't want to go within five miles of them! So as far as anyone's concerned, I have no connection to royalty." He nodded firmly, a snarl twisting his lips at the thought of having anything in common with those vindictive wolf-butchers.

Virginia put a hand to her temple, looking a tad woozy. Apparently this had been even more of a shock for her than he'd expected it to be. He ran his gaze over her face searchingly, but when she finally recovered her composure, she managed a small, wry smile. "Well...I always knew you were my Prince Charming."

Fighting to control his laughter at this gross exaggeration--when they'd first met she'd hit him with a vase and knocked him out a window, for goodness' sake!--Wolf smirked and reached out shakily to squeeze her hand. "I suppose so. After my multiple savings of your life, Virginia, I think I am entitled to that position."

Colin eyed him shrewdly, then sniffed disdainfully. "How unfortunate that you cannot rescue us now."

Narrowed golden eyes and a fearsome growl silenced the Piper, but before Wolf could give voice to his threat, Virginia laid a hand on his arm. "We're getting off track here. I want to know how your parents met. Surely it happened in secret...the queen would never have allowed it." Sobering, she lowered her lashes. "I guess that's why she hates you so much and wants you dead."

Oh, if only you knew, Virginia. It's so much more than that. But he didn't say this aloud, knowing that as the tale progressed, she would learn everything soon enough. "Partly, my love, partly. And yes, my father and mother did meet by chance. She was on a summer excursion to the royal cabin in the deep forest, going horseback riding, and on a lonely path her horse threw her and galloped off. Alone, hungry, and tired, she traveled all afternoon but ended up going in circles, becoming quite lost. And then, as night fell, she was attacked by a bear and would have died--if Duncan had not saved her."

Virginia cocked an eyebrow skeptically. "In his wolf form, you mean? Didn't that frighten her?"

"Oh, to be sure--at least at first. But after he changed to his human form, she realized she owed him her life and the least she could do was show proper gratitude. Plus, being an independent sort, she was most curious about wolves, wishing to find out if they were as awful as she had been told." Wolf smirked in spite of himself. "She learned that wolves are indeed awful...awful flirts."

The Piper rolled his eyes and looked away, pretending to study the dark angled trunks of the trees crowding closely along the roadway. Wolf sneered at him.

Virginia, meanwhile, was chuckling. "I see. They must have hit it off very well then."

Wolf nodded, a trifle embarrassed now. "They certainly did." He paused, gathering his thoughts as he realized certain truths about his parents he'd never really contemplated before, seeing as he usually avoided thinking about them too closely. "I know you must think a princess and a wolf must not have very much in common, but you'd be surprised. Both of them knew what it was like to be set aside from the rest of society--Cerise high on a pedestal, Duncan down in the dungeon. And even though they each had their family, both felt all alone. Scarlett and Carmine were always caught up in the intricacies of the throne and their growing hatred of wolves, while Darren and his elder sons were similarly bent on revenge against the House of Red. None of them had any time for what was really important...love and family." He sighed. "Go for the simple things in life."

Half-joking and half-serious, Virginia elbowed him gently. "Is that from one of your self-help books?"

Pretending to be mortally offended, he shook his head vehemently. "Certainly not! It's my own philosophy."

Colin rested his chin on his knuckles in a pensive pose and nodded slightly. "And strangely enough, I agree with it. If I had stayed true to the simple things in life, I would not have ended up where I have...alone and unloved."

Wolf almost had to bite his tongue to keep from responding with a scathing remark, seeing as the Piper's bemoaning of his fate was becoming decidedly infuriating, and it hadn't been very attractive to begin with! But he nodded in return. "Yes...but we are getting off the point. Suffice it to say that my parents spent the rest of that summer together and fell deeply in love. By the time Duncan learned who she was, it didn't matter to him. He wanted nothing but to spend the rest of his life with Cerise, and she with him. Each had learned that blood meant nothing, that love supersedes such petty concerns. They belonged together." His voice had become soft and tender and he whimpered almost inaudibly to himself, wishing futilely that the world was fair to wolves, that Happy Ever After could have been possible for his parents. Virginia rested her hand on his and squeezed it, and he returned the favor, not wanting to let go. At least he had his creamy love...and no matter what happened, they would always have each other.

"When the time came to part, Duncan did not wish to. In fact, he saw this as the perfect opportunity to end the feud and hatred between the two families, to join humans and wolves together. But Cerise wanted to keep their love a secret, for she knew that her sister and mother would never accept it. She promised to return to him, after she had seen to her affairs back at the palace." Wolf made a face. "Unfortunately, when she got back, she found out a plague had struck the Kingdom, and her mother had been one of the victims of it. Carmine was now Red Riding Hood III. And one of her first actions as queen was to rule that any wolf accused of a crime was automatically guilty. Wolves had to carry permits to travel anywhere without falling under suspicion, and even the slighest irregularity was grounds for imprisonment or worse. The old laws of Red Riding Hood meant to protect humans were now being used to persecute wolves." He shook his head regretfully. "Carmine was so unlike her grandmother...as different as night and day. The same way Duncan was nothing like Old Grey. It was almost as if the passage of time had altered the families over the generations...reversed where the seed of evil lay." Wolf paused again; that was a very profound thought, one he'd never contemplated before. "Or maybe interacting with Old Grey corrupted the House of Red."

The Piper snorted. "On the contrary, I would say they did a fine job of corrupting themselves."

For a moment Wolf allowed himself to feel a flash of gratitude toward the haughty prince. Then he quickly concealed it with a scowl. "Most likely so. But in any case, Cerise knew her sister would never listen to her pleas for clemency for wolves. And to complicate matters, a month after her return from the forest she began feeling nauseous and had unusual cravings for meat. She consulted secretly with a midwife and discovered she was pregnant." He rested his forehead on his palm, trying to combat the sense of despair that welled up inside him. "She should have felt nothing but joy...but one of Carmine's laws was that all half-wolven offspring were to be aborted or 'put out of their misery' after birth for being mongrels. So my mother resolved to sneak off in the dead of night, with only the barest of necessities, and live with Duncan in the forest. She never truly liked the riches of royalty, and she had a great love for nature, so this was no discomfiture for her. And it was all worth it to save my life, she said." Even as he said the words, Wolf did not believe them. He hated being the cause of his mother losing the only life she had ever known, even after all these years.

Virginia's face was a mask of fury. When her voice came out, it was in a hiss. "How dare she murder helpless babies and try to justify it like that? It's people like that that make me think we should outlaw abortion. No woman should ever want to kill a baby." Slowly her face softened, and she lowered her voice. "But your mother was right, and I'm so glad she wanted to save you...I don't know what I'd do without you. To think you might never have been born..."

Wolf frowned worriedly. Once again he hadn't thought of Virginia and her feelings, only his own. He hadn't realized this would have such an effect on her, but he hadn't even thought of her mother. After being abandoned and nearly killed by the Queen three times, Virginia would of course hate the idea of the half-wolf infant massacre. Huff-puff, it would be like her mother's actions multiplied a thousand times over! And having him be a target, not to mention her own baby now that they were prisoners of the queen...

"Oh, cripes!" He scratched at his temple furiously and then wrenched at his hair. He hadn't even thought of that! Their cub was now in danger...they should never have come here!

"What?" Virginia apparently hadn't followed the train of thought to its logical conclusion, but she was upset by his reaction. She pressed her hand to his cheek and stroked it, her eyes filled with concern and fear.

"Nothing. It's nothing, Virginia." He placed his hand over hers and squeezed it, then pulled it free and rested it on his knee. "Let me go on with the story, or I'll never finish."

Virginia rather looked as if she no longer wanted to hear how it would end, but now that he had started he intended to tell it all. And he wasn't about to upset her even more by telling her what had him so worried, not in her condition.

"Where was I? Oh yes! Mother left a note telling Carmine that she was going to stay in the royal cabin for a while, that there were too many memories of their mother at the palace and she needed time to herself. Then she left the palace with the help of a few loyal guards, and paid the watchmen at the gate to look the other way. Once she was reunited with Duncan, they built a small cabin of their own, far from prying eyes, and made a home together. They had a private mateship ceremony and lived there in peace until my birth."

"Oh yes!" Virginia perked up at this and smiled winsomely. "That reminds me, there's something I've always wanted to ask you. Why did your parents name you Wolf?"

Wolf blinked in surprise; he hadn't realized Virginia had been curious about that, she'd never said a word. As far as he knew, she'd assumed that his name was a tradition among wolves, that wolves had no true names, and he had let her believe this because it was easier than getting into his tragic past. But now he had no reason not to tell her.

"Oh, that!" He tried to wave it aside as inconsequential. "It's very simple, Virginia. When I was older my parents explained it to me. My father wanted me to always know of my heritage and be proud of it, and my mother always said that I represented what was most noble and good about wolves, because I had joined two warring houses by my birth. So, they agreed to name me Wolf because that's who I am and what I am." He hung his head, whining softly. Guilt flooded his heart--guilt for not living up to his parents' expectations until now, guilt for turning into exactly the kind of wolf stereotypes that his parents had been fighting against. "They had such high hopes for me..."

Virginia leaned in close and kissed him on the cheek. "And they were right to, Wolf. I'm sure they're very proud of you...after all you've done, saving the Nine Kingdoms, you've proven that being a wolf is not a curse, it's an honor."

Colin gasped, almost lurching to his feet as he reached forward to clutch her arm. "What's this? Are you telling me, milady, that you are Virginia the Fair? That your companion is the Wolf? That I am currently in the company of two of the heroes of whom my bards have sung?" His expression was stricken.

A mixture of amusement and amazement appeared on Virginia's face. "I guess so. We did help save Wendell, yeah, but I didn't realize we'd become so famous already!"

"Indeed, you have! I am deeply honored...and more determined than ever to compensate for delaying your momentous quest!" The Piper bowed as well as he was able while sitting down and kissed the back of her hand chastely. Knowing his creamy darling so very well, Wolf knew that Virginia was deeply embarrassed by being the center of attention. Her demure attitude, the way she averted her eyes, her noncommittal reply, they all gave it away.

Before he could pointedly suggest that now the Piper was delaying his tale, and that their quest was already irrevocably ruined, the wagon ran over another rut and jolted them all violently. Suddenly he found himself cradling Virginia, who had tumbled into his lap. Never before had he been thankful for terrible road conditions. He smiled down at her and wrapped his arms around her waist, ignoring the rattle of the ponderous chains. It felt so good to hold her close, to seek refuge from the past in the present. Despite the imminent peril toward which they were borne by every turn of a wagon wheel, he suddenly felt a deep satisfaction. At least, for the nonce, they were facing the future together.

"Look!" The Piper was pointing ahead. When Wolf turned to look, he saw that the forest was thinning, and farmfields were becoming visible through the trees. The Red Riding Hood Forest was coming to an end, and they were leaving the darkness to enter the light, albeit that of a gloomy, overcast day.

Wolf quickly sat up and settled Virginia back in place. It wouldn't be long now before they started passing through towns, where the citizens would be eager to harangue and mob the wagon, so he had better wrap up the story as quickly as possible. "Anyway...to make a long story short..."

"Yeah, what happened after you were born?" Virginia asked. "The queen couldn't have thought her sister was living at the cabin all that time."

He snorted. "Don't be too sure, Virginia. Carmine is such a selfish person, spoiled rotten as a child, absorbed in her own life and the way she thinks the world should be, that she barely even noticed Cerise was gone. She might never have learned the truth if one of her advisers hadn't suggested sending someone to check on her sister. When the messenger returned bearing the startling news of her disappearance, the queen finally went into a panic, sending proclamations across the land--everything from rewards for information as to her whereabouts to personal letters begging Cerise to return. My mother realized she had to come forward. She couldn't put my father and me at risk, and she hated seeing her sister so distraught and worried. Again Duncan insisted she tell the truth and proclaim her love for him to end the hate and division, and this time my mother agreed. More, I think, because she knew she could not hide my existence forever, or continually invent excuses to leave the palace and live with us, than because she thought it would do any good. So she went home and confronted her sister."

Virginia crossed her arms and sighed. "I don't suppose that went very well."

What an understatement! "No, it didn't. They ended up in a screaming match--my mother begging Carmine to understand and be happy for her, and the queen calling her every vile name in the book as she berated her stupidity for being seduced by a beast." Wolf clenched his fists, not for the first time wishing he could have been there to rip Red's foul tongue out. "My mother later told me she thought it was more than just hatred for wolves that motivated her sister. It was jealousy. She couldn't stand to see Cerise happy and in love when it was in a life she had no part in creating. She was infuriated that a princess of the House of Red would stoop so low as to couple with a wolf, but in reality it infuriated her more that Cerise was free of royal obligations, that she had escaped the trap Carmine herself had fallen into and made a real life for herself. The fact that my mother had a wolven husband only drove the point home, that while Red Riding Hood III had to marry for the good of the Kingdom, for political expediency, the independent Cerise could choose a husband she actually loved. Carmine hated wolves more than ever now--because they seemed to symbolize everything she could not have. She ordered that my mother be imprisoned in the tower until she came to her senses and married a prince like a sensible Hood should, and to protect her from any further ravishing."

A vicious growl came from Virginia's direction, and she snapped, "Suddenly I find myself hating this queen, and I've never even met her! Please tell me your mother got rescued."

Wolf smirked. "Of course she did. Duncan grew very worried when she did not return as expected, and then he heard the rumors at the tavern in the nearest village, that Princess Cerise had been cloistered for her own safety. Immediately he gathered several of his brothers and they set off for Incarnadine, the capital city. Disguising themselves as gardeners, they took employment at the palace, and as soon as night fell, they slipped up to the tower, knocked out the guards, and freed my mother. Then they hid her in a wheelbarrow and took her right out of the city."

"Where did they go then?"

"To my Aunt Celia's." Wolf smiled fondly. He still remembered the smells of all the herbs she had kept in her kitchen, for spices and for medicines--she was a midwife. And her laugh, he could still hear it, warm and throaty and with a delight for life. She, at least, was not dead, but he had not seen her for years, not since before his imprisonment. And he was unlikely to see her again now. "Duncan knew they could not return home, it was too dangerous, someone might recognize Cerise. So he took her to his sister, who lived in a remote farming village, where people would be unlikely to know the youngest princess. He asked his brothers to leave evidence far away from there to create a false trail in the forest--but they went too far, leaving swatches of one of her dresses, soaked with boar's blood, to suggest she had been killed. They assumed it would put an end to any long-term search. And it did, but it also made the soldiers think that Cerise had been kidnapped and murdered by wolves--who else would commit such a horrible crime, after all?" He rolled his eyes. "The search was called off, but in retaliation Carmine ordered the slaughter of hundreds of wolves all across the Kingdom, until her sister's murderers were brought to justice."

Virginia went still. "Oh my God. Genocide? Is there nothing this woman won't do?"

Wolf shook his head slowly. "She will do anything to get her own way, Virginia. She's capable of anything. And her decree had another tragic turn. My grandfather, up to this point, had not known who Duncan's mate was. When he found out Cerise was a member of the hated House of Red, that his sons had put their lives on the line and now wolves were dying all for her, he was so enraged he tracked down my father and had it out with him. Duncan was disowned, driven from the pack...and then Darren threatened to return Cerise to the palace so that the killing would end. Duncan wanted the slaughter to stop, too, but not at the expense of his mate. So...he fought his father, and ended up killing him." His tone was somber, monotonous, as he recalled the years of his cubhood, watching his father when the wolf thought he was alone, crying bitterly and staring into the fireplace as he thought of the blood that would forever stain his claws.

Aghast, Virginia took his hands in hers and kissed them. "Oh, Wolf, I had no idea. That must have been awful for your father."

He nodded wordlessly, holding onto her hands as if she were the only thing keeping him from sinking through the bottom of the wagon. "It was. But luckily he had my mother, and his sister, to support him. Celia refused to abandon him, even though their brothers upheld the disownment. But to protect my aunt, and themselves, they kept the secret of Cerise's location. So eventually the queen grew tired of gutting wolves, knowing it would not bring her sister back or flush out her killers. The Kingdom settled into an uneasy peace, with the wolves too afraid to protest what had happened. My mother cut her hair and changed its color with berry juice, and she threw out all her fancy clothes, becoming a peasant. And, she said, she was never happier." Leaning against the barred side of the wagon, Wolf cleared his throat, wishing for a drink; he'd been talking far too long. But he was not about to ask one of the guards for one. They'd probably throw it in his face, or spit in it, or any number of other nasty possibilities.

"The years passed quietly after that for a while. I grew up and went to school with the other children, always making sure to keep my tail hidden. My father became a farmer--the opportunity it provided to eat some of his own livestock when meat was scarce was just too good a cover to pass up--and my mother became a seamstress, since she had learned needlework at the palace. It was a very normal and bucolic life. And I was never lonely because my aunt and uncle had cubs of their own, so there was always someone to play with. There was always someone around to teach us cubs all about what it means to be a wolf, too. The clans and packs, the scents and honor-codes, the hierarchy and hunts. And of course the Change. But my mother was right there in the thick of things, learning with us. I seem to recall she spent a lot of time with my aunt and uncle, taking lessons on how to be a wolf and what she would have to deal with as a mother of half-wolves. That's why she always took my cousins and me out to look at the moon. I thought she was obsessed, but really she was trying to understand its power over us."

Wolf closed his eyes and listened to the creaking of the wagon and the jingling of the horses' traces, hearing in them his father's wagon on trips to the market. Sniffing the rain-soaked air, he vividly pictured the idyllic forests near their home, the leaves and the underbrush laden with dew and concealing countless small game. And as his stomach growled fiercely, he remembered the sensational dinners his aunt had cooked, and later his mother after she acquired the fine art of preparing meats. He felt tears slide down his cheeks as he fought a wave of homesickness. Back in New York, after he met Virginia, he had angrily told Dr. Horovitz that his parents were both enormous, and always pressing him to eat everything in sight, but he had been desperate to find someone to blame for his problems. His self-help books called it "redirection". What he'd told Dr. Horovitz was exaggeration. In reality he'd had a very happy cubhood, with parents who were quite normal in size, if possessing healthy appetites. And while he had always been encouraged to eat a great deal to feed his growing wolf body, his fixation on food had not come until later. After degenerating from his human self. After being alone for so long, living on his own.

After his parents had died.

Wiping the tears away with a violent movement, he opened his eyes and bit his lip. It was time to tell Virginia now, to reveal the final horror. Turning back to her, he saw she had been waiting patiently for him to continue. Shrugging apologetically, he swallowed several times to moisten his throat and mouth. "Well...what can I say, Virginia? I guess all that's left is how my parents died."

She stiffened and moved to his side again, encircling his chest and holding him close against her. "Take your time, hon. I'm here with you."

He nodded morosely. "It all started innocently enough...when I was about eleven or twelve. I had just started the Change, and at that time I was fascinated with it, I thought it was the most amazing and wonderful thing. I didn't know yet how much of a burden it would become, how much it would hurt when I fought it, and how it would bring hurt to my life." He slapped himself mentally for dwelling on his misery yet again. "Anyway, one day a census taker came to town to count the population. Unfortunately, he turned out to be an adviser for the queen who had known my mother very well. When he came to the door, he recognized her at once despite how much she had changed--her hair, weight, age, and so on. And she knew him too, although she pretended not to. So, as soon as he left, my parents knew that we had to leave, to move again, before our lives could be ruined again.

"But even as we were packing and I was asking what was going on, and my family was explaining everything, the adviser was telling the queen the incredible news that her sister was alive and well. You can imagine her shock. She was overjoyed, and began plotting at once how to get her back. She had tried coercion, brute force, and violence before. Now she chose subtlety, or her version of it. Just as we were about to leave town, the commander of the local garrison arrived and arrested my father for murder."

Virginia blinked in surprise. "He didn't...really kill anyone, did he?" She sounded very reluctant to say the words, but they both knew the question had to be asked.

Wolf did, however, give her a withering look to show his disgust at her even entertaining that belief for a second. "Of course not! My father wouldn't have laid a finger on anyone without just cause. He was a sheep in wolf's clothing! It all had to be a mistake, or a lie. For years I thought it was the former...but I eventually learned it was the latter."

"What?" Her eyes were blazing with that fire he knew so well, the fire he'd seen in her grandmother's apartment and later on the road outside the Troll Palace when she'd insisted they go back to the prison.

The wagon hit another rut, and then suddenly they were rumbling over cobblestones. Wolf looked up to see they were now free of the forest and passing through the gates of a small town. People were staring at the approaching entourage of soldiers in curiosity and suspicion: a blacksmith with soot-stained hands opening the door of his forge to let out the heat; a washerwoman wringing out clothes; an innkeeper sweeping his porch with a broom of twigs. More were gathering as they passed down the town's main street, and their looks were openly hostile.

Hurriedly he turned back to Virginia, who was also peering out at the townsfolk. She had to hear the truth before the shouting started. "Yes, Virginia. Years later, when I was being arraigned and tried for devouring the Peeps' sheep, Chancellor Griswold looked into my case personally, and after making some quiet inquiries, he found out what had really happened. My father was accused of murdering the butcher to steal meat for his family--a ridiculous charge, we had plenty of meat in our own backyard and the butcher was a good friend of the family. It turns out though that he had indeed been killed--but it was by Red dragoons, at the order of Red Riding Hood III herself!" He bristled at the memory, scratching at his temple. "She framed my father--had the soldiers slash the body to shreds with old wolf fangs and leave lots of wolf fur around to make it look convincing. And then she procured witnesses to perjure themselves and say they'd seen my father running out of the butcher's with bloody clothes and a wild look in his eyes." He paused significantly. "That was enough evidence to convict and execute Duncan under Second Kingdom law. It was all a plot to dispose of the horrible wolf who had stolen away the precious princess. Carmine thought that with Duncan dead, Cerise would have no choice but to come crawling back to her and marry a nice prince the way she wanted. She did it all."

"WHAT?!?"

Virginia leapt to her feet so rapidly she almost slammed her head into the low ceiling of the wagon. Her face was absolutely livid.

But she would have to wait for an answer for some time, as her sudden activity had attracted the attention of the townsfolk. They began crowding around the wagon, buzzing with anxious questions about the captives, which the soldiers were only too happy to answer. As soon as the garrison commander snarled out Wolf's identity, the crowd turned ugly. The innkeeper brandished his broom, the washerwoman picked up a dripping washboard, while other villagers grabbed pitchforks, axes, and rope. They began chanting and yelling at the top of their lungs.

"Burn the wolf! Burn the wolf!"

"Burn the wolf-lovers!"

"Down with wolves!"

"Burn the princess's murderer!"

Rotten fruit and raw eggs began sailing through the air, smashing against the bars and those inside the wagon. One juicy tomato hit the Piper square in the face, leaving him smeared and stained with red. At any other time Wolf would have found that incredibly funny, but at the moment he was too busy shielding Virginia from the worst of the assault.

When the villagers became too serious, throwing rocks and pressing up against the wagon to pound on the bars and swing at the prisoners, the soldiers finally restored order and pushed the mob back. Having had their fun, they grinned and hurried the wagon on its way, until they passed through the town square and moved on back into the outskirts of the village. Finally the crowds thinned out and dispersed, but not before all three of them were soaked and bruised by the pelting fruit.

After what seemed an interminable amount of time, the wagon left the village behind. The garrison commander smirked up at the three of them, seeming quite pleased with himself. "I hope you enjoyed that, wolf. For there is only more of the same on the journey ahead." Chuckling, he moved on back to the front of the procession.

Snarling after him, Wolf wiped tomato guts out of his hair and shook himself as clean as he could. Turning back to Virginia, he helped her sit down and held her in his arms as she cried softly into his shoulder. When she was through, she lifted her tear-streaked face. "And here I thought your world was better than mine...but it's not. It's just as bad."

Wolf nodded solemnly.

Sniffling, Virginia searched her pockets until he handed her a handkerchief so she could blow her nose. Then she looked him firmly in the eye. "Red Riding Hood III set your father up to be tried and executed for something he didn't do, all because she hates wolves and wanted to force her sister to come home and be a princess, even though she was happy and had a life of love where she was. And everyone was fine with this? For crying out loud, what do you have to do in this place to be considered an Evil Queen?" She shook her chains and threw them down on the planks with a grating, rattling series of thuds, then looked away, her throat choking up. He realized she had to be thinking about her mother again.

The Piper, meanwhile, looked just as incensed as Virginia. "How vindictive! How cold-hearted!" He quivered in righteous indignation. "No royal should ever treat their own flesh and blood so callously! Imprisoning her, then plotting to arrest and execute her husband...circumventing and abusing the law...Red Riding Hood III does not deserve to be a queen! I never liked the House of Red a great deal, they are far too arrogant--and now I know my initial ill judgment of them was well-founded!" He nodded firmly.

Wolf shook his head, scowling. "Better be careful what you say, Piper-boy. Those words could get you charged with treason here. And what you're both forgetting is that no one knew what Carmine did, she did it secretly, behind the scenes. And in any case, most wouldn't have cared. They would think it justified to rescue the poor lost princess. If the wolf hadn't committed that murder, so what? He surely had committed another one, or would in the future. The queen did them a service by ridding the Kingdom of the wolf, especially one who would so boldly challenge the crown. Anything is allowed when hunting down and eliminating wolves."

Virginia looked like she couldn't decide whether to cry again or scream. "But that's so unfair! It's prejudice! There has to be some way to reveal the truth, clear your father's name..." She paused, frowning, then turned to face him. "Wait a minute, something doesn't add up. That still doesn't explain why you are wanted for treason. And why were those people back there calling you the princess's murderer?"

Bile rose in Wolf's throat, and he gnashed his teeth. "Why, Virginia, they blame me for my mother's death, of course!"

"You?" She stared at him, dumbfounded. "How does that follow? What aren't you telling me?"

Wolf glared at her, although the expression was meant for Red Riding Hood III. "Let me see if I can sum it up for you. When my father was arrested and tried, it was a foregone conclusion that he would be executed. The magistrate would see to that, and the queen herself was coming to witness the burning. So what was my mother to do? If she went back with Carmine, she'd be forced to marry a prince, a man she didn't love, while her true love was dead. And do you think he'd have adopted a half-wolf child? Of course not. He and the queen would have made sure that I was quietly killed. But Cerise couldn't remain with me either. If she did, she'd put my aunt and uncle and cousins in danger. Where else could she go? She couldn't seek out Duncan's family, they had disowned him and they hated her because she was of the House of Red, and as they saw it responsible for Darren's death and soon Duncan's too. No other wolves would take her in because she was human. And she couldn't survive on her own, she hadn't learned nearly enough to do it, she'd been a pampered princess all her life. Even if she could somehow find somewhere else to live, and work, and take care of a half-wolf child when she still didn't know enough about our lives and habits and cycles, we'd always be living in fear. At any moment we could be found, and we'd have to run again, or I'd be killed and she'd be dragged back to Incarnadine. There was only one way she could spare my life, make sure I'd get a proper wolven upbringing, and avoid her fate all at the same time. And it made perfect sense to her...because she couldn't live without Duncan."

Virginia's face was taut and white, eyes filled with shock. "No! You don't mean..."

"Oh, yes. I'm afraid so." He still remembered the fateful words, when his mother had knelt down before him, eyes red and bleary from weeping her grief, hands rubbed raw from constant wringing, clothes dirty and sweaty because they hadn't been changed since the arrest. He remembered how she had tried to keep her voice from breaking, tried to keep it level, as she whispered to him to be a good boy, to always mind his aunt and uncle, and then told him she was going away and never coming back.

Longing to howl but restraining himself by sheer force of will, Wolf wrenched his gaze aside and watched the raindrops trickling and sliding along the cold iron bars, watched the fields of wheat and rye recede into the distance. "The day of the burning was much like today, cold and gray and lifeless, like my heart. I was supposed to stay inside, away from the death and cruelty, but I slipped out a window and made my way to the town square. The queen was sitting on a platform erected just for the occasion, and I remember thinking how beautiful she was in her crimson dress and with all those jewels and auburn curls. I remember thinking she didn't look like a murderer, that she couldn't be my aunt. And then they brought out my father, all the good farmers who, a short time ago, had been good friends and drinking buddies with Duncan. Now they were dragging and kicking him along, bashing him in the head for no good reason. They tied him to a stake surrounded by faggots of wood, and they had just lit the fire when my mother pushed her way through the crowd. She'd unbound her hair and washed the dye out so it streamed behind her like a river of honey. She stood right there in front of the entire town, and her sister, and shouted how they were destroying her love, and destroying her at the same time. The queen just laughed at her silliness and told her to quit playacting, to come back to her castle where she belonged and put this youthful indiscretion behind her. I've never heard a laugh so empty of mirth, so cruel in its vapid merriness.

"But she stopped laughing when Cerise glared at her, so full of anger and fury. I'd bet she'd never seen such a look before, certainly not from her own sister. And then my mother only shook her head, pity and contempt in her azure eyes, and turned to the pyre. It was all ablaze by then, and my father was struggling at the center, screaming and howling in such despair...and then, before anyone could stop her, my mother rushed forward and leaped onto the pyre, climbing through the flames to reach her love. I watched her dress singe and smoke and then erupt in tendrils of orange and red, and it was like I was someone else, someone detached who didn't even care. I can still smell the ashes, the stinging smoke, the scorched flax and cotton--and the burning flesh..."

He stopped and looked back at Virginia, who sat in silent horror, tears streaming down her cheeks, jaw trembling, lips quivering. "That's what happened, Virginia. They built a great big fire and burnt them both."

For a long while the creaking timbers of the wagon served as the only eerie counterpoint to the looming silence. Then Virginia whispered brokenly, "Oh Wolf...I'm so sorry..."

Normally he would have rushed to her side to comfort her, or hung his head and whimpered until she hugged and kissed him to make him feel better. But nothing could make him feel better. His heart was cold, so very cold, hollow and empty of emotion. It was as if he had been scoured clean by the same fire that burned his parents, leaving only a blackened husk.

After several more minutes he managed a dark chuckle. "But at least I scared the queen right out of her petticoat."

Virginia frowned. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "After my parents were no longer struggling in the flames, I made my way through the crowd until I stood before the throne where the queen was weeping. And I told her exactly who I was and what I thought of her. I brought myself to tears as I called her a wicked woman who didn't deserve to rule the Kingdom and cared only about herself. And then I told her one day I would kill her. I'd leap on her and rip her throat out."

A soft gasp answered his pronouncement, but in his mate's eyes he could also see a strange light, as if she secretly approved of the threat on some level. "No wonder she charged you with treason."

Wolf nodded. "My threat and slander were indeed the official reasons she gave when she rebutted me. But she also declared that I was the cause of my mother's death. That if I had not existed, if I had not been born, Cerise would have had no reason to fear returning to the palace or even living alone without Duncan. She could have accepted her sister never coming home, as long as she was free of the wolf. But instead she had killed herself to spare me. So I was to blame. And not only that, I was the progeny of the wolf who had seduced her sister into her doom. The wolf who was the grandson of Old Grey. For all of these reasons, I was a traitor and had to die.

"But I didn't give them a chance to kill me. I leaped at the queen, far too quickly for any soldier to stop me. For a moment I saw the naked fear on her beautiful face. And then I was over the throne, hurling myself into the crowd and racing off into the streets. I went to my aunt and uncle and told them what happened, and at once we all packed and slipped out of town before anyone could arrest us."

Virginia sighed in relief, even though his presence in the wagon made clear the fact he had escaped and survived. Then she gazed into his eyes, penetratingly. "She was wrong, you know. You can't be blamed for what happened, it was all the queen's fault. She just can't stand to admit she's responsible for her own sister's death. What your mother did out of love for you cannot be made your burden."

Finally, Wolf softened, and let out a tiny whimper as he looked up at her sadly. He knew she was right in his head, but his heart still ached, irrationally feeling he was partially at fault.

Rather than say this, however, he continued with the story, relating how he and his aunt Celia's family had moved around constantly, hiding first in the western reaches of the Kingdom, then the eastern, never staying anywhere more than a few months. And how when he was sixteen he had finally put his foot down and left home for good, so as not to place his family in any more danger.

"I came to the Fourth Kingdom then," he concluded. "And I let myself go feral. I stopped taking care of myself, I lost all my table manners and any other sign of civilized life. I didn't care anymore what people thought of me or what I did to them, because I was positive they all hated, feared, and rejected me the way Red did. I lived in the woods all the time, usually the Disenchanted Forest, only coming out to steal livestock when game was scarce. I stayed like that for two years. I never killed anyone, but I sure scared 'em out of their wits!" He chuckled in spite of himself.

"And then I was finally caught after eating the Peeps' sheep, and I knew I was done for. Luckily for me, though, my crime was considered so horrendous that the chancellor himself came down to deal with me. When he looked into my case, he not only learned about my treason charge, and my father's murder charge, and how spurious they both were, but he ascertained my identity. I was a prince. That made him think long and hard about executing me. Even though Red Riding Hood III would never acknowledge me, I was still royalty, and it would be wrong to deny me the privileges of my rank. It would be a gross violation of courtly etiquette, he told me, to end my life. It's the only time I was glad to be a prince. The next alternative was to send me back to the Second Kingdom, but I would only be executed there, too, and for no good reason, he felt. Plus, he was afraid that if he sent me back and I were burned like my father, the wolves would be furious--not only at Carmine, but at him and the other Fourth Kingdom officials. And there could be uprisings. Wendy was only twelve at the time, with his advisers serving as regents. They would be helpless and fall easily to any attack. So, he chose the lesser of all the evils available, since he couldn't simply let me go. He sentenced me to life in Snow White Memorial Prison.

"I stayed there for nine years...pining for the freedom of the forest, longing for the moon, losing my sanity, my desires and hungers out of control, become the worst kind of wolf there was. Many times I thought I had become my great-grandfather. I stayed there, wallowing in self-pity...until your mother released me."

Again, silence reigned in the wagon. At last, after an uncomfortable cough, Virginia moved over to his side yet again, as if a stick caught in the current, and settled down to embrace him tightly. She didn't say anything for a long time. When she did speak, it was in a tone of such hatred it shocked him in spite of his apathy. "I can't believe it. Your whole life was ruined by one woman's jealousy, betrayal, and prejudice...and now we're in her power."

"That's about the size of it," Wolf replied in a weary, barely audible voice. "Welcome to the Second Kingdom." He turned away from her, eyes sightlessly fixed upon the flat, unchanging landscape passing by, seeing only faces and hearing only voices he had not longed for more powerfully than he did now.

Onwards into the dismal day the wagon rumbled.