Dogs of War

by Geonn Cannon

  "I'm a private investigator, okay? That cop up there thinks I'm a hunter, so I'm playing off that to try and save the rest of us from ending up like you."

  "Wants to kill me." His voice was more growl than speech, and he continued to squirm between her and the freezing sidewalk.

  "That doesn't mean he gets to." From the edge of the dog park she heard Lorne shouting her name. "He's coming down here with a bunch of other hunters wearing badges. I can keep them from hurting you but you have to trust me. You're going to have to pay for what you did to Mark, you know that, but I can make the punishment a little more bearable. There can be justice here. You want that?"

  He exhaled sharply, puffing out his lips as he nodded.

  "Good." She pushed herself up. "Over here! I've got him over here."

  Lorne came down the path thirty seconds later with two other cops. One of the officers was illuminating the path with his flashlight and Ari held up her hands to show she had the situation under control. "I've got him," she said. "He's down. I need handcuffs from one of you."

  "Get off of him, Willow," Lorne said. "Let us handle this."

  She got to her feet and hauled the killer up with her. She stepped to one side, moving toward the officers and looking back at the trembling, half-naked canidae killer. Lorne brought up his gun and fired once, hitting the wolf in the chest. Lorne fired again in the space of a second, another spray of blood rising from his left shoulder as he fell back to the sidewalk.

  "What the hell?" Ari shouted, recoiling from the body now leaking onto the frost-slicked pavement.

  "You know what he was, Willow. You know what we are." He holstered the weapon and pulled his coat back over it. "You okay?"

  "I... I don't..." She pushed her hair away from her face and looked away from the body. "You didn't have to do that."

  "It's wolf manoth now, Willow. If you don't have the stomach to do what you were born to do, stand aside so the real hunters can do it for you." His voice was matter-of-fact rather than hurtful, but it still stung. "Are you sure you're okay?"

  "Yeah. He didn't touch me." She wiped the back of her hand over her chin and looked down to see it came back bloody. "Shit. Not mine... his."

  "Good to know. Look, we'll deal with this. No reason for you to be tangled up with paperwork all night. I'll call you tomorrow, let you know how it all shook out."

  Ari nodded. "Yeah. Okay."

  "Let me walk you back to your car."

  She was shaken enough to agree, walking beside him up the hill to where she had parked. It was considerably more difficult than going downhill had been due to the accumulated ice, and Ari didn't trust herself to avoid the slick spots in her current state of mind. Lorne had his eye on her during the walk and touched her arm to keep her from getting into the car.

  "You need me to get one of the officers to drive you home? I know it wasn't the first time you've seen someone die, but it takes some getting used to."

  "That's an understatement. But no. I should be fine. The drive will help me, I think. Thanks, though."

  He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "It's hard to believe wolf manoth has finally started again. This is going to be big for us, Ariadne."

  "Us?"

  "Hunters. Humanity in general." He reached into his pocket and came back with a folded handkerchief. Ari tensed as he reached for her face, then let him brush the blood off her cheek. He folded it around the red smears and deposited it back into his pocket. "It's an adjustment period. I know you didn't grow up in the fold so you're not entirely ready for this. But some of us have been training for it our entire lives. This is our moment, and we're going to take down as many wolves as we can before manoth is over."

  Ari struggled to look inspired by his speech, when all she felt was a numbness from what had just happened and a churning in her gut at how excited he looked.

  "Can't wait."

  He smiled. "I'll call you tomorrow. Goodnight, Willow."

  Ari said, "Night, Lorne."

  She watched as he walked back down the hill, then got into her car. She started the engine and rested both hands on the wheel as heat poured from the vents to thaw out her extremities. Once she was warm enough she realized that she had been trembling from more than the cold. She'd been between Lorne's gun and his target, had been too deafened and surprised by the first shot to hear the second. She could still see the ice cascading off the trees, the blinding muzzle flash in the darkness. She saw the spray of blood from the canidae's chest as he fell, already dead by the time he hit the ground.

  Lorne was right, she'd seen people die before. She'd held a dead girl as she took her last breath, and she'd killed people who were trying to kill her. But she had never witnessed something so brutal and pointless. She finally realized she would attract attention if she remained where she was for much longer. She found the bag of wet wipes Dale had put behind her sun visor, wiped the blood from her cheeks and chin as best she could, and finally pulled away from the curb.

  The city glowed through the rain, not emerald but gray and pale gold. She passed by the Space Needle on her way back to Dale's apartment, elegant and unearthly as it glistened. They'd been preparing for wolf manoth since the moment it was brought to their attention the previous fall by Ari's mother and a British canidae named Milo Duncan. The hunters had been planning for years to shatter a peace that had lasted for two centuries, and the Pacific Northwest seemed to be ground zero. This time the hunters were using a drug called wolfsbane that turned canidae feral without triggering a transformation. The result was apparently normal people going completely mad, and the hunters stepping in like heroes to eliminate the threat.

  Ari's days were spent tracking down as many canidae as she could to warn them, and her nights were occupied dealing with Detective Lorne and his cadre of hunters. Through an innocent miscommunication on Ari's part and an erroneous conclusion by Detective Lorne, he was under the impression that she was a hunter as well. She was using the information to her own ends, but the hellish reality of going out every night to help killers track down "wolves" was already starting to gnaw at her. Now that wolf manoth had begun, she had a feeling their nights were going to start getting bloody. She wondered how many she had to save in order to make up for nights like this one.

  The demands on her time meant that she'd had very little time for the two most important girls in her life; Dale, and her wolf. She worked out little moments here and there to appreciate Dale, to show her how important she was. They had lunch together every day, they found time to see movies together, they occasionally closed the office to walk home together and take long naps. They had just gotten back to the city following their Christmas-slash-Hanukkah trip, a much needed excursion that had helped de-stress them both.

  The wolf was much harder to work into the tight schedule. Ari had been able to run and stretch her four legs during their trip, but finding time in the city was next to impossible. Adding to the stress was the fact that Seattle was lousy with hunters at the moment. Dale had never said as much out loud, but Ari knew she was worried that one night Ari would end up on the wrong street and Lorne would be waiting with a few of his heavily-armed friends. The last few times she had transformed, she'd forced the wolf to stay home and curled up in bed with Dale. She could feel the wolf getting antsy, and she couldn't blame it. She had to go for a real run, reclaim her territory in the wilds of Seattle, and she had to do it soon.

  She finally arrived at Dale's building and drove underground, sitting in the warmth of the car for another moment before she ventured out into the icebox of the parking structure. She embraced herself as she made a bee-line for the elevator, shifting her weight from one foot to the other until the car arrived. She stripped off her jacket as she ascended, checking it for bloodstains before draping it over her arm. She felt the tension in her body ebbing as she approached Dale's door, knocking once with her middle knuckle before she entered.

  Dale was in the kitchen washing dishes. Her hair was down, and
in Ari's absence she had changed into sweatpants and an oversized sweater that Ari remembered had a habit of falling off her shoulder. She turned, brushing the hair away from her face with the back of one soapy hand. Ari swallowed the lump in her throat and felt the stinging in her eyes become unbearable.

  "Puppy?" Dale came out of the kitchen and wrapped Ari up in a fierce hug. "Ari, what's wrong? What happened?"

  Ari put her face in Dale's hair and breathed deeply. "Bad night."

  Dale kissed her cheek, her neck, and then nestled her face against the curve of her shoulder. She knew she would have forced herself to talk about it if Dale had asked for more details, but she didn't. She was content to just hold Ari as long as she needed it. Ari cupped the back of Dale's head, her other hand resting in the small of her back. When she felt like she could speak without crying, she kissed Dale's ear.

  "Thanks."

  "For what?"

  "You know what."

  Dale snuggled closer to Ari. "Tell you what. Get out of these clothes, put on something comfy, and we'll finish watching our movie. Then we'll go to bed and we can sleep all day tomorrow."

  "All day?"

  "Well. We can stay in bed, but no promises we'll sleep the whole time."

  Ari smiled and kissed her. "That sounds like a plan." Dale stepped out of the embrace and took Ari's coat. "Oh, uh, wait... stop..."

  "I'll just hang..." Dale unfolded it and frowned at the collar. "Is this blood?"

  The tears Dale had just stopped threatened to make a resurgence. "Lorne shot a canidae. I was standing right next to him. He was hopped up on wolfsbane, and he'd just killed someone, but--"

  "He didn't deserve that," Dale said, taking the words out of her mouth. She put the coat on the floor and examined Ari more closely. "Are you sure you're okay? Any tinnitus?"

  "No." She took Dale's hands to stop her. "I'm fine physically. I got into a scuffle with the guy, but I talked to him. I thought I'd gotten through to him and then Lorne..." She took a steadying breath. "It's fine."

  "I don't think it is, Ariadne. You're going out at night with Detective Lorne and you're hunting your own people. Even if you're not actively harming them, it can't be good for you mentally."

  Ari chuckled. "I was thinking the exact same thing on the drive home. But I'm the only one who can do this. Lorne made the leap, he made the mistake, and I'm just taking advantage of it. We need someone on the inside who knows what the hunters are doing. Maybe the lives I save will make up for nights like this one."

  Dale looked uncertain, but she nodded. "Okay." She stroked Ari's knuckles. "You want to get back to the movie?"

  Ari nodded. "Let me change into my pajamas."

  She went into the bedroom and undressed, checking her blouse for any blood before putting it in the hamper. She wore an oversized Seahawks jersey and shorts, leaving her socks on in case the living room was cold. Dale was waiting for her on the couch with a glass of wine. She had turned off the overhead lights, and she sat up so Ari could join her under the comforter. The laptop was sitting on the coffee table, and Dale reached out to start the movie at the point where Ari's phone had summoned her away. When she lay back, Ari rubbed her arms and let Dale settle against her.

  "One day of wolf manoth down," Ari said softly.

  "Thirty to go."

  Ari nodded and kissed the top of Dale's head, trying to shut down her brain enough to enjoy the movie on the screen and the woman she loved in her arms.

  Chapter Two

  January 2

  Dale was absently stroking the top of Ari's head as she woke up, and Ari slowly realized that she had transformed in the night without realizing it. Her underwear and shirt were tangled under the blankets near her feet. It was awkward, but at least she hadn't ripped them as she had in the past. Her head was resting on Dale's chest and she twisted until to brush her long flat tongue against Dale's throat. Dale's hand stilled on Ari's neck and then she began to squirm as Ari moved up to start licking her face.

  "Whoa... hey, stop it!" She put up her hands to block the assault. "I'm awake! I'm awake. Cut it out." She put her hands on either side of Ari's head and turned her head to look up at her. "I don't think you changed just to give me something to snuggle with, but I appreciate it nonetheless. Thank you, puppy." She kissed the tip of Ari's snout. "But now you need to get up."

  Ari scrambled off of Dale and dropped to the floor. Dale tugged at her pajamas as she went into the bathroom, leaving the door open behind her. Ari braced her four legs against the floor as she changed from wolf to back to human. Her shoulders rolled back first, her head dropping forward as her arms extended and her fingers uncurled. The thick fur that covered her body receded into the pelt, which then softened to become flesh. She bared her teeth as they retracted into her gums to be replaced by blunt human dentation, and her tongue plumped and shortened.

  When Dale came out of the bathroom, her pajamas had been exchanged for a robe and her hair was clipped up out of her face. Ari had climbed back into bed to slump against the soft mattress, breathing heavily in the aftermath of her rough transformation. She had one leg drawn up to her chest and her sweat-lank hair hung in her face. Dale crouched next to the bed and squeezed her shoulder to test how tense the muscle was. She brushed the hair back and examined Ari's face before giving her a chance to lie about how bad she hurt.

  "You okay?"

  Ari nodded. "Sore."

  "Come take a shower with me."

  She helped Ari up and into the bathroom. The shower stall was just barely large enough for them both, but they managed. Ari sat on the little bench attached to corner of the tub, and Dale detached the showerhead to spray it over her head. Ari closed her eyes and let herself be pelted. She leaned forward and Dale guided the barrage of water onto Ari's back and massaged the sore muscles with the tips of her fingers. In the years they worked together she had found most of Ari's trouble spots and knew just how to massage the pain away.

  Ari turned her head and kissed the curve of Dale's stomach, sliding her lips up to the underside of Dale's breast. Dale's chuckle echoed off the tile as Ari ran her tongue over the nipple and teased until it was hard enough to bite. Dale somehow managed to keep up the massage as Ari kissed across her chest, exploring the spread of freckles as Dale stepped between her legs and ran the spray over Ari's head again. The hair fell forward over Ari's face, obscuring her face as she met Dale's eye.

  "How do you feel?"

  "A little more human." She put her hand on Dale's neck and guided her down for a kiss. Dale sagged forward between Ari's legs. Ari took the showerhead and ran it over Dale's back before lifting it to douse Dale's hair. Dale laughed into the kiss, then moaned as Ari guided the spray lower, lingering in the small of Dale's back where she sometimes ached after a long day of sitting at her desk. Dale massaged Ari's shoulders before sliding her hands down to tweak her nipples as Ari guided the water between Dale's legs.

  "Hah..."

  "Good?"

  Dale pointed her toes and leaned heavily against Ari. She nodded slowly, biting her bottom lip as Ari leaned in to kiss her neck. She licked higher, bit her earlobe, and held on with her free hand as Dale tensed with her orgasm. She closed her eyes, her senses still heightened from being in the wolf form, and she breathed deeply the scent of her partner's climax. She felt the micro-tremors in her body, smelled the mingling of sweat and juices being sluiced down Dale's inner thigh by the water. After a few seconds Dale exhaled and kissed Ari's face.

  "I thought I was supposed to be making you feel better."

  "You just did. But if you want to go double or nothing..." She leaned back and found Dale's lips again. Dale angled her hip and Ari lifted up to meet her. Dale moved carefully, well aware of how slippery the surface was under her feet, holding tight to Ari as they moved against each other. Dale closed her eyes and put her head down on Ari's shoulder, and Ari kept her eyes closed as she rocked her hips. She came quickly, the spasms running through her aching muscles and relaxing them better
than even Dale's best massage couldn't achieve.

  Dale sighed next to Ari's ear. "I'm awful fond of you, puppy."

  Ari smiled. "The feeling's mutual." She stood up and repurposed the showerhead for use as an actual bathing tool. She washed Dale's hair, obediently crouched so Dale could return the favor before they abandoned the steam-warmed bathroom for the cold reality of the outer apartment. They shivered as they dressed in wool socks and layers. Ari had just tied her shoes when Dale took her collar off the nightstand and brought it over to her. Smiling, Ari lifted her hair out of the way and allowed Dale to put the collar on her.

  "You changed around three o'clock, by the way. I was freezing and all of a sudden you started thrashing a lot. I stripped you down like you said I should, and a few seconds later there was a wolf in my bed. You stayed asleep through the whole thing, and I got to cuddle with something really soft and really warm. So I hope you aren't in too much pain, because I really appreciated it."

  Ari smiled and let her hair drop. "It's worth a little soreness if it made you comfortable."

  Dale bent down and kissed Ari's neck just above the leather of her collar. "What's your plan for today?"

  Ari sighed. "Lorne said he would have the preliminary stuff on the canidae he killed sometime today. I'll call him this afternoon, see if he's identified the guy. If he has a family, I want to be the one to break the news to them. They need to be warned. If he was dosed..."

  "Then there's a chance they have been, too." Dale tucked her hair behind her ears and put her laptop on the bed. "I haven't gotten very far on tracking how the hunters have been getting wolfsbane into food. I was thinking about that cult poisoned salad bars in Oregon back in the eighties. In that case, it only took about a dozen people to spread salmonella just by contaminating the food at a few salad bars. Over seven hundred people got sick."

  Ari said, "So one hunter could conceivably expose a hundred people. If we assume that ten people out of every hundred is a canidae--"