Wolf & Hound

Zedd

Silveneir had lain long abandoned by civilisation. But for the Wolfen, the mutated descendants of the people who had once lived there, few evercame now to Silveneir. Three things, today, had perturbed the semi-feral slums amid the ruins. The demon, Maes, had been sighted wandering through the city earlier in the day, and a small band of Wolfen from more ruinous Northside had turned out to track the interloper in the hope of eating it. On Southside, where the city streets remained more or less intact, a tavern had appeared.

How and why bucolic taverns with fresh thatch on the roof and flowers in the window-boxes occured anywhere was a mystery to all but the oldest Wolfen. That this one had popped into existence overnight was less of a mystery to the Wolfen pups of Southside than the question of what atavern was at all.

Abigail sat on a block of rubble, and studied the new building. She was the daughter and grand-daughter of Wolfen; only her aged granny still recalled the day that the people of Silveneir had been struck down bythe awful curse. Since then, Wolfen pups had grown up on the street, self-sufficient from an early age. Abigail and her gang calledthemselves the Wascra, a word they had made up, and considered themselves the best gang on Southside. They were certainly not the biggest, in number or any other measure; Abigail was the biggest, sothe leader, but the True Wolfen and Big Dogs of the adult gangs stood head and shoulders above her still. A True Wolfen herself, Abigailconsidered herself naturally above the dog-formed common type, whatever her other stature in Wolfen society.

She sat on her chosen rubble in plain view, while the rest of her gang peeked out from cover. The tavern had appeared complete with outbuildings, yard, high enclosing wall and a once-bright green gate.From within the yard emanated a smell, powerful and delicious to Wolfen nostrils.

"Still say it's a horse," Agibail growled, though none of her gang had spoken in an hour. She had been forced to bite Skeeter, for demandingto know how she even knew what a horse smelled like. Besides Wolfen and rats, animals of any kind were virtually unknown now inSilveneir. None of the Wascra gang, Abigail included, had quite worked up the courage to investigate the yard and find out for certain. The smell held them entrapped, however, watching the tavern windows for any sign of life.

The door to the tavern opened. Abigail twitched, but remained where she was; the rest of her gang ducked back into cover. A man appeared in the doorway, tall and broad-shouldered, silver haired and golden-eyed. Golden eyes were common enough among Wolfen; Abigail was more struck by the stranger's skin, a deeper tan speaking of some far distant land. He was dressed all in black, and for the moment he stood within the shadows of the doorway that was all Abigail couldtell. He stepped into the light, and she discerned tooled leather armour, worked with interlocking images of wolves or hounds all over.

His eyes roved the street, passing over her once as if she was not there. The survey complete, his golden eyes fell on Abigail again. She hopped down from her perch before she knew she had moved, pausing only when Skeeter hissed, "S'got a tool."

Abigail growled over her shoulder at Skeeter, the started forward across the street alone. The stranger did indeed have a tool; a long sword at his belt, sheathed in a midnight scabbard. His left hand rested easily on the pommel. Closer, Abigail saw a pistol holstered at his belt buckle and a bullwhip through his belt. As Abigail approached, the outlander grinned. Abigail was unimpressed by his teeth, but her eye caught a bright flash in his hand; a coin, dancing through hisfingers.

Money was a concept the Wolfen still understood, though there was very little in circulation and trade overshadowed always by the threat ofviolence. Abigail weighed up the prospects of patience against the risks of action. The stranger had a gun, besides his sword, and Abigail knew what both were. The coin in the stranger's hand became two and then three, seeming to dividemagically.