Wolf & Hound

Granny's House

"This pub..." Zedd remarked idly, as he returned to the bar. "It moves."

The landlord's face went through a series of expressions, none of them concerning the bafflement such a statement might reasonably earn. At last, he settled on caution.

"When you say 'moves'..." he temporized.

"I went to sleep in a pub in Dagon," Zedd elaborated, "but have awoken in the same pub elsewhere."

"Ah. That. Well...."

"The pub moves," the barmaid supplied. "Magic pub, see."

"Ah." Zedd nodded as if this answered all. "I see. How's my friends' food?"

"Whoops..." the barmaid hurried to belatedly oblige, returning with cold cuts on a tray. "I'm not going out there alone, though," she averred. "I'm not getting buggered by mutants just for trying to feed their hairy kids."

Zedd accompanied her outside, and brought Abigail back in with him, much to the landlord's displeasure.

"Now see here, they've already made enough mess of my bar..."

"Abigail and her friends cleaned up," Zedd reminded him. "And I have more work for them."

He patted the barstool beside him, and Abigail climbed up to perch there. The barmaid reluctantly served up another plateful of mutton. Zedd had watched, unseen, and marked that Abigail had gone hungry earlier, balancing greater reward to come against the immediate demands of her gang. The spark of leadership warranted encouragement; Zedd ordered more mutton and a round of drinks, waiting while Abigail ate. She began to slow on the second plateful. Zedd at last opened his questions.

"Abigail, who is the ruler of this city, or of your people?"

The little wolf-girl made deep thought. "Well... Big Dogs run Southside, an' Ferals run Northside, an' the Old Dogs all live inna Cropolis..."

"Cropolis?" Zedd frowned, having followed Abigail's growling slang thus far.

"She must mean the Necropolis," the barmaid supplied, clearing the spent plates. "Silveneir's cemetery was famous, once upon a time."

Zedd nodded, and prompted Abigail, "Then there's no king of the Wolfen, no chief or Biggest Dog?"

Abigailshook her head. "Had a king once; King Reyn."

"What happened to him?" Zedd gestured for drinks, wine for himself and ale for Abigail.

"He left. Went with Wizrun, see; Wizrun says he'll teach him secrets, so King Reyn goes off, no one sees him for a long time. Starts as people say he's not coming back, maybe was a trick, Wizrun's et him." Abigail paused to accept her drink, taking the tankard in both hands and burying her snout in it. When she looked up, she went on, "But King Reyn comes back, and he gets alla Big Dogs together and they has a talk. We're all expecting a fight, always is when the Big Dogs talk. But King Reyn keeps it all... quiet. E'ryone listens. Says he's got the secrets Wizrun promised, but he's learned of a danger. Terrible danger." She paused again, still holding her cup, watching Zedd closely.

"Goon."

"Reyn says we gotta make a army, e'ryone as can fight, and all march out an' fight the Lord 'Tector, who's comin' to get us. Some a' the Old Dogs says it'd happened afore, way back; army come to get us, chase us about. An' a lot a the Big Dog's says no, not again, an' they goes off to fight with King Reyn. I guess he didn't get the good secrets, or the Lord 'Tector had better ones, 'cos he won, and no one's seen King Reyn since. They say the Lord 'Tector's got him in a box about this big," she set down her tankard and held up her hands six inches apart. "Magic box. Say the Lord Tector, anyone he don't like, he throws 'em inna box and that's the last of 'em. Can I have another drink?"