The Golden Snow (RE-WRITING)

Sleep Well, Darling Wolf

= D W S =

Unfinished business, i thought and grinned, all the pieces coming together in my head. How could I not have seen it before, even when Alex tried to tell me. I tossed the diamond back to the Queen, excited.

"There's a lot of unfinished business in this house. His father's research," I gestured to Robert, "And your husband, Ma'am, he came here and he sought the perfect diamond. Hold on, hold on. All these separate things, they're not separate at all, they're connected. Oh, my head, my head. What if this house, it's a trap for you. Is that right, Ma'am?"

"Obviously," Victoria stated.

"At least, that's what the wolf intended. But, what if there's a trap inside the trap?" I asked.

"Explain yourself, Doctor."

"What if his father and your husband weren't just telling each other stories. They dared to imagine all this was true, and they planned against it, laying the real trap not for you but for the wolf. Just like Alex said, right Alex?"

I turned, looking for the red head, then felt panic rise as she was nowhere to be seen. By the door, a chair was out of place, as if someone had slipped out.

"No, no, no!" I panicked rushing over to it, "When, when did she get out?"

"She was trying to tell you something," Robert spoke up, "She said it was important but you told her to - well, to shut up."

"What was she reading?" I asked, looking around and Rose picked up a journal. I snatched it from her, scanning the pages and came to the conclusion of what Alex had done. "Oh no, Alex you stupid smart girl."

"What is it?" the Queen asked.

"Your husband and Sir Robert's father, when the other book said they communed with the beast, i should have realised," I sighed, "It's not trying to kill us; it wants us to kill it. The Brethren are controlling it, the device in the observatory, that's why they built it. We need to get up there, now."

"But the wolf!" Rose exclaimed.

"Think about it Rose," I said quickly, "If you were being controlled to kill, would you go after a group of people, locked in a room guarded by the oil you're allergic to? Or Alex, alone and without protection?"

= D W E =

"Here, wolfy wolfy wolfy," i called, looking around cautiously, knowing how stupid i was being. I'd been wandering for ten minutes, still to find anything. "Here wolfy."

There was a growl behind me and i froze, it's warm breath on the back of my neck. After taking several deep breaths, I turned slowly, coming face to face - or muzzle - with the wolf which growled lowly as i met its eyes.

"H-Hello," i squeaked and it growled for a second time, "Um, ok, not my brightest move."

It growled again, then sat back on its haunches, staring at me like a puppy would. Now that was just scary. I was expecting it to put up more of an 'i'm gonna eat you ' front. Carefully, i reached a hand out, and jumped as it pressed its wet nose into my palm. Moving my fingers over its snout, i started scratching behind its ear and it let out a happy whine.

"Oh you're such a cute little wolfy," i cooed, momentarily forgetting the situation.

'You are a strange human'

I jumped back with a shriek as a male voice – the same one as earlier – spoke in my head; the wolf simply tilted its head to the side, still staring at me. it's ears swivelled so they were pointed backward almost flat, not in the scared way but in the 'i'm not a threat' kind of way.