I bind the garments from Sir Hans' wife to Ran’s harness. The chain mail practically sits in my lap. Ugh. It’s the best I can do for now. Ran grumbles about being used as a pack mule.

“Oh, you poor baby…”

A shrill scream cuts off from a couple streets over, pausing the words in the back of my throat. A dog barks and whimpers as I hear the reverberations of metal on stone and then the soft thwack of something soft being hit. Ran’s ears perk. A growl rumbles in her chest as her scruff stands on end.

Her flashing eyes meet mine. "Let’s go, pretty girl."

I drop the rest of the chain mail and garments in a heap. It’ll only slow us down. I just hope Sir Hans understands.

My hands tighten on Ran's harness as she gathers herself to leap upon the nearest roof. She perks her ears. Grunts of pain and the scuffle of a struggle meet my ears, but I let Ran take her time across the slick rooftops. She knows what she’s doing.

She leaps over the next alley, and the next. The moon high above dances with the stars as our only witnesses. The shingles clack beneath her claws, and a few even tumble down the side to land a story or two below with a splat.

A man from down below draws his head back inside his window just in time to avoid getting knocked out.

“Sorry!” I call back at him before Ran leaps one last roof.

We’re in the Middi part of town. Nicer houses than the slums, but not so nice as Upper. Before I have time to gain my bearings, Ran drops straight to the ground.

I tumble off with an oof as she lands with all the grace of a cat. She huffs and I feel her amusement. You could’ve warned me!

Wouldn’t have been half the fun, she replies, her tongue hangs from the side of her mouth in a wolf grin.

I roll my eyes, then look up to see four men clustered around a girl and her dog.

The dog is bleeding, but that doesn’t stop him from trying to protect his owner. He stands in front of her with hackles raised and saliva and red blood dripping from his bared fangs. Good for him.

The men stare at me with varying degrees of wariness and open-mouthed surprise. The dog growls at me in consternation while the girl whimpers from behind him. Her faithful companion is loyal to a fault.

"Go, and I won’t make my wolf eat you."

You are my human, rider. Ran huffs out a breath, baring her fangs at the men even as she flicks her ear at me.

The men exchange glances. One's cheeks are as bright red as a tomato, and they all sway with a silent, nonexistent breeze. Drunk. Folds of ripped fabric cover their emaciated forms. I would feel bad for them—if they weren't trying to take advantage of the girl.

“What she goin' ta do?” one slurs.

I wish. I wish for once they would just run. No bloodshed. No pain. No fighting.

“Just run, stupid. This will go very bad for you if not.”

Of course, that was the wrong thing to say. They simultaneously growl, sounding like a pack of rabid hyenas.

“Ran, please do the honors?”

A growl that shakes the very earth emerges from the beast. Her eyes turn the deep blood red of my cloak. Every fiber in her body seems to grow. She takes a hulking step and the ground gives way before her.

An unearthly scream I have never heard from any man comes from red cheeks. The two doofuses on the end turn as one and ram into each other hard enough to make my teeth hurt just watching. They go down in a tangle of arms and legs.

The other two take off without a single backward glance. Another step from Ran has the two on the ground whimpering. Another step and one wets himself. Another step and one punches the red cheeks in the face, then scrambles away. One unlucky man left on the ground as Ran bends her saber toothed head to sniff the man’s smaller head as tears roll down his cheeks.

“Enough.” I feel bad for the guy. Ran looks back at me before plopping her tail end on the ground and sweeping the dirt with her tail.

“Watch him and make sure he doesn’t escape. Eat him if he tries anything.” Another whimper.

I turn to the dog and his girl. Hazel eyes peek out between blonde locks. She’s cute in her own way, with a little round face and a sprinkling of freckles on her button nose.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

I take a step towards them and the dog growls. “Easy boy. I’m not going to harm either of you. I’m here to help.”

He cocks his head as the growl in his throat turns to a whine with my soft and kind advances.

My steps are soft and deliberate. I'm careful not to make any sudden movements. At last I turn to present my side to him, making me look smaller.

As if I need to look smaller. I’m tiny already.

I place the back of my hand about a hand's breadth before his nose, allowing him to sniff me. “That’s it, little buddy. It’s alright now.”

He snaps at me, but misses. Even so, my heart pounds faster at the snapping of teeth inches from my fingers.

I draw my hand back to my chest and watch him. His brown eyes contain no malice, only fear. He’s hurting and afraid. Doesn’t stop the fear beating its way out of my chest, though. Those teeth are big.

“What’s your name?” I ask the girl.

“Rob... Robin, M’Lady.”

I smile gently at her, but forget she cannot see it beneath my mask. “I’m no lady, Robin. But you’re safe now. Do you think you can calm him enough to allow me to tend to the wounds?” The King knows I have had to tend to enough of my own. I should be able to handle a few scratches.

“I’ll try... M’Lady.” Her voice warbles. She can't be much older than Jill.

She reaches up to grab his collar, rubbing along his ears and back. “Jack, easy. Easy. It’s a’right.” He whimpers and leans into her touch. She throws her arms around his neck, sobbing into his fur. “I thought ya were dead. I thought they’d done killed ya.”

I back away a few steps to give them some privacy.

Ran, find Sir Hans, I tell her through the bond.

Understanding flashes in her eyes, and I picture her bringing Hans back on her back. She growls at me, eliciting another whimper from our captive.

I stand my ground. I want this girl safe and this man in the right hands as soon as possible.

Then she turns her big brown eyes at me, begging me not to make her do this. I just glare. She snorts but gives in.

I get a face full of tail fur as she glides past.

“Ran!” I scold, but she’s gone.

I shake my head and turn back to the captive.

“You move and she’ll hunt you down. You don’t want that.” Satisfied that he’s cowed enough for now, I move over to a windowsill and perch on it. I can see both ends of the alley from here, plus the captive rocking back and forth on the ground.

The girl still sits there with her dog. Tremors shake her small frame. I know how she feels. The rough hands, the terror. Being helpless before them. I shake the memories off and keep an eye out.

Finally, Ran pads back victorious. Perched on her back is Sir Hans... but a different one than I remember. This one is ghost white, has naught but a pair of ripped pants on, and his mouth is wide open in what appears to be terror.

My hands go straight to my hips as I stand from my perch. “What did you do, Ran?” She just licks her paws, obviously enjoying my reaction. “I should put tomatoes in your meat, fleas in your bed, and make you ride Sir Hans around for a month.”

“Please no. I beg of you, that last one... I wouldn’t survive. I’m getting too old for this,” he says the last bit under his breath.

I slightly smirk. I do see just a wee bit of humor. “Ran, you said you trusted the man. You want his help. Why would you treat a potential ally like this?” I gesture to the man slowly sliding off her back. She turns and licks him in the face.

He grumbles something about crazy red cloaked girls and terrifying pets as he plops on the ground.

See? You scarred him for life! Poor thing. Ran grumbles deep in her throat in a part whine, part growl, but hangs her head in mock humility. You aren’t fooling me, Ran. I can still feel your humor, ya know.

“Could this not have waited until sunrise? Why send the Timber to fetch me now?” Sir Hans asks.

The imagery is too much. I catch the laugh just in time, turning it into a cough. Ran lets out a series of half chirps, half purrs. I stare at her for a minute before I realize it's her laugh.

Why have I never heard you laugh before?

She snorts at me.

I get the distinct feeling over the bond... nothing has been this funny to her.

THIS is that funny to you? She nods emphatically. I shake my head. You’ve got a skewed sense of humor.

I help Sir Hans get his feet on the ground. “Sorry about that, Sir. The Timber has no manners.”

Ran snorts then pounces on the attacker turned captive as he tries to run away. She licks his face, eliciting yells of terror.

I'm content she has him contained for the time being.

“This girl was being attacked when me and Ran stopped it. We subdued one attacker for custody.”

He looks at me with shock, which is mostly a raise of his eyebrows. “Do you ever sleep?”

I shrug. “Sure. When I can.”

“This is a job for a regular guard. Not me.” His eyes convey cold annoyance at being summoned.

“Sorry. Thought you’d still be out and about.”

He looks over at Ran, who sits upon a screaming and yelling drunk while licking her paws. Sometimes I swear she’s more cat than wolf.

She flicks a glare my way and I stifle a snicker.

A sigh from beside me draws me back to the knight. “Wait here. One of my men is on watch a few blocks away. I’ll be back.”

“Thank you, Sir Hans.”

He shakes his head and frowns. His piercing eyes regarding me under skewed blond hair. “I’m beginning to wonder what I got into with you, Guardian.”

I smirk as he takes a side alley in his torn pajamas and pale white torso bared for all to see. I roll my eyes again at my wolf, who swishes her tail happily, causing the man beneath her to get a mouthful of white hair as it swipes across his face with each pass.

Sir Hans has a scar across his back and a long jagged red streak on his bicep that reminds me of a rash or birthmark. He’s quite in shape for someone his age, meaning he takes the dagger stuck in the hem of his pants seriously, as well as the sword I imagine he didn't have time to grab when Ran kidnapped him.

Fetched, she says maliciously.

Stop it. She's giving me highly misplaced humor as I watch over Robin and Jack, who've had a rough night.

Ran snorts. The man pinned beneath her hind end stills for half a second, then squeals like a little girl. “What do you blankety blank feed this thing? Errgh. I’m gonna puke.” I'm not repeating those naughty words. He needs his mouth washed out with soup.

His gagging sound triggers my gagging reflex. I swallow the toxic taste in my mouth, trying not to release the contents of my stomach.

“Did you just let one rip?” I choke out, spitting a glob of thick phlegm from my mouth.

She chortles. Yep.

I chuckle. “Served him right.”

You betcha.

I love that wolf.