Title: Wolf in Chief's Clothing

Author: Black_Wingedbird

Rating: PG (Language)

"From the oyster to the eagle, from the swine to the tiger, all animals are to be found in men and each of them exists in some man, sometimes several at the time. Animals are nothing but the portrayal of our virtues and vices made manifest to our eyes, the visible reflections of our souls. God displays them to us to give us food for thought."
-- Victor Hugo, Les Mis'rables, 1862

************************

"Use the power of your animal spirit."

Blair sat at his desk, red pen in hand and test papers in two piles in front of him. His eyes had been scanning the same half-page essay for ten minutes, and he had long ago forgotten what it was that he was reading. His thoughts were at the fountain outside, spilling water innocently while sunlight sparkled off the ripples as they glided to the wet concrete containment wall.

It had been a few months now since that very fountain, combined with a female Sentinel, took his life. It was also a few months since the Wolf and Panther merged, creating a bond that brought him back to the living world. Finally, the fear and powerless feeling in his memories and dreams had dissipated. Now, as his eyes were locked on the last sentence of the essay in front of him, pure curiosity bubbled in his mind, banishing his aversion for good. 'How?' was the biggest question that nagged him. Jim had confirmed that he saw the same visions after Blair awoke in the hospital, the visions where the wolf and panther collided in an effort to combine powers. The whole sprit guide 'thing' as Jim called it, had Blair intrigued, for this was far more than a 'thing', but a phenomenon.

Glancing at the clock and realizing half an hour had slipped by, Blair hurried through the last few tests. He was proud of all his classes for their good grades. Blair never thought of himself as the cause of his student's high scores but instead liked to think that all his students loved anthropology as much as he did. As Blair opened his desk drawer to store the tests until tomorrow, his weary eyes rested on the candles. He rarely used the white meditation candles while at the university because his full schedule never allowed for more than a moments rest. These candles were not like the ones at home whose numerous drips were frozen on the sides with multiple uses. These candles had never been used.

Tucking his hair behind his ear, Blair pulled the candles out and sat them on his desk. He nudged the drawer shut with his knee and studied the pearlescent reflections of the wax. Looking up he spotted a CD that would be suitable for meditation leaning against his heavily used CD player. Blair looked at the clock again. Jim wasn't expecting him quite yet. And it wasn't his turn to cook, so even if he was a little late, he'd get there just as Jim was setting the table. This wasn't going to be a major meditation session; Blair just wanted to see if he could call upon his spirit guide voluntarily. Smiling, Blair got up and placed the candles strategically around the room. He opened the CD case and found it empty. 'Surprise,' he muttered, opening the deck on the player and finding the CD already there. Snorting to himself, he went back to his desk and retrieved a lighter then proceeded to light the candles.

Plopping down on the floor behind his desk, Blair brought his knees out to the sides to sit indian style. Denim bunched behind his knees and his ischium bones settled harshly on the concrete floor. Ducking down and peering under his desk, he double checked that the door was shut. Satisfied, he placed his hands on his knees palm up and Blair closed his eyes, letting his mind melt into the soothing music. Muscle by muscle, Blair relaxed and slowed his breathing as the cold concrete and dimly lit office began to fade away'

~oO0Oo~

'Wow.'

Blair found himself in a jungle, and he could only guess that it was the one from his visions. He would know exactly where he was if he could meet the local tribe, but there were no people anywhere that he could see. In fact, he had a hard time finding anything. It appeared to be nighttime and a bright, full, white moon was out, filtering through the trees and illuminating the wooded ground below. Disrupting the silence, plenty of night creatures were out and making their presence known. A medium sized mammal scurried by, glancing at Blair with eyes that flashed green in the light. He watched it go and fleshy leaves nodded in it's wake until the animal could no longer be seen or heard.

A lightning bug flew into his forehead, buzzing as it bounced backwards into the air then reoriented itself and continued it's journey into the night. Blair moved his hand to rub the residual itch at the collision sight, then noticed that something was not quite right with his 'hands'. Silvery fur-covered paws greeted him and the shiny fur sparkled dimly in the moonlight. Four toes on each paw, each with cream colored nails that pointed to the dirt. A dew claw for a thumb. Blair's vision traveled upwards. Long, thin but sturdy legs bared shorter, whiter fur than the rest of his wolf's body. Blair was sitting on the jungle's fragrant moss and mulch floor. His chest was narrow but deep, containing large lungs for stamina. Ribs protruded slightly from vigourus hunts but were hidden from veiw by long, thick, brown and white fur. Strong hind leg muscles had developed with constant running and jumping. His hind end sprouted a bushy tail for balance during high speed chases.

'This is so cool,' Blair thought. 'I wonder if Jim sensed anything when I crossed over. Just think of all the tests that need done!' He stood, flexing his rearranged canine muscles experimentally. He took a deep breath of the cool night air, inhaling the sweet scent dew and vegetation and dirt and nearby animals through his elongated muzzle. His smell was probably not as strong as Jims', but it had to be close. Then Blair noticed the lack of color from the large flowering shrub next to him. 'No wonder it's so dark,' Blair thought, tilting his head to the sky. 'I forgot that canines see in black and white.' He wasn't sure how this would effect him yet, so Blair moved on to the next sense.

Hearing. Very strong. If he listened, he could hear the sounds of animals he couldn't see amplified in the erect flesh of his ears. Really hear them, eating and nesting and such.. Next time he'd have to come prepared so he could compare his abilities with Jim's. Stamping a foot, Blair realized Jim's protective instincts would soon kick in and he wondered what time it was back in the real world. Now that he knew becoming the Wolf was possible, he would be back to carryout loads of tests. Heck, why not even try to get Jim here via the Jaguar? Bubbling over with ideas, Blair sat the wolf's body down again and began to think of his office. Suddenly, a bright light ripped through the forest, blinding him and silencing all the wildlife while cutting off all other thoughts except alarm. Then, all went black.

~oO0Oo~

"Professor Sandburg?" Katie knocked on the closed door to her teacher's office. She nervously shifted her books to the other arm when she smelled a faint trace of smoke. "Blair?" she felt uncomfortable calling her teachers by their first names but Professor Sandburg had insisted upon it on the first day of class. Looking around the deserted hallway and seeing nobody to help her, Katie tried the door knob.

The door swung open easily and Katie's heart beat faster. Her teacher was on the floor behind his desk and mostly hidden from view, but the candles that surrounded him spurted dancing flames that teased her to come closer. One flame was steadily climbing a gray jacket that hung over the edge of Professor Sandburg's desk. Confused and panicked, Katie rushed forward and grabbed the one sleeve that was not burning the threw the jacket to the floor. It's zipper clinked from the impact before Katie instinctively stomped the flame with her thick-heeled suede boots. Looking up, she spotted her teacher sitting on the floor behind his desk, eyes closed and apparently in a trance. Heart racing with adrenaline, she tried to wake him. "Professor, come on!" she yelled, placing a hand on Sandburg's shoulder. She turned her body to face him fully, noticing the other candles out of the corner of her eye. The immediate danger was gone now, but the feeling of dread was still with her. What was wrong? Why wouldn't he respond? "Blair!" she yelled again, this time giving a desperate sharp slap to the side of his relaxed face.

Sandburg's body fell backwards. Katie looked at him with shock and her wavy blonde hair tumbled around her face, as if wanting a better view. "Oh my God," she whispered. But before she could take a step forward, a movement in the dark corner of the office caught her eye. Katie turned and gasped, her pale green eyes refusing believe what they interpreted. Before her, shaking moisture from it's thick fur, stood a dog. A wolf-like dog, or a sled dog, what were they called? Huskies? Katie stood still, watching the creature's actions, her unresponsive teacher momentarily forgotten.

The dog wobbled a bit, like it had just woken up from a long nap. Ears perked, it's gaze darted around the room using pale blue eyes before it's sight set on Katie. Both the canine and young woman stood motionless. The dog sniffed the air with a wet, black nose, it's slender sides expanding under damp fur. After one more look around the office, it's head cocked and eyes once again locked with Katie's.

"Hey...dog..." Katie started. An earthy smell had begun to fill the room and she supposed the source was the mysterious creature before her. The way it looked at her though, was what had Katie spooked the most. She had learned long ago that dogs often used direct eye contact as aggressive threats. Would this animal attack her? Suddenly she remembered the body on the floor next to her and with a gasp she knelt next to it, the spell momentarily broken. "Help!" Katie screamed, hoping that there was at least one other human soul in the building during dinner time. She cradled her teacher's head in her lap and she kneeled, rocking steadily unconsciously while trying to feel a pulse on the man's neck. When she felt a deathly faint pulse on the cool neck, tears of relief slid down her cheeks, dropping to her jean clad knees. "Somebody, please!" she cried.

The dog began an unsure approach, ears rotating as it stepped cautiously toward the young woman. "Get out of here!" she blurted, unafraid. The dog flinched. "Leave me alone!" Her attention went back to the comatose body in her hands. "It's okay Blair, I'm here. Help's coming," she prayed. Suddenly remembering her cell phone, Katie pulled it out of her purse then desperately and clumsily dialed three numbers.

The dog sighed once, then turned and trotted out the door, it's tail hanging down between it's back legs.

~oO0Oo~

Jim changed the radio station one more time and sighed. After a long and mundane day at the station he was looking forward to a relaxing ride home, partner in tow. Paper work bored but didn't tire him so Jim was not ready yet to simply go home and turn on the TV and cook dinner. Instead, he would pull Blair out of his office on time and let the younger man entertain him. He knew Blair loved teaching with the same exuberance that he held for everything else, so seeing him walk through the loft door on time was a rare sight.

Jim turned onto the campus drive and spotted Blair's vehicle parked in it's usual spot, the end of teacher's parking that was furthest from campus. The sight was almost as familiar and comforting than if it had been Blair himself standing there. Jim grinned as he turned the corner to enter the parking lot and almost didn't see the flash of fur that appeared in front of the truck. Startled, Jim swerved and slammed on the brakes, the squeal of rubber in the background of his thoughts. "What the hell?" he cursed, throwing the truck in park and stepping out into the cool evening air.

'Ow...ow...stupid...'

"Hello?" Jim called. He took a step in front of the truck, looking for the body of the injured voice. Had he hit a child that had been walking a dog?

Instead of a child, Jim found a tall, lanky dog sitting awkwardly in the grass on the edge of the pavement, licking a minor wound on it's leg. It let out a soft, sighing whimper before turning pale eyes to Jim, freezing mid-lick.

'Aw man Jim, am I glad to see you...'

"Sandburg?" Jim questioned, standing where he was. Was this a trick? Was Sandburg running another of those stupid tests?

The dog raised it's head in response to Jim's voice. 'Jim? Can you hear me?'

Jim seemed to break his trance, placing a hand on his hip and turning his head as if to clear his thoughts. He couldn't smell past the essence of the dog before him, nor could he locate his partner's heartbeat. In fact, there was no other human outside. "Oh man, I have got to get more sleep," he muttered as he turned and heading back to the truck.

The dog rose to all fours and padded softly behind him. 'Jim, it's me man. Stop. Listen to me!'

"Get out of my way mutt," Jim said over his shoulder as he re-entered his truck and shut the door. He drove past the forlorn dog without a second glance and continued the short distance to his parking space beside Blair's. Jim turned off the ignition and got out, walking purposely toward the building Blair taught in. Maybe turning on the TV and vegging all night wouldn't be such a bad thing. He knew he was a little tired lately, but Jim didn't realize it was to the point of imagining talking dogs.

'I know what you're thinking, and you're not crazy.'

Jim groaned and continued his walk. Almost there.

'You need to know something before you go in there. I'm dead.'

Jim stopped.

'Well not dead, but not really living. It's just my body's a little...empty right now. I guess because I'm here. In the wolf's body.'

Jim turned and watched the dog approached him, then passed him, head down in thought. There was a bounce to it's step, emphasized by the sway in the thick fur on the animal's back. Looking closer, it sort of reminded Jim of a wind blowing through a wheat field. Sort of. The longer brown and gray hair separated in parts, revealing soft white undercoat. A thick tail swung lazily back and forth, keeping balance. Light in it's step, the dog jumped onto the curb and turned to face Jim. 'Well, you coming?'

Jim shut his mouth as he realized that it was open. "Uh yeah." Blushing slightly at the fact he just replied to a dog, Jim opened the door to the campus building, letting both man and dog inside. Sensitive ears immediately picked up a fraught woman's voice. He quickened his pace and followed the woman's cries towards Blair's office. His heart sped up at the possibility of danger to his guide. He panicked even more when he smelled smoke. Jim broke into a run and barley recognized the clicking of toenails on the marble floor behind him.

As Jim appeared in the doorway of Blair's office, Katie's head snapped up and grief filled eyes rested on the welcome sight. A slight smile spread over her face. "That was fast," she said softly.

Jim noticed the cell phone in the young girl's hand. "What happened?" he asked, stepping forward.

"I don't know, I was going to get help on an assignment and I found him sitting there, candles all around and one was out of control..." she rocked back and forth gently, looking down at the slack face. "I tried to wake him up and he collapsed..."

Jim was at her side, taking mental notes of Blair's vital signs. He reached up and pulled a flashlight out of one of Blair's desk drawers, the flashlight that Jim himself had made Blair keep there- just in case. As he started checking his friend's pupils, Katie asked, "What's he doing here?"

Jim glanced up and noticed the dog. It's moist pink tongue laid between two very white, pointed canine teeth as it panted softly. "I don't know, I guess it followed me in. Ignore it and it'll go away."

"No," Katie replied softly, "It was here earlier. When I tried to wake Blair. I don't know how it got in, the door was shut when I got here. Is it Blair's?"

'I'm telling you Jim, it's okay. I'm right here. It's kinda funny actually...'

Jim paused his assessment of Sandburg's body and looked at the dog. The dog stopped panting and solemnly stared back, not shying away or breaking eye contact like most pets. The two were still, looking into the depths of each other's eyes as an understanding was made. "I'll be damned..." Jim murmured.

The wolf broke into a light, smiling pant once more. 'Cool, huh?'

"Um, detective?" Katie said. "Is Professor Sandburg gonna be okay?"

Jim's attention snapped back to the still body on the floor. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, everything's okay here..." Jim spotted the girl's papers scattered on the floor and read her name. "Katie...he must have just passed out from stress...or something...I'll take him home and get him all fixed up for you." Jim returned the flashlight to the desk.

"Oh, okay..." Katie started, confused. "Boy, I kinda freaked out, I called the ambulance and everything...I feel silly...but you're his friend, right? You'll help him?"

Jim softly took her hand. It was still trembling. "You did a fine job Katie. I'm glad Blair has students as caring as you." He stood up and awkwardly picked up the limp body. "I'll call the ambulance and tell them that we don't need them anymore." To further ease the worried young woman, he asked, "Is there somewhere you'd like Blair to reach you later tonight? You said you needed help..."

Katie smiled. "Oh, no, it's nothing that important. The assignment isn't due for a few days. I'll just see him later. Thanks though."

Jim returned the smile and nodded. "Thanks again for your help Katie."

Katie followed Jim as he started for the door. "No problem. You need any help?"

Jim stepped into the hall. "I'm good. You have a good night and drive safe," Jim said to appease her again.

Jim hurried out to the parking lot as his partner's dead weight was starting to strain his muscles. The shorter body was still well built. It was almost dark outside now and the streetlights were on, illuminating the familiar cars. "I don't see why you have to park clear out here," Jim murmured as they journeyed over the asphalt. He was starting to sweat.

'Exercise.'

Jim snorted. He reached his truck and pinned Blair against the passenger door for support while one hand felt for the door handle. Finding it, he pulled it open, swinging Blair's body in the direction of the door then used momentum to hoist the body into the truck. He sighed deeply then rearranged the body to a more comfortable position. Before Jim could shut the door, the wolf sprung into the truck and crouched on the floorboard under the glove box. He glanced back at Jim. 'Jim-'

"Don't even start, Sandburg.' Jim interrupted with exasperation. 'I can't think about all this and drive at the same time. Just sit there and be quiet for a while." Jim shut the door forcefully and rounded the hood before climbing in and starting the faithful truck.

The wolf sighed and laid it's head on the seat, watching Jim. 'At least don't drive like you normally do, I don't have anything to grip the seat with.'

Jim turned onto the highway that led back to the loft. "I don't normally drive bad."

The wolf snorted.

Jim glanced down, his jaw set. He couldn't let himself think about this. He would zone out trying to understand why his guide's body was empty and in it's place was a wolf from an alternate universe. Jim shook his head and concentrated very hard on the road before him.

~oO0Oo~

Before he realized it, Jim was pulling into his parking space in front of the loft. It was now dark outside. Most all of their neighbors were already home and enjoying their dinners. Jim's stomach growled at that. He got out of the truck and opened the passenger door to pull out Blair's body. As he gathered the unconscious man in his arms, the wolf slid to the ground soundlessly. Jim kicked the door shut.

'I'd help you if I could...'

"You can't. Unless you can open doors." Jim shifted and opened the building's front door. He held it open with one leg in a gesture to the animal but the wolf remained outside.

'Uh' I have to go, you know...I mean, I can't 'go' inside...'

"You have to piss?" Jim blurted.

The wolf looked away. 'Yeah. Just wait a second. And don't shut the door.' With that, the wolf trotted to the deciduous bushes that lined the property. 'And don't listen!'

"Sure, it's not like this is hard or anything," Jim muttered, shifting the burden in his arms. He prayed he wouldn't have to explain this situation to anyone as they went out to celebrate the nice Friday evening. How can his partner who eats nothing but what comes straight from the earth be so heavy?

A few seconds later the wolf slid through the door. 'It's nice not having zippers,' he commented, trotting to the elevator.

"I did not need to know that Chief," Jim groaned.

Together man and dog boarded the elevator. It seemed like forever before the floating sensation stopped and they were let off on their floor. Jim struggled to balance Blair and dig through his pockets to find house keys. Once the door was unlocked and open, he hurried inside and quickly deposited the younger man on his bed, still unmade from this morning.

'Hey man, be careful with me,' the wolf said, turning to face Jim. It's tail swung back and forth slowly.

Jim turned and went back into the living room. The light click of toenails sounded behind him. Jim took a seat. "Sit."

The wolf sat on the floor, facing Jim.

"Now, you wanna tell me what is going on here? And use small sentences."

The wolf sprang to it's feet. 'Jim, it was awesome! I was meditating and I did it! I shape shifted! I was the wolf in the jungle and it was just like we experienced, then something happened, there was this flash of light...and the next thing I knew I was back in my office. But it wasn't me, it was me in the wolf's body, like I had been thrown out of the vision prematurely...'

Jim nervously watched his partner pace in front of him and the way his tail swept over the coffee table at every turn. "That was when Katie walked in?"

'I guess. She jolted me out of the trance but I didn't wake up in my body, I brought the wolf back with me.'

"So are 'you' going to be okay until we get this straightened out?" Jim asked, nodding towards the still body on the bed.

The wolf stopped in front of Jim's knees and looked at him. 'I think so. You tell me.'

Jim scanned Blair's body quickly from where he sat. "Your vitals sound okay. Like someone in a deep sleep."

The wolf's ears rotated. 'We should probably make it look that way, in case anybody stops over.'

"So what, you're just going to be asleep indefinitely?"

'This won't be forever. It can't be. Let's just cover me up.' The wolf turned and trotted into the bedroom. He jumped on the bed and quickly cast a look at Jim before taking the thick comforter in his strong jaws and began jerking it towards the head of the bed.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Jim grumbled, rising to help. "Just don't slobber all over the place."

The wolf jumped down, tail high and front legs straight as he landed on the floor. 'Thanks Jim.'

When Jim had finished 'disguising' his partner he walked to the kitchen, suddenly aware of how late it had gotten. He opened the refrigerator and looked longingly for something ready to eat. Sighing and shutting the door, he turned and faced the wolf. It sat a few feet away on the wood floor, it's hind end slowly sliding out from under it on the slick surface. The blue eyes studied Jim intensely. 'What's for dinner?'

"Dog food?" Jim guessed with a shake of his head. His mind was still reeling from the fact that his partner was now a wolf.

'Okay, I can handle a lot of new tastes, but I refuse to eat the lowest grade meat that has been processed and packed into a can.' The wolf looked to the door. 'Wanna go out?'

"Do you need a leash or anything?" Jim asked, grabbing his jacket.

'Jim, I don't even have a collar. And besides, I am not a dog.' The wolf rose with it's head and tail held high, standing behind Jim as the taller man opened the door. 'I am the majestic wolf, untamable and as free as the wind...'

Jim laughed as he shut the door behind them.

~oO0Oo~

"That'll be $9.58 at the first window please."

Jim dug out his wallet as the truck rolled forward ten feet. The wolf sat beside him, facing Jim and leaning his body against the seatback for support. The fluffy tail hung down and off the seat so that it's tip was brushing the carpeting with every start and stop. Expressive blue eyes watched Jim happily, just as if it had been Sandburg himself sitting there. Except Sandburg the human smelled a little better.

The window to Jim's left opened and a teenager's hand reached for money, reminding Jim of the total. As Jim handed over a ten dollar bill, the kid glanced at Jim and his partner for the first time. "Wow, cool dog," the teenager said, a smile reaching his tired face.

"Thanks," Jim replied, not thinking of anything else to say.

"Is it a boy or girl?" the kid asked, scanning the wolf's body in between digging out change from the cash register drawer.

"One hundred percent male," Jim answered as the wolf began sniffing the air and looked out the windshield.

The guy handed Jim the change. "He's awesome. You're not going to feed him this crap are you? Makes my dog sick every time."

Jim threw the change in a cup holder and took the offered bag. "Thanks for the warning," Jim nodded, setting the bag between himself and the wolf.

The teenager punched in the next order on the computer. By the time he looked up, the truck was pulling away. "Wait!" he called. "What's his name?"

~oO0Oo~

Both man and canine entered the quiet and dimly lit loft. Jim set the bag on the table and proceeded to watch his hands. "What do you want to eat Chief?" Jim asked over his shoulder.

'What do I want? Meat. That'd probably be best, right? Nothing greasy like the crap you just bought. You heard the kid.'

Jim turned to see the wolf sitting silently behind him. It was getting damn eerie. "So what, like hamburger or something? I think you're choices are going to be pretty limited." Jim opened the fridge. "On the bright side, looks like all the beer is mine." He smiled and pulled out a package of hamburger that was waiting to be used in spaghetti sauce.

'So we need to go grocery shopping tomorrow, no big deal. There's got to be stuff that's safe for dogs to eat without actually being dog food.'

With a thud, the pound of hamburger fell onto the warming frying pan. Jim grabbed a wooden spoon and begun to break up the cold meat. A soft noise was made and before he knew it, two large paws rested on the counter beside the stove. Jim looked into the testing eyes of the wolf, whose head was now as high as Jim's chin. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked.

'I'm supervising.'

"Get your feet off my counter Sandburg," Jim warned picking up the spoon, shaking it.

With a deliberate sigh, the wolf returned all four paws to the ground. 'Aren't we mister anal tonight...'

'Speaking of anal, now that you're an animal, there is a whole new set of house rules.' Jim picked up a small piece of cooked hamburger and threw it, smiling as it bounced off the wolf's forehead.

The wolf winced and jumped back, using a front leg to swipe the spot of grease, then proceeded to lick the flavor off his foreleg. 'That's kinda good Jim, throw me some more.' The wolf looked up, ears perked. 'More rules? Like what?'

'Like no paws on the counter for one.' Jim thought as he stirred the sizzling meat. 'No licking yourself. No drinking out of the toilet. No humping anything. No hair balls in the shower. Shall I continue?'

'I thought you said new rules.'

Jim smiled as he pulled the cooked hamburger off the range.

'So basically, don't act like a dog. Got it.'

"How about I put this on a paper plate for you?" Jim asked, already dumping the grease down the sink. He looked down and noticed a string of white saliva forming at the corner of the wolf's mouth. Hurrying, he dumped the meat onto a plate and set it on the floor beside his chair. "And don't get drool all over the place," he said as he took his seat.

The wolf looked at him questioningly, tail down and feet far apart. 'You're making me eat off the floor?'

Jim unwrapped his hamburger. "Blair, you're a dog. Dogs eat off the floor." Blair's patented 'Don't Do This to Me, I'm Pitiful' gaze was intensified through the wolf's face. "And don't look at me that way."

The wolf's sides expanded, then relaxed in a sigh as the wolf lowered his head and began to eat. Jim bit into his own dinner but was only half done when the wolf laid it's jowls on the table beside Jim's wrapper. "No begging, either," Jim scolded lightly, using his elbow to push the wet nose back. Two parallel trails of slobber were left behind, shining with reflected light. Jim sighed and couldn't help but smile. He knew this canine was his partner but the furry body brought back memories of his childhood golden retriever. He was very young when the dog was a part of his family. A sweet female by the name of Suzie. The only thing he remembered clearly about her was the unending love she held for everyone. Until this very moment, he didn't realize how much he missed the company of dogs.

Jim finished his dinner quickly and cleaned up before heading to the couch and grabbing the remote. The cushions sank when the weight of the wolf appeared beside him, but Jim held his tongue. The wolf lay down, paws tucked under it's body and head rested on the arm of the couch. The tail gave one last swing before wrapping around it's hind end.

Jim smiled. "What do you feel like watching Chief?" he asked, turning on the TV.

~oO0Oo~

Yawning, Jim looked over at the wolf. It had gotten late but the TV still droned on with the day's news. The wolf lay perfectly still, eyes closed and breathing softly. Jim noticed the small dark spot of fur in the inner corner of the wolf's eyes, almost like tear stains. The rest of the eye area was white with thick, short fur. A dark blaze ran down his forehead and covered the muzzle. Long black whiskers protruded neatly and the dark nose was now warm and dry. The wolf had two-toned erect ears with the insides being white and the backs being brown. From the back of the wolf's neck to the tip of it's tail was covered in longer, coarse fur to protect it from the elements.

Jim felt the pull from his eyelids and he turned off the TV then set the remote down. He had to be at work tomorrow and he had no idea what to do with his partner. Jim stood up and stretched when the wolf's head jerked up. Alert eyes pierced the dimness of the loft to study Jim.

'What'd I miss?'

"I'm going to bed Chief. Been a long day."

Pale blue eyes reflected in the moon's soft glow as the wolf relaxed it's posture. His ears turned to catch all the small sounds never heard before. 'Okay, sounds like a plan.' The wolf quietly jumped to the ground. 'Uh, Jim?'

Jim headed for the bathroom. "Yeah?"

'Uh, when you are done in there, will you um...' the wolf looked away indignantly. 'Can you let me out?'

Jim smiled and flipped on the bathroom light. "Sure Chief."

The wolf watched as the bathroom door closed, darkening the loft once again. He went to the front door and sat on the rug, waiting. After glancing back to the bathroom door, the wolf lay down. Sniffing the layered air, he then began studying his own body. It smelt of the jungle just as strongly as when he had been there. He felt his strong heart pumping hot blood through his system. Curiously, he raised a hind leg over his head and pushed with his front legs so that he could bend his frame. Everything was a little furry, but all was present and accounted for. Thank God spirit guides aren't neutered. He inspected closer and noticed three pair of small, male sized nipples evenly spaced down his lean tummy and covered by long, thin white hair. 'Good God!' he cried, not hearing the bathroom door open.

"Are you licking yourself?!"

The wolf jumped to it's feet, as embarrassed as an animal can look. 'No Jim, I swear I wasn't! Honest! Just looking!'

Teasingly, Jim shook his head. "Wait till I tell that girl you've been drooling over."

'No! You Wouldn't!'

Jim unlocked the door and opened it. "You better be a good boy from now on," he smiled.

'I am always good.'

Jim snorted. After locking the door behind them, he followed the lanky wolf down the hall to the elevator. Surprising Jim, the wolf jumped up and hit the down button with a soft paw. "Why am I here again?" Jim asked, feeling like he wasn't really needed.

'Because you can't go to sleep unless I can and you know it,' the wolf stated. 'And if I was seen outside alone, something bad might happen.'

"Chief, something bad always happens when you're outside alone."

The elevator descended to the building's main floor and deposited it's occupants. After wordlessly waiting for his partner to do his business in the thick cover of surrounding vegetation, Jim let the two of them back in the apartment and shut the door for the last time today. Jim made sure nothing was left out to spoil in the kitchen before heading to the stairs. "Well, see you in the morning Chief."

The wolf looked forlorn as it stood before the French doors. 'Jim, it would really creep me out if I had to sleep with myself. I mean, think about it. Something about that is really spooky. I just don't think-'

"Okay, you can sleep upstairs.' Jim sighed reluctantly. 'But NOT on my bed, understand?"

The wolf's tail rose in happiness. 'Thanks man.' Light fur bounced as the wolf trotted after Jim.

Once upstairs, Jim stripped down to his boxers, throwing his clothes in the hamper as they were peeled off. He slid under the cool covers and watched his partner contemplate the area rug that covered the space below and around the large bed. The wolf sniffed the carpet from the foot of the bed around to Jim's side then stopped and began to rake his thick toenails through the fibers. "What are you doing?" Jim groaned, rolling over.

'This carpet's too crushed,' he explained, continuing to dig. 'I'm just fluffing it up.'

Jim inhaled the dust particles that were rising from the disturbed carpet. He sighed heavily and got out of bed. He walked to the closet and pulled down a clean green sheet. "Here," he said, throwing it on the floor. "I don't like that one anyway."

'Thanks,' came the appreciative reply as the wolf fluffed the blanket, his head down in concentration.

As Jim got back in bed and pulled the covers up, the wolf flopped down with a slight grunt and curled into a tight ball in the middle of his soft nest. "Goodnight," Jim yawned.

The wolf raised it's head long enough to mirror a yawn. 'Goodnight.'

~oO0Oo~

A warm presence beside him woke Jim just enough to make him crack open tired eyes and find the source of the sensation. The wolf lay curled in a ball beside his feet, head up and ears erect, studying the top of the stairs with an intensity that Jim had only seen Blair exhibit when he was figuring out one of the mysteries of the world. Jim listened closer and found the source of his friend's affliction. Out in the hallway, Jim could hear retreating footsteps. Probably just a drunk teenager who got off on the wrong floor, Jim mused. He then briefly contemplated what effects Blair would suffer from having senses so close in intensity to his own. The threat of danger was gone now, and both man and wolf lay their head down in unison and drifted back to a peaceful sleep.

~oO0Oo~

Jim woke to the early Cascade sun warming his face. He smiled and stretched, grabbing the alarm clock and turning off the alarm before it could ring. Before he had any coherent thoughts besides contentment, his hand touched something warm and furry. Jumping with surprise, he rolled over and found the wolf's long, lean body stretched out beside his, facing the opposite direction. It was larger than most wild canines with a size only slightly smaller than the average eighty pound German Shepherd. It's large paws hung over the side of the bed and it's head lay on the edge of the pillow so that it had been just barely touching Jim. With child-like curiosity, Jim reached out and gently ran his hand down the length of the wolf, feeling the half-cone of cartilage in the ear, the sculpted shoulder, each rib moving slightly in and out in time with strong lungs...

'Jim! Wake up man! You zoned out or what?'

Jim snapped back to the present and looked into the steady blue eyes of the wolf. It's muzzle rested awkwardly on it's shoulder so that it was looking backwards. Jim looked down and found his hand resting on the strong thigh of the canine. Jim pulled his hand away with embarrassment. "Sorry.' Then, realizing that his partner was indeed breaking a house rule, yelled, "Get off the bed!"

The wolf sprung down from the bed and stretched, chest to the floor and legs straight and toes flexed, while his hind end was up in the air. He then took a step forward, knees to the floor and nose reaching for the ceiling in a body-waking stretch. Then, after a shake, the wolf looked at Jim. 'Well, I'm ready.'

Jim started to smile then extended his hearing to the room below his, like he did routinely every morning. The familiar strong, steady heartbeat met his ears, but was strangely echoed by the heart of the animal on the floor. Shaking his head to dislodge the confusion, Jim teased, "Why don't you go make me breakfast while I get a shower?"

'Haha.'

"I'm not joking. I don't care that you turned yourself into a freak, it's not my fault. You still have to earn your keep around here." Jim put on his robe with a smile.

'You really want me around a stove with opposable thumbs? Cuz I'll do it...'

"No Sandburg, just wait downstairs. I'll make breakfast." Jim walked barefoot down the stairs, wolf in tow, hopping awkwardly while trying to coordinate four legs.

'At least turn on TV for me. With my new hearing, I could probably hear every move you make in there and that's not something I want for my book.'

Jim grabbed the remote. "You aren't going to want to do a whole bunch of tests now, are you?" He turned on the TV. 'You know, I should be the one testing you now.'

'Later Jim, later.'

The detective rolled his eyes and tossed the remote on the end table. "Be done in a few."

As the bathroom door shut, the wolf cocked his head and watched the TV with curiousness. The picture was black and white through his enhanced vision and he could see the individual pixels which made the screen look funny. He was starting to get motion sickness. The noises were severely off key and sounded muffled and deep due to his keen hearing. The higher notes tickled his ears. He had to shake his head to soothe the itch, ruffling his fur.

The wolf moved away, annoyed that TV viewing was one human event he could no longer participate in. He walked to the balcony and peered out the glass doors. A sense of protectiveness surged inside him and he sat down, nose to the glass and watched the city below with wise vigilance. This must be what Jim feels like, he thought. Knowing you can help almost anyone down there because you're 'special'. The feeling was new to Blair, and he liked it.

"I think you're starting to see things through my eyes."

The wolf had heard Jim coming but was surprised at the sound of the deep voice next to him suddenly. He looked up at his partner with clear eyes that shone in the morning's rays. 'I like the feeling.'

"Me too Chief," Jim sighed, resting a warm hand on the wolf's head. "Me too."

~oO0Oo~

"Okay, wait here. Try not to be seen. I'll be down in a few hours to feed you."

'You want me to just sit here all day?'

"There's no other way Chief," Jim shrugged, shutting the truck door.

'This is animal abuse.' Melancholy blue eyes gazed at Jim through the window, which only amplified his pathetic act.

"Here, I'll open the window," Jim sighed, opening the door.

The wolf slid to the ground before Jim could grab hold of the thick scruff. "Damnit Sand-" Jim glanced around at the scattering of fellow officers. "Dog! Get back in the truck!"

The wolf stood still in a defiant pose. Head and tail up, ears and body leaning forward, the wolf held it's stance three feet away from Jim.

Jim lunged at the wolf, who skitted away effortlessly, cutting through the air like Jim felt nothing should have the right to do. It now stood closer to the building's door, tail wagging slowly and head now down. "Come!" Jim demanded, pointing between his feet.

The wolf sat.

Henri approached Jim from behind, chuckling. "You need to take that mutt back to the kennels and get a Shepherd or something."

"What?" Jim placed his hands on his hips in frustration, glaring at the wolf.

"Isn't this a police dog?"

Jim and the wolf looked at each other. The wolf's head came up and a sparkle flashed in the intelligent eyes. A knowing smile spread over Jim. "Yeah H, this is my new police dog. I just got him yesterday."

"That's so unfair man," Henri sulked. "I wish Simon would let me get one. I've been asking forever. "

With new purpose, the wolf approached Jim and sat perfectly in front of him. "Well this is only a trial deal the mayor suggested," Jim explained, hoping his story would hold water. 'I have to go through a lot of handler training.'

'I can tell.' Henri knelt down and extended the back of his hand to the dog. "What's his name?"

Jim's mind slipped off track momentarily. He hadn't thought about that! He would have to think of something clever later. "His name is trouble if he doesn't get inside right now," Jim said, starting for the door with a pat on his left thigh. "Heel."

The wolf gently nuzzled Henri's hand before following Jim inside. 'You don't have to be so rude.'

"You better behave,' Jim said in a low voice. 'This police dog thing had better be pretty damn believable."

'How can this not work? It's perfect. So perfect, I'm surprised I didn't think of it myself.'

Jim rolled his eyes as they started up the steps. "A police dog that's full of himself. Great."

'Think about it, I'll be the number one police dog in the country because I can actually understand you. Simon will be so impressed! Heck, everyone will be impressed! We'll have a movie made after us!'

"Yeah, you might start earning your keep around here," Jim teased, flicking the wolf on the back of the head.

The wolf bounced up the last two stairs and turned sharply, rising up and planting it's front paws on Jim's chest. Looking Jim in the eye he warned, 'Do that again and I'll lift my leg on your desk.'

Jim playfully shoved the wolf to the floor. "You'll be licking it up, mutt." He pushed open the door to the bullpen. Looking down at the furry head he sighed, "It's go time."

Together they wove through the path of fellow officers en route to Jim's desk. The friendly chatter was slowly replaced by hushed murmurs of jealousy or sarcasm as the wolf pranced proudly by Jim's side. Officer Morgan, a rather uppity fellow cop, approached Jim with a smirk. 'So I see you finally decided to trade in that punk kid for a real working partner.'

'Excuse me?' Jim stopped and clenched his jaw slightly. The wolf also stopped in heel position and fixed an defensive gaze on the trouble making officer.

Morgan, not understanding the warning signs, continued, 'What happened, did his mommy tell him that pretend time was over?'

'Mr. Sandburg, my partner, is a great asset to the division, probably greater than you, so if you don't mind going back and sitting behind that little desk of yours like a good traffic cop, I would be greatly obliged.'

'Hey Jim, watch this.'

Both Jim and Officer Morgan looked down to the wolf who was baring his white and pointed canine teeth as the fur on his back began to rise. Hunched down, he took a step forward, causing Morgan to step back into the desk behind him.

'Hey Ellison, you keep that thing away from me. I'll have you suspended for abuse of power so fast''

The wolf huffed and licked it's nose, advancing further. Morgan put his hand on his gun and a crowd began to gather.

Trying to contain his humor, Jim started, 'Relax. He's just trying to scare you. It's what he has been bred and trained to do.' Jim started to turn, adding 'He won't attack until I give the word.'

A deep growl began to rumble from the wolf's chest.

'That's enough. Come.' Jim patted the side of his leg.

In an instant, the wolf wheeled and was back at the detective's side. Morgan let out a small sigh and decided against having the final word and instead headed back to his desk.

'Wasn't that awesome?'

'Sure Chief.'

'I'm invincible! No one wants to mess with you when you have fangs,' he boasted as he trotted along. When they reached Jim's desk, the wolf sat beside Jim's chair. 'To bad I can't do your paperwork for you anymore.'

'I'm sure there's plenty of other things for you to do,' Jim said. 'Like running errands and such,' he said, spotting the breakfast cart. Jim opened a desk drawer and pulled out some change. 'First off you can go get me something to eat.'

'Jim, police dogs don't do that sorta thing.'

'Normal people don't drink algae or turn themselves into wild animals either!'

'Point taken, but don't you think-'

Jim held an envelope containing currency in front of the wolf's white muzzle. 'Fetch.'

~oO0Oo~

Simon opened the door of his office then opened his mouth to call Ellison. A flash of silver fur disappear around the corner of the desk nearest him. He looked down into his steaming mug of expensive coffee with a question on his face. With a shudder, he blinked a few times and shook his head. 'Ellison!'

~oO0Oo~

The wolf trotted silently through the mingling detectives and office furniture. The change rubbed softly against the paper of the envelope, a sound too quiet for a human to hear. Where was the donut lady? He couldn't see her through all the legs before him. Senses aside, being a quadruped was beginning to have it's disadvantages. 'I bet I can smell her out,' he thought with excitement at being able to put this capable nose to work. Tuning in to his powerful nose, the wolf concentrated on sorting through the smells, the same way he had taught Jim how to do. He slowly picked his way through intertwined perfume and cologne fragrances, gun metal, ink, leather, hairspray'finally! The deep-fried, sugar covered, calorie-saturated breakfast was located. The wolf followed his twitching nose out in the hall and was rewarded by finding his target. She stood in her knee-length skirt and pretty blouse, handing the death donuts to passing officers. The wolf crept up behind her and gently pushed his cool nose under the hem of her skirt. After all, dogs can get away with that sorta thing.

She let out a startled sound and whirled on her heels. 'Well hello there you gorgeous thing,' she smiled, reaching out and placing a warm hand between the wolf's ears. 'Where'd you come from?'

The wolf let out an impatient whine and lifted his head, jingling the change in his envelope.

The woman reached down and took the envelope. 'What have you got here?' She started to read, 'Two bear claws for Ellison.' She looked back to the wolf. 'So Jim got himself a police dog? And the first thing he teaches it is to fetch breakfast,' she continued under her breath. 'Typical.' She started wrapping up the small order and her tone changed. 'Well, you don't look like the typical police dog. You're kinda different aren't you? I thought only German Shepherds and those other ones, what are they called? The Tervuren? Any way, I thought only those big dogs could be police dogs. But then again, Jim gets away with a lot around here. Heck, maybe he trained you himself!'

The wolf looked at her with intent blue eyes.

The woman sighed and held the bag down. 'Well here you go. Tell Jim I said hi.' Then one more time she bent down to stroke the silky fur. A rough paw came up to rest on her knee. She took the offered foot and shook it gently before letting go. 'You're welcome.'

The wolf turned, donut bag clamped between powerful jaws, and trotted happily in the direction of Jim's desk. Head and tail head high, he moved lightly as he dodged hurried detectives. Erect ears listened to sounds all around him, rotating constantly. His black nose twitched, identifying more minute smells than Blair ever thought possible. The thick tail swung back and forth lazily, keeping balance.

Upon returning to Jim's now empty desk, the wolf searched his black and white surroundings for his partner. 'Where'd he go?' Then, seeing Simon's closed door, realized that was the most likely place his partner would be. Same as yesterday and every morning before that. The wolf bounced to the closed door and sat down. *Scratch, scratch*

He could hear voices on the other side, talking too loudly to notice the faint sound of his scratching on the door. 'Plan B.' He jumped against the door, standing on his stout hind legs, and pushed the handle down with a forepaw. The door swung in and the wolf fell to all fours, now looking happily between the surprised Jim and Simon. 'Hey guys, what's up?'

'Sandburg,' Jim sighed as he got up and shut the door behind his partner.

Simon studied the animal as it approached the vacant chair beside Jims' and placed a white paper bag on the seat. 'So you're telling me that this mutt is your partner?'

The wolf huffed as it flopped it's hind end on the floor to the right of Jim.

'Well, yes. Technically, he's a wolf. A wolf from the spirit world.' Jim returned to his seat.

The wolf yawned, revealing a mouth of white teeth and a long pink tongue. As it's jaws closed the thick lips curled inwards, sticking to the pointed canine teeth and giving him the appearance of smiling. The wolf then licked it's lips and nose at the awkward feeling and sat quietly.

'But yet it's here, very much not a spirit.'

'Well'yes.'

'You guys can quit talking about me like I'm not here.'

Simon shook his head. 'Jim, you've asked a lot of me, and I've usually gone ahead with whatever that might be, but to ask me to believe that Blair Sandburg has turned himself into a dog is just something that I totally cannot grasp. At all.' Simon fingered a cigar with impatience.

'Simon, look at him.'

'I see it Jim, a dog. Nothing more.'

Jim rose, grabbing the wolf roughly by the thick, loose scruff on the back of it's neck and lifting the body so that the front paws were resting on the edge of Simon's desk. Wild blue eyes looked at startled brown ones. 'Jim, what do you think you're-'

'Simon, just look at him. Really look.'

Simon closed his mouth, set down his mug of high quality coffee, and searched the animal's eyes. After a few seconds of silence, the wolf's tail rose from between it's back legs and slowly swung nervously back and forth. Simon glanced at Jim with realization. 'By God Jim,' Simon said softly, returning his gaze to the wolf.

Jim released his hold on his partner and folded his arms over his chest. 'Tell him to do something. Anything you wouldn't think a dog could understand.'

Simon thought. His eyes landed on a picture of his son and himself on a camping trip. He picked it up and showed to the wolf. 'Who's Daryl?'

'For crying' out loud,' the wolf grumbled with discernment. It rolled it's eyes as a white paw was lifted and a single medial toenail lightly tapped the image of the smaller figure then fell back to the desk. He then looked to Jim.

Simon also looked to Jim. A smile slowly poured over his face. 'Do you know what this means?'

Jim also smiled. 'I've been told that we have the world's smartest dog.'

The wolf pushed away from Simon's desk and padded over to the forgotten doughnuts. 'I don't work for free. I need breakfast.'

~oO0Oo~

After the three consumed a sugary breakfast, Simon asked, "So what's his name?"

"Name?"

"Yeah, it might seem a little strange if you were calling this 'dog' by your partner's name."

"Well, I hadn't really thought of one."

'I want a super cool name, like Lightning or Butch or-'

"You should call him Wolf," Simon suggested casually.

Simon looked at Jim. Jim looked at the wolf. The wolf stood and broke into a light pant with his excitement. 'I like it!'

"Well that was easy," Jim remarked.

Simon smiled, assuming that Blair had agreed upon the name. "That's Sandburg, cheap and easy."

'Hey, I resemble that remark.'

"So we have a name. We need a water tight alibi."

Simon grabbed a pen and a pad of Post-it notes and began scribbling. "That should be covered. I have a buddy in the PD dog training department who owes me a favor. I'll give him a call and see what we can come up with. In the meantime, keep the mutt on a leash. Literally." Simon finished by pointing his pen at Jim.

The wolf sighed heavily and it's wet nose flared. 'Jim, this is humiliating enough! I'm naked, covered in fur, and I smell like a dog! Don't make me wear a collar around my neck!'

"So I'll buy you a little dog sweater, shave you, and give you a bath."

Simon looked questioningly at Jim while the wolf retorted, 'You just wait till I'm human again.'

Jim sniffed and rubbed his nose, not validating his partner's threat. "Seriously Sandburg, you're upsetting my allergies. You need a bath."

'Your allergies were fine till now.'

Simon was growing confused with only hearing half the conversation. Confusion always leads to headaches. Simon checked his watch. Yup, only ten forty-five. Sighing, he cleared his throat. "Why don't you guys take off early. Get things straightened out. I'll call you if anything comes up." He paused. "Actually, take some paperwork with you. I expect it on my desk first thing tomorrow."

"Yes sir. Thank you." Jim stood and ruffled the wolf's fur. "Come on Chief."

The wolf looked at Simon for a moment longer then obediently followed Jim out of the office. Simon watched the bushy tail disappear through the door. "I sure hope this works," he sighed, rubbing his temples.

~oO0Oo~

'Jim, you can't be serious.'

"Sandburg, you can't do it yourself and it's really bothering me. I'm serious. My head has been stuffy and it's only getting worse."

The wolf stood in the doorway of the loft's bathroom, tail down and head lowered. 'So turn down the dials.'

"Already on zero." Jim reached for the faucet. "Now come here."

The wolf turned and soundlessly ran into the loft.

Jim sighed. "Sandburg,' he called, 'I've seen a dog's anatomy before. I think it's all the same."

'You haven't seen this dog's anatomy before,' came the resilient reply from somewhere in the loft.

Jim smiled. "Fine, have it the hard way." He stepped onto the loft's wood floor and extended his sense of hearing. The familiar but fast beat of his guide's heart pounded it's steady rhythm from behind the couch. "Don't make me drag your mangy hide back in there."

'You have to catch me first,' came the taunt.

Jim moved to the side of the couch and found the wolf crouched low to the ground, ears pinned back against his skull and tail tucked between it's legs. Jim bent down in front of the frightened animal and over-reacting partner. "Come on, do it for me?"

Sparkling, intensely blue eyes looked knowingly at Jim. The two assessed each other for a few moments before the wolf smiled in a way that only canines can. 'You gotta catch me first!' he exclaimed before leaping out from his hiding place and darting up the stairs to Jim's room.

Sighing as he felt his headache increase a few notches, Jim stood and headed for the bottom of the stairs. He had to hand it to the young man, being in a wolf's body increased his agility. 'You better not be on the bed,' he warned. 'I found a fur ball the size of a Chihuahua on my pillow this morning.'

'Hey, you're not the sleekest guy around either! Maybe you should consider getting a wax job one of these days.'

Jim reached the top of the steps and easily pinpointed the wolf hiding under the bed. 'You're funny Sandburg,' Jim said as he slid the oak dresser over in front of the staircase. 'But I'm afraid you're cornered.'

A black nose stretched out from under the side of the bed, twitching slightly as it sniffed the air. Jim quickly and quietly went to the other side of the bed and dove to the floor. He reached under the bed and grabbed whatever he could, which happened to be the tail of one very startled wolf. The wolf let out a sharp yelp and tensed every muscle in the lean body. Toenails dug into the wood floor and veins emerged in exertion as he tried to crawl away. Jim slowly reeled in the animal, pulling with his firm grip on the base of the wolf's tail. First exposed was a rump, then a slender ribcage, shoulders, then at last, the noble head as sixteen toenail left their marks.

'Jim let me go, I promise-'

'No can do little buddy.' Jim hefted the wolf over his shoulder, gripping it around the waist. He felt nails dig into the flesh of his back as the wolf struggled to maintain balance. 'You know, you'd be a lot easier to rescue if you only weighed seventy pounds all the time.'

The wolf huffed and swung it's tail to hit Jim in the face. As Jim replaced the dresser and started down the stairs the wolf began to shout, 'Animal abuse! Someone help!' The actual sound that escaped the animal was more like a grunting noise.

Jim stepped into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. 'No one can hear you,' he smiled. 'You're all mine.'

'That's kinda creepy Jim.'

'I don't mean it like that, smart ass.'

The water began running and the wolf watched helplessly. With a sigh of defeat, he approached the shower at Jim's motion. He stopped at the chest-high ledge of the tub.

'Let me help you,' Jim said as he started to bend down.

The wolf tensed to jump. 'I can do it,' he said in avoidance. Back legs hardened then he sprang over the side, slipping when his front paws made contact with the shower's wet, smooth floor. The wolf went down before Jim could react and crumpled in a mass of water and fur.

Jim helped the wolf stand on it's seemingly too-thin legs. 'You okay?'

'I meant to do that,' he stated indignantly and sat down.

Jim smiled. He grabbed the nearest bottle of Blair's shampoo and poured a generous amount on the animal's back, between it's shoulder blades. As it began to creep down it's spine, Jim recapped the bottle and replaced it then set to work on lathering his canine partner. He concentrated on the feel of the thick, coarse fur as it swirled under his fingers, the muscles of the foreign body that were yet so familiar, and the thin but strong ribcage that protected the wolf's organs. He pulled the animal into a standing position and carefully started lathering the powerful thighs.

The wolf stood brokenly and barely breathing, only moving to hold the pose his friend placed him in. If he had human cheeks, they would be flushed. He licked his lips as a drop of water rolled down his muzzle and off the tip of his nose. He felt gentle hands on his belly and arched his back.

'All done,' Jim stated, standing up and reaching for the shower head. As he rinsed the animal off, muddy water and hair swirled down the drain. A slim figure was revealed, more so than what Jim had imagined. 'You're a bony little thing aren't' you?' Jim teased. 'We'll have to put some more meat on you.'

The wolf tensed abnormally and cocked it's head. 'Jim, I have to-' Without further warning, the wolf shook, sending warm droplets of water and mud spraying everywhere. Had Jim not been so startled, he would have noticed how beautifully the drops of water reflected a rainbow of lights before bursting on contact with his skin and shirt. The water that had been close to the wolf's skin was now perched at the ends of the wolf's fur, ready to fall to the floor with the slightest movement. For a moment, both partners were still and silent.

Then Jim winced, blinked and wiped his face with his free hand. He looked at the smiling, dripping, spiky-haired thing in front of him. 'That was so not nice, Sandburg.'

At last his tail waved side to side. 'Sorry man, I couldn't help it, really'' his eyes sparkled and darted from Jim to the floor, to the ceiling. 'Reflex?' he offered.

Jim glared.

'Weren't you talking about food? I'm starving.' The wolf turned and placed a paw on the side of the tub, and knowing Jim would assist him over the ledge this time, he waited.

Jim grabbed a towel and blotted the drips that fell to pool on the floor. 'You stay there.' He shut off the water and threw the towel over the wolf's back as it remained in the rub. As Jim began rubbing him dry, the wolf leaned into the strong massage. 'Enjoying yourself?' Jim questioned, noticing the wolf's relaxed stance and tired eyes.

'You know, the field of pet rehabilitation therapy is growing,' the wolf sighed.

Jim smiled and removed the towel, holding it in front of himself to prepare for the animal's full body shake. This time only minute droplets of water became airborne. Jim grabbed the wolf by the scruff and under it's belly then quickly lifted it out of the tub and onto the bathmat. Jim stood up and tossed the wet towel into the hamper. 'That's a lot better,' he commented, noticing the animal's coat shine with a new brilliance. And lack of irritating dander.

The wolf remained where he was, his expressive blue eyes contrasting so much with the white fur on his face that Jim found it hard to look away. 'What?' was all he could muster.

'If I didn't know any better, I'd say you liked manhandling me.'

'Your sick and twisted little mind would conceive something like that.'

The wolf went to the bathroom counter and proceeded to lift it's leg.

'Sandburg!' Jim shouted, opening the door and shooing him out. 'What the hell's wrong with you?'

The wolf sat in front of Jim and smiled. 'Gotcha.'

Jim turned back to the counter but could detect no urine. Inside, he sighed. 'Remind me to call that new vet downtown and ask prices for neutering.'

'Oh, hey, and don't forget to ask about declawing large cats,' the wolf shot back. Before Jim could say anything else, he added, 'I'm still hungry.'

'Yes Master,' Jim saluted.

~oO0Oo~

The wolf had spent the afternoon curled in a tight, shivering ball while Jim cooked chicken and rice. At first Jim tried not to notice his miserable partner but eventually took pity and laid down a fluffy blanket. One of Sandburg's, of course. The animal got up only long enough to plop down in the center of his new nest. With a sigh of contentment, those brilliant blue eyes closed.

Jim had dressed up his chicken but left the wolf's natural. Jim figured he was no veterinarian and had no desire to feed his best friend something that was fatal to dogs. So he chopped up the chicken into bite sized hunks and mixed it into a bowl of white rice. Didn't actually look all that bad. With interest, Jim crept up to his sleeping companion and placed the bowl in front of the wolf's nose. On reflex, the small stomach growled. Jim noticed the canine's third eyelid as the opaque layer of skin covered the blue eyes protectively. 'Creepy,' he thought as the animal slept on. After a few seconds of watching the wolf twitch in it's sleep, he gently shook it. 'Chief, wake up. It's getting cold.'

The wolf's head snapped up in alertness. Once he registered Jim, he relaxed. 'Lunch already?' he asked sarcastically. 'I've only been waiting all afternoon.'

'Shut that ungrateful snout of yours and eat this slop.'

The wolf stood and stooped over the bowl. He wasn't ungrateful in the least. He understood how powerless he was without hands. As he tasted the chicken dish before him, his stomach gave it's approval. His mouth watered as he swallowed more and more of the tempting poultry.

'I take that as a compliment Chief,' Jim grinned as he sat at the table with his own plate.

After a few more gulps, the wolf raised it's head to look at Jim. 'This is really good, man.'

Jim adopted a look of disgust as he watched a long, shiny, transparent string of drool dangle back and forth from the bottom of the wolf's lower jaw as it chewed. Was that a piece of rice at the end? The drool reached for the ground, taunting Jim during it's slow decent. Finally it broke and landed on the clean wood floor. A bubble formed right in the middle of the spit puddle. Jim swallowed. 'Uh, yeah.' He turned back to his plate, finding it not so appetizing anymore.

The wolf continued to eat as the bowl inched it's way across the floor. The refrigerator kicked on and one ear rotated to catch the noise. A knock on the door interrupted the wolf from licking the bowl clean.

Jim rose and extended his sense of smell to discover Joel was on the other side of the door. With a friend.

Jim opened the door to a smiling Joel. 'Hey Jim! Just wanted to stop by, am I interrupting anything?'

Jim looked behind him. The wolf stared back with interest. 'No, just feeding the livestock.' Jim turned back to Joel and stepped aside, allowing him access to the loft. 'Come on in.'

Joel smiled his thanks and started inside. 'This is Lucy, do you mind if she comes in too?'

Jim looked at the bouncing Golden Retriever at Joel's side. He could feel another headache coming on. 'No, not at all. She yours?'

'Yeah, the wife wanted a jogging partner but the damn dog's lazier than me.' He smiled and scratched the dog's neck. 'I thought since you were new to the whole pet ownership thing that Lucy and I would help you out. I don't know how well the training academy supplies you.'

'You didn't have to drive all the way over here to go shopping with me,' Jim started.

Lucy tugging against her leash, having taken notice of the gray dog in the kitchen. The wolf looked at Jim with the old-fashioned 'deer in the headlights' look. 'You mind if I let her sniff?' Joel asked, dropping the leash before Jim could reply.

Jim watched with an evil grin as the Golden bounded to his partner, tail wagging furiously and showering her new companion with slimy licks.

'Stay back!' the wolf ordered, backing away from the enthusiastic animal. 'Fetch! Sit! Roll over! JIM!'

Joel laughed. 'Looks like they like each other.'

Jim grinned. 'Yeah.'

Lucy caught scent of the wolf's meal and contented herself to licking the bowl impossibly cleaner. The wolf then ran to Jim, who was about to have a seat on the couch with Joel. He glided effortlessly onto the cushion and plopped down.

'You let him on the furniture?' Joel asked. 'You hardly let Hairboy on the furniture.'

'The dog has less fleas,' Jim murmured, glaring at the animal. 'Off.'

The wolf gave his best big-eyed puppy face, which wasn't much different from Blair's usual heart breaking gaze. 'Jim'' he whined softly.

Joel reached out his hand at the wolf's sad cry. 'How can you say no to this?' he asked Jim as he pet the wolf.

Jim shook his head with growing frustration. No matter what form he was in, Sandburg always got all the sympathy and Jim was always the bad guy. 'Don't tell me that the captain of the bomb squad lets his home life be ruled by that?' he asked, pointing to the Golden Retriever that was lying on the floor licking her female parts. Joel blushed and scolded her, causing the dog to come bounding to her owner and proceed to lick his hands. 'That's what I thought,' Jim grinned, watching Joel wipe his hands on his pants.

Joel changed the subject. 'So what's the kid think of the dog? I bet he's in love with it.'

'Yeah, he loves it all right,' Jim said, glancing to the closed French doors. 'Too bad he's visiting his mom right now. He's missing all the excitement. You want something to drink?'

'Yeah, water would be great. So where'd Sand-'

'Wolf, go get a drink,' Jim commanded, intentionally interrupting Joel.

Joel fell silent and watched the dog stare at Jim before slowly getting off the couch and padding to the kitchen. With a tug on the hand towel that had been tied around the handle on the refrigerator door, the dog nosed his way through the bottom shelf and selected a bottle of water. A white paw knocked the water from the fridge to the floor. The dog then gently set it's jaws around the bottle and picked it up, leaning against the door to shut it. Joel smiled with admiration as the dog returned and deposited the water in his lap.

'Holy shit Jim, do you know how impossible it would be for my dog to do that? That is like the most incredible thing I've ever seen!'

The wolf glowed.

Jim shrugged. 'Yeah, he comes in handy sometimes.' He rubbed the wolf's head. 'But he still stinks.'

Joel motioned to Lucy. 'Watch this,' he said. 'Lucy, sit!' The Golden cocked her head. 'Sit!' Joel repeated, holding his hand above her head. The dog jumped on him. 'You see?' Joel asked as he shoved the dog to the floor. 'This sack of fur is useless.'

Jim smiled. The dog clearly loved her owner, and that's what dogs were really for. It didn't matter what 'tricks' they could do, what mattered was that at the end of the day, one living being was devoted to you and actually gave a damn. Jim mentally shook off all the emotional crap that had just squirmed it's way inside his head. After all, he never had a real dog growing up and he turned out just fine.

He found himself staring in the crystal blue eyes of his former partner. 'Well, uh, are we going out or sitting here all afternoon?' he asked all the inhabitants of the room.

'Park?' Joel asked as he stood, causing a new wave of energy to tear through Lucy.

'Sounds great,' Jim replied, also standing. He watched as Joel clipped the leather leash to Lucy's collar and felt like maybe he should do the same except he didn't have a leash, or a collar, or even a dog for that matter. He had a spirit animal and it seemed a little unnecessary to have to tether one of those to you.

He glanced around to make sure everything was turned off then opened the door and grabbed his keys. 'Lead the way,' he said as the four exited the apartment.

~o0O0o~

As Joel talked about his life, the dog's life, and life at the station, Jim studied the wolf's physique compared to Joel's Golden Retriever. Lucy was trotting happily in front of Joel, lunging at people and animals and butterflies and even certain rocks that might want to greet her. The wolf, on the other hand, was walking calmly beside Jim in perfect heel position. Not that Jim knew what that was or if it was important. The wolf walked with pride, maybe an abnormal amount of pride for a canine. In this quiet, reserved way, he had managed to attract as much attention as the hyperactive Retriever in front of him. His white feet were a sharp contrast for the blacktop path they traveled along. Intelligent eyes scanned the scenery and his wet nose absorbed scents like a starving person gathers food at a buffet. Jim had to admit, his partner had transformed himself into a very stunning animal.

A nudge from Joel interrupted his thoughts. 'You mind?'

'What?' Jim looked around, realizing they were stopped before a young, blond mother with two small children.

'Can we pet the doggie?' the oldest of the children asked.

Jim studied the child who was approximately five or six. Hopeful brown eyes studied him in return. Jim looked to the smiling, expectant mother then glanced down at the wolf beside him. 'Uh, yeah, sure.'

The two children rushed the wolf, wrapping their arms around him and stroking him all over. The wolf let out a cry in surprise but remained where he was. 'Thanks Jim.' Wide blue eyes glared at the taller man. 'I owe you for this.'

Jim smiled and looked at the children's mother. 'He loves children.'

'He's beautiful,' the woman replied. 'What breed is it?'

Jim's smile faded a little and he looked to the wolf who was being petted clumsily on his head. The small girl wrapped her tiny hands around the wolf's muzzle and placed a noisy kiss on the wet nose. 'What breed'' Jim echoed softly in thought, pretty sure the answer couldn't be 'Spirit Wolf.'. 'He's uh'Husky'Shepherd. A mix.' Jim finished confidently.

'Well he's very pretty. Tell the doggie bye-bye,' the mother told her children. 'It's time to go.' The children released their playmate and returned obediently to their mother's side. 'Thank the nice man,' she added as they started walking.

'Tanks Jim,' the youngest waved as the small family continued on their way.

Joel looked at Jim, who looked at the wolf, who looked back at Jim. 'Okay, that was creepy.'

'Who were they?' Joel asked. 'You holding out on me?'

Jim tried to understand how the child could have known his name. The kid couldn't have heard Blair, could he? Jim broke his attention and redirected it to a commotion over in the grass. A clown was handing out large colorful balloons to the children that surrounded him. Children squealed with excitement and some in disappointment as their balloons were pulled out of uncoordinated hands by the gentle summer breeze. Suddenly a balloon popped, causing them all to jump at the sudden loud noise.

'Lucy!' Joel yelled as his body jerked.

Jim turned to see the Golden flying down the path away from the noise, her tail tucked and ears back. The leash was flapping in the wind behind her, as if taunting the humans. As Joel and Jim started to run after the frightened dog, the wolf passed them quickly. 'I got her,' the wolf tossed into the air, his words floating back to Jim.

Running in this new form was exhilarating. His lank body stretched out to it's fullest, then his feet touched down together on the hot pavement before long legs and strong shoulders propelled him forward again. The wind streamed over his body, lifting the thick fur and floating his tail behind him. Air rushed in his ears, causing the rest of the park's noises to blend together.

Jim watched his partner get further and further away. The two grown men, police detectives or not, were no match for their four legged companions. The canines were quickly out of sight.

~oO0Oo~

The wolf followed his query into a developing neighborhood. Eight feet pounded the warm concrete as the two canines raced down the sidewalk. Panting wildly, the wolf tuned his ears into the sounds behind him, hoping to hear Jim and Joel. He had been running for nearly three quarters of a mile now. After hearing nothing but his own sore paws pounding pavement and his gasping breath, he returned his concentration to willing the sixty pound Golden Retriever to slow down. As if on command, the dog turned and darted across a front lawn, leaped up a few concrete porch steps, and plopped down in front of a glass storm door, her tongue quivering with the rapid panting.

The wolf let out a small cry with relief. He trotted after her, following suit and laying down next to her. 'You are a very bad dog,' he huffed, collapsing onto his side on the cool, shaded concrete. 'Very bad dog.' Then exhaustion claimed him.

~oO0Oo~

'BAD DOG!'

The wolf jolted to awareness at the shout over his head. Before him stood one very red faced Joel, and Jim didn't look too happy either. He licked his lips as he remembered where he was. 'Hey Jim, nice day for a jog, huh?'

Jim wiped the sweat from his forehead as Joel reached down and grabbed Lucy by the scruff, dragging her towards him. She whimpered softly as he grabbed her leash and tugged with frustration. 'Come. We're going home.'

The wolf rose stiffly on tired legs and obediently went to Jim's side. 'Jim, tell him to be nice to her. She's just a dog.'

Almost simultaneously, Jim said, 'Hey Joel, no harm done right? Take it easy on her.'

'That's easy for you to say with your specially trained police dog,' Joel retorted, although he loosened his grip on the animal.

'Trust me, he still has his faults.'

The four companions turned and headed in the direction of home. 'Hey, how about you come over for dinner tonight? I'm sure the wife won't mind.'

Jim stepped onto the sidewalk and glanced at Joel. 'Uh, I don't know-'

'Come on. We'd love to have you. Bring the dog. We can watch the game.'

'Your wife won't mind?'

Joel smiled. 'Heck no. You're practically family.'

'Well, I guess.'

'Good man,' Joel smiled, briefly resting a hand on Jim's shoulder. 'Tonight's steak night.'

Jim laughed, 'Well why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?'

'Jim I'm hungry.'

'Not now.'

'What?'

'Uh, poor cow.' Jim blushed slightly. 'Steak and all. What time's dinner?'

The men came into view of the park entrance. 'Eight. We'll be waiting.'

Jim smiled as he and the wolf headed back to the loft. 'Well Sandburg, looks like we gotta date tonight.'

~oO0Oo~

The truck rolled to a soft stop in the parking space under a streetlight. The 'Cody's Quick Stop' sign glowed in the cool night air. Jim put the truck in park and turned off the ignition. 'Alright, I'll be right back. You stay here.'

The wolf sat in the passenger seat, watching the detective's movement with mild interest. 'Yeah yeah, just hurry up. It's starting to get cold already.'

Jim opened the door and stood in the parking lot. 'Tough it out for five minutes. Think about a nice big steak.' The detective smiled and shut the locked door before turning and heading into the small grocery store.

The wolf huffed, causing a cloud of steam to throw fog on the windshield. 'Chief stay here, stay here Chief, stay put'' the wolf pouted, 'the least he could do is leave the radio on.'

Piercing blue eyes studied the minimal night life around the store's parking lot. His sensitive ears picked up the sounds of a raccoon rooting through a trash can at the edge of the lot. A black Bonneville drove by the front of the store. An elderly man exited the building with an armload of groceries.

His stomach released a gurgle of frustration. 'Steak,' the wolf sighed to himself. 'Steak, steak steak,' he began to sing softly.

A pair of headlights flashed suddenly, causing him to jump back to awareness. He rose on all fours on the truck's bench seat and looked out the driver's window, ears erect. The black Bonneville was stopped outside of the store in the fire lane. Another car was in front of it, about thirty feet away and facing the Bonneville. The to cars flashed their lights at each other two more times, then three men yielding large shotguns got out and ran through the entrance doors. The drivers of the cars, also packing guns, blocked the doors their partners had just disappeared through. Inside, a single shot rang out.

Wide eyes processed what was going on. Muscles tensed and hair stood on end. Lips raised into a protective posture and a low growl rumbled it's way up his throat. The lean body sprang into motion, throwing himself against the glass with no success. With a sharp yelp he bounced back onto the seat. Undeterred and rising up on his haunches, the wolf began clawing furiously at the door. The single urge to protect his partner raised above everything else, no matter the form he was in. 'God Damnit, why do these things always happen to me?' the wolf cursed to himself. His digging was amounting to nothing except worn toenails and shredded vinyl.

With pure frustration and protective instincts, the wolf turned and jumped to the passenger side of the seat, the turned again and sat. His gaze locked on the two men outside the store. He collected his nerves and courage, bracing them for what would most likely amount in serious pain. Then he shut his eyes and leaped at the window with all his might.

~oO0Oo~

Jim heard multiple guns cock and knew that the night was in for a rough turn. His hand went for his gun as three masked men burst through the entrance.

'Hands up! I swear to God I'll kill anyone who even looks at me funny!' A gunshot enhanced the shouted threat.

Jim decided against playing hero. At least for right now. Outside he could hear two more heartbeats. Curses and promises of money were murmured between the two outside. The armed men inside proceeded to hold the hostages in a corner while the third raided the register. The events were playing out quickly and Jim stood still with the small group of innocent bystanders. He was starting to recognize one of the men as wanted from the precinct. If he remained inconspicuous, he could follow the perps after they left using his senses. They hadn't hurt anyone yet. Once they were holed, he could call for back up and once again save the day. No one would even get hurt.

As if on cue, his thoughts were interrupted by the distant sound of shattering glass. He had a gut feeling his truck would now need repaired.

~oO0Oo~

The wolf landed hard on the unforgiving pavement as shards of glass rained down around him. He blinked and looked around, trying to focus on the well-lit convenience store. The sparkling glass distorted his black and white vision momentarily. When he got his bearings, he realized that the two criminals securing the entrance looking in his direction. With a deep breath of crisp night air, he leaped into the shadows of the other parked cars.

His heart was pounding with adrenaline. 'This was stupid,' he muttered to himself. 'Wolves can't fire guns, they can't call 911...' He started quietly slinking through the shadows with instinctual ease. He had to make it inside and cause a distraction for Jim. He only hoped Jim wasn't already doing something stupid. The bad guys tended to freak when they found out that a cop was foiling their plans.

The wolf padded up to the store's back door and sniffed. The smell of grease, wood, and coffee trickled out from underneath the door. He glanced around the alley to make sure no one saw him, then placed his front feet on the door. Nothing happened. He tried again, pushing harder and raking his paws over the door handle. After several attempts, the door clicked open and swung inward. Tail up, the wolf trotted inside.

Shouting became louder as he made his way through the storage area at the back of the store. He walked as softly as he could to prevent his toenails from clicking on the concrete. Blue eyes picked the way through the thick darkness of shadows and abandonment. Sometimes he could swear his life was a TV show with all the danger he seemed to find himself in. 'Yeah right,' he huffed quietly, 'who'd believe a story about a cop with heightened senses?'

The door to the retail part of the store was open slightly. He pressed his glistening black nose to the crack and inhaled, getting a mental picture of his company and where they stood. The first thing he recognized was Jim. He stretched his neck as he searched for more scents. He recognized the smell of guns, then leather and smoke. He felt the hair on his back stand up with excitement and fear and a little anger thrown in as well. The deep voices of the criminals caused him to shiver.

Something interrupted his concentration and he opened his eyes to see Jim staring back at him from across the room. 'Don't you do anything,' Jim whispered behind the back of the nearest robber.

The wolf blinked. His tail swung back and forth slowly. Not do anything? Was he out of his mind? 'I'm going to help,' the wolf replied, taking one soundless step forward through the door.

Jim glared and his jaw twitched. He glanced at the robbers. They had almost collected all the money. When he looked back to the wolf, it was gone.

'What do you find so interesting over there?' the largest of the burglars snapped, getting in Jim's personal space.

Jim's face remained calm. 'Nothing.'

'Normal people don't find nothing very interesting when their life is on the line,' came the harsh reply. The man took a step forward. 'Normal people don't even stay calm under these circumstances.'

Now the other two men had focused their attention on Jim. The wolf's body hung low to the ground as he inched his way forward. Bony shoulders and hips protruded through the tough skin as his hackles raised. A tingly feeling of excitement and protectiveness was soon overwhelming. His lips curled, exposing two shiny white fangs.

'What do you think tough guy? You're not used to this kinda thing, are you?' the man asked rhetorically.

'You're not a cop, are you?' the second man echoed.

The only thing the wolf saw as he sprang into the open was the gun and the danger it posed on his Sentinel. Toenails met the tile with sharp clicks and muscles tightened to keep his balance on the slick floor. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jim pull his gun as the three robbers aimed theirs at himself.

'What the fuck?' exclaimed the leader, as all three men took a step back. 'What the hell is this?'

'Doesn't matter, shoot it!'

'I wouldn't do that if I were you,' Jim threatened, his gun pointed at the leader. His eyes were locked on the robbers as he tried not to glance at the low growls uncharacteristically emanating from his partner.

'I'm afraid you're a little outnumbered,' the first criminal boasted with a mocking smile. His accomplices, on the other hand, eyed the wolf wearily.

'Come on Jack, lets just get out of here.'

Jack and Jim were eyeing each other, trying to determine who would make the first move. The wolf's intense blue eyes were locked onto Jack's form, his body rigid with anticipation. The seconds dragged their feet like a five year old at bed time. Just when the silence was about to deafen them, Jack's wrist twitched and seventy pounds of lean, taught muscle was hurdling towards him before even the Sentinel could react. With surprise, everyone jumped back as the two fell to the cold and dirty tile floor.

Jack screamed. 'Get it off! Help me!'

As his two partners were shook out of their stupor and moved forward to help, Jim raised his gun to them. 'Cascade PD! Hands up!' Somewhat to Jim's amazement, a pair of guns were tossed to the floor and the criminals offered themselves in surrender. With the ease of years of experience, Jim had the two cuffed in a matter of seconds and they were rendered harmless. Jim quickly had his gun pointed at the two struggling bodies on the floor. 'Freeze! You're under arrest!'

The wolf allowed itself to be thrown to the side and backed away, spitting out a piece of the man's shirt sleeve. 'Man, took you long enough.'

Jack jumped to his feet, out of breath and panic in his eyes. 'I'll have you sued for allowing that thing to attack me-' he started, backing up and pointing at the wolf.

'Can it,' Jim replied coolly, reaching out for the criminal.

Outside, Jim could hear the drivers deciding that it was in their best interests to leave while the getting was good. Before Jim could grasp the criminal before him, Jack had smoothly grabbed a can from the shelf behind him and hurled it through the air at Jim's head. Taking advantage of the diversion, he then turned and ran as fast as he could through the back of the store.

The wolf looked to Jim long enough to see his partner's bleeding nose and the fact that the Sentinel was still standing before he took chase to his human prey.

~oO0Oo~

A strange feeling over power had come over him. These streets now belonged to him, these people now depended on him for survival' this whole concrete jungle was his. The air was cool and his breath solidified in front of him as he tracked the criminal ahead of him. This was a bad part of town when darkness had fallen, and everyone knew it. At times like these, that fact was an asset in criminal capturing. The deserted streets echoed with the sound of his four padded paws covering the concrete with incredible speed.

He quickened his canter when he detected the closeness of his query. His sensitive ears could clearly detect the harsh breathing and clumsy jogging of the man around the corner. Suddenly the footsteps stopped and the breathing grew more frantic.

The wolf slowed to a silent creep and ever so slowly peered around the corner. He saw nothing. Moonlight threw distorted black shadows to piles of boxes and a couple dumpsters and bags of trash. Water dripped from somewhere above him, pooling at his front feet. His ears swiveled and caught the sounds of police sirens in the distance. No doubt Jim would be leading the cavalry.

He filled his lungs with crisp air and courage. Keeping his body tense and low to the ground, the wolf took one cautious step into the alley. A black rat scurried into the camouflaging shadows with it's dinner. There was no other movement. Delicate ears heard the man's attempt to quiet his breathing, but the superb black and white vision of a hunter could not find him amongst the scattered debris.

With effortless grace and silence the wolf slipped into the alley and kept his side pressed against the cold wet brick wall of an abandoned office building. The police cars were very close now and he knew the concealed criminal was getting nervous. It was in the air, making Blair nervous as well. He could smell the man, the garbage, the stink of the downtown location, and he knew the criminal could probably see him. His nose twitched and his lips curled at the thought of being helplessly exposed. He felt the hackles on his back starting to rise.

Everything stood still as his eyes focused on the glimpse of metallic silver as a nervous hand trembled in the moonlight. A drip of water landed on his tail but went unnoticed.

'Here doggie doggie,' the man called softly, stepping forward into the dim patch of pale moonlight. The gun was fixated on the wolf. 'You wanna cookie? Does Cujo want some food?'

~oO0Oo~

'Stay there Sandburg,' Jim chanted in his head. 'Don't you move. If you've never listened to me before, listen to me now.'

'How much further Jim?' Rafe asked, scanning the dark streets.

'Straight ahead. Just keep going.' As the distance between Jim and his partner shortened, his muscles wound tighter. If there was anything out there that would keep his guide out of trouble, he had yet to find it. He had been very lucky that Rafe and another officer were in the area when he called for back up. Unable to wait for Simon to arrive, he practically forced Rafe to follow the runaway suspect.

'There!' Jim shouted as he reached for his gun. The car jerked to a halt in the opening of the alley where his partner had the suspect cornered. The alley lit up in red and blue lights as the flashing lights on Rafe's dashboard continued to strobe. Jim barley realized that Rafe was at his side as he stepped outside, weapon drawn and aimed at the criminal. 'Cascade PD! Drop your weapon!'

'Call it off first!' Jack shouted back, his gun still pointed at the dog before him. His hands were trembling and a drop of nervous sweat rolled down his temple as the alley was tinted red.

'Come here Chief,' Jim said, lowering his voice for the canine. His eyes were locked on Jack's unpredictable form. 'We got him.'

The wolf remained facing the same way but slowly moved his right hind leg back, followed by his left front leg.

'Drop your weapon!' Jim yelled, taking a tiny step forward.

In one swift movement Jack raised his eyes and gun from the wolf to Jim's form. He barely saw the officers flinch before he was knocked on his back by a mass of damp fur and teeth. Pain seared through his unprotected forearm and he reflexively aimed his gun at the source and pulled the trigger. The gunshot was deafeningly loud as it echoed in the alley and it took him a second to realize the painful, toothed grip on him was gone. As he pushed the limp and bleeding animal body aside and struggled to sit up, another gunshot rang out and he felt his shoulder explode as he lost his grip on his gun.

'Stay down!' Ellison shouted as he and Rafe raced forward to apprehend their suspect. As soon as Jack was handcuffed Jim sank to the pavement next to the quiet animal. 'Call an ambulance!' he called over his shoulder.

'I'm on it,' Rafe replied, keeping the suspect still. A second police car pulled up and Rafe nodded his acknowledgement to Captain Banks while giving directions over the phone.

'What happened here?' Simon asked as he approached Jim.

Jim couldn't tear his eyes away from the bloodstained fur on the animal's side. He placed his gun back in its holster and used both hands to try and slow the bleeding. 'I was in the supermarket when this joker and his two pals tried to rob it. This guy split and Sandburg followed him. You can see the rest Captain.'

Simon cleared his throat and knelt down next to Jim. 'The dog was doing his job Jim,' he replied, subtly jerking his head in Rafe's direction.

Jim looked up, he realized what he said. 'Yeah. The dog,.' he corrected. He returned his worried gaze to the wolf. Removing one blood stained hand, he pulled it's lip back to reveal pale gums housing slick white teeth. 'Simon, he doesn't look so good. I don't know anything about dog critical care. We have to do something!'

'Can you pick him up?'

Jim nodded, already reaching under the animal.

'Let's go,' Simon replied, already heading for his car. 'Rafe stay here and take care of this. I'll keep in touch,' he ordered in passing.

A third police car and an ambulance were already pulling into view when Rafe nodded, still kneeling next to the injured criminal.

Jim wrapped one arm around his partner's chest and another around his hind legs and hurried with the limp animal to Simon's car. 'Come on Chief, you can't go out like this,' he muttered to the unconscious canine. 'Stay with me.' He slid into Simon's passenger seat.

'Just calm down Jim, he'll be okay. The emergency vet is about five minutes away.' Simon put the car in gear. 'I had to drive Darrel there once with his friend's dog. Damn thing was hit by a car, right in front of the kids. The driver never stopped.'

Jim let Simon's words melt into the background as he strained to hear the faint heartbeat of his canine companion. The wolf's body never looked as frail as it did now, draped across Jim's lap. The smell of blood becoming was overwhelming as it continued to pump and Jim swallowed hard, daring to raise his hands and examine the wound. The thick fur was matted to the bullet hole, wicking the blood away from the source. Jim tenderly palpated the area, sensing the torn muscle and tissue and splintered bone. The bullet had destroyed the first cranial ribs and had most likely entered the heart or lungs.

'Ellison, you with me?'

Jim snapped to attention as Simon turned the car into a well lit parking lot. An illuminated sign read 'Cascade 24 Hour Emergency Veterinary Clinic'. The parking lot was mostly empty but all the lights were on inside. Jim glanced at Simon then realized the captain was waiting for a response. 'I'm fine. Let's go.'

Simon was in the process of parking the car when the wolf began a soft cry. The high-pitched whimper drew the attention of both men. 'Chief, you with me? We're gonna get you help, we're-'

'Jim, I'm sorry.' The whistling cry paused while the animal struggled to draw in oxygen. His head hung limply over the side of Jim's lap, as did his tail. 'I should have listened to you, I thought I was immortal'I can't breath.' The wolf attempted to look up at Jim but quickly found it lacked the strength for the small movement.

Jim already had the door open. 'You were doing what all good partners do Sandburg,' Jim replied as he shifted the animal's weight so he could get out of the car. 'You just hang on, we're almost there.'

Simon slammed open the clinic's door to clear the way for Jim and his burden. 'I need some help here!' he shouted, drawing the receptionists from their chairs. A 'Code 4' was announced over the intercom as the men approached the front desk.

Jim felt a warm dry tongue against his hand. 'Jim, I'm going home.'

'No, Chief, stay with me, we're here now-' Jim strained to hear a heartbeat but now a lonely silence echoed in his ears. It was the only thing he could hear. He was vaguely aware of the halls he was directed through until he arrived in a lab area. Numbly, he lowed the animal to the metal examine table as a young man in a white lab coat came forward, stethoscope in hand. 'Sandburg, please'' Jim whispered, bent over the wolf.

Simon placed a firm hand on Jim's elbow and guided him out of the veterinarian's way. 'He's in good hands now Jim. They'll take care of him.'

A woman began to thread an I.V. catheter in the wolf's front leg as another woman set up an I.V. pole. Assessments were announced as supplies appeared all around them as technicians hurried to help. The doctor ordered radiology to be prepped as he placed the stethoscope on the wolf's chest. 'His heart stopped.'

Jim stood frozen in place as injections were administered and CPR was preformed. Silence still rang in his ears. A pool of dark blood had gathered under the animal. Once expressive eyes became dull. The bushy tail no longer swung merrily back and forth. The wolf was dead. Blair was dead. As the veterinarian stopped his ministrations and placed a hand on Jim's shoulder, the horrible truth was confirmed. Apologies echoed around the room, swirling around him.

'Jim, come on. Stay with me,' Simon coaxed.

The detective watched as a colorful blanket was placed over the wolf's lifeless body, leaving only the head exposed. Jim went forward and gently placed his palm over the animal's head as he had done so many times before. It wasn't meant to be like this. Sandburg had only been experimenting, hadn't wanted to be stuck in this animal's body. Hadn't wanted to die in it. It had been a game to the anthropologist. Jim's mind reeled with the notion that he had not only lost his partner, but his best friend in a way that should have never been possible. It couldn't be over. Jim continued to wait for those clear blue eyes to open, even as Simon began tugging on his elbow.

Jim finally let his eyes focus on Simon as the captain conveyed his empathy. 'I'm sorry Jim.'

The veterinarian placed a gentle hand on the lifeless body. 'Would you like to take the body home for burial?'

Jim nodded, although he didn't know why. He had no place to burry his partner. He didn't even have a home anymore, just an empty apartment. A brief, twisted image of the stuffed body of his canine partner appeared in his mind as it tried to ease the ache in Jim's heart. Jim felt sick.

'Come on Jim, let's take him home,' Simon encouraged.

The technicians had mostly departed but one remained to put away the unnecessary supplies. She looked at Jim with a knowing, apologetic smile and Jim imagined that she had seen more lives lost than he had. He almost felt sorry for her as he scooped up the dead wolf in his strong arms and followed Simon back to the front of the clinic.

Simon paid the small bill and led his best detective outside and to the car. Wordlessly, the two men got inside and headed towards the loft.

~o0O0o~

Jim remained silent during the ride back to Prospect Ave. He didn't trust himself to talk about the preceding events without breaking down, and ultimately embarrassing himself in front of the captain. So when the car came to a stop in front of the loft, Jim gave a short thanks and started to get out of the car.

'Are you gonna be okay Jim?' Simon asked.

It was clear that Simon was feeling the loss of the anthropologist, but it couldn't be to the extent that Jim was suffering. 'I'm fine Simon,' Jim replied without emotion. 'I'll call you.'

Simon nodded and soon left, which Jim was grateful for. He needed to be alone for a while, to grieve and get angry and then sad and to beat himself up about it. He needed to feel the loss.

Jim turned and glances at the bushes scattered around the property and smiled sadly. The weight in his arms seemed a little lighter as he remembered his friend. Jim headed inside with a painful sigh. He had not only lost his best friend, but also his Guide. A new wave of loss and fear coursed through him with that realization. Who would help him now? Did he want help from another? Maybe his senses would just go 'off line' if he ignored them long enough. Everything that was stable and good in his life was draped limply in his arms and concealed by a strange blanket.

Jim stepped off the elevator and onto his floor, not really seeing or smelling or using any of his senses until a familiar sound reached his ears. A heartbeat? In his apartment? Jim tensed and reached for his gun. His partner hadn't been dead for an hour and already the detective was being called back to action. Couldn't he catch a break?

Jim approached the door but knew the precious body he held would only hinder his shot. Gently, he lay the animal on the floor against the wall and placed a hand on the doorknob. Whoever was inside was a hell of a lock-picker as the doorframe had no damage.

But they weren't that good. The heart beat had been steadily growing faster, presumably with fear. Jim grinned on the inside but his face remained stony. He was about to scare the criminal a whole lot more.

With fearless determination, Jim shoved the heavy green door open so that it bounced off the wall. His gun was a heat-seeking weapon and was already trained on the body leaning against the couch, before Jim could asses the weak figure.

'Sandburg?'

Jim stood frozen in time, his gun still trained on his roommate simply because his brain was too surprised to remind the rest of his body to function. Before him, the image of his partner was burning into his brain. Sandburg looked tired, almost like he would fall asleep leaning against the couch. A smiled touched the anthropologist as he raised a hand to wave at Jim.

'Hey Jim.'

Finally, Jim lowered the gun and placed it on the counter next to him. He had never expected Blair to be on the receiving end of his gun, and vowed that he never would again. 'Blair, how'' his voice decided it was safer in his throat and Jim stopped talking in utter confusion.

Blair started for Jim but quickly dropped onto the couch instead. 'I don't know man, I thought I was dead.'

Jim closed the door and moved to join his partner. He had to touch him, conform that this was Blair Sandburg, in the flesh. 'I don't understand,' was all he could come up with as he felt his friend's forehead.

'I remember you taking me to the vet,' Blair yawned, then the next thing I know, there's a flash of light and I'm in bed here, although everything's cramped, like I fell asleep at work or something.'

'I'm not gonna pretend to understand Chief,' Jim smiled as he went into the kitchen. 'I don't really care how you got here are long as you're not dead.'

'Jim, I think this might be bad,' Blair continued as Jim got them each a drink. 'What happens when you kill you're spirit guide?'

'Well technically, if is was a spirit then it can't die, right?' Jim asked, handing Blair a glass. Then he remembered the body that was out in the hall. Should he get it? Jim slapped himself mentally. 'No you idiot, leave a dead animal out in the hallway until someone else takes it way,' he thought. 'Great idea.' He was obviously still disturbed from thinking his partner was dead.

Jim turned from Blair and went to the door. 'I guess I'll bring it inside,' he announced, not waiting on a response before opening the door.

Jim stepped out into the hallway to retrieve the body. He grabbed the blanked and pulled, stumbling when he felt no resistance. 'What the hell?' he murmured, realizing the body was gone. He glanced around the hallway but didn't see anyone. He could smell or hear anyone for that matter. So where had the wolf gone? A chill ran down Jim's spine as for an instant, he felt a presence next to him. Then it was gone.

'You okay?' Blair asked from the doorway, startling the detective.

'It's gone,' Jim replied, quickly giving his partner the once-over. 'It was right here.'

Blair's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. 'It disappeared?'

'Yes?' Jim questioned, not believing it.

'That is so cool!' Blair exclaimed.

Jim groaned. 'I think you use the term loosely, Chief,' as he corralled his partner back into the loft.

'Man, I wonder if it went back to the spirit world''

Jim cuffed the younger man on the back of his head. 'Do not even go there Chief.'

End

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