I smack my forehead, lamenting my choices that led me to this courtyard on this fateful morning. This is a place in my life where I must make decisions that will affect my entire life from here on out, not to mention my family.

“I’m extremely lucky or have sealed my fate. Either way, I’m stuck with Knights instead of normal, totally predictable guards.” I whisper, mostly to myself.

I round on the skinny fellow. “How in the worlds did you convince Knights to follow you out here in the middle of the day?” I essentially yell. My head pounds worse with each word and I’m left to regret it.

You're supposed to be making friends, remember? Ran whispers from where she's licking a paw.

HUSH!

Glasses smiles shyly from where he’s half-hiding behind Sir Hans. He casts a side glance at Ran before stepping forward.

“Sir Hans is me father.” I look between the two. There is no resemblance. None. They even talk differently. The son has dark eyes and short black hair. Sir Hans has light blue eyes and blond hair pulled back in a tail. One is tall and skinny and spectacled and sweet, the other is burly, strong, and has a gruff demeanor to match.

I suspect there is a kind soul behind the rough outer layer of Sir Hans, though. At least, I thoroughly hope so. Otherwise, I'm dead or will need to go into hiding. My extra activities will have to stop, and even then he could blackmail me if he found me. I really hope he's at least a marginally good man.

Both father and son chuckle. “Lorenth here means to say he’s adopted. I adopted him into my family after his mother, my sister, passed. It’s a long, complicated mess, but suffice it to say he’s my son in every way that matters.”

I shrug. “Family is what you make it. Not who makes it up." I pause, debating my next words, but know it's what I need to do. "I meant to thank you for coming back. You sure didn’t have to, nor did you have to bring your father and an entire squadron along, but am I sure glad you did.” I grumble.

He blushes at my praise and glances down. “Ye welcome.” He mumbles.

We all jump as Ran gives a deep sound of contentment. It could almost be mistaken for a growl, but is a bit more of a rumbling purr than her typical sound of warning.

“She likes you.” I see him gazing longingly at my bond. “You can touch her.” I offer, gesturing to my bond mate.

Ran stares at me in amazement. I thought you didn't like people. Why are you being nice?

"He's harmless." I whisper back. What I don't say is I kinda feel bad about thinking he left me earlier, and glaring at him, and... yeah, I just wasn't nice.

Glasses glances at me in amazement, eyes wide behind his glasses that he pushes back up his nose. “She won’t bite me hand off?”

Ran snorts as I feel amusement over the bond.

Not enough meat on his bones. Not worth the trouble. I jump as the voice intrudes in my brain and I look at Ran with wide eyes. She gives me her version of a smirk. One ear tilts back, her sharp incisors are more pronounced, while the eye I can see twinkles in mischief.

I sputter. "I'm not telling them that!" I hiss into her ear.

Her smirk only grows.

I turn back to the soldiers with a forced smile. “She likes you enough for saving me to be a perfectly gentle wild animal. I promise she won’t bite... hard.”

The tall man with the spectacles, Lorenth, does a double take at that, glancing at me to see if I’m joking.

I stifle a laugh and wave him over.

He steps away from his father slowly and with uncertainty. He glances back at Sir Hans.

The knight crosses his arms. “I’m not getting anywhere near that... perfectly sweet looking hound with sharp teeth that could bite me in half.”

That... was anything but reassuring.

To my surprise, Lorenth still walks over, his poor black eye looking worse by the moment. I wince. I'm not the only one needing medical attention. He's going to need a tincture of arnica to help with that pain and swelling.

He keeps coming, making my respect for him go up a notch.

He holds out a trembling hand to Ran. She sniffs it, opens her mouth, and licks the tips of his fingers gently before rolling over. Her tail smacks the ground loudly as she begs with big brown eyes for a belly rub. Lorenth laughs, relieved.

“Told you.” I smile as Lorenth leans in to give her a good rub.

Her leg kicks and her tongue lolls out the side of her mouth as he hits a good spot. A few of the knights laugh at this terror turned puppy.

“Come on, you all can join the fun.” I offer.

They look at Sir Hans.

He just shrugs, arms still crossed over his formidable chest. “Fine by me.”

They look at each other, then back at the puppy, who is licking Lorenth with every other scratch.

“What, scared of a little puppy, are ya?” I challenge good naturedly.

The knight who tried to stop me steps up. “I’ve always wanted to see a Timber. Never thought I’d be able to actually meet and touch one. You’ve got an amazing creature here. Sir Isaac at your service.” He goes down to a knee with his fist over his heart.

I return with a bow. “Well met, Sir Isaac. Thank you for your service. And it’s more like she’s got me instead of the other way around.” I turn and smile at the wolf rolling around in pure ecstasy.

He nods and goes over to greet the creature. He bows down before her and says something I can’t hear. I feel her gratitude and respect for this man.

He yelps as she grabs him with her paws and licks his hair. He must put pigs wax in his hair as she just keeps licking. Sir Isaac freezes between her paws and glances at me frantically.

I laugh as all the Knights behind me hoot and holler.

“You wanted to meet one, Sir Isaac!” I get out between laughs as she drags him back when he attempts to scoot away. “More cuddly than you were expecting?” I get out between chuckles. I can't help the laughter, but it hurts like the dickens.

“More like an enormous teddy bear than a wolf. Those teeth are huge. What’s she doing?” Sir Isaac asks, a bit of something slightly like fear or adrenaline in his breaking voice despite his efforts to the contrary.

“She likes you and likes how your hair tastes. She wants to keep you.” I say.

“What?!?” He yelps, voice breaking mid-word.

“I’m just kidding.” He glares at me as the knights behind me break out into guffaws. “Ran, you need to let the poor Knight go. You’re scaring him.” I say to my bond, trying my darndest to keep from smiling.

“What?!? I’m not frightened!” The last word ends in another yelp as Ran finds she likes his face just as much as his hair. The guffaws behind me get louder.

Ran rumbles once more and gives him one last lick from chin to head, then flips him upright and sets him on his feet.

Sir Isaac coasts back to the other men, jerking down the tunic beneath his slim coat of chain-link armor. They welcome him with amiable ribbing and pats on the back.

Another knight comes over to introduce himself to me and Ran. He also bows the knee, and Ran welcomes him with a sniff and a sneeze. His mouth was open. I wince as he sputters and coughs his way back to his ranks.

Before it’s over, ten knights have pledged themselves to us and Ran welcomed them with open arms, and sometimes a good lick. One she especially liked and bowled him over with her shoulder. He hollered and screamed and flailed before realizing she only wished to lick him to death, not bite his head off.

A few minutes later he got up, jerked his hauberk down, and shuffled off with as much dignity as one can after being showered in monster sized wolf saliva. His grey hair stuck straight up and his eyes were wide as saucers.

I couldn’t help feeling bad for him. Well do I remember the first time she did that to me. My heart about leapt from my chest. Then the warmth of her love embraced me like a wool blanket and I was able to allow her to finish with slightly less screaming. Jack and Jill laughed their heads off as Momma and Daddy stood arm in arm with proud gazes.

I shake my head to dispel the thoughts as I once again waver on my feet. Sir Hans grabs my elbow to steady me as Ran greets the last pledged with a lick before rolling over for a belly rub.

He complies with a relieved laugh. I suppose he was just happy to escape the fate of his predecessors.

“You need to get home. Make someone wake you every four hours to be sure you don’t fall into death sleep. I have seen many head wounds such as yours. Just be sure to relax and take it easy.” Sir Hans says, a chide in his tone; as if still chaffing from my refusal to see his physician.

Ran's amusement comes over the bond. She knows I won’t take it easy.

“Yessir. Thank you, truly, for all you’ve done. If you hadn’t been here...” I trail off as the shivers come back when I remember hard eyes and grasping hands.

“Ran would’ve made it in time.” He states firmly. “But we were happy to help. Can you make it home alright?”

I nod and sniffle; some of the tough girl wearing off the longer I have to keep the visage up. “I’ll be fine. Thank you ever again.”

He smiles and the crows feet at his eyes wrinkle. “You saved my son. We’ll call it even.”

I smile up at him. Then my legs tremble and my vision swims. Deep exhaustion weighs down my limbs.

Sir Hans spins and catches my waist before I can fall.

“Ran.” I gasp over the bond.

Immediately, she rises from where the last man is still giving her a ton of adorable attention. She ignores his curious gaze as she quickly makes her way around him to me. She sniffs me from head to toe, pausing where my aching bruises and head wounds are. A whimper escapes her as she licks the wounds. Even through the material, the slobber drenches the areas with a clammy warmth. I feel her guilt as if it were my own. She believes that if she had been faster, none of this would have happened.

I place my hand on her forehead. “This is not your fault. Don’t take the blame for the things idiots do.”

She licks my nose and lays down in front of me. I almost fall over, but the knights refuse to let me fall. They help me with gentle hands, easing me onto her back.

“You need a healer.” Sir Hans grumpily reiterates while keeping a hand to steady me as Ran gets up slowly, conscious of me.

“Thank you, again.” I whisper.

I draw myself up with the last of my strength, gripping Ran’s fur tightly as I clench my legs around her. I wave as she pads back towards home, where I’m sure my mother and sister are waiting on us. My mother has likely had a heart attack by now.

The knights all lift a hand in farewell, then bow with fists to their hearts. It looked choreographed, as if they had practiced that. I swear, those knights will be the end of me.

I just hope this doesn't come back to bite me in the hiney.