Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
This really is a good story. I'm still amazed how well you handle Butchers style.
"Say, this is only tangentially relevant, but how many rings is your tail supposed to have?"
Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
Interlude - King
King sat on the cold concrete curb on the side of the road. The sun had set while they had been down in Undertown, but it wasn’t dark. The streetlight glared down on him, and ambulances and police cars flashed in riot of red and blue that was almost headache-inducing. The corgi had his eyes squeezed shut against the light, and sat with his head pressed against his folded arms.
A set of heavy footsteps passed behind him, and someone said something unintelligible through a walkie-talkie. King ignored it. He was doing his best to shut everything out, force himself to calm down and process everything that had happened to him that day. It was a blur, lulls of boredom punctuated by moments of abject terror. He’d felt like a piece of driftwood being tossed through whitewater rapids. He only ever had a few brief seconds to suck down a breath of air before being tossed back into the current.
His memories of the day were hazy, faces muddled. When he thought of how he’d stood up to White Fang, how he’d tried to talk the unstable dog-wizard down, it was like he was watching someone else act it out. Had he really gotten into a wrestling match with a dangerous sorcerer? It felt like a dream.
There was only one moment from that day that he remembered with perfect clarity. He’d looked into Dresden’s eyes, and then …
King pushed away the thought. What he’d seen when he’d looked in Dresden’s eyes was still sharp in his mind. In the moment, he’d been overwhelmed, and when the wolf-monsters charged them he’d broken and ran. Now, in retrospect, he wasn’t sure if he should be terrified or awestruck.
Maybe both. Or neither.
But what really ate at him was the knowledge that as deeply as he’d looked into Dresden’s soul, the wizard had looked into his. When the vision had faded and he’d looked Dresden in the eyes, he’d seen a spark of realization.
The wizard knew. He knew who King was. [What[/i] he was. In some ways it ways it was his worst nightmare made manifest, that he would be found out, that it would be revealed who “King” the corgi had been all along. But in another way, it was freeing. He’d been forced to live a lie for months now, and just last night he’d learned that he was a pawn in some kind of cosmic roleplaying game for a group of demigod nerds. It was terrifying, impossible, completely ridiculous. He didn’t know how to begin to explain it to anyone.
Dresden … King had been skeptical of the wizard from the beginning. But in the few short hours they’d been acquainted, King had gotten the impression that Dresden had a lot of experience with the terrifying, impossible, and completely ridiculous. Maybe there was some way for him to help.
Maybe he would understand.
“Wake up, sleepyhead.”
King practically jumped out of his skin. Mister had taken a seat to his right and he hadn’t even noticed. The big grey cat was rummaging through a grease-stained white bag that sat lopsided on the pavement between his feet. King caught a whiff of cooked, greasy meat and his mouth began to water.
Without another word, Mister pulled a fat roll of foiled paper and handed it off to King. He pulled a couple cans of Coke out of the seemingly bottomless bag and left them on the pavement. The corgi didn’t need any encouragement. He pulled off the wrapper and took a bite out of the best steak sandwich he’d ever eaten. Tender meat, grilled onions, gooey cheese, all on a warm and fluffy roll. Pete had been feeding him nothing but kibble for weeks. The sandwich felt like a gift from the gods.
King and Mister sat in silence as they wolfed down their food. King took in their surroundings. They sat outside an abandoned building in a dark and relatively empty part of town. The place was swarming with first responders, securing the scene and giving medical examinations to the dogs that had been rescued. A helicopter was approaching, its spotlight glaring down on the scene. The sound was almost overwhelming to King’s sensitive ears, a cacophony of engines and sirens and words.
The corgi washed down the sandwich with a swig of the Coke. It was lukewarm, but he couldn’t have cared.
Out of the corner of his eye, King caught Mister staring at him. He turned and met the cat’s gaze, a little uneasy. It wasn’t a threatening or gawking stare, just sort of appraising. Like Mister didn’t quite know what to make of him.
“ … Thanks for the food,” King said finally, in attempt to break the silence.
Mister waved a paw, dismissive. “Dresden paid, I picked it up. We figured it would be poor form to hand you back to your owner five pounds lighter.”
Awkward silence fell again. King broke eye contact first, electing to study the can he held.
Mister shuffled and cleared his throat. “You did alright down there.”
A compliment? That was just about the last thing that King had expected. “Really? It felt like I just got kicked in the face a bunch,” he said drily. “You and Dresden did all the actual work.”
“Hey, don’t sell yourself short. It takes a special combination of brave and stupid to run after someone in the dark like you did.” The cat raised his can in mock toast.
King felt a twinge of irritation. Well, that hadn’t lasted long.
Mister glanced away for a moment. There was a strained look on his face. The cat took another swig of his soda before speaking again. “Maybe that didn’t come out right. Sorry. Dresden raised me, I’m sarcastic by reflex.”
“Well, so long as you’re not doing it on purpose,” King said flatly.
“Hey, you’re picking up on it too.” Mister bumped his paw against King’s shoulder. “But … yeah. You Soulgazed Dresden and you’re still here. As far as I’m concerned, you’re alright.”
The corgi blinked in surprise. Up until this point all of his interactions with the cat had consisted solely of condescending barbs and sarcasm. “Thank you?” he half-asked. The change in attitude was almost disconcerting.
“Sure.” Mister looked away and started examining his claws for dirt.
King couldn’t resist. “Is this a bonding moment? Are we friends now or something?”
Mister scoffed. “Don’t push it, shortstack.”
Just then, someone ruffled the fur between King’s ears. Before the corgi could react, Harry Dresden took a seat on the curb next to him.
“Someone talking about me?” Dresden asked, leaning over to grab the last sandwich out of Mister’s bag.”
“Oh, that was King. He can’t wait to get away from us,” Mister quipped without missing a beat.
King rolled his eyes, then took a moment to size Dresden up. The man was tall, easily six and a half feet, and his limbs seemed out of proportion to his body, long and lanky. He moved like he was afraid he was going to break something, and that coat made him look like a wannabe cowboy. He was sitting awkwardly on the curb, legs bent almost double.
King’s first impression of Dresden hadn’t been the best. He’d just been this gruff, gangly-looking man in a weird coat shaking him awake in a thunderstorm. That image had evolved over time, and after the Soulgaze … well, there was a certain strength to Dresden that King hadn’t noticed before.
King drained the rest of his drink, lost in thought. He zoned out while Dresden and Mister finished their meals.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there when he came out of it, blinking his eyes rapidly. Dresden was wiping his mouth and turning to face him. He was hunched over, elbows braced awkwardly against his knees, but there was a calculating, focused look in his eyes. On King’s right, Mister was mirroring the posture, watching King with unveiled curiosity.
The corgi’s stomach twisted a little with nerves. He knew what came next. He’d been preparing himself, but now the moment was here.
“You ready to talk to me?” Dresden asked quietly.
King looked around. The street suddenly seemed very crowded indeed. Police and paramedics milled around, some walking uncomfortably close by
Dresden followed his gaze. “No one can overhear us. And anything you say in front of me you can say in front of Mister. He’s a pain in the tail, but he’s loyal.”
King nodded and took another breath.
Where to even start? “My real name is Joel Robinson,” he heard himself say. And with that the floodgates were open. The words tumbled from his lips in a rush. “I’m a human. I was transformed into a dog by a demigod who wants me to be his avatar on Earth as part of some kind of twisted cosmic game.”
He stopped, heart racing. He felt his eyes go wide. Had he really just let all of that out?
Mister had let out a cough and was staring at him slackjawed. “Say what?”
But Dresden’s expression didn’t change. He considered King for a few moments, then nodded. “Okay. Tell me everything.”
King blinked a few times, still a little shocked at how easily he’d confessed his darkest secret. “You seem way too okay with this.”
Dresden shrugged. “I mean, my fairy godmother has been trying to turn me into one of her hunting dogs since I was sixteen. This isn’t totally new territory.”
King let out a nervous giggle, but the wizard didn’t crack a smile. King’s laugh died on his lips. He considered the wizard’s sober expression. “Oh. Seriously?”
Dresden nodded over his laced fingers. “Like I said. Tell me everything.”
And so he did.
There was a lot to cover.
He told Dresden about his past. His PETA membership. The dognapping. His arrest, his meeting with Pete, his transformation into a dog, the move to Babylon Gardens. The whole strange tale came out in what King was sure was an incoherent rant, culminating with the events of the previous night, which still seemed like a wild fever dream, and yet it had all happened. It was freeing to have a chance to let all of this out, but King felt his anxiety building all the same. Out loud it sounded insane. They were going to think he was delusional.
But Dresden never stopped him, never asked him to repeat himself. The wizard just nodded along, until King trailed off and fell silent, his tale told.
The corgi looked from the man to the cat, who was openly ogling him. “ … I have many questions,” Mister said finally.
“Dresden!” a woman called out. King turned to see a short, blonde police officer striding over. Her hair had been hastily tied back, and she looked more than a little frazzled, but she cracked the faintest of smiles when Dresden got to his feet to greet her.
“Karrin, meet King,” the wizard said nodding between the two. “King, Karrin Murphy, Chicago PD.” King gave her a half-hearted wave.
“Hey, you tracked down the Milton dog, too,” Murphy said with a grin. “Not a bad end to the day.”
“Yep,” Dresden replied. “All’s well that ends well.”
Murphy looked up at him, smile replaced with a calculating stare. “Any information on our perp?” she asked. King shuffled slowly out of her line of sight. It didn’t seem natural that someone so much small that Dresden could be staring him down like that.
The man sucked a breath in through his teeth. “Yeah, about that … Mister, would you fill Murph in on what happened down there?”
The cat’s eyebrows shot up, then he leveled a smoldering glare at Dresden. That glare evaporated into a cheerful smile as soon as Murphy’s suspicious stare fell on him. “I’d be happy to, boss!” he said through his teeth.
Murph wasn’t buying it, but Dresden seemed not acknowledge his cat’s theatrics. “Perfect. King, let’s go for a walk. Karrin, I’ll catch up with you in a minute.” The wizard started off down the street, away from the abandoned building they’d used to leave Undertown.
King scrambled to his feet and followed.
******************************
[quote="Amazee Dayzee"]I do really find myself enjoying the crossover even if it is very weird and I like the way you are writing things too! Awesome job![/quote][quote="dr_eirik"]This really is a good story. I'm still amazed how well you handle Butchers style.[/quote]
Thanks! I'm glad I've been able to consistently emulate the style of the actual Dresden Files so far. That said, I made the decision to do another perspective change for this chapter. I probably could have written this scene from Dresden's POV, but I was concerned it wouldn't be that interesting to read Dresden learning information the readers already know.
Also, I wrote another version of this scene that took place earlier in the story in MacAnally's pub. I might post that after the story concludes if anyone's interested.
King sat on the cold concrete curb on the side of the road. The sun had set while they had been down in Undertown, but it wasn’t dark. The streetlight glared down on him, and ambulances and police cars flashed in riot of red and blue that was almost headache-inducing. The corgi had his eyes squeezed shut against the light, and sat with his head pressed against his folded arms.
A set of heavy footsteps passed behind him, and someone said something unintelligible through a walkie-talkie. King ignored it. He was doing his best to shut everything out, force himself to calm down and process everything that had happened to him that day. It was a blur, lulls of boredom punctuated by moments of abject terror. He’d felt like a piece of driftwood being tossed through whitewater rapids. He only ever had a few brief seconds to suck down a breath of air before being tossed back into the current.
His memories of the day were hazy, faces muddled. When he thought of how he’d stood up to White Fang, how he’d tried to talk the unstable dog-wizard down, it was like he was watching someone else act it out. Had he really gotten into a wrestling match with a dangerous sorcerer? It felt like a dream.
There was only one moment from that day that he remembered with perfect clarity. He’d looked into Dresden’s eyes, and then …
King pushed away the thought. What he’d seen when he’d looked in Dresden’s eyes was still sharp in his mind. In the moment, he’d been overwhelmed, and when the wolf-monsters charged them he’d broken and ran. Now, in retrospect, he wasn’t sure if he should be terrified or awestruck.
Maybe both. Or neither.
But what really ate at him was the knowledge that as deeply as he’d looked into Dresden’s soul, the wizard had looked into his. When the vision had faded and he’d looked Dresden in the eyes, he’d seen a spark of realization.
The wizard knew. He knew who King was. [What[/i] he was. In some ways it ways it was his worst nightmare made manifest, that he would be found out, that it would be revealed who “King” the corgi had been all along. But in another way, it was freeing. He’d been forced to live a lie for months now, and just last night he’d learned that he was a pawn in some kind of cosmic roleplaying game for a group of demigod nerds. It was terrifying, impossible, completely ridiculous. He didn’t know how to begin to explain it to anyone.
Dresden … King had been skeptical of the wizard from the beginning. But in the few short hours they’d been acquainted, King had gotten the impression that Dresden had a lot of experience with the terrifying, impossible, and completely ridiculous. Maybe there was some way for him to help.
Maybe he would understand.
“Wake up, sleepyhead.”
King practically jumped out of his skin. Mister had taken a seat to his right and he hadn’t even noticed. The big grey cat was rummaging through a grease-stained white bag that sat lopsided on the pavement between his feet. King caught a whiff of cooked, greasy meat and his mouth began to water.
Without another word, Mister pulled a fat roll of foiled paper and handed it off to King. He pulled a couple cans of Coke out of the seemingly bottomless bag and left them on the pavement. The corgi didn’t need any encouragement. He pulled off the wrapper and took a bite out of the best steak sandwich he’d ever eaten. Tender meat, grilled onions, gooey cheese, all on a warm and fluffy roll. Pete had been feeding him nothing but kibble for weeks. The sandwich felt like a gift from the gods.
King and Mister sat in silence as they wolfed down their food. King took in their surroundings. They sat outside an abandoned building in a dark and relatively empty part of town. The place was swarming with first responders, securing the scene and giving medical examinations to the dogs that had been rescued. A helicopter was approaching, its spotlight glaring down on the scene. The sound was almost overwhelming to King’s sensitive ears, a cacophony of engines and sirens and words.
The corgi washed down the sandwich with a swig of the Coke. It was lukewarm, but he couldn’t have cared.
Out of the corner of his eye, King caught Mister staring at him. He turned and met the cat’s gaze, a little uneasy. It wasn’t a threatening or gawking stare, just sort of appraising. Like Mister didn’t quite know what to make of him.
“ … Thanks for the food,” King said finally, in attempt to break the silence.
Mister waved a paw, dismissive. “Dresden paid, I picked it up. We figured it would be poor form to hand you back to your owner five pounds lighter.”
Awkward silence fell again. King broke eye contact first, electing to study the can he held.
Mister shuffled and cleared his throat. “You did alright down there.”
A compliment? That was just about the last thing that King had expected. “Really? It felt like I just got kicked in the face a bunch,” he said drily. “You and Dresden did all the actual work.”
“Hey, don’t sell yourself short. It takes a special combination of brave and stupid to run after someone in the dark like you did.” The cat raised his can in mock toast.
King felt a twinge of irritation. Well, that hadn’t lasted long.
Mister glanced away for a moment. There was a strained look on his face. The cat took another swig of his soda before speaking again. “Maybe that didn’t come out right. Sorry. Dresden raised me, I’m sarcastic by reflex.”
“Well, so long as you’re not doing it on purpose,” King said flatly.
“Hey, you’re picking up on it too.” Mister bumped his paw against King’s shoulder. “But … yeah. You Soulgazed Dresden and you’re still here. As far as I’m concerned, you’re alright.”
The corgi blinked in surprise. Up until this point all of his interactions with the cat had consisted solely of condescending barbs and sarcasm. “Thank you?” he half-asked. The change in attitude was almost disconcerting.
“Sure.” Mister looked away and started examining his claws for dirt.
King couldn’t resist. “Is this a bonding moment? Are we friends now or something?”
Mister scoffed. “Don’t push it, shortstack.”
Just then, someone ruffled the fur between King’s ears. Before the corgi could react, Harry Dresden took a seat on the curb next to him.
“Someone talking about me?” Dresden asked, leaning over to grab the last sandwich out of Mister’s bag.”
“Oh, that was King. He can’t wait to get away from us,” Mister quipped without missing a beat.
King rolled his eyes, then took a moment to size Dresden up. The man was tall, easily six and a half feet, and his limbs seemed out of proportion to his body, long and lanky. He moved like he was afraid he was going to break something, and that coat made him look like a wannabe cowboy. He was sitting awkwardly on the curb, legs bent almost double.
King’s first impression of Dresden hadn’t been the best. He’d just been this gruff, gangly-looking man in a weird coat shaking him awake in a thunderstorm. That image had evolved over time, and after the Soulgaze … well, there was a certain strength to Dresden that King hadn’t noticed before.
King drained the rest of his drink, lost in thought. He zoned out while Dresden and Mister finished their meals.
He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sitting there when he came out of it, blinking his eyes rapidly. Dresden was wiping his mouth and turning to face him. He was hunched over, elbows braced awkwardly against his knees, but there was a calculating, focused look in his eyes. On King’s right, Mister was mirroring the posture, watching King with unveiled curiosity.
The corgi’s stomach twisted a little with nerves. He knew what came next. He’d been preparing himself, but now the moment was here.
“You ready to talk to me?” Dresden asked quietly.
King looked around. The street suddenly seemed very crowded indeed. Police and paramedics milled around, some walking uncomfortably close by
Dresden followed his gaze. “No one can overhear us. And anything you say in front of me you can say in front of Mister. He’s a pain in the tail, but he’s loyal.”
King nodded and took another breath.
Where to even start? “My real name is Joel Robinson,” he heard himself say. And with that the floodgates were open. The words tumbled from his lips in a rush. “I’m a human. I was transformed into a dog by a demigod who wants me to be his avatar on Earth as part of some kind of twisted cosmic game.”
He stopped, heart racing. He felt his eyes go wide. Had he really just let all of that out?
Mister had let out a cough and was staring at him slackjawed. “Say what?”
But Dresden’s expression didn’t change. He considered King for a few moments, then nodded. “Okay. Tell me everything.”
King blinked a few times, still a little shocked at how easily he’d confessed his darkest secret. “You seem way too okay with this.”
Dresden shrugged. “I mean, my fairy godmother has been trying to turn me into one of her hunting dogs since I was sixteen. This isn’t totally new territory.”
King let out a nervous giggle, but the wizard didn’t crack a smile. King’s laugh died on his lips. He considered the wizard’s sober expression. “Oh. Seriously?”
Dresden nodded over his laced fingers. “Like I said. Tell me everything.”
And so he did.
There was a lot to cover.
He told Dresden about his past. His PETA membership. The dognapping. His arrest, his meeting with Pete, his transformation into a dog, the move to Babylon Gardens. The whole strange tale came out in what King was sure was an incoherent rant, culminating with the events of the previous night, which still seemed like a wild fever dream, and yet it had all happened. It was freeing to have a chance to let all of this out, but King felt his anxiety building all the same. Out loud it sounded insane. They were going to think he was delusional.
But Dresden never stopped him, never asked him to repeat himself. The wizard just nodded along, until King trailed off and fell silent, his tale told.
The corgi looked from the man to the cat, who was openly ogling him. “ … I have many questions,” Mister said finally.
“Dresden!” a woman called out. King turned to see a short, blonde police officer striding over. Her hair had been hastily tied back, and she looked more than a little frazzled, but she cracked the faintest of smiles when Dresden got to his feet to greet her.
“Karrin, meet King,” the wizard said nodding between the two. “King, Karrin Murphy, Chicago PD.” King gave her a half-hearted wave.
“Hey, you tracked down the Milton dog, too,” Murphy said with a grin. “Not a bad end to the day.”
“Yep,” Dresden replied. “All’s well that ends well.”
Murphy looked up at him, smile replaced with a calculating stare. “Any information on our perp?” she asked. King shuffled slowly out of her line of sight. It didn’t seem natural that someone so much small that Dresden could be staring him down like that.
The man sucked a breath in through his teeth. “Yeah, about that … Mister, would you fill Murph in on what happened down there?”
The cat’s eyebrows shot up, then he leveled a smoldering glare at Dresden. That glare evaporated into a cheerful smile as soon as Murphy’s suspicious stare fell on him. “I’d be happy to, boss!” he said through his teeth.
Murph wasn’t buying it, but Dresden seemed not acknowledge his cat’s theatrics. “Perfect. King, let’s go for a walk. Karrin, I’ll catch up with you in a minute.” The wizard started off down the street, away from the abandoned building they’d used to leave Undertown.
King scrambled to his feet and followed.
******************************
[quote="Amazee Dayzee"]I do really find myself enjoying the crossover even if it is very weird and I like the way you are writing things too! Awesome job![/quote][quote="dr_eirik"]This really is a good story. I'm still amazed how well you handle Butchers style.[/quote]
Thanks! I'm glad I've been able to consistently emulate the style of the actual Dresden Files so far. That said, I made the decision to do another perspective change for this chapter. I probably could have written this scene from Dresden's POV, but I was concerned it wouldn't be that interesting to read Dresden learning information the readers already know.
Also, I wrote another version of this scene that took place earlier in the story in MacAnally's pub. I might post that after the story concludes if anyone's interested.
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Amazee Dayzee
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Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
I might be interested in that and I'm sure others would be also so you should definitely post it!
Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
Chapter 9
I walked down the street, away from the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles and the squawking of walkie-talkies, King on my heels. The sun had gone down and the clouds had broken, letting a crescent moon peer down at us.
I glanced down at King, who had caught up with my long strides and was walking by my side. I slowed down a little bit to ease break-neck pace he had to work this stubby little legs to keep up with me. He glanced up at me with a questioning look, and I had to glance away for a moment. The image I had seen in the Soulgaze snapped back in sharp clarity, the dog and the man, one and the same.
Joel Robinson. This whole time, I’d been buddying up with a man trapped in a dog’s body, cursed by a giant blue griffin demigod. He’d been like this for almost a year. I’d never encountered anything like it, and for good reason. Transforming people into animals and vice versa, especially against their will, was something the White Council frowned on. Wardens, decaptications, etcetera.
But if King’s - Joel’s? - malefactor was as powerful as I suspected, there wasn’t much they would be able to do about it. I thought of that pair of baleful yellow eyes stretching across the heavens, and felt my fingers clench tight around my staff in a sudden stab of anger. It seemed like there was only one constant in the universe: the strong step on those they perceive to be the weak. Schoolyard bullies, gangsters, amoral demigods, they were all cut from the same cloth. I didn’t much care for any of them.
“Pete’s a stupid name,” I grumbled.
King let out a wheeze that almost sounded like a laugh. “Yep,” he replied.
I came to a halt and leaned up against the side of a building, some sort of warehouse a block down from the one we’d used to get into Undertown. King plopped himself down on the dirty concrete, panting slightly. We hadn’t really come that far, but he was pretty much beat from the exertions of the day. I took a seat next to him, my staff leaned across my lap. We sat there for a few moments, King catching his breath while I thought of how to proceed.
Ah, screw it. Sometimes the direct approach works best. “So, what do you want to do about the Great Feathery One?”
King blinked and looked at me. “Huh?”
“I mean, the way I see it, you’ve got two options.” I ticked them off on my fingers. “One, you play his game and try to come out on top. Or, two, I try to turn you back into a human and if Featherbutt tries to stop me, I blast him.”
“Option two seems ... optimistic,” the corgi said flatly.
I shrugged. “I’m more of a big picture guy.”
King leaned back against the wall, looking thoughtfully up at the night sky. “Yeah, I gathered as much.” I would have been a little indignant about that, but I prided myself on my ability to improvise in tough situations.
I looked at the dog, but he went silent. I pressed on. “Come on. Let’s strategize. Big picture stuff first. What’s your ideal outcome from all of this? We can start there.”
King dropped his face into his paws and rubbed at his eyes. “My ideal outcome,” he muttered. “That’s a really good question.” The corgi let his paws drop into his lap, and looked down at the, eyes tired and heavy. “I don’t think I know what I want anymore. I mean, at first I just wanted to be turned back. I didn’t want to be a dog, and I definitely didn’t want to be around Pete. I just wanted everything to go back to normal.”
I was nodding along. “I’m sensing a ‘but’ coming up.”
King clasped his paws together in his lap, slowly and deliberately. “But now Pete’s out of my life for now. And as time goes on, I’m having a harder time remembering what was so great about being a human in the first place. Joel was kind of a loser. King is …” The corgi’s voice trailed off, and he glanced around for a moment. I didn’t ask, but I was reasonably sure he was checking to make sure Mister wasn’t about to jump out of the bushes to take that setup. He let out a sigh before finishing his thought. “Well, King has a friend, at least.”
I took a few moments to mull that over. It was hard to argue with a lot of what he was saying. “Fair enough. I just have to ask one thing. Do they know the truth about your past?”
King visibly cringed. “No. Definitely not.”
“I thought so. Now, I won’t fault you for making the best of a bad situation. But me personally? I’ve found that lying and keeping secrets has a way of coming around to bite you. Which brings me back to my offer to blast the Great Blue Chicken.” The nickname needed work.
The faintest of smiles tugged at King’s lips. “The mental image alone helps a lot. Let me think it over, okay?”
I reached over and gave him a scratch between the ears. “Up to you, bud. I’m trying to break my habit of rushing to the rescue of people who don’t want my help.”
We fell silent for a time. This time it was King who struck up the conversation again. The corgi let out a shaky breath before looking back up at me. “Am I good person?”
That took me a little off guard. “No, you’re a good boy,” I said solemnly. “The goodest of boys.”
The corgi rolled his eyes, one giant ear flicking in annoyance. “No, seriously. You know what I was like. Can I come back from that?”
I leaned back against the wall, looking up at the night sky. A handful of stars shone bright enough to make themselves seen over the light pollution of the city. “Remember when that demon tried to enthrall you this morning?”
King sat up. “Demon? This morning? Hm. I wonder. Well, now that you mention it, of course I do, it was it was a giant jackal with glowing red eyes that tried to kill us with a spear.” The corgi’s voice positively oozed sarcasm. “Is this normal for you?”
“Kind of. You’ll get there someday, sport.” I ruffled his ears again. So fluffy. “But yeah, the demon. It tried to bind you by invoking your true Name.”
The corgi’s brow furrowed. “My name?”
I felt myself shifting into lecture mode before I even started speaking. “All beings have a Name. If you know a being’s Name, you can use it to gain power over them. Demons have names, for example. Knowing the name of a demon can allow you to conjure it and bind it to your will. But the same thing works in reverse. If a demon knows your name, it can do some seriously bad stuff to you.”
King shuddered. “Hooray, even more creepy magic stuff.” I fell silent for a moment while the corgi processed the implications of what I had I just told him. Right on cue, his eyes shot wide open. “Oh, holy carp. It knew my name.”
I held up a hand. “Well, not exactly. See, there’s a difference between mortals and magical beings like demons. Demons can’t change their nature, or their Name. If a demon wants to eat you now, it’s going to want to eat you in a thousand years. They’re static. Mortals, though, we're different. Our names have expiration dates."
King looked up at me, confused. "Expiration dates?"
"Sure. We change over time. Our personalities change, our interests change, and all of that changes how we see ourselves. A mortal's true name is their name, spoken by them."
“Wait, are you still trying to tell me whether I’m a bad person or not?”
I shrugged, noncommittal. “All I’m saying is, the Joel Robinson that demon knew? That isn’t you anymore. Your Name has changed.”
King nodded slowly, staring off into the night sky. “Thanks. I don’t know if that answers my question or not, but …”
“Hey, I’m doing my best over here.”
Then our little powwow was interrupted by the sound of feet hitting pavement and an excited shout. ”King!
The corgi’s eyes shot wide open and he jumped to his feet in surprise. “Fox?” He didn’t have time to get another word in before a husky with yellow bandana around his neck dashed over and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.
“It’s good to see you too,” King wheezed.
As I looked at the dog, a memory tickled at the back of my mind.
Oh.
Oh.
I thought back to everything that King had told us earlier. He’d talked about how as Joel he’d helped kidnap a dog - a husky, from the little community where Pete had later taken him to live. When I combined that with Pete’s penchant for karmic justice, things clicked into place.
“Oh, that’s messed up,” I said.
A little too loudly, as it turned out. Fox abruptly released King and wheeled on me, looking suddenly confused and irritated. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded.
I held up my hands, palms out, in the universal gesture of ‘peace, man’. “Whoa, buddy, I didn’t mean it like that. No judgement here. Love is love.”
The husky went a little red in the face and fixed me with a flat, unamused glare. “It’s not like … who are you, anyway?”
“Harry Dresden, wizard. Pleased to meet you.”
Fox folded his arms and looked over at me with a grimace, like I’d just made a particularly groan-inducing joke. “Right.” King, for his part, was standing behind Fox, staring at me with wide, pleading eyes and making a frantic ‘stop’ motion with his hands. I wasn’t fluent in sign language, but I was fairly sure King had just invented a signal for ‘please shut up about magic around the normal people, and also please don’t make any more veiled references to the fact that this is the dog I kidnapped when I was a human’.
It was a very expressive sign.
Murphy sometimes says I can get under people’s skin. Frankly, I don’t see it. I let out a sigh. “I’m a private investigator. Milton hired me to find your friend.”
“Oh.” Fox deflated a bit, like he’d been pumped up with indignation. He still looked wary, though, like he was suspicious that I’d kidnapped King in the first place.
It’s more common than you think. People and their ingratitude.
“Harry has a weird sense of humor. Right?” King gave me a pointed look.
“I’m great at parties,” I said.
“See?” King said to Fox, who rolled his eyes.
It was then that the rest of the Milton delegation arrived on the scene. Mr. Steward and Keene led the way. Steward carried a heavy-looking briefcase and the ferret was still wearing his sunglasses. A hulking grey wolf wearing a collar, tie, and nothing else followed behind them.
“My, what big teeth you have,” I muttered under my breath. The wolf stood, calm and attentive, while everyone on the block rubber-necked to stare at him. I had known Milton was eccentric, and something told me we were just scratching the surface.
“Mr. Dresden!” the ferret called out. “Excellent work. Mr. Steward, pay the man.” Keene seemed totally unfazed by the emergency vehicles and first responders that were milling around. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised.
Steward popped open his briefcase and produced a few thick stacks of paper, which he set about filling out. He spoke to me a couple times. I responded with monosyllabic grunts. The dollar amount on the check he was writing out had briefly short-circuited my brain. A short distance away, King and Fox were conversing in hushed tones, the husky’s ears still folded back with concern. I could help smiling just a bit. It was as heartwarming as it was screwed up.
Steward handed me the check. It was even more than the first one. I carefully tucked it into a pocket in my duster. “If you need anything else, don’t be a stranger, Steward,” I managed to say. “I am at the beck and call of the Milton estate.”
Steward looked suspiciously over his shoulder at Keene, obviously hoping the ferret hadn’t heard me. “With all due respect, Mr. Dresden, I sincerely hope that won’t be necessary.”
I flipped him a lazy salute. “Respect taken.”
“Hey, boss.” Mister walked up to my side and elbowed me. “Murphy still wants you to give a statement to the cops.”
Ah, it looked like I couldn’t run forever. “Give me a second. I’ll wrap up here.”
Nearby, King had grasped Keene’s paw in both of his and given it a fervent, grateful shake. Fox and the wolf held back, looking more than a little amused. “Alright, Mr. Milton, I think our business is concluded?” I said.
Keene extricated his paw from King’s grip. “Seems like it. I’ll be in touch, Mr. Dresden. Steward!” The ferret snapped his fingers and marched off down the street.
“King. It’s been a pleasure.” I held out my hand for him to shake.
“It’s certainly been … something. Thanks.” He took it. My hand sort of enveloped his. I tried not to squeeze too hard.
The corgi gave me a look as I released his hand. I winked and turned to go. As King walked off with Fox and the rest of his entourage, I saw him hurriedly tuck the business card I’d given him into his collar.
Mister shook his head as we watched them go. “Man,” he sighed. “I can’t imagine being turned into a dog.”
“Nor should you.”
“I mean, I’m sure it beats being a human, but still. Ick.”
I rolled my eyes and we started off toward the police cars, where Murphy was waiting to take my statement and turn it into something she could report to her superiors without being institutionalized. I was sure she could find some way to spin it. Mass hysteria, maybe. Or swamp gas. That was a perennial favorite.
As we walked, a pair of figures came out of nowhere and passed us by, going the opposite direction and speaking to each other under their breaths. One let out a cackle and whispered “Told ya so.” The other grumbled, bumping my shoulder as they walked by.
I turned, ready to snap at him over my shoulder, but they turned down an alley and disappeared from view.
Mister stared at the corner suspiciously. “Did that guy have a tail?”
“What? No. I don’t think so. Probably just your imagination.” I absently brushed at my shoulder, and a blue feather lazily drifted off. Mister and I watched as it slowly fell to the ground.
I blinked and it was gone.
Right.
Probably just my imagination.
******************************
I struggled with exactly how I was going to end this for a while, but I think I'm finally satisfied. I still have ideas for a couple one-off stories/interludes I'd like to write, but this is the conclusion of Lone Wolf. Which makes it the first story I've actually finished writing in years, so that's kinda cool. Anyway. Thanks for reading!
I walked down the street, away from the flashing lights of the emergency vehicles and the squawking of walkie-talkies, King on my heels. The sun had gone down and the clouds had broken, letting a crescent moon peer down at us.
I glanced down at King, who had caught up with my long strides and was walking by my side. I slowed down a little bit to ease break-neck pace he had to work this stubby little legs to keep up with me. He glanced up at me with a questioning look, and I had to glance away for a moment. The image I had seen in the Soulgaze snapped back in sharp clarity, the dog and the man, one and the same.
Joel Robinson. This whole time, I’d been buddying up with a man trapped in a dog’s body, cursed by a giant blue griffin demigod. He’d been like this for almost a year. I’d never encountered anything like it, and for good reason. Transforming people into animals and vice versa, especially against their will, was something the White Council frowned on. Wardens, decaptications, etcetera.
But if King’s - Joel’s? - malefactor was as powerful as I suspected, there wasn’t much they would be able to do about it. I thought of that pair of baleful yellow eyes stretching across the heavens, and felt my fingers clench tight around my staff in a sudden stab of anger. It seemed like there was only one constant in the universe: the strong step on those they perceive to be the weak. Schoolyard bullies, gangsters, amoral demigods, they were all cut from the same cloth. I didn’t much care for any of them.
“Pete’s a stupid name,” I grumbled.
King let out a wheeze that almost sounded like a laugh. “Yep,” he replied.
I came to a halt and leaned up against the side of a building, some sort of warehouse a block down from the one we’d used to get into Undertown. King plopped himself down on the dirty concrete, panting slightly. We hadn’t really come that far, but he was pretty much beat from the exertions of the day. I took a seat next to him, my staff leaned across my lap. We sat there for a few moments, King catching his breath while I thought of how to proceed.
Ah, screw it. Sometimes the direct approach works best. “So, what do you want to do about the Great Feathery One?”
King blinked and looked at me. “Huh?”
“I mean, the way I see it, you’ve got two options.” I ticked them off on my fingers. “One, you play his game and try to come out on top. Or, two, I try to turn you back into a human and if Featherbutt tries to stop me, I blast him.”
“Option two seems ... optimistic,” the corgi said flatly.
I shrugged. “I’m more of a big picture guy.”
King leaned back against the wall, looking thoughtfully up at the night sky. “Yeah, I gathered as much.” I would have been a little indignant about that, but I prided myself on my ability to improvise in tough situations.
I looked at the dog, but he went silent. I pressed on. “Come on. Let’s strategize. Big picture stuff first. What’s your ideal outcome from all of this? We can start there.”
King dropped his face into his paws and rubbed at his eyes. “My ideal outcome,” he muttered. “That’s a really good question.” The corgi let his paws drop into his lap, and looked down at the, eyes tired and heavy. “I don’t think I know what I want anymore. I mean, at first I just wanted to be turned back. I didn’t want to be a dog, and I definitely didn’t want to be around Pete. I just wanted everything to go back to normal.”
I was nodding along. “I’m sensing a ‘but’ coming up.”
King clasped his paws together in his lap, slowly and deliberately. “But now Pete’s out of my life for now. And as time goes on, I’m having a harder time remembering what was so great about being a human in the first place. Joel was kind of a loser. King is …” The corgi’s voice trailed off, and he glanced around for a moment. I didn’t ask, but I was reasonably sure he was checking to make sure Mister wasn’t about to jump out of the bushes to take that setup. He let out a sigh before finishing his thought. “Well, King has a friend, at least.”
I took a few moments to mull that over. It was hard to argue with a lot of what he was saying. “Fair enough. I just have to ask one thing. Do they know the truth about your past?”
King visibly cringed. “No. Definitely not.”
“I thought so. Now, I won’t fault you for making the best of a bad situation. But me personally? I’ve found that lying and keeping secrets has a way of coming around to bite you. Which brings me back to my offer to blast the Great Blue Chicken.” The nickname needed work.
The faintest of smiles tugged at King’s lips. “The mental image alone helps a lot. Let me think it over, okay?”
I reached over and gave him a scratch between the ears. “Up to you, bud. I’m trying to break my habit of rushing to the rescue of people who don’t want my help.”
We fell silent for a time. This time it was King who struck up the conversation again. The corgi let out a shaky breath before looking back up at me. “Am I good person?”
That took me a little off guard. “No, you’re a good boy,” I said solemnly. “The goodest of boys.”
The corgi rolled his eyes, one giant ear flicking in annoyance. “No, seriously. You know what I was like. Can I come back from that?”
I leaned back against the wall, looking up at the night sky. A handful of stars shone bright enough to make themselves seen over the light pollution of the city. “Remember when that demon tried to enthrall you this morning?”
King sat up. “Demon? This morning? Hm. I wonder. Well, now that you mention it, of course I do, it was it was a giant jackal with glowing red eyes that tried to kill us with a spear.” The corgi’s voice positively oozed sarcasm. “Is this normal for you?”
“Kind of. You’ll get there someday, sport.” I ruffled his ears again. So fluffy. “But yeah, the demon. It tried to bind you by invoking your true Name.”
The corgi’s brow furrowed. “My name?”
I felt myself shifting into lecture mode before I even started speaking. “All beings have a Name. If you know a being’s Name, you can use it to gain power over them. Demons have names, for example. Knowing the name of a demon can allow you to conjure it and bind it to your will. But the same thing works in reverse. If a demon knows your name, it can do some seriously bad stuff to you.”
King shuddered. “Hooray, even more creepy magic stuff.” I fell silent for a moment while the corgi processed the implications of what I had I just told him. Right on cue, his eyes shot wide open. “Oh, holy carp. It knew my name.”
I held up a hand. “Well, not exactly. See, there’s a difference between mortals and magical beings like demons. Demons can’t change their nature, or their Name. If a demon wants to eat you now, it’s going to want to eat you in a thousand years. They’re static. Mortals, though, we're different. Our names have expiration dates."
King looked up at me, confused. "Expiration dates?"
"Sure. We change over time. Our personalities change, our interests change, and all of that changes how we see ourselves. A mortal's true name is their name, spoken by them."
“Wait, are you still trying to tell me whether I’m a bad person or not?”
I shrugged, noncommittal. “All I’m saying is, the Joel Robinson that demon knew? That isn’t you anymore. Your Name has changed.”
King nodded slowly, staring off into the night sky. “Thanks. I don’t know if that answers my question or not, but …”
“Hey, I’m doing my best over here.”
Then our little powwow was interrupted by the sound of feet hitting pavement and an excited shout. ”King!
The corgi’s eyes shot wide open and he jumped to his feet in surprise. “Fox?” He didn’t have time to get another word in before a husky with yellow bandana around his neck dashed over and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.
“It’s good to see you too,” King wheezed.
As I looked at the dog, a memory tickled at the back of my mind.
Oh.
Oh.
I thought back to everything that King had told us earlier. He’d talked about how as Joel he’d helped kidnap a dog - a husky, from the little community where Pete had later taken him to live. When I combined that with Pete’s penchant for karmic justice, things clicked into place.
“Oh, that’s messed up,” I said.
A little too loudly, as it turned out. Fox abruptly released King and wheeled on me, looking suddenly confused and irritated. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he demanded.
I held up my hands, palms out, in the universal gesture of ‘peace, man’. “Whoa, buddy, I didn’t mean it like that. No judgement here. Love is love.”
The husky went a little red in the face and fixed me with a flat, unamused glare. “It’s not like … who are you, anyway?”
“Harry Dresden, wizard. Pleased to meet you.”
Fox folded his arms and looked over at me with a grimace, like I’d just made a particularly groan-inducing joke. “Right.” King, for his part, was standing behind Fox, staring at me with wide, pleading eyes and making a frantic ‘stop’ motion with his hands. I wasn’t fluent in sign language, but I was fairly sure King had just invented a signal for ‘please shut up about magic around the normal people, and also please don’t make any more veiled references to the fact that this is the dog I kidnapped when I was a human’.
It was a very expressive sign.
Murphy sometimes says I can get under people’s skin. Frankly, I don’t see it. I let out a sigh. “I’m a private investigator. Milton hired me to find your friend.”
“Oh.” Fox deflated a bit, like he’d been pumped up with indignation. He still looked wary, though, like he was suspicious that I’d kidnapped King in the first place.
It’s more common than you think. People and their ingratitude.
“Harry has a weird sense of humor. Right?” King gave me a pointed look.
“I’m great at parties,” I said.
“See?” King said to Fox, who rolled his eyes.
It was then that the rest of the Milton delegation arrived on the scene. Mr. Steward and Keene led the way. Steward carried a heavy-looking briefcase and the ferret was still wearing his sunglasses. A hulking grey wolf wearing a collar, tie, and nothing else followed behind them.
“My, what big teeth you have,” I muttered under my breath. The wolf stood, calm and attentive, while everyone on the block rubber-necked to stare at him. I had known Milton was eccentric, and something told me we were just scratching the surface.
“Mr. Dresden!” the ferret called out. “Excellent work. Mr. Steward, pay the man.” Keene seemed totally unfazed by the emergency vehicles and first responders that were milling around. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised.
Steward popped open his briefcase and produced a few thick stacks of paper, which he set about filling out. He spoke to me a couple times. I responded with monosyllabic grunts. The dollar amount on the check he was writing out had briefly short-circuited my brain. A short distance away, King and Fox were conversing in hushed tones, the husky’s ears still folded back with concern. I could help smiling just a bit. It was as heartwarming as it was screwed up.
Steward handed me the check. It was even more than the first one. I carefully tucked it into a pocket in my duster. “If you need anything else, don’t be a stranger, Steward,” I managed to say. “I am at the beck and call of the Milton estate.”
Steward looked suspiciously over his shoulder at Keene, obviously hoping the ferret hadn’t heard me. “With all due respect, Mr. Dresden, I sincerely hope that won’t be necessary.”
I flipped him a lazy salute. “Respect taken.”
“Hey, boss.” Mister walked up to my side and elbowed me. “Murphy still wants you to give a statement to the cops.”
Ah, it looked like I couldn’t run forever. “Give me a second. I’ll wrap up here.”
Nearby, King had grasped Keene’s paw in both of his and given it a fervent, grateful shake. Fox and the wolf held back, looking more than a little amused. “Alright, Mr. Milton, I think our business is concluded?” I said.
Keene extricated his paw from King’s grip. “Seems like it. I’ll be in touch, Mr. Dresden. Steward!” The ferret snapped his fingers and marched off down the street.
“King. It’s been a pleasure.” I held out my hand for him to shake.
“It’s certainly been … something. Thanks.” He took it. My hand sort of enveloped his. I tried not to squeeze too hard.
The corgi gave me a look as I released his hand. I winked and turned to go. As King walked off with Fox and the rest of his entourage, I saw him hurriedly tuck the business card I’d given him into his collar.
Mister shook his head as we watched them go. “Man,” he sighed. “I can’t imagine being turned into a dog.”
“Nor should you.”
“I mean, I’m sure it beats being a human, but still. Ick.”
I rolled my eyes and we started off toward the police cars, where Murphy was waiting to take my statement and turn it into something she could report to her superiors without being institutionalized. I was sure she could find some way to spin it. Mass hysteria, maybe. Or swamp gas. That was a perennial favorite.
As we walked, a pair of figures came out of nowhere and passed us by, going the opposite direction and speaking to each other under their breaths. One let out a cackle and whispered “Told ya so.” The other grumbled, bumping my shoulder as they walked by.
I turned, ready to snap at him over my shoulder, but they turned down an alley and disappeared from view.
Mister stared at the corner suspiciously. “Did that guy have a tail?”
“What? No. I don’t think so. Probably just your imagination.” I absently brushed at my shoulder, and a blue feather lazily drifted off. Mister and I watched as it slowly fell to the ground.
I blinked and it was gone.
Right.
Probably just my imagination.
******************************
I struggled with exactly how I was going to end this for a while, but I think I'm finally satisfied. I still have ideas for a couple one-off stories/interludes I'd like to write, but this is the conclusion of Lone Wolf. Which makes it the first story I've actually finished writing in years, so that's kinda cool. Anyway. Thanks for reading!
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Amazee Dayzee
- Posts: 25981
- Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2014 6:24 pm
Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
Really enjoyed reading all of this! I do hope we can see your one-offs soon! They should be just as entertaining! 
Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
Excellent story and a very satisfying ending! If Harry Dresden is written anything like what you've done here, I may have been missing out on something all these years 
Thanks for the story! Had a blast reading it
Thanks for the story! Had a blast reading it
Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
I'd say he got Jim Butchers style down pretty good. I really enjoyed this story. I hope you find a way to do more here.Obbl wrote:Excellent story and a very satisfying ending! If Harry Dresden is written anything like what you've done here, I may have been missing out on something all these years
Thanks for the story! Had a blast reading it
"Say, this is only tangentially relevant, but how many rings is your tail supposed to have?"
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Amazee Dayzee
- Posts: 25981
- Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2014 6:24 pm
Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
I really want to see you write another story soon because I did love how this came out!
Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
I can wait for the conclusion - great Stuart's always worth a wait!!
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Legotron123
- Posts: 4094
- Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2013 3:54 pm
- Location: Michigan
Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
I’m still curious about seeing what the Alphas are like in this universe.
Play The Hayseed Knight. This isn’t self promotion, I just really like the game.
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You ever realize that the two longest pieces of literature in existence are both fanfics? Weird right?
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You ever realize that the two longest pieces of literature in existence are both fanfics? Weird right?
Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
Thanks again, everyone! I had a fun time writing this. For the Dresden fans, I'm glad to hear that I was able to sort of match the style of the books. If you haven't read the series yet, I encourage you to check it out (starting with book three, the first two are just okay). Fair warning that there's more gore and swearing than depicted here, for obvious reasons xP
Now! What follows is the 'lost chapter' I mentioned earlier. I was planning to have this one come directly after the conclusion of the fight in the pet salon. I wound up deciding that it slowed the pacing of the story down too much and reworked it into the King interlude that I eventually wrote. At the same time, I like this scene, almost more than the one that wound up in the story. I'd be interested to hear if you guys had an opinion one way or the other.
Also, there may still be some typos in here, and the ending is kind of abrupt. I think I got that far before decided to scrap it.
(Interlude - King. Takes place directly after Chapter 6.)
King sat on the hard asphalt, hugging his legs to his chest and trying to slow the pounding of his heart. There was a rusty dumpster to his right and weather-worn brick at his back. Fat raindrops splashed on his head and shoulders.
His eyes were squeezed shut as he forced himself to breath. How long had it been since he’d fled from the salon? He had no concept of the length of time that had passed. Everything between there and where was now was a blur. He remembered bursting out of the building, running headlong through the storm.
Visions of fire.
King swallowed hard. What he’d seen when he’d looked in Dresden’s eyes was still sharp in his mind. In the moment, he’d been overwhelmed, and when the wolf-monsters charged them he’d broken and ran. Now, in retrospect, he wasn’t sure if he should be terrified or awestruck.
Maybe both. Or neither.
But what really ate at him was the knowledge that as deeply as he’d looked into Dresden’s soul, the wizard had looked into his. When the vision had faded and he’d looked Dresden in the eyes, he’d seen a spark of realization.
The wizard knew. He knew who King was. [What[/i] he was. In some ways it ways it was his worst nightmare made manifest, that he would be found out, that it would be revealed who “King” the corgi had been all along. But in another way, it was freeing. He’d been forced to live a lie for months now, and just last night he’d learned that he was a pawn in some kind of cosmic roleplaying game for a group of demigod nerds. It was terrifying, impossible, completely ridiculous. He didn’t know how to begin to explain it to anyone.
But Dresden … King had been skeptical of the wizard from the beginning. But in the few short hours they’d been acquainted, King had gotten the impression that Dresden had a lot of experience with the terrifying, impossible, and completely ridiculous. Maybe there was some way for him to help.
Maybe he would understand.
“King!” The corgi looked up sharply as the familiar voice echoed down the alley. King opened his eyes, drew in a breath to calm his nerves, and got to his feet. The wizard was standing at the mouth of the alley, craning his neck to get a better look. “King!” he called out again, before his eyes settled on the corgi, standing sodden and uncomfortable next to a bag of trash.
The wizard cracked a faint smile, and his shoulders, squared and tense, relaxed visibly. King had come to realize that Dresden didn’t seem particularly good at hiding his emotions, in general. They were a lot alike in that way.
The man had been holding that necklace of his out in front of him when King had come out of hiding, and was now stowing it in one of the voluminous pockets on the side of his oversized leather coat. King had a chance to size Dresden up. The soul gaze had given him … a second first impression, so to speak. The man was tall, easily six and a half feet, and his limbs seemed out of proportion to his body, long and lanky. He moved like he was afraid he was going to break something, and that coat made him look like a wannabe cowboy.
King’s first impression hadn’t been very charitable.
Now, though, there was a strength and purpose to him that King hadn’t noticed before.
The corgi stepped forward to meet the man in the alley’s center.
Dresden crouched down, and they looked each other in the eye. King could see the wizard sizing him up.
“Hey, Harry,” King said. It felt like it had been hours since he spoke, and the words came out a little gravelly.
“Hey,” Dresden replied. They stood there in silence for a few moments. “Still want that steak sandwich?”
King’s stomach growled noisily. “More than life itself.”
******************************
“Mac’s” turned out to be a pub called MacAnally’s. It had no sign at street level, just a set of old stone stairs leading to a wooden door below street level.
King followed Dresden down the steps and through the open doorway, past a large sign that read 'Accorded Neutral Territory'. Whatever that meant. Inside, the pub wasn’t exactly what King had expected. Most of the big-city bars he - Joel - had been to were dim, dingy places full of cigarette smoke, loud bikers playing pool, and exuded an aura of “I might get stabbed here tonight”. Mac’s looked more like a tavern from a fantasy novel. The floors were ancient hardwood, the walls were paneled in wood, and intricately carved wooden beams supported the roof. Tables were placed seemingly without rhyme or reason, and about a dozen ceiling fans stirred up the hot, humid air.
Dresden walked in and strode toward the hulking hardwood bar at the other end of the room. King followed, glancing around at the other patrons. There weren’t many. A few men with long, greying beards sat together at a table off in the corner, sipping beers and talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. A pale woman with raven-black hair sat at a table near the middle of the room, studying an old book. All looked up as Dresden passed, nodding at him before returning to their business.
The wizard took a set on one of the stools at the bar. King stopped, looked up at the seat, sighed, and proceeded to haul himself onto the worn leather cushion. He took his seat with a huff and leaned onto the bar.
An average-looking middle-aged man with a bald head and a clean white apron stepped out a swinging door behind the bar with a brown bottle in his hand. He put the bottle down in front of Dresden, who accepted it with a grateful grunt and took a swig. “You’re a saint, Mac,” the wizard said with a grin.
“Mmm.” Mac glanced at King and gave Dresden a questioning look.
“I find lost puppies to pay the bills now,” the wizard said. “Speaking of bills …”
Mac shrugged. “Tab.”
“Perfect. Three steak sandwiches, please.”
King let himself zone out while Harry chatted amiably at the bartender, who seemed mostly to communicate with grunts and significant looks. His body ached, and his head was fuzzy from stress and lack of sleep, but the pub had a calm atmosphere to it. He could almost begin to relax.
The corgi leaned against the bar, letting his head droop down toward his chest. He would just rest his eyes for a second, try to clear his head.
“If you ate my sandwich, you’re dead,” a familiar voice said cheerfully.
King blinked and shot bolt-upright. He’d practically dozed off. Dresden was nowhere to be seen - King vaguely remembered him saying something about going to the bathroom. Mister was sitting on the stool to his right, his feet dangling above an overstuffed duffel bag. The cat was big, as tall and hefty as some dogs King had met, and a thick mane of grey fur at his neck. He wore a collar with a silver star charm that matched Dresden’s, as well as a toothy grin.
“Someone sleepy?” he cooed.
King felt a flash of annoyance. “It’s been a long day,” he snapped.
“Yeah.” Mister’s grin faded. “Sorry, Dresden raised me too well. I’m sarcastic by reflex.”
Back in the kitchen, the grill sizzled. The scent of cooking steak was almost overpowering, and King had to work to keep from drooling all over the bar. His sense of smell was something was still taking some getting used to.
For the first time, Mister seemed a little unsure of what to say. “So … Dresden Soulgazed you, huh?”
“Yep.”
Mister swiveled his stool in King’s direction. The corgi looked back at him warily.
“And you’re still here?” the cat asked, looking intently King.
“I ran away screaming, but I’m better now,” King replied wearily. Wherever Mister was going with this, he doubted he was in the mood for it.
But the cat just nodded, looking thoughtful. “He would have dropped you off with your owner if you asked.”
“I didn’t ask.”
Mister nodded again. “You’re alright, King.”
The corgi blinked in surprise. Up until that point all of his interactions with the cat had consisted solely of condescending barbs and sarcasm. “Thank you?” he half-asked. The change in attitude was almost disconcerting.
“Sure.” Mister turned back to the bar and started examining his claws for dirt.
“Is this a bonding moment? Are we friends now or something?”
“Don’t push it, shortstack.”
Well, all good things must come to an end. But just in time, the food arrived. Mac returned with three plates, each of which held a roll piled high with steaming shredded streak, cheese, and onions. King felt his stomach rumble almost painfully, and started to dig in as soon as the plate was left in front of him. Mister followed suit. When Dresden returned from the restroom, Mister was only able to mumble a greeting at him around a mouthful of meat.
The wizard sat down without another word and attacked his sandwich with as much vigor as King and Mister. In a few minutes they had three empty plates and Dresden was halfway through a second beer.
King felt about ready to roll away, and the exhaustion he’d felt was returning in force. The heat wasn’t helping matters. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball somewhere and sleep the rest of the day away.
But Dresden was wiping his mouth and turning to face him. He was leaning casually against the bar, but there was a calculating, focused look in his eyes. On King’s right, Mister was mirroring the
posture, watching King with unveiled curiosity.
The corgi’s stomach twisted a little with nerves. He knew what came next. He’d been preparing himself, but now the moment was here.
“You ready to talk to me?” Dresden asked quietly.
King looked around. The pub suddenly seemed very quiet indeed. He was acutely aware of the other patrons, as well as Mac, who was cleaning a glass just down the bar, studiously not paying any mind to their trio.
Dresden followed his gaze. “No one can overhear us. Mac is safe. Anything you say in front of me you can say in front of Mister. He’s a pain in the tail, but he’s loyal.”
King nodded and took another breath.
Where even to start?
“My real name is Joel Robinson,” he heard himself say. And then it all came out. “I’m a human. I was transformed into a dog by a demigod named Pete who wants me to be his avatar on Earth as part of some kind of cosmic game.”
He stopped. Mister had let out a cough and was staring at him, wided-eyed. “Say what?”
But Dresden’s expression didn’t change. He considered King for a few moments, then nodded. “Okay. Tell me everything.”
King blinked a few times, still a little shocked at how easily he’d confessed his dark secret. “You seem way too okay with this.”
Dresden shrugged. “I mean, my fairy godmother has been trying to turn me into one of her hunting dogs since I was sixteen. This isn’t totally new territory.”
King let out a nervous giggle, but the wizard didn’t crack a smile. “Oh. Seriously?”
Dresden nodded over his laced fingers. “Like I said. Tell me everything.”
King did.
Kidnapping Fox, getting arrested, his transformation, Pete’s move to Babylon Gardens, the Christmas party, culminating with his introduction to Kitsune and Dragon just last night.
He left a few things out - Bailey, some butt-sniffing incidents - but by and large he laid all of his cards out on the table.
By the time he finished, Mac had cleared away their plates and left the three of them a glass of water each. Dresden was nodding along, resting his chin on his knuckles, brow furrowed in thought.
Mister was staring at him like he was some kind of circus attraction.
They were silent for a few moments.
“I have many questions,” the cat said.
“You still want to help take down a bad guy?” Dresden asked, standing.
King hopped down from his stool. “Lead the way."
I actually hadn't thought of that until I saw your comment. For the non-readers, the Alphas are a group of teenagers who each have the ability to shape-shift into a wolf on command. They were taught to be werewolves minus the full moon thing. I imagine that power would work in a similar way in this universe. Tera West is a different story, of course.Legotron123 wrote:I’m still curious about seeing what the Alphas are like in this universe.
Now! What follows is the 'lost chapter' I mentioned earlier. I was planning to have this one come directly after the conclusion of the fight in the pet salon. I wound up deciding that it slowed the pacing of the story down too much and reworked it into the King interlude that I eventually wrote. At the same time, I like this scene, almost more than the one that wound up in the story. I'd be interested to hear if you guys had an opinion one way or the other.
Also, there may still be some typos in here, and the ending is kind of abrupt. I think I got that far before decided to scrap it.
(Interlude - King. Takes place directly after Chapter 6.)
King sat on the hard asphalt, hugging his legs to his chest and trying to slow the pounding of his heart. There was a rusty dumpster to his right and weather-worn brick at his back. Fat raindrops splashed on his head and shoulders.
His eyes were squeezed shut as he forced himself to breath. How long had it been since he’d fled from the salon? He had no concept of the length of time that had passed. Everything between there and where was now was a blur. He remembered bursting out of the building, running headlong through the storm.
Visions of fire.
King swallowed hard. What he’d seen when he’d looked in Dresden’s eyes was still sharp in his mind. In the moment, he’d been overwhelmed, and when the wolf-monsters charged them he’d broken and ran. Now, in retrospect, he wasn’t sure if he should be terrified or awestruck.
Maybe both. Or neither.
But what really ate at him was the knowledge that as deeply as he’d looked into Dresden’s soul, the wizard had looked into his. When the vision had faded and he’d looked Dresden in the eyes, he’d seen a spark of realization.
The wizard knew. He knew who King was. [What[/i] he was. In some ways it ways it was his worst nightmare made manifest, that he would be found out, that it would be revealed who “King” the corgi had been all along. But in another way, it was freeing. He’d been forced to live a lie for months now, and just last night he’d learned that he was a pawn in some kind of cosmic roleplaying game for a group of demigod nerds. It was terrifying, impossible, completely ridiculous. He didn’t know how to begin to explain it to anyone.
But Dresden … King had been skeptical of the wizard from the beginning. But in the few short hours they’d been acquainted, King had gotten the impression that Dresden had a lot of experience with the terrifying, impossible, and completely ridiculous. Maybe there was some way for him to help.
Maybe he would understand.
“King!” The corgi looked up sharply as the familiar voice echoed down the alley. King opened his eyes, drew in a breath to calm his nerves, and got to his feet. The wizard was standing at the mouth of the alley, craning his neck to get a better look. “King!” he called out again, before his eyes settled on the corgi, standing sodden and uncomfortable next to a bag of trash.
The wizard cracked a faint smile, and his shoulders, squared and tense, relaxed visibly. King had come to realize that Dresden didn’t seem particularly good at hiding his emotions, in general. They were a lot alike in that way.
The man had been holding that necklace of his out in front of him when King had come out of hiding, and was now stowing it in one of the voluminous pockets on the side of his oversized leather coat. King had a chance to size Dresden up. The soul gaze had given him … a second first impression, so to speak. The man was tall, easily six and a half feet, and his limbs seemed out of proportion to his body, long and lanky. He moved like he was afraid he was going to break something, and that coat made him look like a wannabe cowboy.
King’s first impression hadn’t been very charitable.
Now, though, there was a strength and purpose to him that King hadn’t noticed before.
The corgi stepped forward to meet the man in the alley’s center.
Dresden crouched down, and they looked each other in the eye. King could see the wizard sizing him up.
“Hey, Harry,” King said. It felt like it had been hours since he spoke, and the words came out a little gravelly.
“Hey,” Dresden replied. They stood there in silence for a few moments. “Still want that steak sandwich?”
King’s stomach growled noisily. “More than life itself.”
******************************
“Mac’s” turned out to be a pub called MacAnally’s. It had no sign at street level, just a set of old stone stairs leading to a wooden door below street level.
King followed Dresden down the steps and through the open doorway, past a large sign that read 'Accorded Neutral Territory'. Whatever that meant. Inside, the pub wasn’t exactly what King had expected. Most of the big-city bars he - Joel - had been to were dim, dingy places full of cigarette smoke, loud bikers playing pool, and exuded an aura of “I might get stabbed here tonight”. Mac’s looked more like a tavern from a fantasy novel. The floors were ancient hardwood, the walls were paneled in wood, and intricately carved wooden beams supported the roof. Tables were placed seemingly without rhyme or reason, and about a dozen ceiling fans stirred up the hot, humid air.
Dresden walked in and strode toward the hulking hardwood bar at the other end of the room. King followed, glancing around at the other patrons. There weren’t many. A few men with long, greying beards sat together at a table off in the corner, sipping beers and talking amongst themselves in hushed tones. A pale woman with raven-black hair sat at a table near the middle of the room, studying an old book. All looked up as Dresden passed, nodding at him before returning to their business.
The wizard took a set on one of the stools at the bar. King stopped, looked up at the seat, sighed, and proceeded to haul himself onto the worn leather cushion. He took his seat with a huff and leaned onto the bar.
An average-looking middle-aged man with a bald head and a clean white apron stepped out a swinging door behind the bar with a brown bottle in his hand. He put the bottle down in front of Dresden, who accepted it with a grateful grunt and took a swig. “You’re a saint, Mac,” the wizard said with a grin.
“Mmm.” Mac glanced at King and gave Dresden a questioning look.
“I find lost puppies to pay the bills now,” the wizard said. “Speaking of bills …”
Mac shrugged. “Tab.”
“Perfect. Three steak sandwiches, please.”
King let himself zone out while Harry chatted amiably at the bartender, who seemed mostly to communicate with grunts and significant looks. His body ached, and his head was fuzzy from stress and lack of sleep, but the pub had a calm atmosphere to it. He could almost begin to relax.
The corgi leaned against the bar, letting his head droop down toward his chest. He would just rest his eyes for a second, try to clear his head.
“If you ate my sandwich, you’re dead,” a familiar voice said cheerfully.
King blinked and shot bolt-upright. He’d practically dozed off. Dresden was nowhere to be seen - King vaguely remembered him saying something about going to the bathroom. Mister was sitting on the stool to his right, his feet dangling above an overstuffed duffel bag. The cat was big, as tall and hefty as some dogs King had met, and a thick mane of grey fur at his neck. He wore a collar with a silver star charm that matched Dresden’s, as well as a toothy grin.
“Someone sleepy?” he cooed.
King felt a flash of annoyance. “It’s been a long day,” he snapped.
“Yeah.” Mister’s grin faded. “Sorry, Dresden raised me too well. I’m sarcastic by reflex.”
Back in the kitchen, the grill sizzled. The scent of cooking steak was almost overpowering, and King had to work to keep from drooling all over the bar. His sense of smell was something was still taking some getting used to.
For the first time, Mister seemed a little unsure of what to say. “So … Dresden Soulgazed you, huh?”
“Yep.”
Mister swiveled his stool in King’s direction. The corgi looked back at him warily.
“And you’re still here?” the cat asked, looking intently King.
“I ran away screaming, but I’m better now,” King replied wearily. Wherever Mister was going with this, he doubted he was in the mood for it.
But the cat just nodded, looking thoughtful. “He would have dropped you off with your owner if you asked.”
“I didn’t ask.”
Mister nodded again. “You’re alright, King.”
The corgi blinked in surprise. Up until that point all of his interactions with the cat had consisted solely of condescending barbs and sarcasm. “Thank you?” he half-asked. The change in attitude was almost disconcerting.
“Sure.” Mister turned back to the bar and started examining his claws for dirt.
“Is this a bonding moment? Are we friends now or something?”
“Don’t push it, shortstack.”
Well, all good things must come to an end. But just in time, the food arrived. Mac returned with three plates, each of which held a roll piled high with steaming shredded streak, cheese, and onions. King felt his stomach rumble almost painfully, and started to dig in as soon as the plate was left in front of him. Mister followed suit. When Dresden returned from the restroom, Mister was only able to mumble a greeting at him around a mouthful of meat.
The wizard sat down without another word and attacked his sandwich with as much vigor as King and Mister. In a few minutes they had three empty plates and Dresden was halfway through a second beer.
King felt about ready to roll away, and the exhaustion he’d felt was returning in force. The heat wasn’t helping matters. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball somewhere and sleep the rest of the day away.
But Dresden was wiping his mouth and turning to face him. He was leaning casually against the bar, but there was a calculating, focused look in his eyes. On King’s right, Mister was mirroring the
posture, watching King with unveiled curiosity.
The corgi’s stomach twisted a little with nerves. He knew what came next. He’d been preparing himself, but now the moment was here.
“You ready to talk to me?” Dresden asked quietly.
King looked around. The pub suddenly seemed very quiet indeed. He was acutely aware of the other patrons, as well as Mac, who was cleaning a glass just down the bar, studiously not paying any mind to their trio.
Dresden followed his gaze. “No one can overhear us. Mac is safe. Anything you say in front of me you can say in front of Mister. He’s a pain in the tail, but he’s loyal.”
King nodded and took another breath.
Where even to start?
“My real name is Joel Robinson,” he heard himself say. And then it all came out. “I’m a human. I was transformed into a dog by a demigod named Pete who wants me to be his avatar on Earth as part of some kind of cosmic game.”
He stopped. Mister had let out a cough and was staring at him, wided-eyed. “Say what?”
But Dresden’s expression didn’t change. He considered King for a few moments, then nodded. “Okay. Tell me everything.”
King blinked a few times, still a little shocked at how easily he’d confessed his dark secret. “You seem way too okay with this.”
Dresden shrugged. “I mean, my fairy godmother has been trying to turn me into one of her hunting dogs since I was sixteen. This isn’t totally new territory.”
King let out a nervous giggle, but the wizard didn’t crack a smile. “Oh. Seriously?”
Dresden nodded over his laced fingers. “Like I said. Tell me everything.”
King did.
Kidnapping Fox, getting arrested, his transformation, Pete’s move to Babylon Gardens, the Christmas party, culminating with his introduction to Kitsune and Dragon just last night.
He left a few things out - Bailey, some butt-sniffing incidents - but by and large he laid all of his cards out on the table.
By the time he finished, Mac had cleared away their plates and left the three of them a glass of water each. Dresden was nodding along, resting his chin on his knuckles, brow furrowed in thought.
Mister was staring at him like he was some kind of circus attraction.
They were silent for a few moments.
“I have many questions,” the cat said.
“You still want to help take down a bad guy?” Dresden asked, standing.
King hopped down from his stool. “Lead the way."
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Amazee Dayzee
- Posts: 25981
- Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2014 6:24 pm
Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
I would like to know whose butts he ended up sniffing and what the "incident" was.
Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
This flows pretty well, easily as good as what ended up in the story. I almost think this might have worked slightly better if only to bring Mac into the picture. Then again, there are a *lot* of side characters and locations that could have shown up.
"Say, this is only tangentially relevant, but how many rings is your tail supposed to have?"
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Amazee Dayzee
- Posts: 25981
- Joined: Tue Aug 12, 2014 6:24 pm
Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
I'm just waiting to see what will be here when I get back from my vacation.
Re: Lone Wolf - A Housepets/Dresden Files Crossover
Agreed. I think it could work either way. The story as I wound up publishing it is a little slow at the end, IMO. And Mac is a fun character. If I go back and edit, I might put this chapter in where I had originally planned to.dr_eirik wrote:This flows pretty well, easily as good as what ended up in the story. I almost think this might have worked slightly better if only to bring Mac into the picture. Then again, there are a *lot* of side characters and locations that could have shown up.