Europe circa 1550 AD.

And again Shade found himself in Europe wandering on foot.  As he crossed the Alps this time he knew what to expect, the nomads and wolves, and was prepared to meet and get past either.  It was the wolves who found him first, not drawn by any scent as Nephillim Spawn do not smell animal, nor by any mysterious force.  He simply walked past their den, sending them into defensive postures. 

Shade knew, though, that even easier than suggestion controlled simple Humans it would control animals.  And so having this power to silently suggest he showed them fear of him, watched as they moved from his path. 

But one wolf remained, a young one, not a pup but probably hunting for the first year since his birth.  He was gray and white in colour, yellow-eyed.  He stood in Shade's path, showing him he was not afraid, and yet, he did not threaten.  This was a close as the animal could come to giving respect. 

Something about the wolf charmed him, so Shade went down on one knee and gave his hand to the wolf calmly.  Shade thought about keeping the wolf with him, wondered how it would be.  And it was close now, sniffing him, and then nudging and backing up and going into postures. 

Shade walked away then, and the wolf padded along at his heel. 

When Shade met up with the nomads they set upon him, as he was dressed in the clothes of a wealthy man.  Taking advantage of superhuman strength and speed, the ability to see in the dark, the sharpness of his fangs, and the ability to cause fear or other reactions Shade defeated his attackers easily, feeling numb as he felt limbs tear from trunks beneath his hands, numb by every violent act, except those which gave him the taste of blood. 

He feasted on them, these good deaths, which he had caused because they had meant the same for him.  Shade saw the wolf was still with him, standing over a dead man with throat ripped out, blood on his teeth and snout.  Shade felt himself smile.  It often happened that he reacted to some emotion before he knew he was feeling it.  The wolf had helped him, killed a Human to help him.  "Destroyer," Shade called him.

The wolf came close to him again and they curled into each other to sleep. 

Shade liked his new pet; he'd never kept an animal as a pet before, and felt that he loved Destroyer.  At least he had an appreciation for his loyalty.  He always had a warm body to curl up with during the day, a companion to walk through dark forests with him at night.  And he was not plagued so by emotions as Humans are, he was not needy.

When Shade needed blood he would listen, the slightest Human sound reaching him over great distances, many times Human thought just coming to him.  In those years Shade hardly knew the abilities he had, even though he had to be a thousand years old already. 

When they came upon Humans Shade would lure them out into the night, and he and Troy, as he found himself calling the wolf, would feed. 

Of course Shade understood that normal wolves wouldn't prey on Humans unless they are absolutely starving.  In times of plague or war it had happened that wolves fed on bodies already dead and got a taste for Humans, these wolves had to be hunted and killed because they would continue preying on Humans.  But Shade never felt sorry that his wolf was one of these.  He preyed on Humans himself, and so far, no Human had tried to hurt him knowing what he was and wanting him dead for that reason. 

Shade and Troy would play tag with each other, running through fields howling and laughing.  They would splash each other in streams where they bathed.  Troy would even fetch things, but only in his good moods.  When Humans were about he trusted Shade to know better than he and followed his lead, if Shade stayed quiet and hid then Troy did not make a sound, if Shade fought with Humans Troy fought.  Sometimes Shade would signal in such a way that Troy understood not to follow, so that Troy might stay hidden wherever Shade left him and wait.  Or he might stand calmly on a path not growling when a Human came by but whining and looking hurt, while Shade was hidden.  And then the Human would come close and Shade would know what to do, kill, or play.

Sometimes they would go right into villages or towns at night, not afraid of the Humans.  Troy would do things wild animals wouldn't, because Shade was his master and showed Troy there was no danger.  Troy would climb up ladders, jump through windows and claw at door latches trying to open them. 

Shade still liked to be able to kill Humans whom he didn't have to fight. He would take Troy into a village, or wait in the forest outside one.  And they would go into the bedroom of a young woman, or man, perhaps meet one on a forest path.  And it would be time to play.  Troy knew the rules.  When it was time to play he must not break their skin, must not go for the kill.  He must let himself be pet, if Shade wanted it.  Of course he got to lie in a warm soft bed a while for being so good.  And when Shade was done playing and saying sweet or intelligent things he would step back and let Troy make the kill.  While Troy was eating the entrails Shade would suck up blood from the body. 

It was a good partnership, even if it did cause a trail of rumours about werewolves to follow them about. 

b                  b                  b

Black night.  Dark clouds were hiding the stars, and there was no light on the ground to be reflected down off them.  The moon was playing peek-a-boo.  And when she looked down, the forest filled with howls.  The trees and rocks and fog all passed by, the Spawn and his wolf were in the woods, running. 

Shade spun around, let himself be carried backward by inertia and fell against a thick tree trunk.  Destroyer ran right by, yelped, turned around, kicking up leaves, and padded over to his master's feet.  Shade stooped down.  "We'll try this again, get on my back," he said. 

The wolf was hesitant. 

Shade ducked underneath the wolf, then stood, the wolf on his shoulders.  Troy was wobbling.  Shade grabbed hold of the forepaw hanging over his right shoulder.  "Keep the paw here.  Keep your balance. Be still and I will be able to keep you from falling." 

And Shade climbed the tree.  He lifted Troy over his head, held the wolf steady watching to see if he'll keep all four paws on the branch. 

"Cats can do it, Troy," Shade said. 

Metal bound carriage wheels hitting rocks. 

Shade stood up on the branch, confident that he would not fall, weight set back on one leg while the other was bent, thumb hooked into his belt.  He looked down from the treetop saw the black shape moving toward him as if time were stretched out.  They had no concept of slow motion then. 

The black carriage came deliberately through the forest, the four large black horses driven to find their way without benefit of a path, well travelled or less.  A beam of light shone white, from the interior.  It swept the ground of the forest, but not the treetops.

And above Shade laughed.  "I ask you, Troy, would the Humans say this the devil?  Would they say the Devil came searching the woods for me in a black carriage at midnight?  That he gave me a magic potion in exchange for my soul?" 

The wolf, of course, did not answer.

"Lucifer wouldn't be seen in such a contraption.  He'd arrive in flashy sportscar, or on monobike.  A red one." 

Shade hopped down to a lower branch.  "Come along, the branches are so close together you could walk down." 

The wolf jumped down after him. 

In their last jump they landed on the carriage roof.  The carriage was driverless; it seemed the horses just knew where the passengers wanted to go.  Shade laughed as the beam of light was shut off.  It was Louis' voice that came from within the carriage.  "Must you always act so inhuman, Pa?  Jumping down at us from the trees?"

Shade directed Troy to jump down and then followed.  He stood at ease, laughing softly as the three pale faces stared at him.  "Did you think me Robin Hood maybe?" Shade asked.

"Just get in," Louis said.  "We're going to Paris.  Things tell me, it will be quite an enlightenment."

"Have you predicted this as you did the rebirth of culture?  With help from The Book?"

Louis reached out from the carriage, very quickly, and pulled Shade in.  Shade sat on the floor and called Troy. 

"You've got a wolf?" Min asked.

"Yes," said Shade, "he's my pet."

b                  b                  b

As the carriage was driven east into France the snow that had been flurrying down began to fall heavily.  Travelling became hard.  Dawn came, and though the sun wasn't visible but for a general radiant brightness coming at them through the falling snow it still weakened Min.  It was always so, travelling with Min, you had to go down in the sand two hours early, or that's what Louis said.  But he always took care of his two girls, and so he raced the horses through the snow as fast as he could, turning north to put the sun at the closed side of the carriage. 

They stopped in the first town they came to, Shade shooing Troy out into the woods to wait on them, Louis entering the small inn dressed still in Venetian finery, putting down gold for a room.  Shade carried Min inside, passing through the common room crowded with morning conversation.  And Faye came last carrying many small pieces of luggage.  Not your usual everyday sight.

Louis locked the room and draped the window with a Nightcloak taken out of one of the bags.  Min, taffeta dress and all, crawled across the dusty floor and into a corner. Shade lay on one bed, Louis and Faye lay on the other so that Faye stared across the dark room at Shade with Louis' arm draped over her hip. 

For Min and Louis both it was easy to sleep, but Faye and Shade found sleep difficult to surrender to, especially as they were listening to the high pitched sound of a violin being played somewhere beyond the wooden wall at Shade's back.  The violin, and shouting, and growing laughter beneath the floor.  Faye began to sing the notes along. 

Shade hid beneath a pillow and dreamt of wolves.

b                  b                  b

The air was cold enough to burn.  Shade trudged up the mountain through the snow, several feet thick where wind had blown it into drifts.  He couldn't remember the last warm blood he'd taken, and without a warm coat he was cold inside as well as out.  He called to his wolf again, out loud, as he did silently.  No answering howl or low silver shape bounding over the snow.  A tear escaped Shade's left eye.  If Louis had been around, maybe he would have said it was only the cold.  Shade still made efforts to keep up his image in front of his son.  But with Louis waiting impatiently at the edge of town Shade admitted he was feeling sorry for himself at the loss of his only pet.  He knew something was wrong.

The scent of blood was thin in the cold air, but still stronger than it should have been.  Shade knew he was going to see something terrible.  And then he came across Troy, stood for a while not daring to look down at the half-buried wolf but across the clearing, at least five other shapes were visible against the whiteness.  Not all wolves.  And yet, no Human. 

Definitely a hunting party gone bad, really looking Shade could see some of those shapes were dogs, a large one most definitely a horse. 

He bent to Troy's side.  Shade saw immediately he had taken a musket shot in the shoulder, but by some fortune Troy lay with the wound elevated above the heart, the deep hollow of snow kept him insulated, kept his body heat from fleeting too quickly.  Troy was alive, and might yet be saved. 

The wolf opened a sleepy eye and looked up as he felt his master's fingers probing the wound.  Shade held Troy's neck to the ground with one hand and dug at the wound to clear it of fragments.  The wolf whined.  He was dying, he'd been lying on this mountain dying since dawn, and now that Shade knew what had become of him, he would give up and die. 

"No," Shade said.  He licked at his own tears as they fell down to his lips.  "Dee and Louis aren't hear to stop me this time.  I'll make you live.  If Lucifer wants terrors so badly, I'll show him one.  I'll bring the Destroyer into the world, the beast..."

The wolf lapped at the thin blood that flowed from Shade's wrist.  In a minute he was on his feet tugging at Shade's arm, biting with his teeth.  And Shade smiled.  "Good boy," he said, "you take it when I give it to you."

The wound closed, fur grew over the new skin, and Destroyer made a low howl that carried clearly in the thin air, echoed off the mountain.  Shade laughed and mimicked the howl. 

Louis came up the mountain, walking across the icy surface of the snow in heeled slippers leaving not a single footprint.  He said something like, "Christ, didn't know you were a zoophiliac as well as a pederast, Father."

And Shade said, "I never fucked you, Athen."

They got into the carriage then.  Louis looking as in command as Shade did weak and miserable. Troy didn't need any coaxing into the enclosed space.  And while Shade lay on the floor as well, looking miserable knowing the others disapproved entirely of everything he did, it was Faye, strangely, who brought him up into her arms and let him drink from her breast.  "Loneliness is all we can really hope to find in this world," she said. 

And Faye stared across the dim space at Louis, glaring at him as he did at her.