HOWLING HALLOW

Chapter Twelve

The Doctor continued to eat his licorice, enjoying the looks of consternation on his captor's faces. He knew they were puzzled over what Rose wasn't attacking him and he loved that he was confusion the heck out of them.

"So," he said after swallowing the sixth licorice button, "s'pose you want to know why these werewolves are docile?"

"Why?" Flak said.

"I'm their trainer," the Doctor said, reaching into his pocket.

He pulled out his psychic paper, opened it and showed it to Flak. Flak frowned while he read it.

"Cornelius P. Pomperjay, wolf trainer?" he said to the Doctor after reading it.

"Yup, that's me. Pomperjay's Pretty Pets, that's my act. These werewolves have been hand raised by me since birth. This one's mother was savaged by a pair of grotty werewolves and her belly was ripped open. I found the baby near the mother, scared away the beast, took her home and brought her up. Sadly the mangy beast tried to eat poor Rose here and bit her arm but I saved her before she could be devoured. I pondered over what to do with her and then it came to me, I would train her and find other werewolves so I could put together an act that would raise money for their room and board. That's how I found Rachel there," he added, pointing to his sister. "She was bitten as a toddler after her parents were killed and I rescued her and put her to work. Since then I've added several to my show and I'm always looking for more."

"But you said they were your sisters," Communicator Man pointed out.

"Yes, well, they adopted me into their pack so I became a brother of sorts. They trust me, you know. Years of intensive training does that. Observe. Rose!"

Rose looked up at the Doctor.

"Sit, Rose!"

Rose sat on her haunches.

"Up! Up!"

Rose raised her front paws and begged like a dog while the Doctor took a licorice button out and gave it to her.

"They're partial to sweets," he said to the men. "Rose, up, up!"

The men gasped when Rose stood all the way up. The Doctor fed her a button while Rachel snuffled out laughter. He fed her another button.

"Rose, open your mouth wide!"

Rose opened her mouth and tried not to laugh when the Doctor stuck his head halfway in. He took it out, fed her a button and commanded her to sit.

"See, years of training have produced a docile, trained wolf," he said as he rubbed the back of her head.

The door opened and Brat came into the room. The Doctor continued to stroke the back of Rose's head while Flak and the men hurried to him to tell him what they saw the Doctor do. When they finished, Brat walked over to the Doctor.

"You train werewolves?" he said.

"Yes, I'm known informally as the Werewolf Whisperer," he said to them. "As you can see, Rose here is under my control and will do anything I ask of her. Rose, up!"

Rose got up on her hind legs and the Doctor urged her to stand. Then he told her to give us a kiss and the men watched in astonishment while Rose licked his cheek a couple of times.

"Sit!" he said while Rose sat back on her haunches. "See? Complete obedience."

He showed Brat the psychic paper and he read his title off of it.

"So, why did you steal my child if you have wolves of your own?" Brat asked him while the Doctor put his psychic paper back in his pocket.

"I apologize for that. Force of habit. See, I'm always on the lookout for new talent and I saw your child and couldn't resist. You have to start when they're children, you see, for the conditioning to fully take hold. I work with them to take the feral nature out of them and make them as playful and docile as kittens."

Rose, is he making up all this off the top of his head? Rachel thought to her.

Yup, he's an expert at bullshit, Rose thought back.

The Doctor kept a straight face when he heard that and scratched Rose's head in response.

"So, you're here to show off your wolves at the fair?" Brat said.

"No, I'm here to find the legendary Howling Hallow. I want to see if it's real and perhaps if I can harvest a pup or two. Know anything about it?" the Doctor said.

"Only the legend," Brat said, shrugging. "I have no clue where it might be."

"Where did you get the child from?" the Doctor said.

"From here."

"Here, on Luna? My God, man, do you realize that the child might know where Howling Hallow is?" the Doctor said. "You've been abusing this child and she might have valuable information for us. Are you insane?"

Rose and Rachel shared an impressed look when that gave Brat pause.

"I...uh...wasn't thinking about that," he said, sheepishly.

"Well, thank God, I was. Couldn't you imagine it? Finding the legendary lair of the lycan? Perhaps not only ridding ourselves of the pests but also harvesting some for sale and training. We could make a fortune!"

Rose and Rachel saw a gleam in Brat's eyes while he thought that over.

"If we work together, you and I, we could find it," the Doctor said. "I can use my wolves as trackers and..."

He pulled the pelt out of his pocket.

"I purchased this from you in the hopes of disguising myself so I won't be detected if we find it," he said.

My God, the man should be a writer. This is all coming off the top of his head? Rachel thought to Rose.

I am a writer. I've helped many writers finish their books, the Doctor thought to her. It helps to be a genius, you know.

"So," the Doctor said to Brat, "what do you say? Want to team up and try to find Howling Hallow?"

Brat and his men shared a gleeful look and Brat nodded.

"Yes, Mister...uh..."

"Cornelius," the Doctor said, holding up his hand. "No formalities between partners, right?"

"Cornelius. I am Severus."

"Snape?"

"I'm sorry," Brat said when the Doctor blurted that out.

"Nothing, I have a bit of Tourettes, sorry."

Rose held her laughter in when Brat gave him a confused look. The Doctor ignored it and pointed to the prison.

"So, will you let your partner out then?" he said to Brat.

"What about them?" Brat said, pointing to Rose.

"They are under my complete control, you'll have no trouble from them," the Doctor said.

Brat ordered Flak to release them. He walked over to the console in front of the window and pushed a button.

"There. You're free," Brat said to them.

The Doctor beckoned to Rachel and she came to his side. He directed around to his left side and commanded her to sit. Rachel looked at Rose who was sitting on his right and the two of them looked up at the Doctor who patted their heads and fed them some licorice.

And now, my doves, we have some freedom to find Howling Hallow, he thought to them.

Yes, but what about him? Rose said, jerking her head slightly to Brat. He's going to be tagging along now.

Yes, my alpha female, but as they say, keep your friends close and enemies closer, he thought.

"So, now what happens?" Brat said.

"Now, you'll let me go back down and try to talk to the child. She won't respond to you since you've been beating and starving her but let me work with her and we'll be able to get the location of Howling Hallow in no time."

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