II. Howling

It was a hollow sound, the chorus of notes hit by a multitude of mutts.

With a slam, Shadoe shut the back doors of the van, the noise just barely heard amidst the barking of riled up neighborhood dogs. She yawned and peered down the street, unsure what could be disturbing every pup on the block. There was no evidence of a reason for the uproar.

"Hey, you two coming in?" A call from the porch caught her attention and she glanced around for her friend, to spot Ryli staring up at the sky. Corran called something again and Shadoe reached to grab the other girl's arm, tug her out of the trance. At the touch, Ryli jumped and her consciousness crashed back down to Earth.

"What's up...?"

"I dunno..."

"Hey, you two! I'm gonna lock you out!"

Ryli shook her head clear and yelled a response. "Shut up! You're bugging all the dogs in the city with your obnoxious voice!"

The barking and howling quieted to whimpers soon enough.

_______________________________

"I told you to be more careful. Your scent is all over the place."

The (surprisingly) elder brother tossed an apologetic grin to his twin. "Kings like to make their presence known."

"Whatever..." Actaeon growled softly in his throat and tossed the hood back over the crown prince's head of dark hair. "And stop with that annoying tail-swishing."

Artemus' bushy tail just kept wagging, despite the warning. His ears perked up at a noise down the road. His silver eyes saw her an instant after he heard her, and his tail-swishing only picked up tempo. "There, Actaeon. We've found them!" He slipped back around the corner at a tug on his cloak and turned, only to see his brother's light grey eyes glaring down at him.

"There are other people there, brother. We have to take the two and also keep mortals out of this business. Don't get your tail in a twist and go trotting out to greet the humans like some overeager pet." Actaeon glanced up at the stars. "We still time left until daylight..."

Artemus reached up and patted his guardian's, his "younger" sibling's head. "Sorry, Actaeon. Stop worrying, alright?"

"Get off..." Actaeon shook his head quickly, knocking his brother's hand away. His ears lay low, an annoyed little snarl coming from somewhere in his chest, but his body grew slightly less tense.

They couldn't fail, right? They were princes of Elle. They would not go home without obtaining what they had come for.