A Tight Fit

Redonning the assistant's apron, Alaron dutifully followed his brunette mistress and her furry body guard out of the laboratory. To the casual observer, nothing was amiss.

When they had tried to exit through the laboratory's window, a lizard had come to relieve himself at just that moment on the back side of the wall where he thought no one would see, cutting off their easiest exit.

In truth, Dania did not like where that window dumped them anyway. So they sought out a better option.

The female scientist led them at a brisk pace, giving a minimal nod to anyone she passed. Some, who knew who she was by sight, bowed slightly, fearful of Taran's wrath if they should offend her. Others ignored her entirely, which was just as well.

As she put her hand on the selected door, her body filled with relief. That is, until a voice broke through the silence.

"May I help you, Dania?"

The trio froze. A person looked at them expectantly. Her white gown suggested she was either a fellow scientist or someone assisting one of the researchers. Her words were too friendly, like she was really offering to help herself to a better place in the camp and not offering actual assistance.

'A leech,' Alaron rolled his eyes inwardly. He had seen these blood suckers all too often at court when he was younger. They flattered him merely to gain favors for a later date. When he was Emperor, the simpering compliments had only grown more ridiculous.

"No thank you, Ryse," Dania smiled politely, dismissing the woman.

Ryse did not at first take the hint. "Why are you going in there? Did we not supply you with the right container?" Her big round eyes were begging for a compliment.

"No. I am just looking for something very specific. I did not want to trouble anyone. I will let you know if I need something else later." Dania pushed open the door and jerked her head toward her entourage.

Ryse tried to force her way into the group, but Renat boxed her out. With a low growl, he warned the woman not to try to come between himself and the brunette scientist.

As soon as the brown wolf entered the small lab, the door slammed shut in Ryse's face. She pouted and walked away slowly, turning back only to heave a heavy sigh.

Within the room, Renat assisted Alaron in jamming a table up against the door.

"She will find an excuse to return," the Guardian wedged the table up against the handle, "You needed to be meaner to her to discourage her."

Dania scrunched her nose to make a retort that she could handle her own affairs, but just one look around her told her that it was not true. And anyway, the man had not not meant it unkindly. He spoke like he knew what he said from experience.

"Noted," the woman said at last. "We have an extra reason to get out of here. The man that uses this office is not a morning person, but he will be here before Taran makes another pass to check on people's progress."

She hurried to the small window and pulled back the thick, waterproofed curtain. Peeking out of the building, Dania scanned for any abomination who might spot them making a less than typical exit.

"It's clear," she announced.

"That's…great…" Renat winced.

"What's wrong?" Alaron could tell by the other male's tone that something was amiss. Renat hesitated before answering.

"It's nothing, really… except… the window is quite small…and I am not." The brown wolf measured the width of the window and then the width of his hips.

It was a problem. Dania was slender and the Guardian could squeeze himself through impossible spaces. Both could get through the window without a problem.

But Renat could not. "I'll go around the front. The guards at the front saw me come in. They won't think anything of me leaving."

"Can't risk it. If Ryse or whatever her name is sees you without Dania, she will either latch onto you or come back for another pass at Dania. I am guessing you usually have more layers of protection than you do right now and she will seize that chance...." Alaron closed his eyes for a moment.

He could sense a presence in the hall. The Guardian was sure that the persistent girl was waiting to 'accidentally' run into them a second time.

"You're going to have to squeeze through..." Alaron chewed the inside of his lip. It was going to be a tight fit. "Dania you go through first."

The woman's eyes greened slightly, but she nodded and obeyed. Slipping through the window, she disappeared to the outside with only a moment of shadow passing through the room.

"You next," Renat insisted. "If I don't make it through, then you can still get Dania out."

"I'm not leaving you behind," Alaron pursed his lips. "Mairwen would kill me."

"She will have no one to kill if we all get caught..." Renat shrugged.

"Fair point." Without another word, Alaron joined the woman, leaving the brown wolf to fend for himself from the inside.

"I can do this…"

Renat braced himself. This was likely going to be painful.

His head fit through the raised window just fine. Renat extended one of his arms through the opening in hopes of wedging his shoulders just enough to make them fit.

He was half-right. The brown wolf's shoulder's wedged…and stuck tight!

"Blazing bees!" Alaron muttered as he saw the predicament. "Why do you have to suddenly be so big?"

"Wasn't my choice." Renat wriggled. He would never get used to his larger size. It was like living in someone else's body.

"Perhaps you should have put both arms out in front of your shoulders," Dania realized too late that the statement sounded judgmental.

Fortunately Renat was not in a mood to argue. "I will try that next time." Although he hoped a next time would never come.

The two humans grabbed onto the wolf-man's arm and pulled with all their might. Inside, Renat used the force of his legs to give extra pressure to his body.

A loud pop resounded as the brown wolf lurched forward before being caught a second time. His shoulders came through as did his other arm, but his hips were stuck. The second arm hung limply toward the ground at an awkward angle to his torso.

Renat bit his tongue, fighting off the intense pain radiating through his body. Despite his best efforts, his pupils overtook his eyes as red blurred his vision.

Seeing the brown wolf was about to rage, Renat pushed back the female scientist and picked up a rope lying on the ground. He tied the shortened snout shut before it could snap at him or roar for help.

The feral wolf raged silently against the window frame, clawing out splinters of wood from the wall.

His good arm gave one firm shove against the wall, freeing the rest of his body from the building. Renat rose to his feet, ready to destroy anything in his path.

"This is a problem…" Alaron draped his cloak over his shoulders, preparing to draw a weapon to subdue his brother-in-law. Once he did that, he wasn't sure what his next move would be.

The two figures circled behind the building sizing each other up. Tension built up in their muscles.

As the Guardian was about to attack, Dania surged forward, a container in her hand. Unconcerned for her own safety, she splashed the icy liquid at the wolf, drops of the minty water freezing the wolf's palate as it touched his out-stuck tongue.

Renat's eyes cleared for a moment. He gripped his arms and fell to his knees.

"What was that?" Alaron asked.

"Mouth freshener," Dania blew out her cheeks. It had been a desperate move, but she believed it would work.

"I hope you have a little more!"

The Guardian leapt upon the injured wolf and forcefully pushed the dislocated shoulder back into place. The roar resounded in the brown wolf's chest but only came out a muffled whimper as he was hit with another bout of icy mint.

With his good arm, Renat slowly removed the rope around his snout.

"Never do that again," he said quietly to the Guardian as he tested out his shoulder. "But thank you. And thank you for bringing me back." He added to Dania. "Do you think anyone heard me?"

A light knock from the door inside answered his question.

"Miss Dania, I thought I heard something troublesome. Perhaps you need some help?" Ryse's honeyed voice pushed its way to both the Guardian's and brown wolf's sensitive ears.

The handle began to turn and the door bumped up against the wedged table.

"Dania? What is the meaning of this? Did something happen?"

The pushing became more vigorous before the lady stopped to seek help.

Help for Ryse meant trouble for them.

Their time was running out.