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Princess-in-Waiting Karroo must track down her missing sibling in New Orleans before she can claim her destiny and ascend to the Grey Throne.
To read the first chapter, click READ MORE.
One
Karroo dreamed. Feet and snout twitching, eyes moving rapidly behind her closed lids, she dreamed of things she’d never seen and races she’d never run.
For the most part, Karroo was happy. Her people were well-trained and compliant. Occasionally, they were negligent about bringing her snacks and new toys, but they were generally attentive to Karroo’s needs. Months ago, she’d finally gotten them trained to fix her a raw diet (though occasionally she had a little kibbie snack) and she’d noticed that she really felt excellent with the right food.
Karroo’s pack was composed of six Greyhounds. It was a peaceful and stable pack – or, at least it had been until last month, when Duke the Brat had arrived. Duke was only five months old so allowances had to be made. (Karroo constantly reminded him that he was just a puppy although at two years old, she was not all that grown up herself.)
Fortunately, there were enough adult dogs around to keep him in check. In descending age rank, the rest of the pack was composed of Prairie Prince, the Weird One, Fritzie the Fusspot, and Tess the Fair. Tess, though not the oldest member of the pack, was the Alpha and kept everyone in order.
Even with six dogs in the house (and that was just counting the regular members, not the constant turnover of fosters), and even though she wasn’t Alpha, Karroo was fairly well satisfied. She alone had bed privileges and was allowed to do pouncies and twirlies on the bed when playing with the skin Alpha. She was allowed to sleep late if she wanted to. Sure, she did get muzzled when the people were gone, but so did Spawn and Duke, so that was okay. All in all, things were just about perfect, just as a princess should have them.
But someday it would all change. Karroo – her full name was Karroo Karroo Diddly Do – was not just the second to the youngest member of Tess’s pack, the focus of entirely too much attention from Duke and perhaps the best bed twirler in the universe. She was also a Greyhound of royal lineage and the designated Grey Princess, part of a lineage that ran through her veins to Tweeter and into the mists of time. Someday, she would have to pick up the reins of Greydom and rule – as much as any Grey Queen ever ruled. Tweeter said it was more like maintaining the balance and controlling the power and that someday Karroo would understand.
Karroo knew that she was the Grey Princess. She’d known it since the day she was born as had everyone else in Greydom. It was no big deal. It was simply part of who she was, as much a part of her as the delicate spray of red freckles on her snout and the white stripes running up the back of her hind legs.
Yes, life was very good right now and someday things would change. When that day came, she would deal with it. She supposed there would be papers to sign and procedures to learn, but surely becoming the Grey Queen eventually couldn’t be that difficult.
Little did she know that the day would come far too soon.
Tweeter padded silently into Karroo’s room and jumped up on the bed. She settled down in a sphinx position and regarded Karroo gravely. “Good morning, little one.”
Karroo looked just to the side of Tweeter, careful not to be rude by staring directly at the Grey Queen. “Good morning, Tweeter. I didn’t know you were coming to visit.”
Tweeter cocked her head to the side, a slight smile in her eyes. “Neither did I, little one. But sometimes things don’t always work out as we plan.”
“I’m not really all that little,” Karroo said, just ever so slightly peeved. “Fifty pounds is not little.”
“It shall have to be big enough,” Tweeter said.
“What do you mean?”
Tweeter put one paw on the side of Karroo’s head. “You only think you’re awake. You’re not really. You’re still asleep and dreaming. And it’s because you are that I’m able to reach you now.” She stroked the side of Karroo’s head, placing her paw finally over Karroo’s mouth. “No, don’t talk. There is not time. Just listen. For once. For one last time.”
Karroo’s heart beat faster. An awful feeling swept over her. For all that she was a flibberty-gibbet, Karroo was no fool. She started to speak, then, as her throat closed up, she stopped.
“You are no longer the Grey Princess,” Tweeter said. “You know why, don’t you?”
Unable to speak, Karroo nodded. Her heart stuttered in her chest and pain ripped through her being.
“Now stop that,” Tweeter said firmly. “I simply won’t have it. As you surmise, I am now at the Rainbow Bridge – or rather, I am on my way there. I stopped by to see you one last time to give you my blessing. It’s a tradition, you know. Someday you, too, will tarry on your way to the Rainbow Bridge to tell some other youngster that she is no longer a pup.”
“I can’t – can’t --,” Karroo began, her voiced choking. “I’m not ready.”
“Neither was I,” Tweeter said gently. “But such is life. We do what we’re called to do. Not what we think we can do.”
“But I don’t WANNA be the Grey Queen!” Karroo wailed.
Tweeter’s image blurred. “You’re going to wake up in a minute. When you do, there are certain things you must do immediately. First, you must tell Tess. Tess, and no one else. Listen to his advice. He is a good, strong Alpha and will be there for you when you need him.
“Second, you must do one last thing before you truly become the Grey Queen. You must go on a Quest. With a capital Q.”
“No! Seriously? I’ve always wanted to go on a Quest!”
“This isn’t about fun and games and an adventure, Karroo. It’s far more important than that. Before you can become the Grey Queen, you must know where all your littermates are. If you can’t care for your littermates, you can’t care for the Kingdom.”
Karroo snorted. “That’s all? I know where all my littermates are. There were eight of us. Four are still racing, you know. We’re all very fast. Faster than most. That’s probably why I’m the Grey Princess. That last race, by the way – I was almost about to pull ahead when the track spit at me. You know how they are sometimes. It’s like --.”
“Karroo, stop. You mustn’t get distracted.”
“I’m not distracted. I was just trying to explain that there were eight of us and --.”
“There were nine.”
Karroo stopped talking. The wind blew gently over her fur, ruffling it like a caress. Finally she managed to squeak. “That’s not possible.”
“Oh, it’s quite possible. There were nine of you originally. You’ve got a brother you don’t remember and you must find him. He cannot remain lost to you if you are to be the Grey Queen.”
“Nine. And I have a missing brother?” Karroo asked, shocked. “How can that be?”
Tweeter shook her head. The pixels of her being drifted further apart. “He was separated from the litter at a very early age. Go back through your memories. You will find him, if you look carefully. Find him, Karroo. Find him and bring him home.”
“Wait! Tweeter, don’t leave me! I can’t do what you do!” Karroo wailed.
“Silly little one. You are of my blood, of my bones. I will always be with you, in your memories and in every cell of your being. When you want my advice, just ask.”
“I don’t want your memory! I want YOU.”
Tweeter smiled. “And what are we all to each other except memories of each moment that passes? You have my blessing, Diddly Do. You’ll do well. Now go find your brother. As to Tess: he can be a stick in the mud at times, but he’s a very good Greyhound in the finest sense of the word and loyal to a fault. Listen to his advice but make your own decisions. You alone are the Grey Queen.” The last pixel of Tweeter’s image disappeared with an odd little pop.
Karroo opened her eyes, now awake. She was alone.
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