Here's
one for all the Diefenlovers out there -- as if one "Day Off" could ever
be enough for him.  Thanks to Patricia and "you know who you are" for
the Chicago help. --kb

AND HOW WAS YOUR DAY?

by Katrina Bowen

**Closer.  Closer.  Not yet ... NOW.**

With a mighty leap, Diefenbaker soared past the hot dog vendor, neatly
snagging the wiener in transit.  Ignoring the fat man trying to catch
up to him, he galloped into the welcoming shelter of the small grove
of trees. The wolf hunkered down and proudly consumed his prize.  **Hmmph,
and He thinks I've forgotten how to hunt.**  Actually, Dief was beginning
to consider himself an authority on hot dogs.  Since slipping away from
Willie earlier in the day, he'd snagged four of them (not that he'd actually
eaten the one with sauerkraut -- what the hell was that about?), as well
as a soft pretzel and two ice cream cones.  He was rapidly becoming the
scourge of Grant Park.

He stood and shook himself.  This wasn't so different from the woods,
he reflected.  **Plenty of food, if you know where to find it.  Good
places to hide.  Just more humans to deal with.**  Dief's only worry
was dog catchers, but he'd found ways to deal with that, too.  Simply
hiding was really the easiest solution, but he also liked sidling up
to friendly-smelling people and whimpering pathetically.  They were usually
willing to pretend to own him for a few minutes.  Then he'd be on his
way, with at least a good scratch behind his ears or, if he was exceptionally
lucky, something to eat.

**Well, this place is about hunted out.**  He trotted in the direction
of a small pond -- so far, he hadn't been able to convince anyone that
they should buy him a Coke, and he was getting thirsty.

Suddenly, he stopped and lowered his head.  A small child, with no parent
in sight, was toddling determinedly toward the water's edge.  **Just
like a human,** he thought disgustedly.  **Always losing track of their
cubs.** He ran over and skidded to a stop in front of the little boy.
He plopped to a sitting position and gave the child his best lupine grin.

The child stared goggle-eyed for a few seconds, then giggled.  "Doggy!"
he crowed, and threw his arms around Dief's neck.  The wolf endured that
briefly, then stood up and gently butted the boy in the chest.  He sat
down on the grass.  Satisfied, Dief laid down in front of him, blocking
any possible access to the water.  They spent a pleasant few minutes
together, the child cheerfully trying to poke out Dief's eyes, the wolf
patiently dodging.

Finally, Dief felt thudding footsteps, and he looked up.  A panicky young
woman came running up, and she fell to her knees besides the child. "Oh,
Matthew!"  She picked up the little boy, who started squealing and squirming
to get back to his new friend.  "Oh, you good dog!"  She leaned over
and hugged Dief, who pulled away.  **Maybe next time you'll watch him
better.**  He glowered at the woman, licked the little boy once and went
on his way.

Dief wandered around a few minutes.  He looked at the sky -- it was a
little past noon.  **I probably should get back to the apartment ...
Willie might be worried about me.  And I know He's going to give me a
lecture again.** A new scent caught his nose.  **But not quite yet ...**

****************************************************************************

Dief lay on his side, back in what he now considered his grove of trees.
**Maybe the cotton candy was too much,** he decided, panting.  **Or maybe
it's just one chili dog too many.**  Sighing, he slowly rose.  Fraser
was always telling him to walk more; it was probably good advice.  Not
that he saw any reason to admit that to Fraser.  The human was the most
important thing in Dief's life, but there *was* such a thing as dignity.

He slowly made his way down a winding path.  **All right, enough
walking,** he decided five minutes later.  He sat down in front of two
teenage boys sitting on a bench.  Bored, he started watching their conversation.

"No way!  I'm not gonna just walk up to Vanessa and ask her out!  She's
gonna laugh at me, man."

"Uh-uh, Tyrus.  Chong says Ivy said that Melanie told Rachel that Vanessa
told her that she liked you."

"No way!"

"Oh, come on!  Melanie's her sister -- she oughta know, right?"

"I don't know, Ed."  Tyrus looked at a girl sitting on a bench several
yards away, pretending to get a schoolbook out of her bookbag.  "I mean,
look at her.  How am I supposed to start a conversation with someone
like her?" 

Dief snorted.  **It's a wonder they ever manage to reproduce.**  He went
over to Vanessa and sat down in front of her.  As she looked up, he raised
his left paw winsomely.

"Oh, hello there."  Vanessa reached down and shook his paw, pushing her
long blonde hair over her shoulder.  "Who do you belong to?"

**And now that I have her attention ...** Dief carefully took the bag's
handle in his mouth and carried it over to Tyrus and Ed's bench.  He
dropped it at Tyrus's feet and sat grinning as Vanessa ran after him.

Tyrus stood up in shock.  "Uhh, Vanessa!  Um, hi."

"Oh.  Hi.  Is that your dog?  He's cute."  Vanessa tried to look calm
and collected; she almost succeeded.  Ed just sat back and grinned.

"Dog?"  Tyrus looked around, baffled.  Dief cocked his head and looked
up at him.  "No, he's not.  Must be a stray.  Uh, you know, Vanessa,
there's a party at Steve's this weekend, and I was, um, if you're not
busy or anything, maybe you and I could -- I mean, if you wanted to,
we could --" 

Vanessa blushed a little.  "I'd love to go with you, Tyrus."

"Really?"  Tyrus picked up Vanessa's bag, and they started walking back
to her bench.  "Cause my brother already said I could borrow his car
..." 

Ed looked down at Dief.  "Way to go, cupid.  I've been trying to get
them together for a month."  He took something out of his jacket pocket.
"Here, have a Twinkie."

Dief sighed, but he took the Twinkie.  **Eat when you can -- you never
know when the food will run out.**  That was the first rule he had learned
in the wild, and it was hard to overcome.

****************************************************************************

**Aahhhh ... I have to do this more often.  Maybe I can even convince
Him to come with me sometime.**

Judging by the sun, it was a bit past two o'clock.  Reluctantly, Diefenbaker
stood up, dislodging the puppy chewing on his front paw.  **That's it
for now, youngster.**  Badly needing a rest, he had laid down on a blanket
next to a young woman sunning herself, and had been promptly set upon
by a four-month-old basset hound.  The woman had sat up and said, "Knock
it off, Sharky."  The puppy ignored her, and she shrugged
helplessly at Dief.  "Humor him, will you?"

Dief was happy to do so.  The puppy reminded him a little of his own
cubs, still with their mother.  **Just not nearly as bright,** he thought
tolerantly. Still, enough was enough, and his paw was getting soggy.
With one last nuzzle, he finally set out on his way home.

****************************************************************************

"All right, Willie.  He's done this before -- he'll go back to the apartment
when he's stuffed himself.  No, I don't blame you.  I blame *him*.  He's
old enough to know better.  Yes, I'll see you later.  Yes, you'll still
get paid for today, Willie."  Ben hung up the phone, and looked up as
Ray came charging across the precinct room.

"Come on, Fraser.  Huey just called in a hostage situation down on West
Washington.  Bunch of school kids on a bus, going home from a field trip."
He grabbed his coat.

"Won't Lt. Welsh object if I get involved in another case?"  Ben stood
and pulled his tunic straight.

"Not this time, Benny."  Ray paused in putting on his coat just long
enough to grin at the Mountie.  "Huey says there are reports of, and
I quote, a large white dog nosing around the door of the bus.  Just before
he disconnected, he said the dog -- and I think you and I both know who
that really is --had apparently cornered one of the bad guys and was
sitting on him."

"Oh, for heaven's sake."  Ben followed Ray out the door.  "Ray, if you
should ever be in a position where you have to choose between dying and
letting a wolf save your life, think long and hard about which you choose.
Sometimes the price is simply too high."

The End
*************

Katrina Bowen -- kbowen@willowtree.com

"Super heroes and evil twins go together like peanut butter and -- and
evil peanut butter!"  _Earthworm Jim_