Authors Notes: I was inspired to write this story by reading Stormwolf Dawn's Imperial Sentinel stories and Susan Foster's GDP series. Both AU's are absolutely wonderful. I thought about what if all Sentinel and Guides were pets? Not humans who are slaves, but actual pets, like our cats and dogs. The movie, The Secret Lives of Cats and Dogs, is what I’m going for. I took great care not to duplicate any parts or ideas from Stormwolf or Susan, and I hope I have succeeded. I researched info on police K-9 units and found that most canines are treated just like officers and are considered part of the family.

In my AU, Jim and Blair are pets, but they are treated well, and Simon takes extra special care of them. Since the boys are pets, they share the same room and bed, but there is nothing sexual about it. Imagine two littermates. Don’t be surprised if in future stories, Simon finds both Blair and Jim curled up on his bed. lol

Background: The year is the same; this universe is a parallel to canon. In this universe, Sentinel and Guides are bred. They don’t know who their parents are, but records are kept on every individual. Sentinels and Guides bond (mentally, spiritually, emotionally) for life. (This fic is NOT slash but is heavy Smarm). The only people allowed to "own" a pair, are the Watchers because only the Watchers have the ability to understand Sentinel/Guide speak (think Dr. Dolittle). Both Sentinel and Guides only have three Watchers in a lifetime. The first is a nurturer, who raises them from babyhood to adolescence. The second is a trainer, who gives them a skill and protects them until they find their bonded Watcher. The third is the bonded watcher, who "owns" both the Sentinel and Guide pairs until death. A sentinel and/or guide cannot live without the other. If one dies, the other follows. Watchers are genetically chosen to protect the pairs. The pairs are treated with respect and kindness. Sentinels and Guides are pets who are loved as part of the family. Simon lives in the loft; he sleeps upstairs while Jim and Blair share the small room downstairs.

Gen PG

Warnings: There is mention of corporal punishment in this story.

Jim and Blair are pets.

Smarm in abundance. (Jim and Blair are very affectionate pets)

Jim Ellison heard the helicopter before it was visible to the naked eye. He recognized the sound as an Army Ranger chopper. He also knew that if they found him, he would have to go back. The last eighteen months, after the helicopter crash that killed all of the Rangers aboard, including his Training Watcher, had opened his eyes to freedom. The Chopec shaman kept telling him he needed to go back to find his guide and bond. Jim didn’t want to bond; he wanted to stay free.

As the helicopter got closer, the Chopec shaman knew that Jim needed to return to find his guide, but would not go willingly. With regret, the shaman used a paralyzing dart to keep Jim from running. Then he carefully carried the Sentinel to the crash site and made him comfortable until his people could retrieve him. The shaman also placed Jim’s discarded collar near so the Rangers would know he was a Sentinel. As the chopper began to land, the shaman melted into the forest to watch from a safe distance.

The Rangers examined the crash and found the Sentinel asleep. "What do you think happened here Captain?"

The Captain picked up the Sentinel’s collar and smiled as he patted the sleeping Sentinel. "Well, Lt., it looks like Jimmy had a small taste of freedom after Lt. Johnson died. Doc, you want to give him a once over to make sure he’s okay, while we retrieve the bodies of his unit?"

"Yes sir." The medic checked Jim for any life threatening injuries and found none.

"Well Doc?"

"He’s a little malnourished, but nothing serious. A couple months of good food, and he should be back to normal. My only concern is that, with Johnson dead, he has no Watcher to take care of him until his Bonded Watcher is found."

"And if the Bonded Watcher isn’t found?" The Captain asked.

"Normally?" At the Captain’s nod, the medic continued. "In cases where the Training Watcher is killed, the Sentinel is sent to the institute and they try to find the Bonded Guide and Watcher. The Sentinel can survive a couple years without either if they have to, but it isn’t good for them. Jimmy has already been without a guide and Watcher for eighteen months, so that gives us little time to find what he needs."

"And if the guide and watcher aren’t found?"

"Jimmy will go insane from sensory spikes and eventually die."

"Well then Doc, I suggest we get started then."

The Rangers loaded the bodies and Jim into the chopper and headed back to base.

Five Years Later:

Cascade PD was investigating a series of crimes on the Rainier campus. Several offices had been broken into and Major Crimes was assigned to find out who was responsible. The last break-in had resulted in the death of Dr. Buckner, professor of Anthropology.

Captain Simon Banks entered the crime scene with Sentinel Jim Ellison at his heels. The forensic team had just finished their job and now Simon wanted to see what Jim could pick up.

"Take a look around Jim and be careful. I don’t need you zoning on me."

"I haven’t zoned in weeks Simon." Jim replied tensely.

"Just the same, be careful. We haven’t found your guide yet and I don’t need you taking chances."

"Don’t need a guide." Jim mumbled under his breath.

"I heard that." Simon was concerned about Jim. Almost five years ago, Simon had rescued Jim from termination due to his Training Watcher being killed. Jim had been wild and undisciplined after his jungle vacation and it took Simon over a year to establish trust and discipline again. At first, Simon figured he was replacing Jim’s Trainer Watcher, but it became clear within months of retraining, that Jim instinctively connected to Simon as a Bonded Watcher. They now only needed to find Jim's Bonded Guide.

The army had warned Simon that Jim needed to find his guide or he would slowly lose control over his senses. Over the last six months, Jim’s senses had spiked more than was normal. Jim had become irritable and more disagreeable with each passing day. The Sentinel doctor had told Simon that Jim needed to bond soon, so Simon started to take Jim to the Bonding Gatherings at Rainier. The Gatherings were designed as mixers to get Sentinels and Guides together with the hope of promoting a bonding.

Jim hated the gatherings. He always ended up fighting with any guide who dared approach him and he had even taken out a couple of other Sentinels. Simon was at his wits end.

"Simon?"

"You find something Jim?"

"I’m not sure. I’m picking up a scent, but it’s making my senses fade in and out."

"What do you think it could be?"

"My guess? It’s the scent of an injured guide. I just don’t know why it’s causing sensory spikes." Jim rubbed at his head in an attempt to soothe the headache that was building.

"Why don’t you head back to the car and I’ll find out if Dr. Buckner had a guide or if our killer is a Watcher."

"Could be someone who has a guide illegally Simon. It’s been known to happen."

"Not in my city it doesn’t. Pairs are too important for untrained people to control them." Simon stopped his tirade when he noticed Jim flinch at the word ‘control’. "Head back to the car, Jim. I’ll be right out."

"Yes sir." Jim headed out of the building and grumbled all the way to the car. Controlled? Is that how Simon saw it?

Twenty minutes later, Simon returned to the car and noticed Jim was angry. "I’m sorry Jim. I know you think what I said was harsh, but it’s true. Only Watchers can understand the pairs. Anyone else would be cruel simply because of a lack of understanding. Would you wish that on any pair?"

"No sir. I’m sorry, it’s just that scent is messing up my senses."

"Well I talked to the Dean. Dr. Buckner was a Training Watcher and owned a guide who was injured during the attack. The Dean said the guide had been beaten but he didn’t know how badly. He said he would find out where the guide was sent for treatment and get back to me. If the guide saw the killer, we could break this case wide open."

"A guide can’t testify in court, so what’s the point."

"The point is we would at least have a suspect." Simon noticed Jim rubbing his temples. "I’m taking you home and I want you to rest until I get back from the station."

"I’m fine Simon." Jim didn’t want to be sent home like a kid.

"You are not fine and you will rest. I don’t want any disobedience on this."

"Or what?" Jim regretted the harsh words immediately after they were out of his mouth. "I’m sorry Simon."

"As you should be." The aggravated Watcher pointed a stiff index finger at his recalcitrant sentinel. "I am a considerate man, but you are trying my patience. You need to go home and rest and I need a break from your lousy attitude before we regret it later. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

"Good."

Simon dropped Jim off at the loft and left him with strict instructions to get something to eat and to take a nap. Simon then headed back to the station to search for Dr. Buckner’s missing guide.

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

Blair Sandburg had fought the stranger who hurt his Training Watcher, and had been beaten up in the process. When security finally arrived, Dr. Buckner was dead and Blair was in shock. Security called the Guide institute and another watcher picked Blair up and took him for medical treatment.

One Week Later:

Captain Simon Banks entered the Bullpen of Major Crimes to find his detectives fixing overturned furniture and nursing fresh bruises.

"Do I even want to know?" He asked no one in particular.

Detective Henry Brown, a future Watcher, sighed and said, "It was my fault. I mentioned the Bonding Gathering this afternoon and Jim went nuts."

"He attacked you?" Simon said in disbelief.

"No. He attacked the furniture. Unfortunately, we were all still in the line of fire from flying furniture."

"Where is he now?"

"In your office. Don’t be too hard on him Simon, it was my fault for mentioning it when I knew how touchy he is about the subject of a guide."

"I don’t care. I won’t allow this kind of behavior from any of my detectives especially my Sentinel detective." Simon stormed into his office. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he should calm down first, but he was too angry to stop. Jim's irritable behavior and argumentative attitude of late had tested the watcher's patience past his limits.

The door swung open and banged against the wall. Simon didn’t notice Jim flinch at the loud noise. "What the hell do you think you were doing Jim?" Simon yelled.

Jim put his hands over his ears and fell to his knees. The lights were too bright, sounds were too loud, scents were too strong, and he felt like he was wearing sandpaper, not clothing. Just as Simon was about to haul Jim to his feet by the scruff of his collar, Captain Joel Taggert entered.

"Simon, don’t." Joel broke through Simon's rage. The Watcher finally looked at Jim for the first time without anger and noticed the sentinel's pain. Simon went over to Jim and eased him up onto the couch. "Joel, close the shades and bring me his white noise ear plugs from my desk."

Joel complied without question. When he handed the earplugs over, Simon spoke softly to the hurting sentinel, "I’m sorry Jim."

"What happened Simon? I’ve never seen you lose your patience like that before."

"I don’t know. I guess the last few weeks of Jim’s bad attitude finally caught up to me when I saw the bullpen in chaos." Simon sat next to Jim and rubbed the Sentinel’s back. Jim’s whimpers faded as he settled into sleep.

"He needs to bond Simon. He’s not going to last much longer."

"I know. I thought we had more time, but since the murder at Rainier, he’s become impossible to deal with. I’ve had to keep telling myself he needs to bond and not to discipline him too harshly because he can’t help himself, but if you hadn’t interfered when you did, I was angry enough to paddle him."

"What was so special about the murder? He’s almost acting like a bonded sentinel whose guide is in danger."

"I don’t know. Wait! He identified the scent of an injured guide at the murder scene. We never found the guide."

"Do you know anything about this guide? Was he bonded?"

Simon stood and retrieved a file from his desk. He returned to the couch and opened the file. "Guide's name was Blair Sandburg. The victim was the guide’s Training Watcher. Says here he was unbonded."

Looking up from the file, Simon continued excitedly. "This guide could be the key. If this Blair Sandburg is Jim’s bond mate, and Jim scented him, then we are running out of time. I figure we have 48 hours to find Jim’s guide or we will lose both of them."

"Simon, I know you’ve probably looked everywhere for Sandburg but I’m afraid if he saw Buckner’s killer he may already be dead."

"For Jim’s sake I hope you’re wrong Joel."

They both watched Jim sleep quietly for a few minutes.

"What now?" Joel asked.

"Pray we find his guide; alive."

**********

Simon had given Jim a shot of Senset, a mild sedative designed to be safe for sentinels. While Jim slept, Simon put an APB out on Sandburg. By the time Jim woke up, Simon had decided against taking Jim to the Bonding Gathering, in the hopes that Jim had started to bond with Sandburg.

Jim woke up groggy and sat up suddenly when he remembered what had happened in the bullpen. He felt the telltale signs of Senset lingering in the dull numbness of his senses.

"Well. Sleeping beauty awakes." Jim looked up at the smiling face of Simon. He groaned and let his head fall into his hands. "Things aren’t that bad Jim."

"I’m sorry Simon. I don’t know why I lost it."

"I do." Jim’s head snapped up. "Joel came in before I could paddle you. I was so angry I wasn’t seeing straight."

"I would have deserved it, sir."

"No you wouldn’t have deserved it Jim. We think that you started bonding with Dr. Buckner’s guide last week. That’s why you have been growling at people and been more cranky than usual."

"WHAT!" Jim stood up too fast and swayed a moment before he regained his balance.

"Calm down Jim. That guide scent? It was the scent of an unbonded guide. We are trying to locate the guide and then we can see if the match is right."

"I DON"T WANT TO BOND!" Jim yelled.

"You don’t have a choice. If you don’t bond you’ll die."

"Then let me die." Jim's glare bore straight into Simon.

"I won’t do that Jim. You are too important to me for me to let you die without a fight. Understood?"

"NO!" Jim bolted for the door and managed to get by Simon. All the other detectives were used to Jim coming and going so they didn’t try to stop him.

"JIM! GET BACK HERE!" Simon chased Jim out the door and yelled, "STOP HIM!" Simon grabbed the nearest phone and let control know to turn on the Sentinel field. Control immediately activated the force field that allowed everyone but Sentinels to exit the building.

Jim felt the moment the field came on and cursed. He made his way to the boiler room and found a tool kit. He immediately removed the collar that would keep him from getting through the Sentinel field. He knew that Simon would be royally ticked off because he removed his collar, but all Jim wanted to do was get away and die in peace. Jim made his way to the back door through the locker rooms and remembered the ID ring in his ear. He knew he couldn’t remove it, so he took a cap from a nearby locker and used it to cover the earring as he casually walked out of the building.

Detective Rafe entered the bullpen and knocked on Simon’s door. The entire building was searching for Jim. Rafe entered at the call and stood before his Captain.

"Well?"

Rafe handed the collar to Simon. "We found this in the boiler room. We searched everywhere and he must have gotten out of the building."

"Damn!" Simon threw the collar on the desk. "I knew I should have updated his damn collar. I just didn’t figure he would run off. Any signs of his ID tag?"

"No sir. They can’t be removed, can they?" The earring id tags were designed to only be removed when the sentinel or guide died and not before. They contained the entire history of the sentinel or guide from birth to current ownership.

"Not normally, but I wouldn’t put it past Jim to figure out how. Put an APB out on Jim. Make sure they know he isn’t to be harmed. Let the sentinel patrol know too. Dismissed."

"Yes sir." Rafe left and Simon gazed out the window into the city.

"Where are you Jim?"

South Cascade Sentinel/Guide Detention Center:

Guard Jacobson carried the unconscious Sentinel into the office. His partner, Watcher Peters, sent his Sentinel/Guide pair off to find some lunch.

Jacobson settled the Sentinel on the office couch and stretched to get the stiffness out of his back. "God, he weighs a ton."

"It’s a good thing we were able to sedate him though. He would have been impossible to control otherwise, without hurting him."

"Well, let’s find out who lost their Sentinel and how he lost his collar." Watcher Peters took the small scanner from his desk and held it up to the Sentinel’s earring. When he heard the beep, he returned to his computer. "Let’s see." A few keyboard clicks later, Jacobson heard a whistle.

"What?"

"Detective Jim Ellison. Says here he’s unbonded and is headed for critical zone out. Watcher's name is Captain Banks of the Cascade PD. Get on the phone and let them know we have Ellison and I’ll put Jim in a white cell."

Jacobson called the PD and was assured that Captain Banks would be right over. He hung up and turned to his partner who was adding an obedience ring on the Sentinel’s wrist. "If he’s headed for critical zone out, why don’t we put him in with the guide we got last week?"

"I don’t know. Banks may have already found his guide."

"It can’t hurt to try. The guide will die soon anyway if we can’t get him to eat. We were ordered to terminate him five days ago."

"I know but I can’t see killing a guide just because some idiot at Rainier thinks so. The beating he took wasn’t severe enough to warrant termination in my book."

"He hasn’t eaten anything since he got here and we can't keep force feeding him. He’s going to die on his own. Maybe he'll bond with this sentinel and they would both be saved."

"Okay. Let’s try. No harm done either way. If they bond they both survive and if they don’t, the guide will die and Banks can deal with his wayward Sentinel."

The two men carried Jim into a large room with white cells lining both walls. Each cell was designed to keep a sentinel or guide calm and was sound proof. They approached a cell with a black flag on the door, telling everyone the occupant was scheduled for termination. Peters opened the door and approached the sleeping guide.

Suddenly aware there were others in the room, the guide shifted away from them and cowered in the corner. "Easy. We aren’t going to hurt you. We brought you a friend." Peters said in guide speak.

Jacobson gently lowered Jim to the soft padded floor and backed up. They watched the guide slowly move toward Jim and tentatively touch his face. Immediately Watcher Peters recognized the fledgling bond.

The guide spoke for the first time in a week. "Who?"

"His name is Jim and he’s headed for a critical zone out. He is the other half of your soul Blair. I can feel it. You can save each other if you choose to." Peters tenderly answered.

"Thank you." Blair curled up next to Jim and fell into a deep sleep leaving one arm over the sentinel’s heart.

Peters and Jacobson exited the room and relocked the door. "Wow. I hope Banks isn’t upset that he’ll be taking two home and not just one."

"If he loves his Sentinel, he will be pleased." Watcher Peters replied with a smile.

Jacobson replied, "You’re right."

"I have a sudden urge to find out what Jeremy and Chris are doing." Peters headed for the lunchroom to find his Sentinel and Guide pair and to tell them the great news of a successful bonding.

********

Twenty minutes after Blair fell asleep, Jim woke from the sedative. The first thing he noticed was the white cell and that his senses were working normally. For the last few months he usually woke to sensory spikes. It was then that Jim felt the warm body pressed up against his. He turned his head and saw a smaller curly headed guide.

Jim wanted to jump away from the guide, but every instinct in his body betrayed him. He inhaled deeply and unconsciously imprinted the scent of his guide. HIS GUIDE? Where did that come from? But it felt right. Jim began to use his sight to imprint his guide and move his hands over the small body with hypersensitive fingers. He mapped every inch of his guide’s body and cataloged every yellow, healing bruise from his beating. Every auburn curl, each delicate feature was recorded. He tuned in his hearing and cataloged his guide’s heartbeat and respiration. He then moved his guide’s hair and inhaled the scent again at his neck. With one quick stroke of his tongue against Blair’s Adam’s apple, Jim completed the imprinting with all five of his senses.

The rough, moist tongue as he was licked woke Blair from his nap. He saw that his Sentinel was awake and smiled at the contented look on his face. Like a cat who stole the cream. Blair used his empathic abilities to enter Jim’s mind to complete the bond.

Jim felt his guide enter his mind and purred at the sensation. In an instant, they shared the knowledge of their pasts. They would no longer have separate lives, but were now linked for life. Jim purred louder and gathered Blair into his arms. Sentinel and Guide snuggled together and slept. The two halves were finally whole.

An Hour Later:

Simon entered the Detention Center and headed directly to the office. He knocked and anxiously entered at the quick summons.

"I’m Captain Banks. They said you picked up my Sentinel, Jim."

"Yes Captain Banks." Jacobson said with a smile. "Have a seat, I need to discuss something with you then I will show you to Jim’s cell."

"What’s wrong? Is he okay? He’s so close to a critical zone out, I’m really worried about him."

"That’s what I wanted to discuss. Have you found Jim a guide?"

"No, not really. Last week we think he scented an injured guide and that guide may be his bond mate, but we lost the guide."

"Lost him? He died?"

"No, no, he disappeared. His Training Watcher was murdered. Then nobody could tell us where he ended up."

"Do you know this guide's name?"

"It was Sandburg. Blair Sandburg, Why?"

"Captain Banks, we have Blair Sandburg here."

"What? How?"

"Someone from Rainier arrived last week with a guide who was injured and in shock. They told us he was too far gone to save and ordered him destroyed."

"Destroyed?"

"Those were the orders." Watcher Peters entered the office with Jeremy and Chris in tow. "But my pair stood in front of the door and growled every time we tried to carry out the order."

"What?" Banks was shocked.

"It seems they knew something about Blair that we didn’t. They kept saying that Blair’s chosen was on the way. When Jim arrived, he was in bad shape so we took a gamble and put him in with Blair." The two men waited for the explosion, but it didn’t come.

"What happened?" Banks asked quietly.

Peters and Jacobson smiled. "They bonded."

"Are they going to be okay?" Banks asked.

"Yes. I’d like to make sure Blair takes food because he hasn’t eaten in close to a week. If he eats, I’ll let you have him. He was officially turned over to us, so we can do with him as we see fit. I never understood why Rainier wanted Blair put down."

"I do. He must have seen the man who killed his Watcher."

"That would explain the shock, but why would they worry about a guide? He can’t testify."

"No, but he could give us a name or description of the killer. We can work with that info."

"Well, I already finished transfer of ownership to you for Blair, so let’s see if we can get him to eat, and then you can take them home." The men moved from the office toward the cells. "By the way Captain, how did Jim remove his collar?"

"He was trained by an Army Ranger."

"That explains it. I would suggest you upgrade the collar."

"Already done." Banks pulled a collar out of his pocket. "The old one was found in the boiler room and I picked up this new one on the way here. It’s Ranger proof."

"Good. I’ll get Blair’s collar out of the cabinet. We took it off because he was to be terminated."

"I’m glad your pair decided to revolt." Simon laughed.

"This is one time when I would agree with you." Watcher Peters replied.

Jacobson opened the door to Blair’s cell and smiled as Jim’s head came up and he snarled at the group. Peters nudged Simon into view and Jim immediately lowered his head in shame.

"Well, I’m glad to see you’re sorry for leading me on this merry chase."

"Sorry Simon." Jim whispered.

Blair slowly raised his head and saw the group. He tried to back away from the door, but Jim held him close. "Shh Blair. It’s okay. You’re safe now." Blair calmed down when he saw the truth in Jim’s eyes. He nodded and put his head back down onto Jim’s chest.

"Who are they?" Blair asked.

"I’m your new Watcher Blair. My name is Simon."

Blair looked up at Simon and then over at Jim. Jim nodded.

"Jim?"

"Yeah Chief?"

"Is it true?"

"Yes Blair. Simon is our Bonded Watcher."

"Bonded?"

"Bonded Blair. For Life." Jim smiled.

Peters interrupted. "We need Blair to eat before you three can leave and go home. He hasn’t voluntarily eaten in five days and he’s weak. The lack of nutrition has slowed his healing. You will have to take extra special care of him for a couple of weeks until he gets his strength back."

Jim jumped into Blessed Protector mode and smiled, "Count on me. I’ll make sure he eats and rests."

"Good." Peters handed Jim a bowl of mush. "He has to start slow, so he doesn’t get sick."

"I’m still in the room you know." Blair snarled.

Simon and Peters laughed. Jacobson returned with a bottle of water for Blair and asked, "What did I miss?"

"He just informed us that he was still in the room." Simon responded.

"I’m sorry Blair." Peters said. Blair nodded as he took the bowl and began to eat.

After eating and keeping the food down, Simon attached the collars onto his pair and smiled. As he attached Jim’s he said, "Don’t think I have forgotten about you running off and removing your collar. This one is not to be tampered with, or I will change my position on paddling wayward Sentinels. Understood?"

"Yes sir. I’m sorry Simon."

"Good. We will discuss your discipline at home. Let’s get Blair out of here." Simon led the way out of the cell and signed the release papers and the ownership papers for Blair. Jim ended up carrying his weak guide out of the detention center. Blair slept snuggled up to Jim all the way home.

Blair recovered well under the watchful eye of his Sentinel and Watcher. He had also given Simon a description of Dr. Buckner’s killer who was still at large. Since Blair couldn’t testify, he didn’t need to worry about the killer coming after him, but Simon confined him to the loft as a precaution. This was okay with Blair, since he was still weak from his beating and Jim was grounded for two weeks and put on leash restriction for two additional weeks for running off.

Simon made one stop on his way home to the loft after work. Jim’s Sentinel abilities were working better than ever. The Captain had already filled out the paperwork allowing Blair to work with Jim at the station and Simon hoped the items he'd picked up would protect the pair once they began working.

As he entered the loft, he had to keep from laughing at the sight of Jim holding Blair down on the couch while the Sentinel was tickling him. Jim noticed Simon and blushed.

"Do I even want to know?"

"Simon! Save me!" Blair yelled.

"Jim, do I have to get the paddle?" Simon teased.

"No sir." Jim pushed off Blair so fast that Blair fell to the floor with a thud.

"OW!" Blair rubbed his backside as Jim hurried to help him up.

"I’m sorry Chief. Are you okay?"

"Yeah I’m okay. Just surprised me, that’s all." Blair brushed off his clothes and sat back down on the floor.

"Blair? You can sit on the furniture. You don’t have to sit on the floor." Simon said.

"Sorry. I keep forgetting. Dr. Buckner never let me near the furniture." Blair stood and sat down on the couch.

"Boys, I have a present for you." Simon opened the paper bag in his hand and withdrew two gold charms. He handed a gold panther to Jim and a gold wolf to Blair. "They go on the collars. Brand new tracking technology." Simon attached each to their collars and noticed Jim’s scowl. Simon ignored the look. "They can’t be removed either."

"Why Simon?" Jim said with a pout. "I promised never to run off again."

"That’s not why. Because you two are bonded now, you’re worth more on the black market. The tracers are for your own protection. This way if you are lost or stolen, I can find you. And since the collars can’t be removed and the bad guys don’t know about the new trackers, they will never suspect."

"Why a wolf?" Blair asked. "And panther?" Jim added.

"When a bonded pair find their bonded watcher, the watcher takes a vision quest to find the pair’s spirit animals. Blair, yours is the wolf and Jim, yours is the panther."

"What about you Simon?" Blair asked.

"Yeah, what are you?" Jim added.

"Mine’s a bear."

"A teddy bear?" Blair added with a giggle.

"A GRIZZLY BEAR!" Simon lunged at his pair and laughed as they both scattered in two different directions, then ran into their room. "You can run, but you can’t hide." Simon snarled with a smile. His answer was laughter coming from the bedroom of his Sentinel/Guide pair.

The End

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