Slurp. Slurp. Slurp.

"Diefenbaker. Will you please stop that?"

Constable Benton Fraser, RCMP, sat on the floor at the foot of his bed. He had traded the brown serge uniform he normally wore for jeans and a flannel shirt and, having finished dinner, was relaxing reading from his father's journals.

Slurp. Slurp. Slurp.

"Diefenbaker. Sometimes that habit of yours can be extremely irritating. Stop."

Dief gave absolutely no indication of having heard Fraser; hardly surprising since the wolf was deaf. He continued, his enthusiasm for the task at hand (or at tongue, as it were) unabated.

Slurp. Slurp. Slurp.

"Why don't you play with your banana, rather than annoy me?" Fraser said, tossing the wolf's favourite stuffed banana squeaky toy in hopes of diverting his attention. "We've already been for a walk tonight. Perhaps we will go out again before turning in, but not now."

Slurp. Slurp. Slurp.

"Dief, if you don't stop that right now I shall be forced to take drastic measures."

Slurp. Slurp. Slurp.

"That's it," Fraser said, snatching his bare feet out of range of the wolf's wet tongue. He wiped the dog drool off of his toes. "I'm putting my socks back on." *******