NEVERMORE

It was a stormy night.  The wind was tearing the trees outside the lab to pieces while the rain did it's best to drown the world.  Mr. Pickles, for such a staunch and seemingly brave fellow, was curled up shivering in his cell, afraid of the crashes of thunder that followed the briefly illuminating flashes of lightening every few minutes.

The night was growing old and tired, a mere few hours remained before the sun would put it to rest.  However it was the longest night of the wolf's life.  Never had he felt so alone.  Never had he longed for company, even the dreaded lab techs that made many attempts per day to bathe him in that acrid smelling flea shampoo.  Anyone would do, anything would have been better than suffering through this night alone.

Pickles shuddered, his fur trembling atop his thick skin, making him seem more like a lost puppy than a grown werewolf.  His eyes glanced over the cell floor, slowing counting the cracks in the tiles to keep his mind focused on anything other than the fact another crash of thunder was coming, and soon.

He was on crack 79 when he heard a 'tap tap tapping'.  His ears perked and turned towards the sound.  He didn't want to look in case he didn't like what he saw.  

'Tap tap tap' came the noise again, only this time it was followed by words; 'who is that I see a'laying on the floor?!'

Pickles jumped up to his feet and stared towards the sound.  As his eyes found a small shadow perched in the iron bar window of his cell, the lightening flashed and for a second he saw a black figure of a bird, shining with wetness from the rain.

'WHO ARE YOU?' he bellowed.  'What do you want?'

The bird tapped his beak on the window ledge and proclaimed 'I need some shelter, nothing more!  Provide me shelter, from this weather, and we will be together evermore!  You shall be alone nevermore!'

Pickles pondered this.  A ... a raven?  Yes it was a raven... a cliche raven straight out of a Poe poem, here to... be his companion?  It couldn't hurt could it?  Just one night... maybe two, to kill the loneliness.

'Fine bird.  You may enter, and I will not eat you, but you have to stop smacking your beak on everything or I will break that promise!  And you need a name otherwise the techs will give you one and you will not like it.  -I- am going to call you Poe, because you are... well should be obvious'

The raven gently flew down in to the cell, finding a perch on the shoulder of the gruff and tuff werewolf.  Not much was said after that.  Both creatures were tired, cold and very happy to have a friend to see them through the rest of the night.  Pickles curled back up in his corner, while the Raven hunkered down in to his fur, making a bed and falling in to a dreamless sleep.