A Silent Howl

When Penna suggested posting her latest vignette "Splash" in September, my first reaction was how welcome it would be. A feel-good tale of Henry adopting a puppy makes a great counterbalance to the turmoil Neal's experiencing in my current story, Nocturne in Black and Gold. But once I had the chance to read the vignette I realized how appropriate the timing was on a deeper level.

Warning for minor spoilers for the Caffrey Conversation series

In "Splash" Henry rescues a puppy who scampered off from the other dogs at a shelter only to get stuck in a rocky crevice. Her situation reminds Henry of what Neal was like when Henry tracked him down in Chicago. Neal had run away from home on his eighteenth birthday after discovering the truth about his father. He was living on the streets of Chicago, sick with pneumonia and in desperate need of being saved.

In "Splash," the puppy howls her frustration over being trapped. When I read the word howl, it conjured up memories of Baby Bear. In The Woman in Blue, I had Neal growl when he, Peter, and El pretended to be bears in the Reverse Goldilocks con. Penna told me that reading about Neal's growls sparked her creation of Baby Bear. Similarly, in the puppy's howl, I heard an echo of Neal. This is no grumpy growl but a silent howl of distress that Neal makes in Nocturne in Black and Gold. Fortunately, Henry's there to hear it.

In "Splash," Henry knows that if he can just get the puppy to calm down, she'll be able to free herself. The same strategy should work with Neal. If Henry can break through the din and get Neal to think rationally, he'll realize there's only one logical solution to his dilemma. But Henry faces a more difficult challenge than when he rescued Neal as a teenage runaway living in Chicago. Neal's older and less pliable to being guided. He has all those voices in his head shouting conflicting advice. And this time he's not just worried about himself but about Peter and El.

The clock's ticking. How long will Rolf wait before instigating a frame attempt? Will he use the Vermeer or the Braque? And it's not only Rolf who's a wildcard. Henry knows that once Peter discovers the deception Neal has been carrying on for the past six months, he's bound to be angry and hurt. Henry believes Peter's reaction will be tempered by the ordeal Neal has gone through but it very well could be a make-or-break moment. For their friendship to survive, the odds are much better if Neal confesses before Peter finds out through other means. Can Henry persuade Neal before it's too late?

In "Splash" Henry relaxes the puppy by singing to it. It will take more than a song to extricate Neal, but if he can reduce Neal's stress, Henry hopes to achieve the same result.

For more about "Splash," see Penna's post, Puppy Love: the Splash vignette.

Nocturne in Black and Gold on Archive of Our Own
Nocturne in Black and Gold on FanFiction