The three men each in turn also signed the paper. They all stood up and shook the boy's hand again.

A thought came to the boy's mind, "Do I have to use my real name?"

"No, you don't. May I inquire why?" asked the Lion quietly.

"It's just I don't like it. They used to laugh at it."

Sir John smiled and said casually, "I understand a wolf sleeps with you."

"Not because I want it to," replied the boy, somewhat annoyed that the story had spread, apparently by the Raven.

The Lion, taking no notice of the boy's reply said, "Never the less, it accounts for something. You shall be called, 'The Boy Who Sleeps with Wolves', 'Wolf' for short. It is a good strong name and it will serve you well.

The boy huffed, "What if I don't like it?"

The Lion looked kindly down on the boy, "Sometimes we don't have a choice. But, consider this, what can you do to muck up a name like Wolf."

"There is the small matter of guardianship for you," the Lion continued, "you have to have someone responsible for you. The Raven will serve until a more permanent one can be assigned to you. There is nothing for you to sign because you don't have a choice in the matter."

Sir John dismissed Wolf. The Raven took him to the entrance of the tent and stopped the first page to come running by. He instructed the page to outfit and billet Wolf with the other pages and to familiarize him with the camp.

The page who looked younger than Wolf and a couple of inches shorter introduced himself, "Hi, I'm Wart."

"Ca... I guess you can call me Wolf."

Wart offered his hand, "I take it you just arrived in camp?"

Wolf shook it, "Yeah. I came in with the Raven."

"Cool. He is such a cool teacher. He knows everything about the forest and the mountains. I wish I could go out on patrol with him."

Wolf rolled his eyes, "All we did was ride up and down mountains."

"He must have taught you something. Did anything exciting happen?"

That question gave Wolf pause, "Nah, I just meet this queer old woman named Maud."

"Maud! That is so cool. I've heard she's a fortune teller. Not many people see her."

"She seemed friendly enough. She's big and hugs real hard. She makes good cookies."

"Maybe I'll meet her someday. Hey, I'm forgetting my duty."

Wart took Wolf to the large Quartermaster's tent where three page's uniforms and a pair of boots were issued to him along with other supplies. Wart managed to get Wolf assigned to his tent. It was around four-man tent, which Wart called it a 'Yurt'. There were four cots set around the sides and a small table in the center with short logs for chairs.

Wolf deposited his supplies on the empty cot and changed into his page's uniform and boots. It felt good; he hadn't realized how old and nasty his clothes were. Wart then showed him where the boy's latrine stood, and all the other important places in camp. His tour ended at the stables where some of the horses were already billeted.

Wart explained that the stables had to be rebuilt every year, because they were built from dead or found wood, and were torn down every fall for safety. Nobody would remain in the valley to maintain them during the winter. The horses were free to roam the glen, the stables serving as a shelter in rain and as storage for feed and saddles.

They heard three deep loud blasts of a horn, and Wart gleefully announced, "Dinner is served." They ran for their tent to get their mess kits. Wolf found out that running got him a good spot in the serving line.

They went to the sunny side of a small hill to sit down on the grass and enjoy their dinner. He couldn't remember having such a good meal in a long time, better even than Red's spiced rabbit.

After they finished up their stew, they laid back to enjoy the late afternoon warmth. This was the first time Wolf relaxed in several days. He quietly asked Wart, "How long have you been here?"

"This is my second summer here. I just finished up my first year at school."

Wolf' took in a breath and asked his big question, "What's school like?"

Wart sighed and stated, "It's hard. You wake up at five to take care of the horses; you have classes all morning and practice all afternoon. By the time you have supper, you're beat. But, then you get to ride your horse. At night you study until you're ready to go to bed."

Wolf looked down, "Doesn't sound like much fun."

Wart laughed, "Oh, we make up fun all on our own. We're encouraged to be creative in our games." My roommates and I like to play tricks on the squires and instructors. You also get time to ride your horse for fun.

Wolf sighed, "I don't have a horse."

"Don't worry; a horse will be assigned to you."

"What about here? All I've seen anybody do is work."

"Well, we do work a lot, although it isn't that hard for the younger pages like us. We do different things in the afternoon, most of it interesting; you'll see."

He continued, "A lot of us, like me, love it here. It's just too much fun. I'm glad my parents found out about this school. It's better than the academy."

"You're rich?" Wolf asked looking surprised.

Wart looked down, "Yeah. Well, being rich isn't all it's cracked up to be. I've got more friends here than I ever had at home. Besides, it's not like I have a lot of cash. You really don't need it."

They spent the rest of the evening together, with Wart showing Wolf around the camp, and introducing him to the other pages. Most of them were glad to meet Wolf and a lot of handshaking and pats on the back were given.

However, a few of the pages got testy when they found out he wasn't a regular student. One of them, a tall boy, confronted Wolf.

"So, you're a charity case. They shouldn't allow anybody here unless they can pay for it. You won't last long; as soon as they get tired of you, they'll kick you out."

Wolf's face went flush with embarrassment. All of a sudden he was afraid. His hands got clammy. He managed to stutter out, "I-I'm not a charity case!"

The boy stepped right up to Wolf and looked down at him. Two other pages flanked him, "You're nothing; go away, or I'll throw you out myself."

Wart quickly grabbed Wolf by the shoulder and pulled him away from the pages, who started laughing. He sized up the tall page, "So you've set a new record for making another enemy."

"Wart, you should know better than to mess with his kind." The tall page turned and left, his two friends following.

Once they out of earshot of the pages, Wart whispered to Wolf, "That jerk is Wayne. He thinks he's better than everybody else and God's gift to girls. They're rich kids. Some of them don't like it here, and some just hate common kids, like you. Stay away from him," warned Wart. "Wayne is a pain to me. We got in a bad fight. He beat me up pretty bad."

Wolf winced, "What did you do? Did you get in trouble?"

Wart chuckled, "Of course I got in trouble. We both got in trouble. You can't hide a shiner. Listen, this is the most important thing I'm ever going to tell you; don't rat on anyone. Just say you tripped or something like that. You take your punishment without complaint. It's just extra work. You can take self-defense courses and defend yourself the next time. It works out better."

Wolf did not expect what Wart had told him. "Why are you telling me this? You want me to get hurt?"

Wart beamed at him, "Oh heavens no. I want you to beat the snot out of him. If anybody can, you can."

Wolf opened his eyes in surprise, "Me?"

"Yeah, you; he won't suspect it. When you take self-defense from the Wolverine, and you will, you should pay attention. A bully won't pick on someone who can defend himself. You'll learn all about it."

Wolf looked down, "Is everybody going to pick on me?"

"Not if you've got friends.

Wolf kicked some dirt, "I've never had any friends."

Wart, clamped his arm around Wolf's shoulder, "You do now!"

"Thanks," Wolf replied looking at Wart with a broad smile.