Author Notes: This is my response to CSIAddict2 werewolf challenge, this first chapters a bit short, but it'll get there eventually. Hope you enjoy and please review.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, therefore I no longer believe in the power of the birthday candles.
It was the first night off Catherine had had in years, or at least that's what it seemed like. Despite the strong desire for a little R&R, she found herself wide awake at 11:45 pouring her second cup of steaming black coffee. The many years of working the night shift had taken their toll on her sleeping habits, and she was finding it impossible to sleep. She absentmindedly glanced out of the kitchen window while taking a sip of the hot liquid caffeine. She noticed it was now pitch black outside and ever so silent. The peace and quiet was one of the things she loved about her home; it was away form the loud hustle and bustle of the streets of Vegas. There were no bright neon lights, and the indistinctive sound of laughter and cheers all melting into one continuous hum seemed like just a memory as she stood in her kitchen enjoying the serenity.
Catherine was just about to take another sip of the coffee when a noise startled her. A howl ripped into the silence. It wasn't particularly loud, and would fail to wake anyone who was already in even alight slumber, which the majority of the street was; it was after all now almost midnight. For some reason it seemed so distinct to Catherine. She couldn't figure out what had made this intrusive noise but she was intrigued, being a CSI meant her curiosity levels were permanently off the charts. Without a second thought she headed to the back door, her intuition led her to believe beyond all shadow of a doubt that this was where the noise had come from, there was no rational explanation for this, but Catherine had learnt long ago that she should always trust her instincts, after all they rarely lets her down. So she stepped out into the garden, leaving the back door wide open. The cold night's air did not deter her in the slightest. She continued to walk steadily towards the end of the garden; she stepped off the cold concrete path and onto the dew soaked grass. Her bare feet became instantly sodden in the process, and still she kept on walking. It wasn't until she was mere feet away from the bushes at edge of the garden that she stopped.
She could some gentle movement in the bushes, but the shadows from the bright full moon made it impossible for her to make out what it was she was seeing. Gradually the unknown figure began to move towards her and emerged slowly from the bushes. It was at this moment that the additional glow from the light on the street finally made it possible for Catherine to see what it was that now stood in front of her.
There in all its glory stood a wolf, still partly hidden by the shadows just a few measly feet away from her. But she didn't feel scared and she didn't run away. Instead she just looked at the wolf in sheer astonishment. Taking in every detail of its appearance; its great grey head was lowered, she noticed even in the dim light that its fur, long and matted from roaming outdoors, still looked incredibly soft her attention was then caught by something else, its claws and teeth both equally sharp, glinted in the moonlight. It stepped forward, she couldn't move. It wasn't fear that rooted her to the spot, she felt bizarrely safe. She could almost sense some underlying anguish that the wolf seemed to emit, they seemed to be on the same wavelength, as if, should she speak to it, it would understand. Finally she noticed its eyes, they were the most mesmerising part of the wolf. Suddenly it looked straight back at her, their eyes locking for a just a second.
In that brief moment the wolfs eyes turned the most brilliant white, so bright it was almost painful to look at, they gave out a light that seemed to illuminate the entire garden. At that moment Catherine felt her own eyes rapidly losing focus and her mind begin to go fuzzy, and then everything went black.