The center of town was filled with angry yells and upsets murmurs. A group of people stood gathered together, assembled in a disjointed mess of frazzled hair and furrowed eyebrows.

A single man stood in front of the mob, hands raised as he tried to calm everyone down. His green shirt was partially untucked and the gray hairs on his mustache stood in disarray.

"Ladies, gentlemen, may I please have your attention?" He said loudly, trying to gather everyone's attention. The crowd in front of him quieted. He cleared his throat before continuing. "I understand that the town has recently been experiencing a wolf problem. Don't worry, as I'm having this situation handled and there is no need to be alarmed."

"This thing's knocked over my trash every night for weeks!" One of the men in crowd shouted, pulling at his yellow jacket aggravatedly. "How can my customers feel safe coming to the saloon when there's a chance that they'll walk out and find themselves face to face with a wild beast?"

"What if it stops restricting itself to nighttime raids?" Another person, this time a woman in a modest yellow dress, added worriedly. "Or worse, what if it tries to get into my trailer? I don't know if it's wolf-proof, Mayor Lewis!"

"Gus, Penny, please," the older man, Mayor Lewis, said. "Rest assured, we are going to get this sorted out. Until then, we just need everyone to stay cautious and keep an eye out. The county's animal control is going to handle this."

The crowd shifted, displeasure and worry lighting most of the towns folks' faces. Gradually, it dispersed, with few people remaining to question the mayor on details regarding what he had said.

Ten minutes away, on a nearby farm, a young woman laid sprawled out across her front porch, completely unconscious. A brown Anatolian shepherd sat next to her, tail wagging as he pawed at her face.

"Ow, stop!" The girl said, eyes blearily blinking open, swiping the large dog's paw out of her face and grimacing at the ache in her body. She'd really overworked herself last night. She pushed herself up, sitting up. "Food, Lopez?"

The dog immediately jumped off its haunches, skittering to the front door. The farmer sighed and stood up. As she made her way to the door, she noticed a large letter, quickly stuffed underneath partially underneath the door. Bending down and picking it up, she quickly made note that there was nothing written on the envelope.

"If this is another prank from Jas and Vincent, I swear…" She mumbled, stuffing it under her arm before opening up her house door. Lopez almost knocked his owner over as he barreled his way into the house, sliding on the wooden floor and ramming into the fridge. The farmer sighed, smiling.

After setting up Lopez's food bowl, she sat down at her kitchen table and opened up the plain envelope. A single piece of paper was neatly folded and tucked into it. She opened it, her eyebrows raising.

"Dear farmer Fran,

It is advised that you keep Lopez and your cows inside for the next week or so. Though I understand that your farm is fenced in and that you've probably already taken precautions with your dog due to the recent wolf problems we've been having, an animal control team will be here within a week and we would not want any of your animals to accidentally get involved or mistaken to be a stray.

Stay safe and here's hoping to a good, pest-free season,

Mayor Lewis."

Fran sucked on her teeth, folding the letter back up. She glanced over at her dog, who was still noisily crunching on his dry food, and stood back up.

"Mhmmmm, I think I should visit the Wizard. Lopez, don't be a little shit and chew any furniture while I'm out," she said, giving the dog's side a solid pat. He ignored her in favor of his food. "Classic dog," Fran said, briskly walking out of the house and locking the door behind her while Lopez was distracted.

[Author's Note]

Hey guys, it's been a while. Let's see where this takes us, if anywhere.

Comments appreciated, as always.