I don't own Gargoyles. This takes place after the series finale. I should warn you that this will be a dark story with many character deaths and for that reason, this story is rated MA.

Chapter One- Violent Encounter

Elisa scanned the roads for any sign of trouble and knew her friends were doing the same in another part of the city. Crime was down from what is used to be, thanks to the gargoyles whom everyone in the city knew weren't evil or vicious monsters. The only evil, vicious monsters had been Castaway and his Quarrymen. But, Castaway's in jail and the Quarrymen are no more save for a few rogue members. All in all, life's been a bit peaceful. I wouldn't mind some action, though.

At that moment, her radio crackled to life and the voice of Captain Chavez came on. "Maza, head to the processing plant. Report of a possible break-in."

"Ten-four," she answered as she angled her car through the streets to the plant where months ago Proteus had lured Hudson, Angela, and her as part of a plot for revenge. The place was quiet, but the door to where the meat was stored had been rammed open, a large dent in the center of the door. She pulled out her gun and slowly entered the building. She wasn't sure who she would encounter. It was possibly someone with a sledgehammer, like a rogue Quarryman. The dent in the door could be made by a good solid blow with a hammer.

She entered the area where all the meat was hung up, the same place where she and the clan encountered Taurus. She slowly and quietly prowled between the rows, seeing no one the further she went. However, she did see several slabs of meat with bites taken out of them; bites that weren't made by a human. She thought back to the door and realized that it could have been caused by a wild animal or a stray dog. Seems this break-in is nothing more than a hungry animal. Probably already long gone. I'll keep checking, though,

Her search led her to a room where a series of enormous containers that housed metal blades that were used to chop the meat into pieces. All seemed quiet until the machines went active; a standby diagnostic check to make sure everything was working perfectly. The machines powered down and in the immediate silence that followed, Elisa heard clicking sounds on the platform above.

She went to the nearest ladder and climbed it while willing herself to stay steady. The last time she was on the platform, she was almost chopped to pieces. She had no desire for a repeat performance. She reached the top, pulled out her gun again and a flashlight as well. She switched it on, shined down one way, moved it to the other side, and froze.

There was a large gray wolf staring back at her. It was much larger than an ordinary wolf, partly due to its muscles. It had long limbs, an extremely bushy tail, long pointed ears, a long muzzle of sharp teeth, and claws that extended from all four paws. The most striking thing about it was its red glowing eyes.

The wolf had likewise frozen in place the moment the light landed on him, for it looked male to her. The sudden light only froze him for a moment before he crouched low and growled threateningly at her. Elisa wasn't sure what to do. Instinct said to back up, even turn and run. But she knew intellectually that if she did that the wolf would chase her down and likely kill her. If I stay still then he may not be interested in me and leave. So, she stayed where she was, time seeming to slow to a crawl. The wolf continued to growl, but the detective didn't move.

The whine of the machines going into check mode startled both predator and prey. It held Elisa's attention more than the wolf's and by the time she snapped herself back to the confrontation, it was too late. The wolf had launched himself into the air and was in mid-air by the time Elisa turned back to him. He plowed into her, knocking her onto her back. Elisa wiggled herself around so that her back was against the rails away from the edge that led to the containers. The wolf also maneuvered himself, determined to not let his prey got away.

He pressed his clawed paws on her chest before lunging forward, aiming for her throat. Elisa instinctively put her arm up to protect it and the wolf's teeth sank into her arm. Elisa screamed before her legs, pinned by the wolf's body, lashed outward. The feet planted themselves on the wolf's stomach and pushed. The strength and force of the push dislodged the wolf, sent him over the edge, and into a chopping machine, the system still doing its check. The wolf howled in pain that was truncated as he was cut to pieces.

Elisa got to her feet, her left hand pressed to the bite mark on her arm. She winced at the pain that raced through her limb as she retrieved her dropped items, and carefully and gingerly climbed down to the floor below. The machines shut off as she left the room, aware that she was going to be making a report to her superior who would, in turn, inform the owners of a ripped up wolf in one of their slicers.

And what a wolf, she thought as she got to her car and pulled out her personal first-aid kit. She slid off her jacket off and started tending to her wound. He was quite muscular making him bigger than a normal wolf. His eyes were the most striking. They were glowing red ones. Wait a minute. No wolf has glowing red eyes. So, if it's not a real wolf…could it be a…werewolf? No, it couldn't be. For one thing, it's not a full moon. Elisa shook her head as she secured the bandage around her bite wound. She found an unusual wolf that was responsible for the break-in. That was it. Case closed. Despite everything Elisa had seen and encountered, she didn't believe that werewolves existed.

Chavez scanned the report in front of her before looking up at Elisa. Her eyes flicked over to the right arm, hints of a white bandage visible through the holes in the jacket. "So, this wolf apparently rammed open the back door, ate some meat, attacked you, and fell into one of the meat slicers while doing a self-check and it sliced him to pieces."

"Yes, Captain."

"I see. You know I have to tell the owners so that they can clean the machine in question and remove the bitten meat."

"Of course."

Chavez smiled in sympathy at the bags under Elisa's eyes. "Go home and get some sleep, Maza. Oh, and Detective Bluestone will be joining you on night shift again tomorrow night."

Elisa seemed to perk up at that before stifling a yawn. "That's great, Captain. Good night." She left the office, the station, and drove home where she fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.