The lawyer and the Beast
Chapter One…
The man cursed softly as he who looked upon the damage that had been done. The winter inferno would prevent him from going into town for badly needed supplies. He would have to be a mad man to brave this type of weather. A deep rumble of laughter escaped from his throat. He wasn't so sure that he did have all of his marbles.
Using a flashlight, he scanned the ground surface looking for tracks that would give him some clue as to where his furry friend had wondered off too.
Jack usually wondered through the woods during the day. The dog preferred to spend his time alone, not unlike his current owner.
Months ago, when he had first come across the dog, it had been immediately obvious that he had been badly abused by previous owners. At their initial meeting or collision, the Dalmatian had attacked him like a rabid animal. In that split second, as 60 pounds of pure muscle collided into his gut, he had been dead set on snapping the dog's neck and putting both of them out of their misery.
Yet, something had given him pause that day. Perhaps it was the look in the dog's eyes. The same angry and cornered look that he observed in his own face on the rare occasion that he dined to look into a mirror. Or perhaps he was just full of it and was just lonely for some company. Either way, the going had been tough, but they had slowly learned to trust each other and had developed an unlikely friendship.
The man growled as the batteries for the flashlight suddenly died a quick death. He had been searching for Jack for a good hour and still no sign of the blasted dog.
"Fine, go ahead and freeze your ass off," he grumbled.
As he trudged back to his cabin, he realized that his lips were bleeding due to the subzero temperatures.
What did it matter? Considering what his scarred face already looked like, he figured that frost bite was the least of his problems.
Once he entered his isolated cabin, he struggled out of his parka and went straight to his chair near the fireplace. He was thankful that he had enough sense to build a fire before braving the weather outside. After a few minutes, he finally felt the last of the cold seep out of his bones.
He briefly considered finding something to eat, but he couldn't sum up enough energy to leave the warmth of the blazing fire. Soon, the dancing flames and crackling sounds of wood lulled him into blessed sleep….
It was always the same with the woman in red. Once he entered the dream world, she was always there waiting to tease him with her laughter and alluring body. Despite months of dreaming about the lady in red, her identity still remained anonymous to him. Her face was always a shadowy blur.
This time the setting was a swanky restaurant…
"I'm thinking you've never done a really spontaneous thing in your whole life," he teased.
"You're wrong," she proclaimed with indignation
"Name it"
"What?"
"A spontaneous thing"
"Why should I tell you?"
"I don't think you can because it doesn't exist."
"Really?"
"Really?"
"Curious?"
"Oh, I got to hear this."
Suddenly she leaned forward and placed her lips to his. Time stopped. His heart kicked into overdrive as he got a brief taste of her. Unfortunately, as quickly as the kiss began, it ended.
She gave him a triumphant smile and asked, "Is that spontaneous enough for you?
It certainly was he thought as his body went into spontaneous combustion.
Suddenly he heard scratching noises and felt the woman in red slipping away from him. He tried to grab onto her, but she was too quick for him.
He fought to stay within the dream, but the scratching noises refused to be ignored.
"Please, just a few more minutes," he whispered.
He didn't want to return back to the reality of his cold cabin. He would much rather loose himself in the woman's lush body. He came awake with a start and realized who was trying to get his attention.
He got up and opened the door for the dog, beckoning him inside. The dog refused to enter and started to bark.
This was his first clue that something wrong. Barking was a form of communication that had never been used by Jack before.
He figured that this characteristic had probably been beaten out of the dog by his former owner.
"What is it, what's wrong?"
The dog wined uneasily and fixed its eyes in the direction of the neighboring woods.
As he turned back to grab his parka, the dog lunged for his lower calf and snapped his teeth at it.
"Alright," he snarled at the dog. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, I'm coming."
When he turned around, he realized that he was talking to air. The dog had already run ahead. He gave a heavy sigh and began to give chase.
Whatever the dog was leading him to in this winter inferno could not be good for him.