April had done a great job narrowing down the range of the black dog's hunting ground. They only had about forty acres to search for the creature and its lair. Michael was sure they'd find it in no time and that the hunt would be easy. Surely easier than any hunt he'd been sent on as an archangel.

"Stick close," April ordered Michael as they entered the forest.

Michael was both annoyed and amused at his situation. He was how old again? Centuries old, and he was following this woman's orders.

But she's no ordinary woman. The thought crossed Michael's mind before he could stop it.

He couldn't help but peer at April out of the corner of his eye as she trudged through the woods close to his side, and found himself focusing on her face, her perfectly shaped eyes, full lips…

Michael shook his head and focused himself on the hunt. Listening for anything, a snap of a twig, an animal lapping water, that may be a sign the thing they were after was near.

The forest was quiet to his human ears, but Michael knew better. No matter what he'd always heard animals moving through the forest whenever he'd walked through one as an angel. They were out there, and the black dog was out there. It was just to find it.

About a half hour later April found the first sign of the black dog.

"Hey look at this."

She pointed and Michael searched for what she was seeing.

It was a huge paw print. The size of a black bear's but shaped like a wolf's print.

"It's fresh," April told him. "The dog's nearby."

Michael nodded, and stepped over it, in the direction the paw print pointed towards.

When she realized he was walking onward April jogged to catch up with him.

Michael and April were wary, and so tense they jumped when a stray white cat ran across their path after a small rodent, probably a mouse.

Just after that event Michael found what he was looking for.

"There it is."

"There it is what?" inquired April.

Michael pointed at a hole in the side of a hill. "The black dog's lair."

April raised her gun and cautiously approached the cave, inch by inch, step by step.

Michael did the same, keeping the distance between them less than three feet at all times.

April flicked on her flashlight and shined it into the cave before crawling inside. Michael was about to do the same when April stopped him.

"Stay here," she whispered. "If it's not here it may come back and I need you to be outside to kill it."

Michael understood so he turned his back to the cave to watch the woods around him, concentrating.

April, meanwhile, slid farther into the hole. She searched the space carefully for the creature but it wasn't there. Nothing was there except a pile of human hair and bones.

April flinched when she first spotted it. Seeing the remains left her with goose bumps that stayed until she was out of the cave again.

"It is using the place," April announced to Michael. "It must be hunting right now."

As soon as the words had left her mouth and Michael had turned towards her, a growl sounded through the air and a massive creature leaped from the top of the hole and onto Michael, knocking him down. Man and creature tumbled off the small cliff next to them and landed in a heap at the bottom.

April gasped. "Michael!"

She ran to the edge and glanced down to see the black dog with its huge jaws wide open, trying to rip out Michael's throat. Michael's hands were holding the creature's jaws away but April could see that he wouldn't last long. Black dogs were ten times more powerful than human beings.

With no thought for herself April slid down the cliff, doing her best to slow her fall using rocks that stuck out.

At the bottom April threw a loose rock at the creature to distract it from Michael.

The black dog howled in pain when it hit its head and the creature whipped around to face her.

"Yeah that's right, I'm here too," yelled April.

The black dog let go a throaty growl that made April's hair stand straight up and she almost forgot the gun in her hands.

Almost.

As the black dog's front feet left the ground to jump April fired and the silver bullet the gun sent forward hit the creature straight in the heart.

The black dog's eyes widened so that April could see its whites, and then it flopped over dead.

April released the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and turned her attention to Michael, who was lying on the ground on his back, his eyes closed.

Fearing the worst April raced to his side and shook his arm.

"Michael, wake up!" she shouted.

Michael slowly opened his eyes and groaned. "I think the black dog knocked me out with its face."

April bit back a laugh, and the urge left when she spotted blood on his shredded shirt.

"You're bleeding."

"I'll be fine," Michael reassured her.

April ignored him. "You need to go to the hospital."

"I don't," argued Michael as he slowly stood, grimacing as he did so.

April frowned. "One of the dog's claws caught you. You'll need stitches."

"It can be fixed back at the house, can't it?" questioned Michael.

April hesitated. "Okay."

She wrapped one of Michael's arms over her shoulder and helped him move as he limped back to the car.