The howling continued for at least a half an hour, coming closer, and closer, and closer with each passing moment. They were less than a mile away now, headed in my direction. If I focused enough, I could hear their paws scraping against the earth as they ran through the woods, kicking up leaves, tearing through the brush. I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds. Footsteps crunched on the ground about a foot away. I opened one eye and looked down.
A blue and white pit-bull sat on the ground in front of me, its paw raised, whining lowly. The scent is familiar. I reached down and scratched the dog behind the ear.
"I know it's you, kid; and you'd better leave here before you get yourself killed," I warned, still petting him.
He shifted at that very moment, my hands still rustling his hair. I pulled back. "What do you mean killed? You're not-"
I shook my head. "There's wolves in the area. Werewolves. I'd leave if I were you."
The boy stood and crossed his arms over his chest defiantly. "I'm not afraid of Were's."
"And neither am I…I'm just not sure how violent they are," I looked around. "If you're gonna stay out here, watch yourself. What's your name?"
"Tommy. You?"
"Adrian…" I trailed off, sniffing the air. "What're you doing wandering around here?"
"I work at this place."
Both the boy and I straightened up, having sensed the werewolves' presence simultaneously. I peered into the darkness. A large pack of wolves surrounded the bar and grill, their eyes trained hungrily on the building, awaiting the chance to attack. To capture their prey. And I only have one guess as to who the prey is…
Sookie.
I clenched and unclenched my fists, and pushed past Tommy and stood in the middle of the lot, turning every which way to see how many were circling the place. Low growls emitted from the pack, increasing in volume. The sound reminded me of the Pit; all the dogs growling, snapping, fighting each other out of sheer boredom and the need to tear into flesh. Tommy walked next to me.
"Why don't you go put clothes on? It's near closing time. People are going to start leaving soon," I peeked into Merlotte's. Only a handful of customers remained. The night had died down fairly quick.
"I'll just shift."
"Well do it now. The last of the customers are preparing to leave."
Tommy's body shuddered as he made the shift, turning into the pit-bull I had pet a few minutes ago. He sat on the ground, close to me, his side pressing into my calf. His ears pointed up, alert, listening for the wolves. He growled lowly beside me, and I tapped him with the side of my shoe.
"Shut up," I hissed.
The last handful of customers filed out of the double doors, talking loudly amongst themselves. A few of them looked at me, mumbling insults under their breath. I smiled politely at them, earning a look of disgust. I laughed quietly.
Jessica then stepped outside, a smile plastered onto her pale face. She outstretched her thin arms.
"Oh, I didn't know you had a dog!" She dropped to her knees beside Tommy and began showering him with affection. "Oh, you're so cute!" Jessica said in a high pitched baby voice.
Tommy's tail began wagging feverishly, and his head turned around to look up me. I swear that little shit winked, too. "I don't. This is your coworker."
She stopped petting him. "Huh?"
"Tommy, shift back please?"
He growled and shook, his naked body plopping to the ground before Jessica. She stepped back, horrified, as Tommy grinned up at her. "Hi, Jess."
"I just thought you should know, before he had you rubbing his belly."
The wolves began closing in, slowly creeping forward, bodies ducked low to the ground. I looked at Jessica. "Is there anyone inside still?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Tell them not to come outside," I said, staring one of the wolves down. "Now. Tommy, you'd better go inside, too." I shrugged my coat off.
Jessica scrambled to her feet and jogged inside, Tommy following her. My chest began to constrict, every muscle tightening, tensing as the adrenaline coursed through my veins in the seconds before I made my move. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, centering myself; I rushed forward, reaching one of the wolves in less than a second.
"Boo," I whispered into the wolf's ear, startling it. I clutched at the beast's throat and gripped tight, choking the life out of it.
As the wolf neared death, it's body wriggled violently in my hand as it became human once again. The rest of the pack charged forward, thirty or so wolves crowding around me, snapping, growling loudly. I grinned and lit the Were in my hand on fire and tossed his screaming, burning body into the pack. One of them shifted and pushed through the pack toward me.
"What the fuck are you?" He shouted. "What did you do to him?"
I groaned. "You know, it's really annoying having everyone ask me that."
The man stood in front of me, his beady eyes looking up at me angrily. "Well, I don't give a fuck. You just lit a member of my pack on fucking fire! What the fuck are you?"
The wolf's rage burned within him like an inferno, consuming him, boiling his blood, threatening to make him turn again. His eyes twitched along with the muscles in his neck, making him look like he was experiencing some sort of fit. I grabbed his biceps and sank my claws deep within the tissue, causing him to cry out in pain, and stooped down so that we are eye level.
"What are you here for?" I hissed.
"N-nothing," He spat, thrashing about. "Fucking let me go."
"Not until you tell me the truth, wolf," I pushed my nails deeper in and dragged them down, shredding the muscle.
"Ah, fuck!" He cried.
"Going to tell the truth now?"
He spat in my face. My lips curled back as my fangs descended and I plunged them into the man's throat, draining the sweet, adrenaline laced elixir from his veins. I drew my head back and growled viciously.
"You fucking fanger!"
"I am not a vampire," I snapped. I gripped his chin and forced him to look me in the eyes. Once he had, I delved into his mind, and tore apart at his brain, his thoughts. I already knew why he was here, but I needed more proof.
Images flashed and voices echoed as I picked through every dark corner of his brain. The wolf's body stiffened like a corpse in my hands. Finally, I found what I was looking for; a command given earlier by a figure of authority. A command to capture the human alive and bring her back to whoever had ordered she be found. I broke eye contact and flung the limp body across the lot.
"If any of you ever come anywhere near here, or Sookie, I will drain each and every one of you of your blood and deliver your corpses back to the one who sent you," I roared. "Leave!"
The injured men shifted and urged the rest of the pack to leave. Reluctantly, they took off, howling as they did so. I paced back and forth around the area, sniffing for any sign of the wolves. There were none. All had left. I wiped the blood from my face, pulled my jacket on and trudged over toward the entrance of Merlotte's. The remaining workers crowded around the door but quickly dispersed as I reached for the handle, pretending they hadn't been watching the ordeal with the Were's.
The one Jessica had called Sam approached me. "What the hell went on out there?"
"I don't mean to be rude, but what business is it of yours?" I asked.
Sookie stepped over toward us. "It's okay. Sam knows everything that's gone on with me."
I nodded in response, never breaking eye contact with Sam. "The wolves are after her. I just scared them all off. Hopefully, they won't come back."
"Wolves now, Sookie? Shit," Sam groaned. "Who are you, anyway?"
"My name is Adrian," I glowered at him, still annoyed by his attitude toward me before. "I'm here to watch over Sookie. So…I'll be around quite a bit."
He sighed. "Only at night, though, right?"
"No. During the day, as well."
Sookie cut in. "She's not a vampire, so she can be out in the sun. She's…ah, hell, I'm sorry. I forgot. What are you again?"
I am getting really tired of that question.
"A Hell Hound," Sam looked confused. "Look, I'll come around again tomorrow and explain it further. Right now, I need to get Sookie home," I glanced at her. "Let's get the fuck out of here."