"The Wolf"

Gor moved slowly, his powerful haunches flexed as he crept low to the ground. His ears flattened back against his massive head, he paused in the shadows, raising his nose and taking in the scent of the air. A low deep growl emanated from his chest as his eyes watched the small house in the clearing before him.

His blood red eyes glowed brightly in the light that came from the back porch lamp though he stayed hidden in the shadows right beyond the reach of the illumination. His fur bristled as he lowered into a laying position, his massive paws leaving long grooves in the soft dirt as they stretched out before his hulking frame.

He lay and watched the house, his ears perked and eyes unblinking. Above the house, the large flat silver sphere of the full moon bathed the clearing in an eerie light. The slight breeze that blew ran softly across his face, bringing the scents from the house which lay downwind of him.

His tail twitched impatiently behind him, making soft rustling noises against the leaves on the ground. A soft whine which he seemed unable to control highlighted each breath that he took. His demeanor stiffened as he sensed movement in the house that was followed by a soft shadow passing inside of the large picture window that was on the side of the home Gor watched from.

He turned his head, his dark eyes examining the clearing before rising to his feet again. Slinking low, he left the shadows and ran quickly for a small patch of bushes about ten yards from the dwelling, his long legs and lithe body chewing up the ground quickly as he bridged the gap.

He hunkered down in the ample cover the bushes provided, panting softly in anticipation. His black lips curled in a snarl as he again saw a shadow move in the house. He sniffed loudly at the air again before raising his snout into the air and letting loose a blood curdling howl.

It had the effect the beast had expected. A brighter light came on in the house and the curtains covering the window parted. Gor could see the woman's face peering out into the night, and he could smell the first traces of fear in her scent as it drifted to him through the open window.

“Steve!” she called back into the room, “What was that? Was that a dog?” He heard the one she called Steve mumble a reply. “Steven!” she yelled, “I am telling you, I think something is out there!” Another mumbled reply, then the woman again, “Well, you could get off your ass and go look!” she said sounding exacerbated.

Gor watched her retreat from the window, and then the appearance of another shadow that joined her for a moment before passing by her and heading towards the back of the house. The beast watched, rising on its powerful legs, his body coiled tight like a spring, trembling in need and anticipation.

Steve unlocked and opened the back door, scowling back at his girlfriend Julie. She had taken perch back by the window and the beast could see her pale, frightened face peering through the glass.

“I don’t see anything,” Steve called back into the house to her, hoping against hope that would put an end to it but knowing Julie, it wasn’t likely to.

“Steven Harris,” she replied, using his full name, “You heard it too! Something is out there.”

Steve sighed and knew he wasn’t going to get around it without at least checking outside. He stepped out on the back step, looking up at the moon for a moment before peering around the yard. He walked slowly down the steps, glancing back at the house and wondering how far he had to go to make Julie happy.

Gor watched him, thick saliva now dripping in a steady patter down his fangs and from his tongue. The man's scent reached his nose and mingled with the sweet smell of fear that still emanated from the woman. His body shook with the effort of keeping still, every instinct he had wanted to attack, to savage, his brain buzzing with the need.

Steve reached the bottom of the steps and glanced around the yard before taking another look back at the house, he started to call back to Julie that he didn’t see anything when he heard a noise from the bushes.

Gor waited til the man cleared the bottom of the steps and had walked around the railing before he pounced. His strong body uncoiled like a spring as he leapt free of the bushes, his form an inky black silhouette against the moonlight as he seemingly flew through the cool night air, landing within feet of the man.

Steve's eyes first widened in shock and then fear as he saw what had suddenly, as if by magic, appeared right in front of him. It was something from a nightmare, something from a horror movie...

Even though he saw it, and saw it clearly thanks to the full moons light and the glow cast from the back porch light, his mind refused to accept what his eyes were showing him.

It looked like a dog... a big dog, or maybe a wolf. Steve wasn’t sure but knew it wasn’t either, but it was the only thing his mind could relate it to. It was too big. It's front legs, thick and muscular, ended in paws that looked more like hands, each finger tapering into the crescent points of sharpened claws

It was slung down low on all fours, It's fervid red eyes fixed unwaveringly on Steve. It's large head, framed by massive, powerful shoulders, surrounded by blacked matted fur, It's wide snout opening and closing, revealing pristine white fangs. Thick strands of saliva the consistency of mucus formed in pools on the ground. Gor growled deeply from his chest as he drew slowly closer to the man. Julie screamed from the house and Steve joined her, making a high pitched shrill sound that seemed to spur the frenzy and blood lust that was building in the beast.

The scent of fear and urine was thick in the air now as Steve's bladder released, a dark stain spreading across the front of his pants. Gor drank it in greedily, unable to resist anymore, howling as he leapt at the petrified man.

The man brought up his right arm by instinct to protect himself. Gor's mammoth jaws clamped onto Steve's forearm, his monstrous teeth shredding bone and tissue and severing his arm from just below the elbow in one bite.

Blood sprayed in large, violent splashes across Gor's face and onto the lawn turning them crimson as the beast shook his head, tearing at his prize for just a moment before tossing it away and refocusing on the screaming man, the taste of fresh claret driving his appetite.

Steve was in complete hysteria, the mangled stump of his arm spewing blood in long red rivers. He tried to turn and get back to the house but Gor was on him again. The beast leapt onto Steve's back digging his fangs deeply into his left shoulder and taking the man to the ground, slowly savaging him.

Julie screamed from the door, frozen in horror as this monster was devouring her boyfriend. She saw the beast raise its head and look at her with burning, sanguinary eyes. She shrieked, seeing it's muzzle matted in Steve's blood and its sharp fangs stained dark red as it snarled.

Julie's heart froze in terror and though her mouth moved, no sound came out. She spun on her heel and ran back into the house, slamming the door closed behind her.

Gor watched her go, snarling. With one sweep of his colossal paw, his jagged claws cut neatly through Steve's neck severing his head cleanly. It rolled away in a drizzled mist of crimson spray.

The beast leapt from his prey, circling back around the house and launching himself at the large window from where Julie had peered earlier. A storm of glass and wood rained into the house as the beast came through, tearing the curtains down as his heavy body landed on the floor of the living room.

He saw the woman on the floor, kneeling, facing him, trying to dial the phone she held in her trembling hands. He let his gaze fix on her with a predatory cast, his breath coming in short, harsh, saliva spewing snorts as he slowly advanced on his victim.

Julie dropped the phone, pressing herself tightly against the wall, unable to look away from the monster, her eyes wide as it drew ever closer. She screamed in terror and Gor launched and attacked.

*************

Julie grabbed the remote and paused the movie they had been watching. “Do you hear that?” she asked her boyfriend Steve. She leaned over to check on her little chihuahua pup who was laying on the floor at her feet. The dog was making small yipping sounds mixed with soft barks, his little legs moving quickly.

“Aww, look Steve, I think Gor is dreaming!” she said. “I bet he's out chasing bunnies!”

Steve looked down at the sleeping pup and laughed, “He's a crazy one! Look at his mouth work,” he said. “Go get 'em boy!”

They both giggled at how cute he was.

Still deep in his dream, Gor's jaws closed on the woman's throat and his tongue was bathed in her sweet blood...