She didn’t wake until late in the afternoon as dusk was falling. The injured Wolves were still in the house, as were Oscar, Victoria and Erzsébet. Red was still in Wolf form and worried mutterings began as she padded into the kitchen for a drink from Rom’s water dish.
“Is she still not able to change?” Victoria asked.
“I don’t know maybe she’s forgotten how to change back?” Oscar said.
“Is that a possibility?” Luke asked.
“Let me go and see.” Elizabeth said.
She followed Red into the kitchen and began speaking to her. “Hazel, are you with us?”
The russet Wolf looked up from the water dish at Elizabeth; after a pause, she nodded and stood on her hind legs, the change was swift and easy. Elizabeth took a towel from the floor and passed it to Red so she could wrap herself in it. Red looked at the proffered towel with a puzzled expression and Elizabeth had to show her what she meant by draping the towel around her nakedness. Then she preceded Red through into the living room where everyone waited in anxiety.
Elizabeth motioned for everyone to be calm. A few were puzzled at this action until Red appeared, they realised Elizabeth was warning them not to react to Red’s appearance; she looked feral even in Human form.
Victoria motioned for Red to sit down and she did so, on the floor. Victoria was surprised but didn’t comment. Then they asked their questions, trying to be calm and gentle, so as not to upset Red. They wanted to know everything that had happened, but she could tell them nothing. Luke was able to fill them in on most of the evening’s activities except for what had happened at the Club, but he also remembered that Rast had escorted her back to the car, so Steve was asked to fetch him. They waited for Rast to get to them and Red sat and fidgeted or roamed the house, but she didn’t make any attempt to leave.
When Rast arrived, Red greeted him. He was surprised at her untamed appearance but also had been warned by Steve not to mention it. As Rast was being questioned, Red stood and announced she was going for a bath. Luke noticed Victoria’s nod to follow and accompanied her to the bathroom.
They could hear the voices from downstairs until Luke began to run the water for her bath, then the soothing sound covered conversation from below. Luke went to get the book on Red’s life-story and he sat on the toilet lid reading and reminding himself of times long-past as she relaxed and regained her humanity.
Luke closed the book and glanced at Red, she had fallen asleep, but at his movement, she woke up.
She stepped out of the bath and Luke sensed a difference in her demeanour, she had a sultry air about her and as she reached for his shirt, he dropped the book down on the floor and allowed her to tear the buttons open. He tried to help her with his belt and jeans, but she wouldn’t allow it and yet somehow, she didn’t have enough patience or dexterity to undo the button. It made a ‘thud’ noise as it hit the door when it was popped off. The jeans were yanked down and Luke was erect and ready. Red forced him onto the floor, between the toilet and the bath; they didn’t so much make love as rut. Both tuned to their animal instincts, Red more than Luke, they made love with wild abandon despite the confines of the room. They heard Rom barking downstairs but only in the backs of their minds.
When they had finished, Red went onto the landing, opened the window and hopped out onto the garage roof, closing the window behind Luke. They jumped down to the back garden then leaped over the fence and together, as Wolves, the pair loped into town.
Red thought they’d have to go all the way into town to make a kill, but was surprised to encounter a man wobbling his way along the road. As they got still closer, Red’s assumption that he was middle-aged and drunk changed to young and drugged up. His features were aged by the persistent over-use of hard drugs. His teeth were in the latter stages of erosion and his breath smelled stale and tinged with a chemical stench (though a different smell to the scrawny user of the previous night). His body odour was rank. Hair, clothes and fingernails were grimy and Red – as human – would have avoided contact, as Wolf, she relished it.
Luke, also excited by the events of the last half an hour, also wanted blood, but he held back, there was something about Red that stayed his hand.
“Nice doggie.” The druggie slurred, putting one filthy hand towards Red. He hadn’t noticed Luke yet. Red sat down, her tail wagging. Encouraged by the apparent friendliness of the ‘dog’, the druggie patted her head as he passed. Luke watched. He expected Red to make her move then, but she didn’t. Then Luke realised why, she had heard the low whine of a milk float and it appeared from a side street a few yards away. Red slunk into the shadows so as not to draw attention to herself. The druggie was quite a way from them by the time the float had gone far enough for Red’s peace of mind. He was nearing a gap in the hedge and Red ran to head him off. She overtook him as he passed an open gateway. She stood watching him.
“Nice doggie,” He said again, but this time, Red snapped at his fingers as they extended towards her.
“Ooh fuck you then!” He said, pulling his hand away and holding it to his chest in a comical and over-exaggerated way that only the drunk or drugged seem able to perfect.
Red growled deep in her throat, making it obvious, even to the drugged man that she meant business. He avoided her, walking onto the road, but she anticipated him and blocked his path. He tried again to go past, but she growled – her teeth bared, menacing him.
“Fuck off dog!” He said, looking to find a missile. He spotted a stone and bent in the gateway to pick it up. Red sprang and knocked him sprawling through the gate. He didn’t have time for his vocal chords to register the command to scream before she had him. His glands were stolen and flesh ripped from his still-twitching body. Luke approached with a caution born of previous experiences, but Red allowed him to share this time.
Then Red had a wicked idea. She changed to human – much to Luke’s relief – and pulled the body over to a group of caravans. “Let the tinkers talk their way out of this one.” She laughed.
“Well if they find him first, it may encourage them to move quicker.” Luke laughed with her.
Dogs from the camp began barking and the pair departed as Wolves once more. They continued into town.
The milk float was again spotted and avoided as its driver would be tired but sober and more believable if he were to report two stray wolves in town. Red guided Luke towards the town centre, this town was closer and smaller than the one where she worked, but she still knew of a few hot spots where drug addicts and their suppliers congregated.
Despite her recent experience with drug users, Red still preferred to make them her prey. They had almost always been abandoned or thrown out by their family, with only other users to worry about their whereabouts. The main characteristic of the drug addict, though, was that their only priority was their next fix - where and when they were going to get it and from whom.
Sometimes, if she were feeling public-spirited, she would stalk and slaughter a dealer, rather than a user. Of course, there would always be another to take his place, but it afforded her the ‘feel good’ factor for a short time.
Red mimed for Luke to be quiet as they approached the back of a row of shops. The frontage, though not affluent in appearance, was clean and tidy and gave a very different view to how the back was kept. At the rear of the building, one door was missing its bottom panel and a gaping hole in another door would make it seem as though the properties were empty. Red peeped through the door and jerked back. Luke was patient and waited. A foot and leg poked out from the missing panel followed by a filthy hand and head. As the torso appeared in the doorway, Luke sprang, taking the head of his victim and pulling him – no her – through the door. She yelled as Luke dragged her away from the door. Luke didn’t wait; he killed her there, took the glands and tore flesh from her emaciated abdomen, before fleeing, with Red close on his heels.
Red stopped dead in her tracks. Luke noticed and stopped too. He saw her sniff the air and grow tense. Then he too sensed what she had. Another Wolf was close by. They had both cloaked their presence by instinct and the other didn’t appear to have sensed them, that meant he was either very complacent and over-confident or inexperienced. Both Red and Luke guessed at the latter.
Then they saw him. He was on foot and human - dressed in a sharp suit; he looked out of place there, at that time. They followed him back the way they had just come. He sniffed the air as he approached the place where Luke had killed the girl, but although he passed close to the body, he did not seem to notice it. He took out a handkerchief and opened the door then went up the stairs. The Wolves followed close – but not too close – there were others in a room at the top of the stairs, the Wolves heard them talking, a deal was being made, the newcomer was supplying drugs.
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