Story and characters are (c) Lars E Hellberg

Waving good bye to Carla, Sarah left her friend\x92s house, and started walking down the street. Carla hadn\x92t been happy to see her leave on foot, insisting to call a taxi, but Sarah had refused. Thinking of the twenty-dollar bill in her wallet, she smiled to herself, her thick, grey lupine tail wagging behind her. Her father had given it to her, so she would be able to take a taxi home.
"You\x92re just sixteen, Sarah," he had said. "I don\x92t want you walking alone after dark. The city is a dangerous place."
Yeah, right! she snorted. Well, easily earned money! A two-mile walk, making her twenty bucks. That money could come to better use than ending up in the paws of a greedy cab driver. Unable to quite suppress the little girl still living inside her now almost fully grown woman\x92s body, she skipped down to the street corner. Two-mile walk? The shortcut through the park wouldn\x92t be half that. Still, alone in the park, at half past midnight? She shuddered at the thought. So what? As if I couldn\x92t outrun a mugger or a junkie? Despite the recently-added curves, her body was still small and lithe, and she was one of the fastest sprinters on the school\x92s athletic team. Deciding she didn\x92t really feel like completely earning the twenty, she headed into the park, navigating between the sparsely placed lamp posts.

The man spotted her as soon as she entered the park, her bright summer skirt almost glowing in the near-dark. Smiling, he moved to follow her. Such an easy prey she was! It would be a shame if someone malignant spotted her. Keeping out of the immediate light, he stayed close behind her, almost invisible in his dark coat and pants. This might prove to be fun! His lips cracked in a grin, displaying large, predatory fangs. Crouching, he assumed the position of a prowling wolf.

Halfway through the park, Sarah had begun regretting her choice of path. Twice she had heard someone cough at a distance, and the fact that she was not alone sent shivers down her spine. Maybe I should have stuck to the lit streets, she thought, as something approaching panic stirred within her. Breath ragged, fur bristled up, she kept her senses alert, ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.

The prowler kept to the shadows. His keen senses had picked up her quickened pulse, as well as the smell of fear. Serves her right for walking around like this, alone in the night. Patently, he awaited the moment he would strike. Not in here, he thought. Don\x92t want someone seeing me. Later. Again, he smiled. He was looking forward to this.

Now Sarah felt certain. Somebody was following her. She dared not run; what if she failed to reach the other side of the park? She didn\x92t even dare thinking about it. Being a sprinter, she lacked endurance. She was quick, but no good at a distance. Time and time again she turned around, her eyes making her believe they saw shadows within shadows. But every time she tried to focus, there was nothing there. Damn, this is creepy! Forcing herself to walk slowly, she could now see the park gate. Nearly there. She would make it!

The prowler heard her heartbeat slow down. She was getting confident, now that the streetlights were in sight. He stayed in the shadows, moving towards another of the trails leading out of the park.

Once out on the sidewalk, Sarah set up her pace, and within minutes she was back on her own street. What the hell had she been afraid of? There had been nothing there! Soon she\x92d be inside, maybe relaxing with a mug of hot chocolate before going to bed. Came morning, all this would be like a forgotten nightmare.

She passed him not a yard away. Had he reached out, the prowler could have yanked her tail. He chose not to. Instead, he slowly stood up from the bushes where he had been hiding. He had removed his shoes in order to keep quiet, and now he sped up. His claws clicked against the asphalt as he ran up to her, snatching up her petite body as if it weighed nothing.

Sarah heard the faint sounds of footsteps an instant before she was pulled up into the air. Her breath failing for a second, she didn\x92t even have air enough to scream. Strong arms held her up, then turned her around. She stared into the grinning, wolfen face.
"Dad! Are you gonna scare me to death?"
"Sorry, baby, just thought I\x92d play you a little prank. You know how I love to pounce you."
"Did you... was that you, in the park?"
"Yeah. I had a hunch you would try to save that money. I just wanted to see my little girl home safe. Don\x92t you ever take your elder\x92s advice?"
"You bastard! Don\x92t you know how scared I was?"
"Should have taken a taxi."
"Dad! Didn\x92t you see The Bone Collector? Cabs aren\x92t safe!"
"More safe than the park."
"You bastard!"
"I want my twenty back."
"You won\x92t have it!"
"Why not?"
"I nearly wet myself! See it as compensation."
"Not a chance!"
"Ooh, yes. You know you can\x92t deny me..."
"Spoiled brat! At least you could have asked for..."

Slowly, the echoes of their voices and footsteps died out, and the street fell quiet once more. A few minutes later, two mugs of hot chocolate were poured.