The Devil's Hound

Chapter 17 - Tuesday 7th August continued

A hand fell on Nigel's shoulder startling him So absorbed in watching the painful metamorphose, he had forgotten about Morris.

"We need to get away from the window," Nigel hissed. They had seen what they had come for. To linger by the window only risked the creature spotting them.

Morris shook his head. "There is more to see. Keep watching."

Nigel turned back to the creature in the yard. He half expected to see its yellow eyes looking up at him. Instead the werewolf's attention was focused on the gap between the mill and the other barn. It stood upright on its hind legs; its back was bent forward, so its hairy hands were level with its knees. Its ears were erect as it listened to a sound Nigel could not hear.

Another creature came bounding through the gap between the barn and the mill. The new werewolf had a darker coat and was of a slimmer build. The darker werewolf rose on to its hind legs, bared it teeth, and emitted a deep growl. The werewolf Nigel had watched transform dropped down on to all fours. It lowered its head. Its ears drooped. Whining pitifully it slowly wagged its tail in an act of submission to the newcomer.

The newcomer ceased growling. Head low, tail wagging, the first werewolf approached the newcomer. It moved warily its body tense as if worried that the dominant individual might attack. Accepting the werewolf's submission the dominant creature walked on its hind legs into the middle of the yard. There it stood while the first creature remained on the fringes of the yard pacing on all fours.

Another werewolf, long and gangly, loped into the yard from the direction of the workhouse. Keeping on all fours it dropped its head in submission and approached the dominant individual. Once greeted with a snarl it retreated to the edge of the yard. A fourth werewolf padded into sight moments later. It was the largest and stockiest of all the werewolves yet it too showed deference to the smaller werewolf in the centre of the yard.

"How many more?" he mouthed to Morris. The Professor had sent out to find and stop one creature not an entire pack of them.

Morris pointed at the window. Nigel turned back as another werewolf trotted into the yard, its long tongue dangling from its stubby jaws. A light coloured stripe of fur ran down its back. The striped werewolf rose on to its hind legs and approached the dominant werewolf as an equal. The two werewolves met and nuzzled muzzles before settling down together in the middle of the yard. They were the dominant pair at the centre of the pack, a united force, their bond made even clearer when the last and smallest of the werewolves stalked into the yard.

This final werewolf had the lightest coat. It was silvery in the reflected light of the moon. It only partially lowered its head and in response the striped werewolf snapped its jaws in greeting. There was a moment of snarling and growling amongst them before the smaller one admitted submission to the pair. Once the bickering had ceased the three werewolves on the fringe of the yard came forward on four legs their heads bobbing and yelping excitedly. The dominant pair remained upright towering over the four other sub-servant members of the pack. The pair dropped to all fours and then at a trot led the pack through the gap between the mill and the barn and into the wheat fields beyond.

Nigel remained by the window looking out on the empty yard struggling to comprehend what he had seen. It seemed almost impossible to believe it all had actually happened. He had already accepted that werewolves existed. After being chased up a tree by one he could hardly deny that they were real. What overwhelmed him was the size of the task in front of him. It had been hard enough to identify the werewolf when he suspected there was just one of them - but now there were six. And somehow he had to stop them!