The Protectors

Troy Wellstone listened to the TV news as he prepared breakfast. He’s a handsome man in his early thirties, tall and thin, but well-muscled. His thick dark brown hair is combed straight back. He moved in a graceful, almost feline manner. From the TV, he heard a reporter say, “A criminal was killed by what the intended victim said was a large dog or wolf.”

Troy spun toward the TV and saw the reporter standing in an alley, “The incident occurred here last night,” the reporter said. “The woman was pulled into this alley and knocked down when the animal appeared and killed her assailment.”

Troy shut the TV, grabbed his phone and dialed. It’s answered on the first ring.

“Did you hear the news?” he asked.

“Yes,” a male voice answered. “I was just about to call you.”

“It sounds like another one,” Troy said. “Be sure everyone stays alert for it. We’ll meet at the cabin as soon as we find out more.”

•   •   •   •   •

A wolf strode through streets and alleys sniffing as if looking for food, occasionally stopping to urinate on a telephone pole or fence. It intermittently scratched on a tree.

His head and ears perked up. In the distance, someone shouted.

“Help! Someone help! Call the police!”

The wolf raced to the sound and saw two men struggling on the second floor porch of a three story building. One knocked the other down, drew a pistol and pointed it at  the victim.

“No!” the victim pleaded. “Don’t shoot! You’ve got the money. There’s no point in killing me.”

As the wolf raced toward the men, it saw another wolf leap from the ground to the porch. It bit into the hand holding the gun, then ripped out the gunman’s throat. It stepped back, jumped to the ground and ran off.

The first wolf followed, barking as it ran. The other wolf stopped and turned to face it. Its ears were pulled back and its teeth bared, its snout still soaked with blood. It growled. The first wolf slowed and dropped its head submissively. The two wolves approached each other cautiously and sniffed one another from head to tail. Then, they each step back.

The first wolf transformed into a human being.

It’s Troy.

“Don’t be afraid,” Troy said. “I know what you are because I’m just like you. There are others like us. You’re welcome to join us. We’ve been looking for you for a month.”

The other wolf hesitated, but also took human form. He’s five foot, ten inches tall with a stocky build.

“Who has?” the other man asked.

“All of us,” Troy answered. “The whole pack. We want to help. That’s why we tried to find you.”

“I thought so. I’ve noticed your scent and markings. I wanted to look for you, but I was … I was afraid. I didn’t know what to expect.”

“I understand. We were all like that until we found each other.”

The other man shook his head, then rubbed his temples. “What am I? I was an ordinary person. What happened? How did I become a wolf? Why am I killing people? What …”

Troy held up his hands. “Wait. We’ll explain everything to you. For now, just know that you’ve done nothing wrong and that there are others like you. You’ll be among friends.”

The other man sighed. “Okay. That sounds good. Now what?”

Troy smiled. “There’s a parking lot two blocks north of here. I’ll pick you up there tomorrow morning at ten and we’ll go meet the rest of the pack.”

The other man nodded. “Okay. Thank you. Thank you very much.”

Troy stepped to him. “You’re going to be fine. What’s your name?

“Kevin. Kevin Colson. Yours?”

“Troy Wellstone.”

Troy holds out his hand and Kevin shakes it.