TROUBLEWOLF HOWLS

Short Stories

JOB BENEFITS

"He's coming!" Harley said in a tense voice as the body guard moved swiftly through the singers house. Farrah Storm's agent and other hanger on's stared at Harley with fear as she slipped on a satin jacket, doused with Storm's favorite perfume. Underneath she wore other articles to have as much of the singer's scent on her as possible.

"I'll lead him away from here, so you all be quiet!" Harley ordered as Selena, the dresser, ran up.

"Here's some more of her perfume." Harley took the bottle of Stormwind and sprayed more on her legs and torso. The more the merrier to cover up Harley's own scent.

"Why didn't you let Boyd handle Meyers?" This question came from the agent, Rod Taylor.

"Because he's the last defense!" Harley replied curtly. What else could she say? The man would never understand that it was personal with her. She had been hired to protect Storm, plus Meyers, a true monster, had killed her friend and mentor earlier that week. Meyer's had declared he would kill any one in his way to the singer.No one had been able to stop him as of yet and Harley had finally found out why.

Meyers was no longer human!

The boy friend, Boyd, had told her all about the man and about himself. They were both werewolves! As Harley had her suspicions, she exhibited little surprise at Boyd's revelations. He had told her after a fight with Meyers that revealed his true nature.

But it was up to Harley to protect Storm. So after a long argument with both of them, Harley had Boyd smuggle Storm out of the house. Now she intended to lead Meyers away from the house and kill him in the nearby field.

Harley left the jacket unzipped as she repeated her orders for everyone, then she slipped out of the house.

On the deck, she paused. Above the moon wasn't quite full in the dark sky. With a bunching of muscles, Harley leapt off the deck and began to run. Her body would be her weapon now, it was well trained to kill and she felt the adrenaline pump through her system as she ran.

Always stronger than most women (and most men) Harley had always delighted in the difference. It also gave her an edge as an bodyguard. Tonight would be different, though.

As she ran to the field beyond the house, she knew death could be minutes away. But she wouldn't go easily.

Suddenly, a howl split the night air and Harley paused. Had it worked? Her night sight wasn't as good as the werewolves, but the shine of the full moon enabled her to see the huge form that was loping toward her. It had to be Meyers.

Bent over, the werewolf slide to a stop as he saw Harley. A loud growl of anger escaped the beast as he saw her face.

"She's far gone from here!" Harley taunted as the werewolf began to pad closer.

Not fully wolf yet, Meyers body was contorted to all fours and hair sprouted wildly over his naked body. "Bitch!" he snarled, reveling sharp teeth, "I'll get her yet!"

"Doubt it fur-ball!" Harley's left hand flicked a knife at him, then leapt into a run. Meyers only grunted as the knife buried itself in one shoulder. Then with amazing speed, he leapt the last few feet to bring her down.

His weight knocked the air out of Harley, so she stayed still as Meyers twisted face rose over hers. Eyes redden, the werewolf bent forward and sniffed Harley's open shirt. His breath was hot and fetid, smelling of old blood.

"You're a brave one!" he growled as he used his claws to rake and tear her clothes. "It's a shame to kill you."

"Especially for you." Harley shot back. "They won't like you killing a female of the blood!"

The werewolf went still, one claw painfully digging through the jacket. "The Blood?"

"Yeah, the BLOOD!" Harley said forcible. "Boyd recognized who I truly am! He also told me that the Pack will oust any member who kills another without permission."

"What do you know of the Pack?" Meyers demanded.

"How do you think I can face you, dog? No mere human can face a werewolf without fear!" she spat back and found Meyers face next to hers. The werewolf inhaled deeply and he found no fear! He paused, uncertain. Harley went into action!

Her free hand struck Meyers jaw with all her strength while her knee went between his legs. Surprised, he fell away and she scrambled to her feet in full flight. Only Meyers recovered quickly and managed to slash her back open.

Reeling from the blow, Harley found a rage rising up inside of her, something unleashed by the pain of the blow. She found her own lips pulling back in a feral snarl as she threw another knife at the werewolf.

Meyers only laughed, a low, beastly sound. "Nice try, bitch! But you need silver to even slow me down!" He flashed forward and Harley found herself falling back with a slashed arm. She did the only thing she could do. She ran!

Bleeding badly, the bodyguard fled to the field where a farmer's fuel tank sat. Behind her, the werewolf loped, playing with his prey. Suddenly he knocked her down just before she could reach the tanker. Laughing cruelly, Meyers padded to the tanker. "You think this will save you? You thought I was stupid enough not to see through your plan?" he laughed and began to open the valve, fuel running out. Harley tried to get to her feet, but the werewolf knocked her back down.

"Need a light?" He mocked and held up the lighter that had been in her jacket pocket. With a toothy grin, he flicked the lighter into life.

"Oh, shit!" she mumbled and frantically scrambled away from the smiling Meyers. Her only way out was across the fuel soaked grass!

"Run, bodyguard! Run, Bitch!" he snarled and dropped the lighter.

All of her muscles strained as Harley raced by the tanker and toward the small pond on the other side. She had lied to the werewolf. She wasn't of the BLOOD and she was going to die!

Behind her the sound of the tanker exploded and heat washed over her as she ran to the pond. A sudden force lifted her up and tossed her into the pond! Immediately the quiet of the water enclosed her as she sank, stunned to the bottom. Forcing herself to swim away from the fire that rage along the bank, she stayed under water until her lungs threatened to burst. Then she chanced the surface and gasped in a lung full of air.

To her surprise, there were people, strangers on the bank. At least they weren't Meyers, Harley thought tiredly as she swam toward them. Her strength was failing as she crawled though mud and weeds. Then one of the strangers, a man, waded into the water. Strong hands lifted her out of the water and she bit back the cry of pain her wounds gave. He helped her to the bank and laid her gently on the grass. As the pain began to overcome her, Harley realized she was hurt worse than she thought. Light from the fire illuminated the group around her as the man who had helped her, knelt by her side.

"Is he gone?" she gasped out.

"For now." For some reason, Harley trusted the stranger. "We heard you and came." he added.

"Heard me?" Harley repeated, puzzled, but she was having trouble focusing, as even her iron will was being overcome.

"Yes..you did not lie to the rouge." the man said softly and gently touched her torn face. "But the truth will surprise you! Rest now warrior. Rest and heal."

At his words, Harley found herself falling into a blackness where her pain fled and she was surround by peace.

 

It was a full moon and the werewolf named Meyers prowled the woods outside his preys new home. It had taken a month for him to track Storm and her lover to this new location and now he growled in rage at the thought of Boyd touching Storm! He felt the rage of the beast rise up and he knew he had the power and the strength to claim her now! Tonight he would claim hi mate! Already he could taste Boyds blood as he prowled the woods, his body that of a large wolf.

Suddenly he stopped. Sniffing, he thought, Impossible! The muscle bitch was dead! Her scent came to him on the cold night air even as her voice sounded.

"Meyers! Tonight we finish it!" Harley said softly as she stepped out of the shadows.

Meyers sniffed and then grinned. "So, you weren't lying after all. Even still you aren't a match for me!"

Harley, her eyes now a yellow, tinged with red, replied, "Actually I was lying that night, trying to stall you."

"But you are a werewolf now." Meyers said, suddenly puzzled. Her scent had changed.

"Sort of!" Harley laughed, "I bet you aren't aware that there are two different species of werewolves, are you?" At the werewolf's perplexed look, she went on. "There are the ones descended from the common wolf that's around today, unfortunately that's the one your related to."

"Oh, yeah? What's the other?"

Harley smiled, her teeth suddenly very white, and very long! Her body began to expend and Meyers suddenly felt a surge of terror as she replied, "The other is the Dire wolf!"

The woods resounded with the sound of pain as Farrah Storm snuggled up closer to her mate, Boyd. Both were in wolf form but they stayed in the house as Harley had ordered. That is until a call drew them forth.

In front of the house they greeted a greatly changed Harley.

Huge, Harley's wolf form towered over Boyd and Storm. She was licking the blood from her teeth before saying. "I've finished my job."

Storm whined and replied "We can never repay you!"

The Dire werewolf smiled, "Consider the debt paid. I do. Farewell." with that the huge wolf disappeared into the woods. The sounds of her pack drifted back to the two lovers.

Her contact was fulfilled and boy, did she love benifits of her job!