Irregular (mlm)

Chapter 1

Owen was walking in the woods, his gun in one hand and the other resting on his radio. He'd wandered away from the group, going miles in the opposite direction. Something was pulling him deeper into the woods, making him ignore the fact he was going off alone.

The pack had gotten a tip from a young female about an illegal experimentation center that held werewolves captive for "science." She didn't say much about what happened in there on the phone and they couldn't trace the call to find her because she used a pay phone off the highway where there were no cameras. All they had was a general location and the warning of danger.

Owens eyes scanned the trees until they landed on something in the distance. It looked like a chain-link fence. When he got closer, he could see a huge perimeter around an old warehouse. None of the maps of the area had this building.

As he got closer, he gripped his gun tighter and clicked the button on his radio. "Hey, I found something. Four miles west from starting position. Warehouse."

He released his radio and listened carefully. The young woman had mentioned this place being heavily guarded, and he was alone. He couldn't risk being snuck up on.

As he walked around the perimeter, he found no breaks in the fence. There was no sight of anyone, wolf or no, from the few feet away he stayed from the fence.

He wasn't paying close enough attention to where he was walking, though, because his foot caught on something and he went down. His gun slipped from his hand as he caught himself, barely missing smacking his head on a tree.

He swore quietly and turned over to untangle his foot from a thin translucent wire. A trip wire. Fuck.

He undid the wire as fast as he could, using a pocket knife to cut the knot around his ankle. His head snapped up with a leave crunched.

There was a wolf, and a large one at that. Most wolves were around 2 feet. And werewolves tended to be three or three and a half, but this one was huge. Owen was tall, and he was sure this wolf would come to his shoulders easily. Besides it unnatural height, it had strange markings. It's fur was a dark, dusty brown with black going down it's back, belly, and haunches, and lighter tan patches on its face and back of its neck.

Owen stayed still as to not startle the creature, whose pericing gold eyes were staring right at him. The wolf stayed still, unblinking.

The feeling that had drawn Owen to the warehouse got stronger, like this wolf had somehow led him there. Owen wanted to say something, anything, as they stared at each other, but the wolfs ears perked up and it turned it's head. Moments later Owen could hear the footsteps and chattering.

Shit.

The wolf took a few steps forward, to which Owen tended, and brought its nose to the ground. Owens gun was in its mouth when it raised its head.

The wolf dropped the gun into Owen's lap and stared at him for another moment. His eyes were steady, as if he was telling Owen to stay quiet. The wolf blinked slowly, then backed up and bolted. When he was a mere speck in the distance, the wolf started breaking branches in bushes noisily and the group of men nearing Owens location changed directions to follow.

The wolf had just saved him.

Owen waited until the men were far, far away before he dared talk into his radio to report that he was heading back. He checked the digital map on his phone and saved his location, then hurried off to meet his group.

The nagging feeling that something there, whether it be the wolf or no, waiting for him wouldn't leave.  Even with his haste to get out of there, he knew he'd be going back.