Watching (A Short Story)

I watched her from afar. I have no idea exactly how long it has been, but I do know that it has been a few years. She was getting out of work and was not paying attention to where she was going, as usual. I watched her when I caught the sent in the wind that made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end and a growl emerge deep in my throat. She was in trouble. I smelled the air, trying to figure out where the danger was coming from. When I caught the scent, I prowled my way to the corner, staying in the shadows. I heard her scream and decided that her safety was more important than whether she saw me or not. I took the chance and lunged at her attacker. He was a male in his late thirties and smelled like liquor and tobacco. I grabbed his hand with the gun between my jaws and bit down hard, not caring about the crack that reverberated into me. He dropped the gun and tried to pull away, but was unable to. I had a great grip on him. Or so I though until I felt the air leave my body as I was kicked in the ribs. Damn humans and their feet. I let him go and caught my breath, unable to stop him from grabbing the gun again. I jumped in front of it as he pointed it at her. We were attracting the attention from curious bystanders and in the distance I heard the shrill sound of a siren going off. I heard his raspy breath as he went after her again. Seriously, this man was an idiot. I charged at his heels and bit his right ankle, feeling the thick blood ooze into my mouth. As much as I wanted to spit it out, I tightened my grip and heard more screams as I was hit in the head with something big and clumpy. I kept ahold of the man, but could not hold on as tightly after two more blows to my head. He pulled out of my hold and aimed another blow at me that I clumsily dodged before jumping at the weapon he now held. I let out another warning growl at him when the deafening sirens grew louder and the blinding lights were now upon us. The man tried to run, but couldn’t after what I had done to his ankle. He tripped as I turned to run off, glimpsing her before I ran. She was being hassled by the police and manhandled. The urge to run and hide was growing, but I knew I couldn’t let her get hurt. I ran back at them and raised my hackles, letting a deep growl out of my chest to warn the officer. Normally I would never attract the attention of the police, or go out where she could see me, but I guess fate had a way of throwing curveballs my way tonight. The policeman let her go as I took a threatening step closer and bared my teeth. I saw the fear in her eyes that made me ache deep down inside. Behind me I heard the man raging about how she sicked her wolf-dog on him, but the arguments going on with the crowd were causing the policemen to cuff the man. I went back to focusing on her and forced myself to calm down. I lolled my tongue out to the side and cautiously approached her, keeping an eye out for the others around me so I wasn’t attacked again. The metallic taste of the man’s blood lingered in my mouth, but I had no way in which to clean in. I sat at her feet and cocked my head to the side. She seemed to relax slightly and reached out with a hesitant hand. My initial reaction was to go running with my tail between my legs with all the eyes staring, but I stared at her and let her pat my head. What I wasn’t expecting was her to collapse onto her knees and hug me around the neck. I jumped back, fear overriding my senses. There were whispers amongst the crowd, but I only saw the sadness in her eyes. Despite what my every sense was telling me, I advanced to her again and nudged her with my nose. I guess the police were getting tired of our meeting because they tried to grab her arm again, something that I warned them against doing.

“Shh. It’s okay.” She whispered in my ear before standing up. I had only heard her voice from a distance, a melodious tune that had my heart beating faster. I let her stand up and talk to the police. As the crowd began to disperse, I went to slink away but she reached down and rubbed my ears. She told the police and the reporters now there about how I came to her rescue. The police took her statement along with other witnesses and were on their way with the man in cuffs and loaded into the back of the car. After everyone had left us alone, she hugged me around my neck again.

“Thank you.” She murmured and began to walk home. I took a step to follow her, but listened to my instincts and ran the other way. I stopped after loping to a safe distance and looked over my shoulder to see that she was watching me. With a smile and a wave, she continued on her way home. I made my way to the shadows and followed her home, making sure she stayed safe. I went to my usual spot in the trees and laid down with my head on my paws, watching her. I slowly drifted off to sleep, content with knowing that I was able to protect her yet again.