The Stranger in the Night

Ariana Bellamy always liked the quiet of the night. It was just that type of stillness that set her free from the noise of her life: law books, deadlines, and the eternal circle of routine. But tonight, the stillness felt wrong, unnatural. The air was thick with an energy she couldn't explain, a sense of being watched, which raised the hairs on the back of her neck.

She stopped in the middle of the dark sidewalk, drawing her jacket closer to her as the wind began to whip around her. The quiet streets of Ravenwood, her town had never felt uncomfortable. It wasn't the cold seeping into her bones but something else. something was pulling at her instincts.

Ariana turned on her shoulder to look back. Of course, there was nothing but the stretching shadows of a deserted street. A soft hum of a far-off streetlamp danced, casting an eerie glow over the cobblestones. Her house wasn't that far anymore, just a few more blocks ahead. She had been at the small bookstore in town, picking up a few things her grandmother needed.

Her grandmother, the thought of her might have made Ariana smile despite the creeping unease. The old woman had been all she had left when her parents died when she was young. She had raised Ariana here in this quiet town, far away from the life they once knew, and had always been a firm believer in old legends and folklore. Ariana had never paid much attention to them until tonight.

It had started hours ago, right after she had left the bookshop. At that time, though, it had been quite easy to dismiss that feeling, her imagination playing games with her, most probably. But now, as the echo of her footsteps reverberated against the pavement bereft of all life, that prickling sensation was a bit difficult to suppress. Something wasn't quite right.

She quickened her pace, and the only sound that broke the stillness was the distant rustling of the trees. But just as she reached the corner of Cedar Street, there was the quiet coldly iced, a low growl, barely audible, unmistakably there. Her blood went cold.

Ariana froze in mid-step. Her breath caught in her throat as she slowly turned her head, eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of movement. For one moment, there was nothing; the wind and the distant hum of the streetlamp.

Then, she saw it.

A pair of glowing yellow eyes stared back at her from the darkened alley just ahead.

Her heart slammed against her chest as she tumbled backwards, her mind racing down what lay before her: wolves. There shouldn't be wolves in this part of the country, not anywhere near a town like this.

But the eyes in the shadows belonged to no ordinary wolf. It was huge, too large for a normal animal and in the way that it moved, slow and predatory, sent chills down her spine.

She began to back away, her breath catching in short gasps, her mind screaming at her to run. But her legs would not move, fixed to one spot as the creature stepped into the dull light.

Its fur was deep, silvery grey, almost shimmering in the faint light of the streetlamp. He stalked toward her, eyes only for hers, shining with a strange intelligence, coursing through her veins the icy fingers of fear. It wasn't just an animal. It was something more. Something darker.

He growled again, much louder this time, baring his teeth as if a rumble of thunder emerged from his core to the air. She took a few steps back, her legs finally giving her the strength to do anything, but it was too late. With a great amount of energy, the creature leapt toward her with incredibly fearsome speed.

Just as she steeled herself for the impact, another growl louder, more menacing filled the air. A second wolf, even bigger than the first, slammed into the grey wolf with bone-crushing force, sending it sprawling across the pavement. The two creatures clashed in a frenzy of snarls and snapping jaws, their bodies a blur of fur and fangs.

Ariana jumped up in a whirl of questions that now raced in her mind. What was going on, she didn't know, but one thing she knew: she had to get out of there now.

She ran, her legs carrying her down the street, feet pounding pavement while muffled sounds of the fight came from behind her. She did not dare look back. All that was on her mind was to reach her house, get inside, and lock the door.

Fear and confusion roiled her mind, but deep underneath, something seethed. Something elemental. Something she couldn't explain. The second wolf, which had saved her, hadn't felt like some random act of violence. There was something almost deliberate about it as if it had been protecting her. But why?

Ariana didn't have time to register that. She saw her house come into view and practically threw herself up the porch steps as her hands shook, feeling for keys. The howling of the wolves was a distant echo the fight growing fainter with every passing second as she jammed the key into the lock and pushed the door open.

She slammed the door shut behind her, leaning against the door, her chest heaving with ragged breaths. The safety of the house enveloped her like a blanket, but her heart refused to stop racing.

What the hell had just happened?

Her grandmother's voice was less than soft when called from the living room, drawing her out of her panicked thoughts. "Ari? Is that you?"

Ariana swallowed hard, the shaking of her voice. "Yeah... I'm... I'm home.”

“Did you get what I asked for?" Her grandmother was so light, oblivious to the chaos that Ariana had just escaped from.

"Yeah," she said, barely above a whisper, catching her breath. "I got it.”

She leaned against the door a moment, the feeling of something shifting refusing to be shaken. The quiet of the night had returned, but the unease which followed her home lay thick and heavy.

Deep inside, Ariana knew that this was only the beginning, that whatever happened tonight, it wasn't the end of it by a long shot.