The creature lurked around the village, looking for its prey and keeping to the shadows. Its fur blended together with the darkness, revealing nothing except for its cold blue eyes. It looked around, sniffing at the air before tracing an especially delicious scent towards the house of one of the villagers. Stained glass windows and ornaments decorated the house, one that would have cost a fortune to renovate.

And then it laid there, waiting for someone to come out for it to enjoy its meal.

The door opened and the creature was in full view to the inhabitants. The torchlight within the house illuminated the creature's fur, laying it bare to the man standing there ready to leave the house. It pounced on the villager, ripping at his flesh, tearing apart meat from bone. But before it could deliver the killing blow, the wolf heard the screams of a child. It looked up to see a young girl screaming at the top of her lungs, and in the middle of those screams came one word.

“Wolf!”

The wolf fled from the scene as quickly as its paws could carry it, knowing that the village would wake up and hunt him.

Avoiding the main roads, it evaded its pursuers, making sure not to leave any tracks behind. The sound of shouting and barks slowly grew softer and softer as it made its way past the treeline. Right as the wolf could no longer hear the shouts of the enraged villagers, it came across a lonely house in the middle of the forest, silently admiring it among the quiet forest before entering it.

Once inside, it checked its surroundings, ensuring that there were no souls in sight: slowly its demeanour changed. Its jet-black fur gave way to pale skin, its wild looks changing to a more elegant manner, and the fury in its eyes became a warm and caring gaze. Where the wolf once stood now stood a naked man, who barely managed to put on his clothes before he heard knocking on his door accompanied by the barks of the hunting dogs. He took a moment to tidy up before he opened the front door.

“Doctor Edward, have you...seen a wolf...around your house just now?” The man in front of him, the village chief, asked, breathless and accompanied by his men.

“I certainly have not,” Edward replied, a smile on his face while he cussed at the dogs sniffing around his lawn. “May I ask why?”

The chief took a moment to catch his breath, looking at the doctor who had helped save countless lives in the village, unaware that he was looking at the very person who had almost killed his fellow villager. “A wolf tried to kill Jim and eat him. Thankfully, his daughter managed to wake the whole town up with her screams, she always had that magical touch to wake people up.” The chief said, chuckling.

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“She sure does, how are Jim’s wounds?” Edward asked, concerned.

“He’s alright for now. That wolf didn't get his organs, but he was bleeding profusely when I left him.”

“Then I’ll have to go down to help Jim right away!” Edward exclaimed, making a mental note of what he needed. He had been there, after all, when Jim was 'injured.'

“Alright. But be quick, he is losing a lot of blood. If you do see the wolf, yell for help. I don't want to see you and Jim being carried out of the church feet first.”

And with that, the chief turned and headed towards the forest with his men, resuming the pursuit of the savage wolf that they would never find.

Edwards turned around, closing the door behind him. The pressure in his chest dissipated, leaving him gasping for air as he went to gather his medical equipment, his hands shaking while he gathered the exact tools he needed to save his patient. He quickly packed everything he needed into his bag, wiping the sweat from his forehead before preparing to leave the house.

He was just about to leave when he heard a soft voice behind him. One that he knew very well.

“Papa?”

Edward turned around to see his daughter climbing down the steps, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, swinging to and fro as she made her way downwards. Just before stepping off the last flight of stairs, she tripped, tumbling onto the floor. Her features slowly shrank down from her already small figure, grey fur overlapping her skin before she turned fully into a whimpering cub, struggling to kick off the now oversized sleepwear.

“Grace, I thought I told you to stay in bed?” Edward took care to lift his daughter, checking to see if she had injured herself.

“Papa! I heard you come back, where have you been?” Grace answered, ignoring his question as she concentrated, turning herself back into her human form.

“I've been... attending... to a patient," he answered slowly, relieved that his daughter was uninjured. "But it appears that I'll need to attend to another person now. It appears that he is seriously hurt.”

“Can you do anything for him, papa,” she asked, forming puppy eyes.

“I can, but can you promise me that you will stay in bed?”

“Ok, papa!” Grace said with a cute smile, jumping off and grabbing her clothes. “Goodnight!”

Edward looked at his daughter as she climbed back up the flight of stairs, sighing before he proceeded to head out of the house. As he walked, he thought about the secret that he and Grace have had to hide and what they had to do to hide it. He questioned his work, saving the lives of the villagers while also taking the lives of others. Before long, he was at Jim's house, his prey turned patient, and knocked on the door, noticing the large pool of blood next to it.

“Who is it,” came the reply.

Edward took a moment to lick his lips. And with his teeth-baring, he said: “The Doctor.”

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