the same things!

“Jeff?” her voice sounded a bit high-pitched, was my sister scared? I couldn't think of a reason why she should be, after all she was going to see her mate was she not?

“Diera?” the voice called back, definitely Jeff. As she stepped forward I saw Jeff. He was a muscular malamute, a bit like Steele was. Though as a pup I saw little of Steele, he left town a while back. But Jeff was large and a dark brown color with white. His large eyes glowed yellow in the moonlight.

“There you are!” Diera's mouth exclaimed, “I was looking around for you, you weren't at the usual place.”

“Yeah, well I got a bit side-tracked.” Jeff explained gruffly.

“By what- oh.” I didn't notice as quickly as Diera did the small greyhound next to Jeff. I knew Jeff was a bit of a bully, had he taken the new dog here to beat him up for being strange? I felt bad, I never did seem to like Diera's company.

“Whats he doing here?” She asked, looked from her mate to the new-dog. He didn't seem to cower, I recalled that Max had been his name. In fact, he stood quite tall, with his chin up defiantly. It was Jeff who should be afraid, for I could see the muscles ripple beneath the small dog's pelt.

“Thats what I'd like to know.” Jeff growled, rounding on the smaller dog. He was foolish to think that he could overpower the smaller dog. He knew nothing of what the greyhound was capable of.

 But neither do I, I had to remind myself.

“So, strange dog.” Jeff addressed him, “Whatchya doin' here eh?”

“Jeff-” Diera stepped forward, I could feel the scared shivers pounding through her limbs.

“Why don't you speak?” Jeff commanded, as well as asked. He demanded answers, and was use to getting them through fear. But Max the silent dog remained just that, silent.

“C'mon speak.” Jeff growled, continuing to advance on the smaller dog who looked straight at Jeff with a bored expression.

“Jeff, he isn't going to speak to you.” Diera tried to convince him, “Come on, just leave the poor guy alone.”

“Not until he speaks.” Jeff growled, Diera's eyes noticed the irritation in the malamute's eyes. He swung a large paw for Max's face. The smaller dog let out a furious snapping snarl and dug his fangs into Jeff's pad.

Diera stepped back with fear, Jeff's blood-curdling shrieks of pain almost shattering her ears.

It was then that a horrifying sight took place. Jeff pleaded innocently for the greyhound to release his paw. Saying things like, 'Come on man, I wont bother you again. Just please let go of my paw!' But nothing worked.

“J-jeff?” Diera could barely speak, her eyes were fully dilated and her throat tight. The scent of blood was now strong in the dark clearing.

She watched as the small dog's black eyes glowed red around the edges and she noticed the white begin to advance around the edges and the veins pop, bloodshot eyes. With red irises and the pupil black and bottomless. Max stared only at Jeff, who whimpered for not only his paw now but his life. Blood seeping over the side of the greyhound's lips. His jaws clamped tightly into Jeff's paw.

Diera began to realize that Jeff wasn't going to get his paw back. I watched horrified with my sister, and as much as I tried I could not wake up. It was a nightmare that I knew was real.

Max's paws were now large and bristling with coarse long fur, black hooked claws protruding from the ends. He pinned Jeff beneath him, who was shrieking for his life.

'Oh my god.' Diera's thoughts screamed at me, I wanted desperately for her to shut her eyes. But hers were already so wide and her whole form rooted to the spot. She couldn't move, for her fear clutched her like Max's claws clutched at Jeff.

Max had transformed beneath the moonlight, no longer was he a tiny greyhound. But now he was a large bristling long-furred beast. With paws larger than that of a wolves and fangs that cut all the way through Jeff's small paw. His head is as big as a lion's!

It was then as Jeff lay unmoving with nearly his entire fore-leg in the jaws of this unnatural creature that Diera fled. Earth shattering shrieks of horror flowing from her mouth.

~*~

 When I woke I flew to my paws, gasping. My chest hurting from my quick breathing.

'I have to go out and find Diera!' I thought wildly.

“Saba!” I hissed. “We must find her! She might be dead!” the thought of my sister mangled and broken within the jaws of that beast which was that greyhound just down the street frightened me to the very bone. I knew that Saba was awake and I stared deeply into the glow of her eyes. I knew that she had tapped into my mind, she must have!

“The dark time has come.” Saba spoke coldly. Staring at me, and I now realized that, that was what she had foreseen to come. That was the vision that had forced her to return to Nome, I just hadn't realized how serious it was.

To be Continued...