Chapter 6 - The Beginning
London, currently.
Selena Baxter, a policewoman around the age of 25, slowly opened the door of the patrol car driven by Charlos, her partner. The night sky was overcast and the dim lighting made her goosebumps.
However, the neck-cut black haired girl continued to carry out her duties. She ducked and pulled the gun from the holster. Selena's pair of black eyes focused on watching a man who was pulling a bum in a public park.
Charles also did the same thing from the opposite direction. The man followed Selena who was sneaking towards their target.
Selena managed to shorten the distance between herself and the man who was acting suspiciously. She then stood up straight and brandished the firearm in her hand.
"Stop!" Selena shouted before the strange man was about to kiss the neck of the rebellious bum.
The man looked over his shoulder. He then looked at Selena with his red eyes. On the other hand, Charlos who was standing from the other side also pointed a gun at the man. "Let go of that person!"
Surprisingly, the pale-skinned man smiled a little when he released his grip on his victim who was running wild. He turned around, watched Selena and Charlos take turns, and took a deep breath.
"Sweet," said the man, still curled his lips. He watched Selena as he stepped closer.
"Remain still!" Selena shouted the order again. The girl's hands were still holding a gun.
However, the strange man continued to walk fearlessly. He focused on Selena and suddenly lunged at the girl before Charlos' bullet whizzed past his head and Selena's bullet shot inches away from his body.
Selena fell to the ground, crushed by the body of the person who attacked her. However, before the man bent down to kiss her neck, suddenly a silvery-white furry animal slammed into the weird guy so Selena could sit up.
The man stood up. He looked at the growling beast that protecting Selena and whispered very quietly. "Werewolf."
Charlos shot again so the man dodged. His red eyes stared at his attackers in turn. When Selena got up to grab the gun that had been flung into the grass, the man decided to escape by climbing on a nearby tree as dexterously as a monkey, then leaping onto the bridge above the spot.
"Damn!" cursed Charles. The man with the bushy mustache saw their target who had disappeared then turned to Selena, "Selena, are you okay?"
Selena caught her breath which was panting in surprise. The girl sheathed the weapon before saying, "I'm fine."
The girl's gaze then turned to the animal that had just helped her. Selina smiled. She walked over and crouched down to meet the animal's eyes. "Thank you."
Charles also put away his gun and walked toward them. "Wow, this dog is huge, looks like a Siberian Husky."
Selena tilted her head, observing the neck of the beast, which was almost as tall as the girl as she crouched down. "No badge, maybe it's a stray dog or lost its owner."
The beast stretched its snout to sniff Selena's neck which made her laugh amusedly. "It seems he likes me."
As if in agreement, the animal licked the corners of Selena's lips. She then tried to dodge and hold the animal's body with both hands.
"Stop..." Selena giggled over and over. The girl attempted to dodge the sudden attack she received.
"The animal should be arrested on charges of harassment to the police on duty," Charlos said with a stern voice.
The animal suddenly turned to Charlos and growled, causing that white man to take a few steps back and gulp. "Hey, I was just kidding."
No longer paying attention to Charlos, the beast turned back to Selena who was still hugging him. He then rubbed his head against the girl's white cheeks.
"What are we going to do with him? Take him to the animal shelter?" asked Charles. The man was now standing a safe distance away, in case the beast suddenly wanted to attack him.
Selina pursed her lips. She caught the animal's head and then looked into the blue eyes that looked back at her. "Maybe I'll take him home."
"Are you sure? He could be dangerous," replied Charlos who got another growl from the beast.
Charlos raised an eyebrow. The man glanced at the animal that was still crawling into Selena's arms with a frown. "Why do I think that he understands our conversation?"
Selena tried to hold back that dog. She scratched the back of the animal's neck. "You want to come home with me right?"
The beast licked Selena's lips again as if agreeing to the invitation to get in the patrol car and head for the girl's house.
*****
Selena's house is in a beautiful South East London complex, with a row of two-story, whitewashed housing estates and only a waist-high fence that separates one courtyard from another. Getting out of the patrol car, the girl opened the passenger door to let the ride-along animal down.
Selena then closed the car's door. She then said to Charlos. "See you tomorrow morning at the office."
The man in his thirties smiled. Charlos gave a two-finger salute and then drove away from them.
Selina looked down. She looked at the animal that was observing the surroundings and said in a friendly tone. "Hey, come on in."
Selena then walked toward her living quarters. The beast was silent for a moment. He looked at the back of Selena who had walked first, before rushing into the house whose door was wide opened by the owner of the house.
*****
The living room of the house is simple, there is only a black sofa set with a medium-size television set on a long table that has many drawers. A wooden shelf filled with books and a large radio was on one side of the wall. Two windows can be seen on the right and left of the wall that has an exit, while a hallway leading to the kitchen which doubles as the dining room is visible on the other side.
"Hey, Rachel," Selena said to a woman her age. The girl is wearing glasses and folded legs, sitting on the sofa, with a laptop on her lap. Her long blonde hair was rolled up into a bun held up by a pair of chopsticks.
"Oh, welcome home," Rachel replied. She turned her head to look a Selena. However, the girl was immediately wide-eyed when she saw Selena bringing in a large animal.
Rachel put the laptop on the guest table. She got up and approached the animal that had come in with Selena, then crouched down next to it. "Where did you find this animal? It's bigger than a normal dog,"
Rachel reached out to introduce herself. However, the animal stepped back, unwilling to be touched, and instead approached Selena who locked the door.
"He saved me from a strange man while we were on patrol because there was no identification so I decided to take him home."
Rachel raised her eyebrows. "Are we going to keep this animal?"
"I think so," Selena replied, stroking the head of the animal that standing close to her.
"What's its name?"
"I haven't thought about it, do you have any ideas?" Selena asked the girl back.
"Hmm," Rachel replied, looking down slightly at the beast's underbelly. "He's a male and he's big, how about we name him Grant?"
Selena crouched down to stare at the beast. She then pursed her lips, her habit every time she lost in her thought.
"I like the name Grant, how about you?" Selena asked the animal that was looking back at her. A lick was again running down Selena's amused cheek.
"This animal loves to lick," said the girl, holding Grant's head to stop him from acting.
"Well, you should wash and brush his teeth then, because he stinks," Rachel replied, pinching her nose with a finger.
Grant snarled at Rachel in annoyance. However, Selena caught the animal's head to face her and said, "No growling, okay? You do stink and need a shower."
The growl stopped. Grant then lightly nuzzled Selena's face with his forehead.
"Good boy," Selena said as she stood up. "Rachel, I'll give him a bath upstairs, do you mind?"
"Nope, as long as you don't use my toothbrush," Rachel replied. She got up and walked over to the couch and grabbed her laptop to start typing again.
"Come on, Grant," Selena called. She led the animal up the stairs to her bedroom.
April 16, 2022
Benitobonita