The full moon shone bright in the black sky (as it has tended to do in the last 4 issues). Beneath it, under the tall arch of an ancient evergreen, Groo slept like… well, like Groo sleeps, noisily and deeply. Rufferto on the other hand, could not.
"Something is wrong with this place" the faithful hound surmised, his little black nose prodding at the moss under him. He shivered, and snuggled closer to his master. "Yes, something is definitely not right here."
Sniffing gently, Rufferto reluctantly stood, stretched, and came to the conclusion that he would not sleep this night. Better to stay awake and alert. Perhaps he could find some nice creepy crawly to munch on… that's when it hit him. He knew what was wrong. There were no chirping crickets. There were no croaking frogs, no buzzing flies, and no foraging animals (eg. unirabbits or demon squirrels). This forest was silent… something Rufferto had never experienced.
Trotting quickly to Groo, the dog bumped him repeatedly with his nose. Groo simply rolled over, let out an earth shattering snort and mumbled something about Chakaal. Minutes passed, and poor Rufferto could not rouse his wandering companion. Finally, Rufferto decided to scout out the area. Keep Groo safe until nature took its course and the warrior woke naturally. Keeping watchful eyes, ears and nose, the hound set out.
An old wooden sign marked a short path deeper into the forest. The smell of people was down that path… a town! (If Rufferto had the ability, he would have read: The Village of Lupo.) Rufferto sniffed around it, got a terrible, yet familiar odor, and recoiled. That's when the brush around him came alive. A black form dashed by him with lightning agility, knocking the poor dog aside. Rufferto shot back up though, no slouch in a fight, teeth bared. He started forward and stopped cold. Glowing green eyes pierced the misty night. This was no ordinary beast. The black monster strode out into more direct moonlight and revealed itself to be a thickly-muscled giant wolf.
That's when Rufferto remembered where he had smelled the odor before. Many years ago, when he had been trapped in court life, his owner, the queen had a circus come to the kingdom. In this circus was a Freak Show, featuring, a caged man who could transform into a wolf!!! A disgusting, evil monstrosity.
Groo was not safe. Where there was one man-wolf, there would be more, they were pack animals just like dogs. Fighting the urge to fray, Rufferto bolted away, pumping his powerful little paws as fast as he could. Minutes passed, briars stung his cheeks, but finally, Rufferto made it back to their camp…and stopped so short, he flew head over heels into a tree!
There Groo sat, smiling, a campfire blazing. Atop a makeshift spit roasted the mostly consumed carcass of… a wolf! Groo licked the last scrap of meat off a rib bone and grinned.
"Look Rufferto! I found this ugly doggy in the woods! He's delicious! I saved you some!"
Rufferto's jaw dropped. Groo had eaten a man-wolf.
A twig snapped, and suddenly, piercing green eyes blinked all around them. A low, basso growl began. Rufferto thought to try and get back to the town… but that's when Groo scratched his head and remarked…
"I don't feel so good."
And his eyes flared green, too!!!
(Aside: How's THAT for a cliffhanger!!!)
Next up:
Chapter Two by Arthur Two Sheds Gumby:
LEADER OF THE PACK
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