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barking sounds.
    Jenny stared, transfixed; horrified.
    Then it raised its head and howled. The primeval sound sang through Jenny ’s ears. The voice was wolf, but the creature ’s stance was human. Her throat dried, and her blood turned to ice. She had heard this noise last night - this same evil, skin-crawling, shrill sound, which had terrified her. She had wondered what sort of creature could make such an unwholesome, vicious scream, and had hoped she would never have to meet the animal.
    But it stood before her, with only a narrow, rushing river separating them.
    It dropped lightly onto four legs and walked first one way and then the other, its huge bulk looked a little like a grizzly bear. Jenny held her breath, stepping backwards.
    Soon it became apparent the creature wasn’t about to cross the water by the way it growled and clawed at the ground with its strange feet. Ahead the bush thinned, and an expanse of rocky land yawned. Hoping to find shelter and lose the creature, she hurried onwards.
    The animal followed, but as long as the river flowed between them, Jenny didn’t feel in any particular danger. In the distance, the blackness of the river turned silver grey. Her first thought was sunlight, but nearing she had to acknowledge, with a sinking feeling, the river had become alarmingly shallow.
    She stopped, uncertain.
    The wolf - that ’s what she would call it - stopped.
    They looked at each other. The wolf s gaze steady; intelligent, its evil grin unchanging.
    Breathing heavily Jenny turned the other way, trying hard to keep her pace as unthreatening as possible. But the creature galloped forwards, towards the shallower part of the river.
    Jenny broke into a run. She cursed herself for continuing her journey while being followed, and headed towards the forest.
    Behind she could hear the animal splash through the river; then silence as it reached the other side. Jenny ran, knowing if it caught her, her death would be horrible.
    She dodged clumps of bladed grass, passed trees and ran through thorny bushes, tearing her spacesuit. She slowed, ducked behind a thick bush, and held a wheezing breath. The sound that greeted her was a babble of animal talk high above her head in the trees, and the angry squeaks from the disturbed creatures taking shelter inside the bush where she herself was hiding.
    But there was no sound or sight of the wolf.
    She let out her breath, and collapsed to the ground, her bones a mass of nerveless jelly.
    The sharp sound of a twig snapping underfoot sent Jenny ’s head rearing up; her breath was caught and held once again. She could hear slow labored steps, and heavy panting. Her mouth was dry with fear as she peered out from behind the prickly bush. The wolf was a mere meter away, its nose sniffing the ground in great noisy snorts. The creature had lost sight of her, but Jenny guessed the creature ’s nose would lead it straight to her hiding place.
    She lurched to her feet, and ran. The sudden noise caused the wolf to take its nose away from the ground and look up. It sniffed the air and then galloped after her, its large flat feet slap-slapping as it ran.
    Jenny didn’t look back. Her sight was pure tunnel vision as she centered on her survival. Unseen creatures screeched after her, adding to her nightmare. But her ears were for the outlandish animal behind crashing through the undergrowth. With every step she took, it gained on her by several more.
    The wolf was close, she could hear its expelling of breath every time its front legs made contact with the ground.
    With an anguished cry, she tripped, and fell headlong to the ground. Clawing at earth, her breath wheezing, she felt herself falling further still. Her hands snatched at air, and then she landed.
    Her landing was soft, wet - smelly.
    She put her hand down to lever herself up, and touched soft, rotten tissue. She turned to look, and a horrified scream died, stillborn, in her throat.
    It was the missing body from the