Best served chilled

Alex woke abruptly in the wee hours of the morning. She pulled her robe on over her pajamas and stepped over to the bedroom window. The moon was full and had just breasted the horizon giving the illusion that it filled half the sky. Clouds scudded across it's face at a hurried pace. ( nope not a dark stormy night Chuck)
Then she heard the howling that had wakened her. Damn that stupid mutt, he'd slipped off his collar three days ago but he came back here to howl each night. The neighbors were beginning to complain. With a sigh Alex pulled on her shoes and headed out to the back yard. Lews was sitting there howling at the moon and wagging his tail.
" Come on you mangy mutt! Get your butt in the house right now! I don't have time for this shit."
She could barely see the tan colored Mastiff sitting at the edge of the property, tail thumping the ground as he watched her. Maybe a little gentler approach might work better..
" Such a good dog Lewsy, come on boy, it's alright, come to Alex."
She was about a dozen paces away when he hopped up and loped off into the night. Alex was infuriated by his defiance and sprinted after the useless beast. Moonlight peeked through the clouds and she spotted him again sitting about fifty feet ahead. Alex broke into a jog. Just as her hand was closing on the scruff of his neck he popped up and trotted off again.
Alex was enraged, but even so this made no sense. She wasn't a coward, but Alex wasn't a fool either. Why was she chasing this worthless dog around in the middle of the night? The frustrating game seemed to go on endlessly. They were in the woods now; woods that Alex couldn't quite place as anywhere near her neighborhood. It was time to give up this wild goose chase and head back to bed. It was then that she saw the flicker of movement off to her right, and there again another on her left.
She turned to head back toward her home only to be confronted with a pair of English sheep dogs that had been trailing twenty feet behind her. When she turned toward them one of the pair darted straight at her turning at the last moment to slam his body into her with enough force to knock Alex to the ground.
Stunned Alex rose to her feet. The two sheep dogs were sitting between her and the pathway home. When she took a step in their direction they both rose, baring teeth and growling. Shaken Alex turned in the direction she had been heading and noticed the two other dogs a black furred Newfy to her left and A wiry haired gray Irish wolfhound to her right. The four of them were definitely herding her. She could make out Lews in the distance waiting for the others to catch up. She was forced to run with the pack that followed Lews, when she slowed the sheepdogs nipped at her heels hurrying her along.
They came to an open field. Lews stopped, facing 6 new dogs that sat in a semi-circle the largest appeared to be a Great Dane. The four dogs that had been herding her drove Alex right past Lews and then formed a half circle behind him as Alex was left trembling between the two groups. She watched in horror as eleven dogs closed to complete the circle around her.
" You sit in my place Bruno." Lews said
" You were gone through a complete moon, the pack must be led." The Great Dane replied. His head tilted toward you inquisitively. " You have given her sight Lews. Is that wise?"
The Mastiff growled in response, Alex realized the entire conversation was taking place in growls,pants yips and though the position of the tail, the twitch of the ears, the tilt of the head, and yes the scent all these combined to form a language as expressive as the Queens English; but there was no way she should be able to understand any of it.
"She has offended me and held me from my pack. I would have her answer to the…" No word covered it exactly something like hunter, protector, male circle, perhaps fathers was a close approximation but it had nothing to do with paternity."…Council. And I felt it best she understand what is spoken of her."
For the first time she noticed the eleven dogs are all male.
" You are generous Lews or maybe the bitch has made you grow soft."
The Great Dane and the Mastiff were circling now each growling with head low to the ground crouching as if ready to spring forward in attack. Finally the Dane sat down with an audible huff.
"Strip her Lews we can't judge her if she hides her scent."
Lews spoke from behind Alex.
" Strip girl, you must be as naked and kneeling while you are being judged."
Alex had no intention of striping for these animals; but even as these defiant thoughts formed pictures sprung up in her mind Slashing jaws, shredded clothing, and oozing wounds. Animals piling onto her squirming body. It was enough. Alex pulled the PJ tops off over her head then wiggled out of the pants.
" And the paws."
Alex kicked off the shoes and shuddered as she dropped to her hands and knees.
" This one held me, kept me from the pack" Lews began, pictures formed of a cave/den with the entrance blocked the animals growled in fear and anger feeling trapped. " Then she shunned me, did not speak to me, left me alone for over half a moon." This brought even angrier growls. The pack was a social organization and isolation was a worse fate than imprisonment.
Alex trembled naked on her hands and knees while the beasts circled listening, feeling, seeing, Lews tale of torment. She began to feel the reactions, pushed onto her back, jaws clutching blood blossoming from a mauled throat. Alex cried out for pity.
"Enough Lews, she is no threat to the pack now." It was the Great Dane, Bruno "We should not poison the field with bitter blood, we will find another way."
Lews growled, " I am back Bruno, do you challenge me?" there is a moment of tense silence. Bruno bows his head, Lews continued.
"If one of us." nodding to the four beasts behind him," bites her she will become a shifter like us. If you give her the curse of Cain's mark she will become an outcast among man and beast. That I find fitting. Who will challenge me?"
The question passes and none challenge but the Great Dane, sniffed the air then pads toward Alex sniffing at her.
" She's in heat Lews!" The others shift uncomfortably and Alex can see their growing excitement.
" Human bitches are always in heat. She is just trying to delay her punishment." Lews claims but Bruno is insistent. " She needs us, even you can smell that." Lews is impatient and angered but she sees he's growing large along with the others.
" She's my Bitch!" he growls as the two circle once again on the verge of conflict. Bruno is taller and heavier but the Mastiff has powerful jaws, a solid build and he towers over the cowering Alex who has instinctively rolled onto her back in a submissive canine posture. Bruno considers the stakes, the prize, the peace within the pack and decides to back down and preserve the packs unity.
Alex can see Lews is excited as he stands over her letting out a victorious howl. She is resigned to his using her and she rolls over underneath him. Fur presses against her back and he growls with need. Then her mind sees the thoughts of the others. They will all have her, Lews demand was only to be that he be first. She began to scream as his jaws closed on her shoulder shaking her like a rag doll.
The shaking continued, a distant voice, a human voice.
"Alex! Wake up, you're dreaming again."


Thanx Alex,
Mad Lews