Scooby-Doo and the Werewolf!

"Look out Daphne!" Fred shouted. He was built like a football player with a ready smile on his face. That face was currently twisted with worry as his friend tripped over a nearly invisible tree root and went sprawling. Behind her, the monster howled with delight and closed in on her, gaping jaws dripping.

"Zoinks!" shouted shaggy and Scooby-Doo. The lanky browned teen and his faithful Great Dane companion fell out of the tree they had been hiding in. The net they were holding fell on the monster's as they landed on either side of him. "Look scoob! We got him!" Shaggy grinned.

That grin was wiped off his face as the monster shredded the net and stood up, snarling his rage. Red gleamed in his eyes, anger and a promise of painful, brutal vengeance was in his eyes. Shaggy and Scooby quickly brushed themselves off and stood next to Fred and the girls.

"What do we do know?" He asked fearfully.

"What else?" Fred said. "Run!"

The gang immediately scattered, running every which way. Velma turned and plunged into the thickets behind her. Branches slapped at her face while viney roots tried to trip her up. As she ran, she fancied she could hear the monster closing in behind her, howling for her blood. The thought froze her spine and gave her an extra burst of speed. Have to…outrun…him. She panted.

A root caused her to trip and land hard on her face, glasses flying off. "Ooof!" she gasped in pain as the air was driven out from her lungs. "Jinkies, where'd that thing come from?" She muttered in pain and frustration. "Oh! I lost my glasses." This time she nearly growled in frustration. Why did her glasses always have to come off in the most inopportune times? "I really should consider contacts." She vowed. It might be worth it, if they stayed on better.

A snap of the twig behind her froze her completely. She held her breath, listening very hard, afraid to move. Silence filled the dark forest around her, visible to her only as a dark blur. Nothing. She told herself firmly. I'm just imagining it. She got down on her knees to begin her search for her glasses.

The sounds of her friends shouts grew desperate behind her. She knew they needed her help. It was imperative that she find her glasses! She couldn't help them if she couldn't find them! She was about ready to weep with frustration. Then her hands brushed against something.

"What is this?" She muttered curiously. It didn't feel like her glasses, but for that matter, it didn't feel like anything else either. It was smooth and rounded, much like a nail. A bit further back however, and the object became rough, like stone. What on earth had she found? She tried examining it with her hand run it up and down the stone, but came up almost empty. It seemed like the statue of a wolf! But that was surely ridiculous. What would a statue be doing out here in the forest?

Velma gave a sigh. It wasn't her glasses, that was for sure. What a loss. She turned away to continue her search when she felt a sudden tingling racing up her hand and into her arm. "What the—" Were the last words she remembered speaking before a jolt of pain washed her consciousness away.

Scooby was running for all he was worth, all four feet a blur under him. Beside him, Shaggy was just able to keep pace, the only one of the gang to be able to do that. Scooby was glad he was there. Together, they never failed to escape, or find a snack. All thoughts of eating and food were the last things on his mind though; with the first being on the monster chasing them! It howled, and Scooby's heart froze, it growled, and his fur stood on end. Scooby did not want to think on what it would do if it caught them. Eat them raw? Boil them? Maybe even simply kill them! Scooby shuddered and saw Shaggy do the same. Their minds were obviously on the same track, because they pushed themselves all the harder.

Shaggy suddenly stumbled over something in the road. "Oops!" he cried as he was suddenly pin wheeling through the air. Shaggy landed hard on the ground, sliding to a stop against a large boulder. Scooby quickly rushed to him and began trying to prod him away. Looking over his shoulder, Scooby saw the monster running right at them, drool dripping down its jaws. "Rikes!" Scooby gave a long cry of fear. Prodding desperately, Scooby tried to rouse his partner.

"Go away Scooby." Shaggy murmured sleepily. "It's not even morning yet."

"Raggy, ronster!" Scooby shouted desperately. Couldn't he see that they were about to get eaten?!

Shaggy opened one bleary eye that focused on the monster rushing at them. "Zoinks!" He cried. He bolted upright and tried to gain his footing. Too slow! Scooby could feel the endless seconds counting down, knowing that they weren't getting out of this one. There was only one way to save his friend. Scooby stood in front of Shaggy and growled deep in his throat, just like Cousin Guardy-Doo had taught him.

The monster jerked to a halt at the sound, staring quizzically at Scooby. It was as if the lamb it sought for dinner had suddenly snapped its teeth at it. It gave an irritable chuff and growled back at Scooby. He cowered under the horrendous noise! Sensing victory, the monster resumed its advance.

A snarl filled the clearing, echoing throughout the forest. The sound was filled with a terrible fury. The sound skittered up Scooby's spine and filled every fiber of his being with terror. His paws felt rooted to the ground, he hunkered as low as he could, afraid that whatever had made the snarl would find him. The monster stopped in its advance and swiveled its head back and forth. "Grawr?" Confusion filled its voice as it sought the threat.

A second growl came from above them, and Scooby, Shaggy and the monster looked up. It took Scooby a moment to locate the sound, piled at the top of the boulder, nearly hidden in shadows. Terrible eyes gleamed out of a wolf's face, short hair on top of the head. Thick brown fur rippled over its body as it shifted on the rock, eyes locked on the suddenly nervous monster below. A long drawn out growl came from the beast, its lips curling back to expose it's viscous teeth. A werewolf! Scooby thought frantically about how he was going to get out of there with a whole hide.

A second shift by the creature on the rocks brought out something startling! It was a female werewolf! Scooby blinked and checked again, positive that it couldn't be right. Nope, it was indeed a girl. The proof swayed slightly on its heavily furred chest.

The monster stared up at the she-wolf, clearly too afraid to move. Scooby could sympathize; he didn't think he would ever move again! The monster licked it's lips nervously, staring upwards, clearly wondering if it dared make a break for it.

"SHAGGY! SCOOBY! WHERE ARE YOU?" Fred's voice drifted through the trees. Clearly he was searching for them.

"VELMA! VELMA! WHERE ARE YOU?" Daphne echoed him slightly.

Scooby looked at the monster in horror. He must have forced Velma to run until she was totally lost in this forest! Scooby knew that reasoning was sound. There could be no other explanation. He had to get Shaggy away from here so that he could look for Velma.

The she-wolf threw back her head and howled. It seemed to Scooby that the sound was filled with the promise of a slow death to anyone foolish enough to challenge it. He shivered, trying to control the raging fear inside him. The monster screamed and turned to run. No! he knew where Velma was! He could not get away.

Scooby lunged after him, all thoughts of the she-wolf gone as the thrill of the chase filled him. As much as he ran away, as much as fear often sent him scampering, it was this feeling that drove him. The monster dodged and twisted around trunks and over small bushes in his effort to get away. Scooby clung doggedly to his heels. Closer… just a little more.  Scooby gave one last bound and landed on top of the monster. The taste of burlap filled his mouth as he seized the monster's arm.

"Ahhh!" he screamed in fright. "Get him off! Get him off!"

"Good work Scoob!" Fred grinned as he ran up with Daphne hauling a woozy Shaggy in tow. "Now, let's see if our hunch was correct and this is really, Count Newnan." Fred whipped the mask off with the air of a magician about to reveal some trick. The wrinkled face that looked up at him blinked owlishly in the dim light.

"It's Mr. Barker!" Daphne cried in surprise. Fred looked stunned, staring at the man underneath and at the mask. Confusion filled Scooby. This wasn't the man they thought they would find. The blocky face blinked in consternation, and a huge amount of fear, Scooby noticed.

"Where is it? Where is it?" He kept muttering fitfully, bulging eyes darting wildly all over the place.

Fred looked up, confused. "It?" he asked, turning to Daphne as if she would no.

"The second monster." Shaggy croaked slightly, shaking his head to clear out the last of the effects. He pointed back to the shadowed rock, it's silent monolith dark and empty. "It was up there. Big and s-s-scary!" he gulped. Scooby nodded his quick agreement.

Fred nodded slowly, eyes never leaving the top of the stone. He appeared to be lost in thought. As for Scooby, he couldn't wait to find Velma and get out of there. Maybe even hit the Malt Shop for a late night snack. Yumm!

"C-c-can we get out of here. Now?!" Barker finished with a shriek, wild-eyed and almost frothing to escape. He gave no fuss as Fred hauled him to his feet in preparation for walking back to the main road. In fact, he seemed to strain towards the road and his captivity. It was understandable, He thought, given the alternative was to hide out in the woods with that monster on the loose!

Back at the van, they found Velma sitting on the back of the Mystery Machine, rubbing her ankle. She looked up as they approached. "Hey guys!" Her eyes widened as she spied Mr. Barker. "Wow, you caught him." She said excitedly. "Is it…it is! Mr. Barker, just as I suspected." She said with satisfaction.

Daphne looked at her askance. "How did you know?" she asked curiously.

"It's very simple." Velma adopted a lecturing pose as she continued. "I first suspected Mr. Barker when we found that burlap material in his basement. He tried to plant it to make us suspicious of Count Newnan. However, I knew that Count Newnan was allergic to that particular type of burlap. I tested him with it when I had Scooby make it into a glove. His hand swelled quickly, making it impossible for him to have worn that suit. That left only Mr. Barker. If he could scare everyone away, then he would have access to the grounds to search for the missing treasure."

The Sheriff had pulled up while Velma was revealing. They quickly cuffed Mr. Barker and hustled him off to the squad car. He glanced back at them, eyes full of hate and fear. "I would have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for you meddling kids. And that monster." He gulped and seemed to walk faster. By the time they reached the squad car, he was practically pulling the sheriff behind him.

"Well, I guess that solves this mystery!" Fred said gleefully. Scooby was more than happy to hear that! That meant it would be time for hamburgers at the Malt Shop.  Everyone headed for the mystery machine, chatting quietly. As they started to head in, Velma paused for a moment and looked back at the forest. Scooby blinked in surprise. For a moment, in the rising light, he could have sworn that Velma's eyes had turned yellow. However, when he looked again, they were their normal brown.

She spotted him watching her and smiled. "Come on Scoob." She teased. "Don't want to miss the Malt shop!"

"Roh Boy!" Scooby cried eagerly. All thought of Velma's strange eyes were forgotten. He leaped into the back of the Mystery Machine next to Shaggy and wagged his tail excitedly. Fred put the van in gear and sped off, leaving the forest—and the mystery—behind them.