She had always imagined Shakespeare theatergoers to be more civilized, more sophisticated. She had never really considered that it was entertainment for the masses—and the crudest type of masses at that. It seemed to be right up there with bearbaiting.
Yes, she would love to see a new Shakespeare play, love to go to the Globe. But she felt determined to fulfill her mission first, to solve the riddle.
A new roar arose from the bearbaiting stadium, and she turned and focused her attention back on it. She wondered if the answer to the riddle lay just beyond its walls.
She turned to Caleb.
"What do you think?" she asked. “Should we see what it's about?” Caleb looked hesitant.
“The riddle did mention a bridge,” he said, “and a bear. But my senses are telling me something else. I'm not quite sure—”
Suddenly, Ruth growled, then took off, sprinting away.
"Ruth!" Caitlin yelled.
She was gone. She didn't even turn back to listen, and she sprinted for all she was worth.
Caitlin was shocked. She had never see her behave that way, even in times of utmost danger.
What could possibly pull her so much? She had never known Ruth not to listen.
Caitlin and Caleb broke into a sprint after her at the same time.
But even with their vampire speed, it was slow going through the mud, and Ruth was way faster than them. They watched her turn and weave through the masses, and they had to jostle their way to keep sight of her. Caitlin could see, in the distance, Ruth turn a corner, and sprinted down a narrow alleyway. She picked up speed, as did Caleb, pushing a big man out of her way as she did, and turned down the alleyway, after her.
What on earth could she be after? Caitlin wondered. She wondered if it were a stray dog, or if perhaps she had just reached a tipping point with hunger, and was chasing after a meal. She was a wolf, after all. Caitlin had to remind herself of that. She should have searched harder for food for her, and sooner.
But when Caitlin turned the corner and looked down the alley, she suddenly realized, with a shock, what it was.
There, at the far end of the alley, sat a young girl, maybe eight, in the dirt, cowering, crying, shaking. Towering above her was a large, beefy man, no shirt, his huge belly sticking out, unshaven, his chest and shoulders covered in hair. He wore an angry scowl, revealing his missing teeth, and he reached back with a leather belt and whipped the poor girl in her back, again and again.
"That's what you get for not listening!" the man screamed in a vicious tone, as he raised his belt again.
Caitlin was mortified, and without even thinking, she prepared to burst into action.
But Ruth beat her to it. Ruth had a head start, and as the man reached back his arm, Ruth sprinted and leapt into the air, opening her jaws wide.
She clamped down on the man's forearm and sunk her teeth all the way in. Blood sprayed everywhere, as the man shrieked an unearthly shriek.
Ruth was furious, and would not be appeased. She snarled and shook her head to and fro, tearing more deeply into the man’s flesh, and would not let go.
The man swung Ruth to and fro, only able to do so because of his considerable size and because she was still not yet a full-grown wolf. She snarled, and it was a sound scary enough to raise the hair even on the back of Caitlin’s neck.
But this man was clearly used to violence, and he swung his big beefy shoulder around and managed to slam Ruth against the brick wall. He then reached over with his other hand and whipped his belt down hard on her back.
Ruth shrieked and yelped. She finally let go, dropping to the ground.
The man, a look of hatred in his eyes, reached back with both hands, ready to bring his belt down with all his might on Ruth's face.
Caitlin sprang into action. Before the man could bring it down, she lunged forward, reaching out with her right hand, grabbing his throat. She drove him back, by the throat, lifting him up, off the ground, higher than her, until she slammed him into a wall, bricks crumbling.
She dangled him there before her, his face turning blue, choking. She was much smaller than he was, but he didn't stand a chance in her iron grip.
Finally, she let him drop. He reached up, scrambling for his belt, and Caitlin leaned back and kicked him hard across the face, breaking his nose.
She then leaned back and kicked him in the chest, a kick so forceful that she sent him flying back several feet. He hit the wall with such force that he left an indent in the bricks, and finally slumped down to the ground, a mess.
But Caitlin could still feel the rage bursting through her veins. She thought of that innocent girl, of Ruth, and she hadn’t felt such rage in she didn't know when. She couldn't stop herself. She walked over to him, yanked the belt from his hand, reached back, and cracked him hard, right across his huge belly.
He lurched up, gripping his stomach.
As he sat up, she kicked him hard, right in the face. She connected with his chin, and sent him backwards fast, slamming the back of his head on the ground. Finally, he was unconscious.
But Caitlin still wasn't satisfied. The rage in her wasn't easily summoned these days, but when it was, she couldn’t turn it off.
She stepped up, placed a foot on his throat, and prepared to kill this man on the spot.
“Caitlin!" came a sharp voice.
She turned, still pulsing with rage, and saw Caleb standing beside her. He shook his head slowly, with a reprimanding look.
“You've done enough damage. Let him go.”
Something about Caleb's voice got to her.
She grudgingly lifted her foot.
In the distance, she spotted a huge tub filled with sewage. She could see the thick dark liquid spilling over its edges, and could smell its stink from here.
Perfect.
She reached down, hoisted the man above her head, even though he easily weighed over 300
pounds, and walked him across the alley. She threw him, headfirst, into the vat of sewage.
He landed with a splash. She saw him stuck, up to his neck, in all the excrement. She enjoyed the idea of his waking up, realizing where he was, and finally, she felt satisfied.
Good, she thought. It is where you belong.
Caitlin immediately thought of Ruth. She ran over to her, and examined the belt mark on her back; she was cowering, and slowly regaining her feet. Caleb came over, too, examining her, as Ruth placed her face in Caitlin's lap and whined. Caitlin kissed her on the forehead.
Ruth suddenly shook them off and darted across the alley, to the girl.