Night fell on Rock Ridge like a ravenous coyote. The day disappeared into an equally hot and dusty darkness. The heat had a profound effect on the boisterous inhabitants of the small town. It meant a quiet day for Sheriff Auban Cooper. Under normal circumstances, the heat would bring the crazies, but the day had been too hot for even that. The saloon shut its doors with no fuss, no trouble at all, which made an unexpected change for Cooper. He sat in his office, knowing he sat there alone, every cell empty. Even the drunks had made it back home or found a convenient ditch to curl up in and sleep off their hard work.

Cooper levered himself out of his chair and ambled out onto the street, not bothering to close the door behind him. He rolled his sleeves up as he stepped into the hard-packed earth road, still shimmering in the heat. There was no reason for the heat. The day before had been a normal day, weather-wise. Cooper coughed against the dust in the air. He headed down Main Street, glancing left and right as his unease grew. The town was silent and that was not normal.

He paused outside the locked-up tight saloon. No sound emanated from the upstairs rooms, where the local ladies plied their trade. Silence abounded. Cooper frowned as a hot breeze sprang up, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end more than cool breeze ever did. Cooper stuck his thumbs through the belt loops of his trousers and continued on down Main Street.

Outside Wayne’s Hardware, Cooper leant against the hitching post, peering left and right as the warm breeze threw up more dust. The heat wasn’t dissipating even though the sun had long since said its goodbyes. The moon, high in the sky, gave off a reddish glow through the dusty air. He stared at the moon for a long time, transfixed by the effect.

“This ain’t good.” Auban Cooper spoke aloud, the words evaporating in the heat he cleared his throat and spat. It sizzled as it hit the ground. “Not good at all.”

Another stiff gust threw grit into Cooper’s eyes, causing them to water. He rubbed at them with calloused hand and blinked a few times. As his vision cleared, he was confronted by the largest dog he’d ever seen, sitting square in the middle of Main Street, staring at him. Cooper stared back, not moving. The animal was mesmerising. As he took in the strange occurrence and his brain adjusted to the unusual spectacle, Cooper realised he wasn’t looking at a dog at all, but a huge wolf.

The sheriff eased himself off the hitching post, slow and easy, making no sudden movements. The wolf, seemingly mirroring his action, stood up, too - its head almost level with his chest. The wolf’s hair bristled in the warm breeze of the night. It stared at Cooper, unnerving the big man more than any rattlesnake or gunslinger he’d ever faced.

Letting his hand drift towards his holster, Cooper met the wolf’s gaze.

The beast pawed the ground in front of itself, giving off a low growl as if to warn the man off.

Cooper’s hand continued its progression while he held the animal’s gaze.

The wolf growled once more and lowered its flanks as Cooper flexed his hand.

Man and beast stood like this for a minute or so; staring each other down.

"Easy now," whispered Cooper.

The wolf cocked its head from side to side.

“Hell… did you just shake your head at me? Christ, I’m talkin’ to a wolf.”

The wolf pulled back its lips in some semblance of a smile, body quivering.

Then, from out of the darkness to the east came a shrill whistle. Cooper moved his head in that direction but saw nothing. When he looked back, the wolf was gone and he was alone on Main Street, once again. He shivered in the heat, turned round, and headed back to his office.

Once inside, he bolted the door, grabbed a couple of blankets, and settled down for the night in one of the cells. He was not venturing home that night, not after his encounter with the wolf.

Cooper didn't sleep too soundly that night. He tossed and turned throughout, dreaming about the wolf, and that whistle. The heat didn't help either. He woke as the first rays of sun came in over the lip of the barred window above him, casting shadows around the room. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he got up, walked through the office, and unbolted the front doors. He heard the howl of the wind outside and the dirt and dust ricocheting off the external walls.

It was kicking up a storm outside.

Cooper thought back on last night's events as he opened the door. Was it a portent of some kind? Whatever it was, it wasn't going to be good.

This, he thought, as the desert storm raged outside, is just the beginning.