The backstreet was a hard place. Not only because of the petty crime and shady peddling that usually went on, but also because there is an unknown player on the streets of New York. A player that moves in packs, vicious and ferocious, and prayes on the weak, if not each other. Survival for the fittest.
Werewolves.
A few big gang such as the Red Hound Pack and the Snarlwhips control most of the New York "main" backstreets, where they serve as the overlord street gang of all criminals in town. They're of course bitter rivals, and have been at a standstill in their tug-of-war kind of conflict for years now.
There are however smaller, scattered packs that haven't yet come to the mercy or wrath of the bigger gangs. Such as the Up-Town-Pack and the Streetfangs. The streetfangs were among the smallest packs, just five individuals. And Gabriel was their leader.
Walking through the now darkening streets with his hood up and his hands stuffed deep into his jacket pockets, Gabriel turned and twisted around the labyrinth-like maze of converging and interlocking streets. In his backpack he had some food for his pack. It wasn't much but it would be enough for them all once combined with what the others had found.
Once he made a turn, the wind changed. He lifted his head and stopped in his tracks, catching the scent of something. Quickly, he stuffed his backpack in a secret hiding-place behind a wall of rubble. He'd come back for it later... For now, it seemed there were some intruding werewolves on his turf. And he didn't like that.
They weren't moving fast. He never lost their scent. The wind was against him so they probably wouldn't catch his smell until he could see them, if at all. After a few twists and turns, he stopped at hearing a sound. A girl walked merrily through the backstreets, probably on her way home from work. It was late, though, and Gabriel could almost hear the coins in her purse. He looked around. The scent was lost. The wind was still. They're around here somewhere.
Suddenly there was a voice, a gruff and mocking voice, from one of the alleyways. "Hey there, miss..." the mischievous fellow said as he stepped out, his hood covering his eyes. He stood blocking the way of the girl. "Say, it's getting late and you're walking through the alleys all by yourself. It could be dangerous out here y'know?"
He took a step forward, and two other shady men came out from the alleyways behind the girl. She was trapped. Gabriel could see them from here, how the other two stood next to each other, blocking the way the girl had come from, while the first one, obviously their leader, blocked her pack up front. "Allow us to 'escort' you home. We'd very much like to carry your bags for you as well." he grinned, as the other two approached her from behind. They were gonna snatch her purse, probably. Who knows what else they have in mind, the beasts. Gabriel was lucky though. They hadn't spotted him, and the wind was still so they wouldn't catch his scent just yet. Up-town-pack. he thought. Morons, intruding on my turf like that.
He remained in his hidingplace for a moment, however. He wanted to catch them off-guard, or if the girl really needed help.