Free Big-Top Scooby by Kate Howard Page B

trailed along behind the others.
    â€œOkay,” Shaggy said reluctantly. “But I am not staying in a dark circus!” He looked around as they walked into the circus grounds. “Look at this place! Even the stuffed animals are scary!”
    Shaggy and Scooby peeked around at the circus stuff, noticing smaller tents, trailers, and containers for circus equipment. They strolled through the small circus town nervously. “Come on, guys,” Shaggy whined. “On the creepy scale, this ranks higher than a graveyard!”
    â€œRan old graveyard!” Scooby agreed.
    â€œHigher than an old graveyard in a swamp . On fire!”
    But Fred didn’t seem the least bit alarmed. “Hello?” he called out hopefully. “Anybody here?”
    Shaggy and Scooby were so busy trying to keep an eye on everything at once that they began to wander off. “Guys …” Shaggy whispered, not realizing that everyone except Scooby had gone off in a different direction. “I have a really bad feeling about —”
    Suddenly, Shaggy turned and came face-to-face with a horrifying clown. “Ahhhh!”
    â€œRahhhhh!” Scooby echoed.
    After a few seconds, Shaggy and Scooby realized it was nothing but an old circus banner. They both sighed, relaxing a little. But their sighs turned to screams when they turned to look for the others and, instead, found themselves staring at a huge, scary something .
    â€œAhhhhh!” Shaggy cried again. “Like, run , Scoob!”
    â€œRahhhhh!” Scooby howled.

S haggy and Scooby didn’t get far before they crashed into Fred, Daphne, and Velma. All five fell to the ground in a giant heap.
    â€œOof!” Fred cried, startled. He looked up just in time to see the same tall, silhouetted figure that had scared Shaggy. “Aahhh!” he shrieked.
    Daphne and Velma joined in the screaming. Scooby and Shaggy were still howling with fear.
    The figure stepped into the light. The gang stopped screaming when they realized it wasn’t anything spooky, but actually a very tall young man. His nose was hooked, like an eagle’s, and he had long hair. “What are you doing here?” the man barked in an eastern European accent.
    â€œI’m sorry,” Fred said. He adjusted his ascot and stood up, embarrassed “The gate was open, and we just thought …”
    The man looked concerned. “Open? But I’m sure I locked —” He broke off, his words interrupted by the sound of a wolf howling somewhere nearby. “He is here!” the man said nervously, gesturing for Fred and the gang to follow him. “Come. I’m Marius. We should stick together.”
    â€œBut what…?” Velma began.
    â€œCome!” Marius hurried silently among the tents, trailers, and cargo containers. It was obvious he knew exactly where he was going. “He will not elude me this time,” Marius muttered quietly as they walked.
    â€œWho?” Daphne whispered.
    â€œThe werewolf!” Marius whispered back.
    Shaggy and Scooby gulped loudly. “The werewolf!”
    â€œYes,” Marius said, still speaking softly. Shaggy and Scooby hoped he wasn’t speaking quietly because the werewolf was close enough to hear them. “I think he is this way.” Marius pointedin the direction they were walking.
    Shaggy and Scooby both immediately started walking backward. Within seconds, they had broken out into an all-out run. “Like, let’s get outta here, Scoob!” Shaggy cried.
    â€œRokay!” Scooby agreed, matching Shaggy’s pace. They ran this way and that. Soon they were far from the others. They hoped that meant they were also far away from the werewolf!
    â€œLook, Scoob,” Shaggy said. He pointed to some cages. “What are —?” Shaggy peered between the bars of the cage. Suddenly, a creature leaped toward them. Shaggy shrieked and jumped back.
    The creature looked at