Boundless

The numbness of the dark gave way and I, regretfully, could feel again. My body ached something vicious and I clenched my teeth to keep from painfully moaning aloud.
“Hey, can you hear me?” the voice was foggy against the blackness of my eyelids.
Slowly, my eyes opened and sunlight pierced my irises. Immediately, I shrunk away from the light cracking my eyes to slits.
“You’re awake.” someone announced just as something cold was placed against my head. I shrunk away from the wetness. “Shhh, it’s just water.”
Several seconds passed before I was able to fully open my eyes.
The girl captive.
She kneeled above me, the light shining on the back of her head creating an angelic light around her face. I pulled my arms behind me, hiking myself up on my elbows. “What’s going on?” I mumbled rather incoherently.
The girl removed the rag from my head, ringing it out. “You were hit in the collision….”
I took in my surroundings.
We were no longer in the clearing but in some type of cave of some sorts. There was darkness but we were at the mouth of the cave and light illuminated most of the space as well as us. The girl and I were alone.
I sat up against the rock, ignoring the protesting pain in my forehead. “What happened?”
She gave a small, assuring smile. “Your friends, they saved us.”
I leaned forward, cradling my aching head. Saved us?
As if seeing my puzzlement she spoke again, “My brother and I.” Her fingers were graceful as she rang the rag out before placing it in the wooden bowl. “They saved us from the Rogues.”
In that instant memories consumed my thoughts and it all came back to me like a picture toy. Frozen images of the desecrated Den that had been burned down, the blood on the trees and then the clearing…the Rogues passed against my vison. I jolted to my feet, once again ignoring the painful headache that heighten as I stood. A wave of nausea overcame me and I placed my hand against the damp walls of the cave to steady myself.
“When you’re friend charged at the Rogue, you fell too. You hit your head pretty hard; you shouldn’t stand so soon—”
“I’m fine,” I said curtly while waving her away. “Where are the others?”
The girl stood, dusting off her clothes. “Your friends are just outside; I’ll take you to them.”
I followed her, our shoes echoing against the damp floors of the cave. I tried to keep my dizziness at bay, discreetly stopping whenever I felt faint. Finally, we heard voices.
Dominick and Vince.
Were they arguing?
“What did you want me to do? If I hadn’t charged at him he would have killed her.”
A growl rumbled through the stillness of the air. “How about wait for your Alpha’s command. We were two against three. And I’m not doubting your ability but anything could have gone wrong. We didn’t even know if we could trust the captives yet—”
Outside of the cave down a miniscule slope, stood Dominick and Vince, both tense at the mouth. A young boy with dark brown mussed hair stood near them, slouching against a tree, watching the two go at it. He wore cuffed blue jeans that were ripped haphazardly in different places with a wrinkled white v- neck grimly decorated with dirt brown blotches across the front. The boy was seemingly withdrawn from the heated conversation whereas Dominick and Vince both paced, their bodies thick with disagreement. Vince bore a stinging, red slash across his cheek that looked as if it had yet to be tended to.
“It seemed to me that you trusted them when you decided to demand that the Rogue let them go.”
Dominick’s jaw tightened as he stopped in front of Vince. “It is my job as Alpha to make sure that we as a race are safe. Rather it is our Den or any other, I will protect our own.” His chest rose with the sternness of his words. “Besides the only reason the Rogues hesitated was because they aren’t following an Alpha. Their wolves still yearn for leadership. We were just lucky.”
So that’s why the other wolves’ cowered to Dominick, they were Rogues and under no jurisdiction so when an Alpha does come around their wolves have a want to follow…to bow down.
“She was in danger Dom,” Vince’s teeth were tight with as he barked with finality. “I did what I had to do.”
I cleared my throat, “Hey Superman, I thought I told you I wasn’t your problem.”
All of their gazes coated over to me. Dominick’s gaze was something one would give an annoying child and Vince’s eyes were clear of any emotion but he couldn’t stop the scent that wafted from him…
'Relief'.
I rejected the scent, mentally blocking it.
Dominick nodded his head. “You’re awake, good.”
The boy pushed off the tree. “We can keep moving.”
“We?” I echoed, my eyebrows rising in confusion. “Who are you?”
I took a closer look, my eyes roaming his frame. A series of cuts lined his neck and arms and if the damp, red stain across his chest was any indication, he had an injury under his shirt. Overall, he was pretty bruised up. My thoughts raced back to the clearing…was this the young wolf?
His eyes found mine. “My name is Caleb.”
“Caleb’s my brother,” the girl captive gracefully moved to stand next to her brother. “I’m Lila.”
I eyed the two, taking in their rough appearance, before focusing in on Dominick and Vince. “What happened back there?”
Dominick’s jaw tightened. “The next time you want to make a rash decision like say, oh I don’t know, barter your life for another….don’t.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes at his dramatics. “Did you have a better plan ‘oh all knowing Alpha’?”
“Do not mock me Clover.” Dominick warned, his eyes fastening onto mine.
I fought the urge to flinch at his commanding tone.
"Anyone going to tell me what happened?"
The boy grunted. "Vince killed one of the Rogues...the one holding you captive."
I turned away from them, centering my eyes on Vince, preparing my lips to ask about the events that occurred after I blacked out but the words froze on my tongue as Vince’s eyes bore into mine morphing from relief to a irate glare. In that moment it felt as if it was only he and I, though we clearly weren’t alone but…somehow we were. My heart sped up as Vince continued to glower at me, unblinkingly filling me with his raw emotion. Not only did he taste 'angry' but there was a wave of persistent 'anguish'. This was obviously a projection but… it was different somehow. It was as if something in him had wrapped itself around me and was pouring his sentiment into me. A flourish of frustration slapped my insides and I nearly stumbled back from its swiftness.
'Never do that again.' he projected, his inner voice bristling with assertiveness.
His projection filled me and I unknowingly nodded, my body shivering under his frozen gaze.
'Ever.' He added, his frown deepening.
“Okay.” I whispered, unsettled by this Vince who didn’t smile.
He nodded seemingly satisfied with my answer and the tunneled wave communication between us snapped causing me to let go of the wind in my stomach. I breathed in the forest air through the slender gaps of my teeth, a small, relieving hiss escaping my lips.
All of this happened so quickly it seemed as if the others hadn’t noticed the silent moment we’d just shared as they were all still conversing.
“We need to move on, these woods aren’t safe.” Caleb said cutting off whatever Dominick had been saying prior to me zoning out with Vince.
Lila nodded, her locks falling from her shoulder as she did. “It’s true. We have to get out of the woods. We’re less likely to be attacked where humans reside.”
Dominick peered at the two. “You said you two were a part of a Den? Why were you two in the middle of nowhere?”
Caleb and Lila shared a look, their eyes searching the others for words that it seemed neither of them wanted to say.
“We were a part of the Den of Eire.” Caleb said, his gaze intensely shifting to focus on the ground.
“Were?” Dominick inquired, his eyebrows raising.
Lila’s lips tightened. “Eire was destroyed…along with our pack.”
Silence hung in the air as the new information encased the group..
Dominick bowed his head. “I’m sorry.”
Vince bowed his as well, a silent apology seeming to lift from him.
Dominick placed his hands in his front pockets. “How?”
Caleb spoke this time, his voice laced with contempt. “The Rogues.”
Lila’s eyes bore into the side of her brother’s face as she placed her dainty hand atop his shoulder, a silent comforting gesture that Caleb accepted as he placed his hand atop hers, gently squeezing.
Lila looked to Dominick. “They looted our Den and killed anyone who didn’t get away before…burning it to the ground.”
Flashes of the soot covered clearing flashed over my eyes. “Wait, is the Den near here?”
Lila nodded. “Yes, but it’s hardly recognizable…it’s gone.”
“We saw the remains before we found you two.” I shuddered as I remembered the dark red words scrawled across the trees. “There was blood…”
“Deer blood…from our last kill,” Caleb nodded, jutting his thumb over to his sister. “Lila’s idea.”
“I didn’t want anyone else getting hurt. It was the only way to warn others…”
“Your last kill? So the blood was fresh?” Dominick asked.
Lila nodded. “Yes, only a week old.”
Vince step forward. “So, the massacre at Eire, it happened a week ago?”
Lila nodded once more. “Yes.” Her face hardening and a faraway look claiming her eyes. “They killed….everyone.”
Dominick held his hand up. “Lila, what happened during the raid?”
Lila’s eyes immediately closed off, her face tightening and her fist balling up at her sides. Her gaze wavered over to Dominick before falling to the ground. She had closed herself off and all that could be felt was tremors of emotion that fell from her. She wasn’t going to be the one who told us the story.
We all looked to Caleb.
Caleb ran a hand through his hair. “The Rogues,” Caleb bit at his lip, his eyes tight showcasing a silent visual of horror that only he himself could see. We were outsiders looking in the glassy windows of his irises. “they came in the night when everyone was sleeping and the men were patrolling. I’d been relieved of my patrolling duty and I was nearing home when the howling started. Eire was not prepared. We have not taken on combat like some other packs. There were so many of them that came crashing through… I knew…I knew they killed all of our patrolmen.”
Caleb ran a hand down his face, his eyes lost in rememberance. “I ran to find Lila and my parents but when I made it to the main house, everything was in flames and the Rogues were all around us, murdering and setting things a flame. Some came in their wolf form and others walked as humans. All around me families were being destroyed and people we screaming for their lives and all I could do was stand there and look at the house burn… I thought I’d lost them all. Until I heard Lila screaming from inside of the house. Though the flames were thick I broke through and searched the house until I found her.” he pointed to the red line across his shirt. “I got this trying to get us both out the window.”
Vince who’d been silent since our exchange spoke up, “If they…killed your patrolmen, what happened to the young pups and the women…”
“They took them…they tied them up and took them.” Lila whispered.
“Do you know where they took them?” Vince asked.
Lila shook her head. “No.” she stood, moving away from her brother, her eyes set. “As soon as we got out of the fire we ran deep into the woods.”
Dominick nodded. “Have you two contacted the Council?”
I glared at Dominick, my lips tight. “Do you think they had time given the fact that the Rogues just destroyed their homes and nearly killed them a couple of hours ago?”
Dominick bristled. “I swear Clover if you say another thing out of line—”
“Stop it.” Vince intervened, glaring at us both.
He turned to Lila and Caleb. “Have you contacted the Council?”
The two shook their heads.
There was only one plausible solution then, and I voiced it, “You’re coming with us.”
“Clover—” Dominick began.
I cut him off. “We can’t just leave them here. They could be attacked again.”
Vince nodded. “I agree, the boy is injured Dom. They’ll be better off with us than without us.”
Dominick closed his eyes, closing his fingers around the bridge of his nose, he breathed in deep. “Fine…fine. They come with us.” he released his nose and tightened both his fists at his side, giving us all a stern gaze. “From here on out, we follow my orders. Understood?”
We all gave jumbled nods.
Dominick nodded, seemingly satisfied with our silent answers. “Let’s move.”