Status: We are what we are; don't need no excuses for the scars from our mothers, and we know what we know 'cause we're made of all the little bones of our fathers.
The Last Wolf
Chapter Thirty
When the fear found me, the relief of darkness refused to help me. Blood flowed like a summer spring from places where the talons clamped down and broke through my skin. The bite marks on that same shoulder stung and ached, but I couldn’t scream. I barred my teeth and prayed the flight would be over soon. God, the one my father taught me about, must’ve been really angry with me because every beat of Hawke’s wings left me sore and broken.
We finally landed after what felt like days of traveling. My shoulder twisted as my feet crashed against the ground causing my legs to crumple beneath me. The joint dislocated at some point during the flight. I lost so much blood. Veins showed clearly in my nearly translucent skin while I took labored breaths.
I turned my eyes, along with most of my body, toward the bird that seemed to be as big as a car. Feathers melted away from his flesh while he shrugged easily out of his bird figure. It was the easiest shift I’d ever seen. Something beautiful happened when his body changed, unlike the sharp cracking sounds that echoed through my ears when Colt shifted.
“Don’t do that again,” Hawke ordered; his voice creaked with hoarseness.
“I’ll try not to fly anymore,” I chided. My tongue felt like lead in my mouth forcing my words together. He chuckled for the first time since I met him. It was a surprisingly pleasant sound.
“Don’t ask questions.” He brushed a feather from his skin before pulling me to my feet. “There’s a place on the other side of this grove of trees; that’s where we’ll get you stitched.”
“What’s the point?” I sighed. “Oh, wait…that’s a question.”
“Are you always this annoying?” His eyes watched me carefully, trailing over my body before landing on my bloody shoulder. The muscles around my shoulder blade swelled.
“Don’t ask questions!” I retorted. “Let’s hurry and fix my shoulder so you can murder another wolf.” I rolled my eyes, too tired to really care about dying.
“Who said anything about killing you, Little Wolf?” Hawke pushed me forward.
White River found Raider passed out against the tree first. He could smell the faint scent of lye soap. Dahlia must’ve been here with him. Viper said they both were here, but the only trace of Dahlia was the soap scent and foot prints. The imprint of her body was near another tree opposite Raider, but the most disconcerting thing about the entire scene in White River’s eyes was the trail of blood leading from the tree to Raider. Her prints and blood disappeared about a foot from his body.
The medicine man put a vile of pungent liquid beneath Raider’s noise and waited for the boy to come too. His bloodshot eyes rolled open. “Doc?” He asked. Confusion swept across his sharp features, “Where’s the wolf?”
“What happened?” Viper hissed as she came through the trees.
“The last thing I remember is the wolf standing there,” Raider explained. “What’s happening? Where is she?”
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Shadow growled as Macon helped him through the trees. Macon rushed to his brother’s side.
“Kamara’s obviously still pissed,” Raider stated while pulling a bottle of water and a cloth from his bag.
“You’d figure a girl who looks more like a dragon than a bird would get over it, right?” Raider tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace.
“Did he take her,” Shadow yelled.
Raider nodded, “he sent Kamara after me; he didn’t want to let the wolf leave. He said I was free to come and go as I pleased, but I couldn’t take her with me.”
“That’s not our land, Raider,” White River chided while mixing herbs he brought with him. “You can’t just go into their woods.”
“Hawke disagrees,” the boy stated. He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath.
“I’m going after her,” Shadow said. He still limped on his right leg, but determination filled his desire to find her.
“No you’re not,” Raider sighed. “He’ll be back for you soon enough because he knows you; you have your mother’s genes.”
“What are you saying?” White River questioned while rubbing his concoction on Raider’s wounds.
The boy shook his head while gritting his teeth. His eyes widened before he turned to his brother. “They don’t want to kill you, it’s much worse than that.”
“I don’t understand,” Macon squeezed his twin’s hand tightly.
“Control; they want control, and Hawke won’t stop until he’s done what he’s told.”
Rage filled White River; the emotion mirrored in Macon and Shadow. Viper bandaged Raider’s wounds without talking, but her mind whirled. She stared into Raider’s pale yellow eyes before she asked, “who is controlling Hawke?”
We finally landed after what felt like days of traveling. My shoulder twisted as my feet crashed against the ground causing my legs to crumple beneath me. The joint dislocated at some point during the flight. I lost so much blood. Veins showed clearly in my nearly translucent skin while I took labored breaths.
I turned my eyes, along with most of my body, toward the bird that seemed to be as big as a car. Feathers melted away from his flesh while he shrugged easily out of his bird figure. It was the easiest shift I’d ever seen. Something beautiful happened when his body changed, unlike the sharp cracking sounds that echoed through my ears when Colt shifted.
“Don’t do that again,” Hawke ordered; his voice creaked with hoarseness.
“I’ll try not to fly anymore,” I chided. My tongue felt like lead in my mouth forcing my words together. He chuckled for the first time since I met him. It was a surprisingly pleasant sound.
“Don’t ask questions.” He brushed a feather from his skin before pulling me to my feet. “There’s a place on the other side of this grove of trees; that’s where we’ll get you stitched.”
“What’s the point?” I sighed. “Oh, wait…that’s a question.”
“Are you always this annoying?” His eyes watched me carefully, trailing over my body before landing on my bloody shoulder. The muscles around my shoulder blade swelled.
“Don’t ask questions!” I retorted. “Let’s hurry and fix my shoulder so you can murder another wolf.” I rolled my eyes, too tired to really care about dying.
“Who said anything about killing you, Little Wolf?” Hawke pushed me forward.
White River found Raider passed out against the tree first. He could smell the faint scent of lye soap. Dahlia must’ve been here with him. Viper said they both were here, but the only trace of Dahlia was the soap scent and foot prints. The imprint of her body was near another tree opposite Raider, but the most disconcerting thing about the entire scene in White River’s eyes was the trail of blood leading from the tree to Raider. Her prints and blood disappeared about a foot from his body.
The medicine man put a vile of pungent liquid beneath Raider’s noise and waited for the boy to come too. His bloodshot eyes rolled open. “Doc?” He asked. Confusion swept across his sharp features, “Where’s the wolf?”
“What happened?” Viper hissed as she came through the trees.
“The last thing I remember is the wolf standing there,” Raider explained. “What’s happening? Where is she?”
“That’s what I’d like to know,” Shadow growled as Macon helped him through the trees. Macon rushed to his brother’s side.
“Kamara’s obviously still pissed,” Raider stated while pulling a bottle of water and a cloth from his bag.
“You’d figure a girl who looks more like a dragon than a bird would get over it, right?” Raider tried to smile, but it looked more like a grimace.
“Did he take her,” Shadow yelled.
Raider nodded, “he sent Kamara after me; he didn’t want to let the wolf leave. He said I was free to come and go as I pleased, but I couldn’t take her with me.”
“That’s not our land, Raider,” White River chided while mixing herbs he brought with him. “You can’t just go into their woods.”
“Hawke disagrees,” the boy stated. He closed his eyes and took a shaky breath.
“I’m going after her,” Shadow said. He still limped on his right leg, but determination filled his desire to find her.
“No you’re not,” Raider sighed. “He’ll be back for you soon enough because he knows you; you have your mother’s genes.”
“What are you saying?” White River questioned while rubbing his concoction on Raider’s wounds.
The boy shook his head while gritting his teeth. His eyes widened before he turned to his brother. “They don’t want to kill you, it’s much worse than that.”
“I don’t understand,” Macon squeezed his twin’s hand tightly.
“Control; they want control, and Hawke won’t stop until he’s done what he’s told.”
Rage filled White River; the emotion mirrored in Macon and Shadow. Viper bandaged Raider’s wounds without talking, but her mind whirled. She stared into Raider’s pale yellow eyes before she asked, “who is controlling Hawke?”