Unsevered Ties

4. All Dogs go to Heaven

Chapter 4: All Dogs Go to Heaven

The world faded in and out, a swirling blackness closed around him, both eerily close and painfully far away. He wished it would just encompass him and swallow him whole. He was in some odd state of miserable pain, every inch of him on fire, every bone weighed down by an unbearable pressure, yet somehow he was completely numb.

His consciousness didn't feel present, but it had to be for him to feel this way. Was this what it felt like to wait to die? If death was indeed lingering about him, he wished it would just hurry and steal his last breath; he didn't want to suffer through this immense pain anymore, and yet somehow it drew on and on...

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The arm moved... Rafeo wasn't sure if he was crazy or seeing things in his confused state, but he'd seen the arm buried beneath all those rocks move. His brain ran in circles about what to do, but he knew whatever it was, he couldn't do it alone. He couldn't go to his father, though... The man would rage; he would hunt Aiden down and drag him back.

He knew that if he went to his father, he would tell him to leave the boy there to die. His father's only concern was with his new mate, and without her son in the picture, he would have no more problems. Rafeo couldn't live with himself, though, knowing that Naki could be alive, but he just left him there to die.

He'd dug furiously in the rubble until his claws bled, searching for the boy's face so he would have air while Rafeo made the trip back to the pack. When he finally found it, Naki just looked so dead. Just the look of the gruesome scene made him sick, but he'd seen the tiniest of gleams in Naki's eyes, trying to stay open.

"Don't you die!" Rafeo growled to himself as he ran faster than he ever had, trying to cross the woods as fast as possible. He glanced back a few times. He knew Aiden was long gone in the other direction, but he didn't know if he'd done the right thing.

Would the actions be put on him instead? What if they went to look for Aiden? He paused to catch his breath and shake his head. He couldn't think about any of that now; he just had to focus on getting help. He glanced around the woods, each direction would take him closer to a certain part of the town. At the moment, there was only one person he could think of to be of any help...

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Layahla could feel her energy draining. Being what she was, it wasn't difficult to figure out what was happening; she was giving birth to a stillborn. Her heart ached at the thought that this child that she would bear would be special; it had the air of destiny around it ever since it came into conception. She'd had dreams of her new little life and dreams of his future, both sad and happy.

Her dreams were always destiny. She also had dreams about Naki, her sweet little Naki, who she also knew was entwined with destiny. It was her only duty to love them dearly and keep them on the right path to their futures, but had she already failed them both?

The ache in her very being told her something felt wrong—more wrong than she currently felt. A warm hand touched her fevered head, and she turned her face, staring up lovingly at Phillius. She'd come to see the man as a partner, a new chance at love, when her own betrayed their promise. 

Something about the surly man had spurred her to try again. Oh how she wanted to take away all the hardness from his eyes. There was such a softness behind them, and she wanted to bring it all forward, but it seemed like it wouldn't be possible. 

Her life was meant for a purpose. She wanted to live it fully, happily, with many children surrounded by love. Sometimes a higher power had other plans. She was accepting of the wills of the Gods above, she thought as she reached a shaking hand up to stroke her mate's face.