Well toward midnight, the group came across a shallow hole in the side of a hill that led into a stump of a cave. The group collapsed at the edge of the darkness, neither eager to bury themselves in pitch-blackness nor be left out in the open.
Deck pulled his shift first, turning to the rest of the group. He helped Nat slide off of the golden wolf, allowing Yeller to turn human. "An bhfuil tú ceart go leor?" Yeller cradled him.
"Is mian liom go raibh mé marbh." Nat curled into Yeller's chest, slipping into delirium.
"He asleep?" Deck asked, squatting down next to them. Hana sat down next to them, using a wing to divert the rain from Yeller and Nat. Sun Hee and Zola were working to put together a fire ring in the cave. Benj trampled through the edge of the woods, collecting scrap sticks.
"Or unconscious," Yeller ran a thumb along Nat's cheekbone in worry. The man made no response.
"I wish I could get into his headspace and see what was going on. Why is his wolf talking to us, and ours are just wolves?" Deck stared at the waif.
Hey. Hey, human? Sven called into the darkness.
Sven? Nat responded on a thin tether.
Don't go sinking into the abyss on me.
It feels pretty good down here; join me.
Why does your head hurt so much? I don't like it.
Uh...bloodloss, dope.
No, like sharp needles type pain.
Nat? A new voice permeated his senses.
Deck? What are you doing here?
Holy fuck! Deck gulped in the inky blackness.
Nat rolled to blink up at the brightness of the midnight sky under shattered Polaris. "What did you do? That hurts," he croaked, glaring at Deck through a headache.
Hana leaned over to touch Nat's temple. Her fingers shattered his resolve. He curled closer into Yeller's hold.
"Did the Flock touch you?" Hana glared at Deck.
"How do you think they got us in the cage?" he hissed.
"No, did one of you share a kiss or something like that?" Pink ran across her cheeks.
"What's wrong with Nat?" Zola asked, emerging from the cave.
"This is your energy mark," Hana cursed, looking up at Deck.
"What do you mean, my energy mark?" Deck squeaked.
"I mean, this star on his temple is an energy mark specially made by one person. It's like a signature almost, but it transfers certain kinds of energy between one person and another," the woman answered testily, touching the mark on Nat's temple again. She motioned for Deck to move closer. He took a step. "So, who kissed you?"
Deck shook his head, then paused in shock. "Some of the people greeted us. They kissed us on the cheek...."
Hana sighed, rolling her eyes. Irritated, she snapped, "Figures. It's something the Flock can do. My parents made us. They screwed with our genes to give us wings. In the midst of it, they did this...thing." She waved her hand in annoyance. "So yeah, psychic powers of some sort. Looks like you aren't the only creatures on the planet that are contagious. Here, I'll show you. Sit still. This is easier on a stationary person."
"Psychic? Your joking," Zola protested.
"I just spoke to Nat in his mind, right, Nat?" Deck turned from Zola to the man in Yeller's arms.
YOU ARE READING
Polaris Skies
WilkołakiNat can't even qualify himself as a regular college student. Not with the Grey Monster and subsequent world war scrubbing most of the earth of its population. Then there's the werewolves. More to be exact, being possessed by werewolves. And not in t...
