WILD

Chapter two

Eric's agony bellowed deep into the forest. Both mine and Henry's heads angled watching the flock of birds shriek into the darkening sky. A sick satisfaction heated my chest at knowing Alex ripped apart her physical demon, moments later her bloodied form stalked towards us only solidifying that feeling. As she got closer I could smell she was drenched. Her angelic blue eyes deep in thought as she approach.

"Did he shit himself, I smell shit" Henry blanched opening his jaws wide, his tongue darting out before closing them. A mix of constipation and pain crossing his wolfish features. Alex grinned showing her blood stained teeth, her sharp fangs standing out like a wolf in a flock of sheep. "Hm. You could say that" a look I couldn't fully comprehend flashed in her blue eyes, gone as quickly as it arrived.

"I got the gate open, no use in hanging around let's ditch" Henry's unease flickered between us, his body turned rushing through the gates in a few steps. Alex's gaze burned into the back of my skull, both of us following slower after Henry. Our physical demons had been slain but I knew our mental demons had just began to rear their ugly heads. Henry was obvious to how close we both were to drowning inside of our own suffering. In some ways I'm thankful hen hadn't been given the same treatment as Alec and myself. They spared him this haunting truth.

"We aren't truly free, are we?" Alex muttered softly beside me, her voice too low for Henry to pick up. We walked in pace with one another, two souls allowing the truth to flow through us. It was never about being free, I need the truth and answers.

"RABBIT!" We both watched Henry make short work of chasing his rabbit and killing it quickly, the small fragile crunch sounded dull. At least he's good at hunting. I thought, his tail swaying happily in the air, the dead rodent dangling from his mouth. Small spots of its blood dripping into the ground.

                            🐺

"I'm beat" hen grumbled from the floor, belly up. The bones of his kill next to his hind leg.  I paused licking the remains of Emma from my paws to watch him roll onto his stomach, a small huff escaping his nose. "There's an easy answer to that" Alex droned, her voice flat. "Get some rest" she shrugged turning her focus to her nails, continuing to get rid of Eric without much luck. "But-" "rest" her tone left no room for his attempts to whine, despite his age he always has this childlike manner about him. One that put me at ease all those years ago.

Resting my head against my paws i lay motionless, every scent I inhaled allowed me a bigger picture of the area, this forest was less dense, slightly more room to get between the trees with our wolves. "How's your shoulder blue? I can smell it's still bleeding" Alex pushed her body away from the slim tree she was resting against, a look of controlled worry crossing her face. Forcing my feet below me I stood shaking my coat out to test the wound, curtsy of Emma's stupid gun. At the time I hadn't felt it. Nothing was getting in the way of her and my teeth. I stare at Alex, her closeness itching my skin with irritation, she knows not to touch me after all this time but I could feel her debating weather my wound needed attention or not. "I hate to say it but Emma knew how to shoot, a clean shot all the way through" I nod inching away from her, she didn't flinch or seem hurt by my action we knew each others limits by now and touch was one of mine.

"Should heal when you've regained enough strength" I sniffed in acknowledgement eyeing the small lift of her lips. "But for now don't exert yourself blue" I took in her advice dropping to the ground again to resume with my grooming session. The tart flavour coating my tongue with each lick.

"Cat on a stick!" Henry grumbled shaking out his fur to remove the leaves and stray swigs. "Huh"

"How are you two with the male form? Ya know, Big sexy man? Because i need to stretch my damn legs" me and Alex shared a grimace. "I could do without seeing little Henry today, I believe blue is the same, plus you'll be cold" she deadpanned, her glare eating into Henry, shifting uncomfortably his muscles switch like they do before he pounces but he stays still, the twitch changes into a ripple, loud pops reach my ears, a grotesque sound that sounded like it should be wet, small cracking and crunching noises followed.

His fur shrivelled making way for lightly tanned skin coated with dirt and blood, i adverted my gaze when he shrunk down and shifted completely. "Ew!" He heaved flapping his hands over his tongue. "Blood tastes awful when I'm human!" Alex hummed.

"Riveting news. Now can you please with a cherry on top, cover your junk!" I snort loudly at the pair and Alex's use of the lingo Henry had been teaching her, he could only take her old way of talking for so many years.

"Blah" he spat onto the ground, his hands cupping his sensitive areas "better?" "Haven't decided yet, but I'll let you know when I do" I shifted my weight toning out their sibling like chatter.

Wind blew my fur off to the side, its chill soothing my slowly healing wounds. I blinked peeling them open again with more difficulty.

Go to sleep, everything will feel better in the morning. Allowing them to shut I toned out everything but Shelby's soft humming, it's comfort drawing sleep closer until everything vanished into nothingness.

"I told you you've be cold!"

"Yeah, well... ah never mind"