Relapse to Instinct

chapter20

John sat, frozen in shock as the wolf gently nosed his shoulder.

It cocked its head to the side, as though confused by his disturbance, before nuzzlinghim again and staining his torn shirt with blood.

John took the hint and stood, but he continued to gape at the cream wolf that came up to his mid-thigh.

The wolf then nudged the backs of his legs,encouraging John to move, and he did, stiffly and awkwardly, but he was moving back towards the house, the wolf limping along beside him.

Only once they were inside the house and John was locking the front door tight with shaky hands, did he hear Jazz's voice again.

It wasn't in his head though this time, and as he turned around from the front door, he saw a very bloody man leaning against the wall, completely naked. He would have beenembarrassed or surprised at his lack of embarrassment, but John couldn't feel anything at that moment.

"Are you alright, John?"

Jazz must have already asked the question as he had a worried frown on his face, though the effect was ruined somewhat by the blood dripping into his mouth from a gash along his cheek and nose.

John laughed, but it was shrill, terrified, asthough John didn't know what else to do in the situation apart from laugh .

Jazz sighed, turning and limping over to the stairs, making his way up them slowly.

John just stood frozen, his hysterical laughter bursting from his lips again. His thoughts weren't very coherent either, and consisted of a running mantra: 'Jazz, wolf. Jazz, wolf. Wolf, Jazz.' And on it went.

A few minutes of standing there and not-thinking, and Jazz was back, making hisway slowly down the stairs and through to the living room, calling out to John to followhim.

He had covered himself up somewhat, and carried two large blankets in either hand.

John followed him into the room, stopping next to him by the sofa. Jazz dropped one ofthe blankets, wrapping the other around John's shoulders before gently pushing downon them, with a 'sit' command.

As Jazz bent down and rummaged through the first aid kit, grabbing John's elbow and beginning to clean up the cut skin, John's gaze never wavered, never blinked from being fixed on the shorter man.

Neither of them spoke while Jazz patched him up, and John could barely feel the stingof the antiseptic; his whole body remaining in its numb state.

Once he'd finished with John, Jazz started to clear away the blood on his body, and John was a little surprised to find that mostof the cuts had already begun to heal over, and that the blood was just dry and matted on his body, but he couldn't bring himself tocomment or say anything, although the sight did snap him out of his terror somewhat.

"What was that?" John's voice was quiet, hoarse, like he hadn't used it in years.

Jazz paused in his ministrations, looking up at John and meeting his stare.

Eventually, Jazz sighed and sat down on thesofa next to John, looking at his hands which were folded in his lap.

"Kieran attacked you, John."

John let out a strangled noise, choking himself with the blanket slightly, "The wolves. There were wolves. You," He unwound a hand, "Are a wolf."

Jazz gave him a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Werewolf, actually."

With that, John's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed backwards against the sofa.

The sound of the kettle and light filtering through the blackened window made John open his eyes with a groan.