Wolf Fight

Chapter 17

Recap of previous chapter since it's been a while: Isis's mate has been found, his name is Lark. Patil has just told Ella that 81 wolves died the night of the attack. This is the aftermath.

Ella's PoV

"What?"

"Ella, calm down pl-" Patil tried, I had to give him props for that, but I wasn't having it.

"Calm down? 81 wolves. 81 lives lost last night, and you want me to just take it in stride and go along with whatever you say?" My voice grew hysterical, and Patil's eyes hardened.

His voice was deadly quiet, eyes hard as steel. "You've been out for the past three days. We've had to go through the processes of death while simultaneously making sure you're still breathing."

Iona growled. 'I swear, if he prioritized us over any other wounded, I'm going to snap.'

"What about the others who were wounded? I didn't have wounds half as bad as some of the other wolves, if I was prioritized I swear you will never hear the end of it." All my life, I've known that the people of my kingdom would be forced to prioritize me and my health in any situation. It made me angry to know that my life would be seen as more valuable than any other in a life or death situation.

Patil looked down. "None of us could shift back until we got back to base. Even after we shifted, there was some sort of gas preventing the use of magic. I had to carry my dying friends back here knowing that they probably wouldn't make it without a healer right that second." He paused, composing himself, and pushed onwards, "As Alpha, I'm supposed to look after them like they are all my own pups. That includes you."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Patil kept talking. "We called in healers from some of the neighboring tribes. Some of them got here fast enough to minimize the damage done. But you weren't responding to anything. In fact, your condition got worse the more healing magic was used. So yes, we prioritized you, because I wasn't about to let another pup die. Not because you're Cami, not because you have the twin wolves, but because you got worse and worse and there was nothing magic could do to help you."

My eyes were wide by the time Patil finished his speech, eyes gleaming with passion and heartbreak over the past few days. As I looked closer, I could see bags under his eyes and weariness in his posture.

When was the last time he slept?

Instead of voicing that concern, I opted for another, "How many are still injured?"

He sighed, and his face seemed to age twenty years. "There are a few who are hanging between here and the Goddess's realm. We're doing all we can, but their fate is in the hands of higher beings."

Iona whined, 'We need to help them!'

'How?' I responded. There was no way I could do anything as untrained in magic as I was.

'Isis and I can help. Just trust us.'

Isis started at the sound of her name. 'What are we doing?'

There was a pause before Iona replied, 'Helping the injured wolves, remember?'

'Why would there be... oh.'

'Yeah,' Iona said, surprisingly bitter, 'oh. Haven't you paid any attention to the conversation?'

'Of course I have!' Isis snapped, but I could detect a bashful undertone, as if she were lying. I'd have to interrogate her later.

Out loud, I said, "Iona said she and Isis can help. Where are the wounded wolves?"

Patil reacted immediately with hope and wariness. "This way," he said, helping me out of the bed and leading me down the hallway. He came to a stop outside a door further down. "I'm not sure what to expect, there's a different smell and injury status each time I go in. Just prepare for the worst." I nodded, and he opened the door.

The first thing I noticed was the stench of dying skin cells. The pungent odor felt strong enough to knock me off my feet, but I walked into the room anyway. That's when I saw the people causing the scent.

Burn wounds were surrounded by blackened skin. Puncture wounds left behind gaping holes that showed some internal organs that were definitely not supposed to be exposed to air, ever. There was a large amount of magical pressure on the room, healers all over trying to do anything to help.

I felt dizzy at the attack my senses were under, but Iona pulled me up with her voice. 'Ella, turn around. Heck, leave the room if that's what you need. Steel yourself, then we can try to help.'

I nodded, took a deep breath of the terrible smell, and calmed myself.

'What do I need to do?'

**********

Surprise, surprise. I'm here with an update for the first time in around two years. I wanted to make this chapter longer, but I'm tired and there's homework that I still need to do despite it being past midnight here.

I really am sorry I haven't been writing in this as much though. I'm not sure how many people are actually reading this and actively waiting for another chapter, but I know I'd like to finished this book eventually.

Of course, I have no idea if or when that'll happen. I've been in a pretty bad place mentally for the past couple of months, and I'm still not sure if that's good or bad for my writing. I don't even know if I'll get out of this completely okay, but we'll see how it goes.

I do have the next couple chapters planned out, so with luck I may pump them out before the next wave of writer's block.

Anyway...

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