Ravenwings (Imaged + Completed) [1st in Trilogy]

Part III: Chapter 52

"Well if we can't take you to the hospital we have to take you somewhere," I insisted to Raven as he made a graceful, running landing in our front yard, our flight illuminated only by the stars and a sliver of moon. My heart soared to finally be home again. "It's still bleeding!"

"I've had worse," he said flippantly.

"There's literally a bullet in your chest. There has to be somewhere you can get fixed up."

"Well...we could do a vet."

"A vet?! For a bullet wound?!"

"A doctor would just lock me up. We'd have better luck with a vet. Miriam was a vet."

Yes, but that doesn't mean we should have a vet patch you up just because they're more approachable. "So...you want to just...go all the way to Edgewood, just to go to a vet?" I shook my head. "That's too long of a drive! You need help now!"

"Ah, no rush," he said flippantly, and shrugged, but winced in pain. God damn it, it'll be forever before he gets treatment... If he was just pulling some sort of 'tough guy' routine and that wound got worse, I was definitely going to chew him out like no other.

I froze in my tracks, looking to the front door and seeing a pair of glinting yellow eyes.

Oh no... My gut twisted. How did their dogs make it here before us?! They'd come back for revenge on us for killing their human...

Noticing it too, Raven had the opposite reaction and lit up like a Christmas tree, racing forward to the porch. "Mrrrow?!" he meowed at the glittering eyes.

"Mreeeeh!" Potatonut replied, emerging from the bushes, and looking ten pounds lighter. "Mow...meowlowleeeh...!" Potatonut started yelling at Raven, which was fine until Raven started meowing the same tone back...

I took a deep breath. Not an attack dog, just the cat... Calm down, Melody, you're just being paranoid. It could be a while before I settled down again and stopped looking over my shoulder.

Ah, it's good to be home, I thought, swearing to myself that after kidnapping and abuse, I'd never complain about that cat's meowing again.

"I can't believe it," I said. "He actually survived outside on his own for what...twelve days?"

Raven tried to reach down and pet Potatonut, but he hissed and backed away. I shuffled Raven into the unlocked front door (Nancy can't do a thing without me...she might've starved to death without me making her applesauce on t–)

Wait...oh sh*t...I hope she's alright...

"Grandma?" It was about her bedtime, but her bedroom was dark and her door was ajar.

I closed the front door behind us as Potatonut tiptoed in behind us, my gut sinking when there was no reply.

"Grandma!"