Rogue Squad

Another One Bites the Dust?

I yawn and stretch my arms as I wait in the backyard of the pack house for Greyson. He dropped me off at my normal tree where, thankfully, I leave a couple sets of emergency clothing items for occasions like this. He wandered off to go sniff out some emergency clothes for himself.

My whole body is a bit sore from the long ride, especially my back. I try twisting my torso left and right, but it's not enough relief, I'm still sore and a tad uncomfortable.

I place my hands on my lower back and lean backward. A small crack pops and I smile in satisfaction. It's amazing how much relief a small back crack can give.

A moment later I see Greyson stepping out from the other side of the forest. He starts walking toward me, so I follow suit. We meet in the middle of the yard.

"Want to grab something to eat?" Greyson asks me.

I nod my head, "yeah that would be great. I just want to swing by and see Rina. During the mission she got wolf's bane in her system and now she's like me... human. I want to make sure she's okay, you know?"

A smile spreads across his cheeks, revealing his pearly white teeth. "Always thinking of others first," he reaches up and ruffles my hair playfully, "that's another thing I love about you."

My cheeks flame red. How can he be so open about his feelings all of a sudden? It's heart racing and embarrassing!

I turn my face toward the pack house to shield my blushing cheeks. We continue into the house. Greyson follows me to the girl's corridor. Before we reach it, a loud and piercing screech echoes through the halls. I cringe and turn on my heels. A moment later a small mass flies into my side, colliding with me.

Oof!

I look down at the black-haired little girl who is desperately clinging to my side. She wails and cries, so instinctively, my arms close in around her. I squeeze her tight.

"Milena, what's wrong?" I ask her, my voice low and motherly.

She wails again. "I -- I -- I was told you went to heaven!" She screams and clings to me even further.

I look up at Greyson with a questioning look. He has the same one plastered on his face. I wonder what she's going on about?

"It's fine Milena. I'm here and I'm safe. Take some deep breaths and calm down." I continue to stroke her hair in a calming manner. "Who told you that?" I ask her in a hushed tone.

She sniffles on my shirt and clings to me tightly. Luckily she seems to have calmed down a bit. "Palmer told me that if you didn't return by last night, they were going to assume you went to heaven."

I sigh. So it was just Palmer playing his stupid little tricks. What a little brat. How dare he make a little girl worry! He is going to pay for this.

"He said," she sniffles, "that you were going to end up worse off than Raymond."

My arms freeze, as does my heart. My eyes flick over to Greyson. He's staring down at Milena, confusion written all over his face. I shakily take in a breath. I try to steady my emotions as I ask her another question.

"Milena, what do you mean? What happened to Raymond?"

She sniffles. Her grip finally loosens. "He got in a fight with a bad silver wolf. Palmer says he's going to heaven soon."

My heart drops. My hands fall to my side. Milena releases me and looks up at my face. Her eyes widen. "Lucia, you're crying!"

I reach up slowly. Gently my finger graze across my cheek. My skin is moist from the falling tears. "Milena, why don't you go find Palmer. I have some business to attend." My voice is shaky.