The Wolf

Ch. 27: Help

~Nico~

My lungs gasp in sharp intakes of air and my eyes snap open. White. Everything is completely white. My body is frozen stiff and gives a dull response when I attempt to move it. The woods are engulfed in a snowstorm and I'm stuck right in the middle of it. I don't think I'll be able to make it back to the camp before I shut down completely.

Noct! I cry out, desperately.

Nico, Noct replies firmly, sensing how grave the situation is. You need to shift. I'll give you energy, but I'm not sure if it will be enough to get us home.

"We can only try," I say out loud, forcing myself to stand.

Bones shift and displace. Fur sprouts and my face elongates into a snout. Already, I feel a fraction warmer. My legs wobble with just small steps through the snow. The wind plucks at me, making it even harder to walk than it already is. Ignoring the lack of feeling in my limbs, I bound through the woods. Aching pains wrack my head and Nyx's mark.

Every moment feels like an eternity. I wonder just how far I wandered into the woods, so I can know if I'm getting closer. My vision is a tunnel, my only thoughts are of making it to safety before passing out in this freezing weather.

Am I even headed in the right direction? I ponder.

Nico, Noct says urgently, keep talking. If you lose consciousness this time, you won't wake up.

O-OK. But what should I talk about? I feel like a little kid. I have no idea what to do to.

Talk about things you want to do.

I, I want to break whatever spell is on Alex's head. I want to kiss him. I want him to hold me. I really want to break Nyx for what she's put me through. I want to apologize to Alex. I want to eat with Dom and Blake. I want to find the mystery person, Elanor. My steps stumble and I collapse to the ground.

I-I want to see Alex. I push off of the ground and stagger on, wind whipping me harshly.

What do you want to say to Alex?  Noct inquires.

I want to tell him that I'm sorry, I want to tell him what our moms did and that I love him. I ramble on.

Noct says, That's good, you will tell him this. You'll tell him everything.

Noct and I continue on like this. Him encouraging me to keep talking, while I babble on and on. I don't even notice when the trees give away. The back of a big house stands in front of me. It takes me a long moment to realize that it's the HeadHouse. Somehow I was lead here. Probably through the connection Alex and I share.

My paws trip up the stairs and I land in front of the back door with a thud. My wolf shifts back to human form. I can't even tell my hand is moving as I bang it against the door, trying to make a loud enough noise to get someone's attention.

The wind shrieks loudly through the atmosphere. I doubt anyone will hear me like this. My eyes are beginning to shut of their own accord. I need to hurry. Using the door handle to pull myself up, the handle twists. No way. Is it open? I give the handle a good turn and the door swings open, blown in by the wind. Without wasting a second, I hop inside and slam the door behind me.

The hallway is dim and longer than I remember. Water drips on the floor and I feel sorry for making such a mess. The wall makes good support. The heat is on and it makes me shiver viciously as I attempt to adjust to it.

Someone rounds the corner at the end of the hall and stops in their tracks when they see me. "Who are you?" They ask, unable to see who it is in this darkness.

"Alex?" I inquire, my voice small. Even in my current state, I'm worried about him hating me for earlier.

"Nico?" He says in disbelief, "What are you doing here?" He turns around and flicks the hallway light on. Alex stops in his tracks when he sees me.

"I-I-I," I stop talking, unable to speak from the stuttering. "C-cold."

Alex approaches me cautiously. "Nico? What the heck happened to you?"

"Cold..." I whisper, stepping forward. My knees giving out. 

Even when I hit the ground Alex doesn't rush to my side. I can only imagine what he thinks of me. His look shows doubt of my current state. I fumble with the zipper, trying to pull my coat off. But I give up and curl up into a ball.

"Nico?" Alex questions, his voice contains a hint of doubt.

My head feels like it's full of marmalade and it feels as though I'm burning up while freezing at the same time. My eyes close, I can't stay awake any longer. I proceed to pass out on Alex's floor.