Lost

7

 

Chapter 7

I could feel Nadia clawing at my skin to get out, and she wouldnt have to wait long. The tawny wolf lunged at me growling and drooling. I didnt waste any time before lunging into my fur. We met with teeth and claws biting and scratching at each other. The tawny wolf backed away and we began circling each other. From this distance I could smell the feminine musk that was buried underneath all the dirt, grime, and that rancid odder that came with being a rouge.

She let out a growl that could barely make a pup quiver in fear, while I reciprocated with one that could move mountains. I watched the her every move while simultaneously keeping an eye out for her companion. She shifted weight from her front legs to her hind ones and leapt into the air. Much to her surprise I didnt jump to meet her in the air and instead ran underneath to sink my teeth into her soft under belly. With the first bite I had enough of her flesh and fur in my mouth and I whipped my head back and forth tearing a chunk out of her stomach and pulling her to the ground.

She landed with thud and a loud crack Im assuming was one of her limbs. She tried to stand as fast as possible, letting out whimpers and warning growls, as she saw me advancing on her quickly, but her front leg was bent at an awkward angle. I licked her blood from lips. Nadia was anxious to finish the she wolf off and eliminate the threat to our pack. Pack? Is that what I thought of the four? I couldnt think about that now I needed to finish the she wolf and then kill the male.

I lunged at the bitch and sank my two and a half inch claws into her back and drug her towards me, ignoring her howls of pain and fear. I sank my teeth into her throat and was in the process of ripping her jugular from her body when I saw the man slipping back into the tree not even attempting to try and save his friend. I threw the jugular to the side and shifted back into my skin. I told the others to go back into the cave ignoring the expressions on their face and took off into the trees after the man.

It took me less than a minute to catch up to the man. He didnt hear me approach him silently over his heavy breathing and the rapid staccato of his heart. I leapt off the ground bounding off the nearest tree and round house kicked the man in the face. He flew to the ground and lay there eagle style. He stared up at sky unblinking and not breathing. Did I kill him already, I didnt hear a heartbeat? Id thought so, but the man took in a great gasp and his heart started again. I on top of him in a blur of movement, my hand placed over his chest menacingly. He opens his mouth to say something.

You wont get away from him. He had a small smirk on his lips but still had fear in his eyes. He knew he was going to die. I didnt care if I killed him and I didnt care that I had killed that she wolf either. The cold indifference on my face as I ripped his heart out of his body, as he opened his mouth to speak again, wasnt faked nor forced. I watched the pitiful life drain from his eyes, I watched as his body went limp on the forest floor. I had no sympathy for his kind. They took everything from me and given the chance I would take everything from them.

I watched as the mans life essence poured red from the hole that I had created and stained the lush green grass below.

~

I emerged from the trees carrying the mans limp body over my shoulders. Upon hearing my approach, Nashoba appeared at the mouth of the cave. When he saw that it was me he ducked back inside and appeared again with Adolpha and Lyall by his side, and then started to approach me. I did not approach them and instead dumped the mans body on the ground and began to drag the female over. Lyall widened her eyes and gasped at the sight of the pair. The female had begun the slow, after death, shift back into her human, now more resembling a very hairy woman than a wolf.

I need you all to gather some wood and herbs for me. I said speaking softly to them. I know they were probably scared and confused and I didnt want to scare them further. The nodded their heads and looked from the dead bodies to me. Nashoba can you get me some Wiscus and some Spusnoom? I saw the perplexed look on his faces. Wiscus is a red and purple plant that grows up out of the ground like an incense stick and Spusnoom are the little black flowers that grow around the Wiscus, they usually grow around poison ivy bushes. Adolpha can you go with him to get the wood, please? Nashoba an Adolpha nodded their heads and walked into the trees leaving me and Lyall alone. Lyall I need you to help me prepare the bodies. A look of horror took over her face and her eyes flew between me and the two bodies on the ground.

What do you mean prepare them? she said. Her voice shaking a little.

We have to burn them. We cant leave any trace of what happened her. All it would take is for some hikers to stumble across two bodies in the middle of the forest and call the cops. And we dont want the cops to do an autopsy on them now do we? Lyalls face was scrunched up in confusion, and she asked me what was bad about an autopsy. They take DNA during autopsies Lyall. What do you think they would find if they took these twos DNA? the cloud of confusion that was hanging over her head dissipated, and she nodded in understanding

I had instructed Lyall to collect every patch of dirt and grass that had blood on it that she could find and throw into the small pit wed dug out an hour ago, while I dismembered the bodies. I also told her to grab the females throat that Id ripped out and throw it in the pit as well. She didnt like that all.

Just do it. Dont think about it. I told her. She looked me in my eyes, I nodded my head at her in reassurance, and then she bent down to pick up the throat. Adolpha had turned up a few times to drop off piles of wood and after a while she returned again but this time with Nashoba, who had two hands full of the herbs Id sent him to get.

I, with the help of Adolpha, the only one brave enough to help, pushed the bodies into the pit first and then threw all the wood on top. I started a fire and lastly I sprinkled the plants over top the flames murmuring a few words under my breath.

When the fire dies down we need to cover it over with the dirt again. It shouldnt be long now thanks to the Spusnoom.

What does the Spusnoom do? asked Adolpha in a hushed voice as she stared into the fire.

Spusnoom combined with a simple enchantment speeds up the burning process, and Wiscus masks the smell of burning flesh. She nodded her head but did not remove her eyes from the flames.

A tense silence fell over the camp. I could tell by the way their eyebrows were knitted together and the confused looks on their faces that they were thinking about what that rouge had said earlier. I was thinking about it myself. Dead or alive the rouge had said. But why? Why after all these years was he still looking for me? I didnt have what he wanted. But he didnt know that. (I barely registered Adolpha slipping away from the fire and disappearing into the depths of the cave.) Why did he want what Id had in the first place? What wed lost Nadia whisper. My eyes filled with tears, as I gazed into the flames, as if the flickering embers had the answer to all my problems. What wed lost. I heard whimpering and looked up to find the source of the sorrowful sound, only to find that I was sat on the ground with my knees drawn up to my chest, with Nashoba and Lyall crouched on either side of me. What wed lost. I buried my face into my knees and fought to hold in a painful sob. I heard some shuffling to the right of me and then felt soft tentative hands circle around my body. Lyall was hugging me. My body tensed for a half a second before I threw all caution to the wind and melted into her comforting embrace. Retched sobs along with the anguished howls of Nadia could be heard resonating throughout the night.

What wed lost.

No.

What he'd taken from us.