Traumatised Tim

Chapter Thirteen

She was all packed. Having no belongings meant that she had nothing to take except provisions but they were stored in wicker baskets and various backpacks. Everyone who was going carried at least one pack. Most of the rogue warriors had descended and now those who were the guides and protectors, of their little bunch of non-fighters, were ready and waiting to set off and take them to safety.

                Rebekah stood next to her and the few children that were part of the pack were stood solemnly by. Most had opted to stay behind but Brendon had been told that he had to go. Despite his arguing he had eventually agreed. He was still young and they wanted to keep him as innocent as possible.

“Besides we may need you to protect us.” Eveliina had said. She knew it would pain Tim if he had to take him with him into a battle but Tim would have done had the situation arose. Eveliina wouldn’t and she made sure the situation did not arise. Only Tommy was stood by eyeing the lad up and assessing him. She glanced Tommy but he immediately put on a smiling face when he saw her looking at him. “You leave that boy alone.” She said when Brendon was out of earshot.

“Of course. “ But he sounded too… pleasing for her to take him seriously.

                She had said good bye to Tim but he was still unconscious and had no idea she was going. She plucked a flower from the ground and left it by his head so when he woke up he would know she said goodbye. It felt wrong to leave him in such a way; with no word to him, when the sun was only just rising and had not yet cast light in the sky. She had to step up though and take care of the pack and that meant that those who couldn’t fight needed to go. They had to get somewhere there was less likely to be war. She cupped his cheek in her hand. “Goodbye Tim. Come back to me at the end, I’m waiting for you. Don’t leave me.” She whispered into his ear.

                Gently she reached down and placed her lips over his, feeling the softness there and lingering for a second. He was too injured to even wake at her kiss and it was with a heavy heart that she pulled away. She stroked back his hair once before sharply turning and leaving him lying on a makeshift bed with the covers to his chest. It made him look slightly more vulnerable than usual.

“I love you.”

*

He knew instantly when he woke up that something was wrong. Not only was it too quiet at the waterfall for such a time of the day (the sun was shining strongly and it seeped into the cave he was in) but Eveliina wasn’t there with him.

                The sound of children was absent, the rushing water all he could hear. By his head there was a little flower and he felt a little tingling in his lips that made him reach up to touch them. But nothing was there. His back hurt a lot, it burned a little when he moved and it was hard to move at all. The claw cuts stung and his neck felt as open as it had been last night but he felt the stitches and knew it to be closed.

“You look like hell.”

“Feel it too.”

                Tommy was stood in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest and one leg draped over the other as he stood leaning on the rocks.

“Where is Eveliina.”

“Safe.”

“That doesn’t tell me anything. Tell me plainly, Tommy.”

“I sent her off with some rogues to follow the water to the safety of a certain forest I know.”

                Tim was up, out of bed and walking toward tommy with a look nothing less than murderous anger. The pain of his wounds were long forgotten now. “You sent my mate away!” He was about to swing for Tommy when the man, twice his age and half his height, held out one arm and stopped Tim’s swing before he had even raised his hand. “Don’t make an enemy out of me, I’ve done you a good turn. You needed your pack protecting and I sent them to the safest place I know of. I sent them to the rogues that will soon be part of your pack.”

                He did not let go of Tim’s arm, instead he pulled him outside to where the sun blinded him for a minute. Slowly Tim was forced to get used to the sun and eventually became aware that a lot of strangers were on his land. “Who are all these.”

“Rogues who wish to join your pack. Assuming you have already said yes; they agree to go with you to Ray and fight in the war that will rage between you five packs and the ‘wayward pack’ as you have taken to calling them.”

“What?”

“Yes, sit down, you’re swaying a little.”

                Tim sat, almost collapsed onto the floor as he looked at the many men all around him. He recognised a few of them as part of his own but most were new faces.

“They have waited in the forest a long time hoping to meet you one day. They want you to be their alpha but regardless of that, they will help you now to protect Tendra and the other packs.”

“What of Eveliina though.”

“I told you she is safe. Now then in two days we go to Ray’s. I have already sent word ahead to get all the non-fighters from all four packs into the passages that lead to the hills. At the hills are more of you pack – well new members of your pack - waiting to protect them. So no need to worry about that bit either.”

“You mean these rogues are waiting at the hills?”

“New members of your pack, yes. Get used to it.”

                He looked around at the warriors of his ‘pack’ and couldn’t believe how many he had. “There are lots.”

“Yes, the wayward pack has done quite a number on most of this area. As you can imagine the number of rogues forced to flee, either because their packs were enslaved or slaughtered, has increased dramatically. There are many rogues in that forest I told you about. I won’t tell you now, you’re white with shock, but you have a very big pack.”

“I’m missing half my blood that’s why I’m white! Not shock.” Let him have some pride left, since everything else had been taken care of while he slept. Urgh he felt terrible and now he was hastily trying to fill himself in with the schedule.

                There was only one problem. “How do you know there will be a battle?”

“Ah, that’s the bit where I give you permission to hit me.” He stuck his tongue out at Tim and hoped he would take this lightly. “I was doing some… scouting… with a difference.”

“Explain.”

“If I saw them do something bad, I killed them.”

“Essentially not the biggest problem. But go on.”

“Well I got myself caught didn’t I? They set me up. Innocent little kid got killed because they were trying to lure me out. I’ll never forget that… but anyway, I fight well. I had already set up the safe places and for the rogues to join in and all the others things so… well… I just…”

“You set up a battle didn’t you?”

“What was I supposed to do? They were coming for you all anyway. I’d listened enough to hear that they were planning an attack as soon as they figured out your weak spots. They were already getting geared up to go to Lebon, Ray, Myco and Aliysha. You were next after them. You’re a warrior Tim, the merged packs needed you there. And you needed the threat to your own pack eliminating. I just set the date on our terms. I gave us enough time to prepare - otherwise they would have come at you all in surprise. I did what I could to save everyone.”

“And they let you go?”

“When I promised I would be in the battle… Then I slipped my hands out the handcuffs and ran. Literally ran away from them.”

                Tim looked around at his pack home.

“We had best be on our way then.”