Rose, Wilted: Book 1

Chapter 16 - Third Time's The Charm

It was a bit disorienting to find the blanket back over me come morning. The curtains had been pulled aside and light now streamed into the room. I yawned and sat up. It took a couple seconds to realize that the Beast was gone and that someone had left breakfast and a change of clothes for me in his place. There was a sapphire blue dress with straps that crested my shoulders when I had put it on, mercifully keeping pressure off my wound, yet hiding the bandage with a flutter of fabric.

I helped myself to breakfast and read the note that was left with it. Well, I tried to read it. It wasn't Rowena's usual neat handwriting. This was more of a large, clumsy jumble of letters that took up almost the entire page in one word.

Hunting.

A tiny smile crossed my lips as I imagined the Beast's large hands trying to hold a quill and fumbling over the ink. Sweet of him to write it himself. But then I remembered Avoln and the snow outside the castle and the wound in the Beast's shoulder. The smile was short lived after that.

I picked myself up and pushed out the door to the rest of the castle. It took a bit of figuring out, but I managed to find my way out to the grounds. Dull rose petals fluttered weakly under my bare feet as I ran toward the gate. It was soon in sight and I slowed my pace. Beyond the iron bars, trudging through the snow, was a large, hulking form. I came to a halt and quieted, suddenly feeling the need for silence as I ducked behind a tree.

The gate swung open without help and Beast shouldered his way inside on all fours, walking with a definite limp in his left shoulder. The gate swung closed behind him and he grew closer. He was preoccupied with his ragged cloak which kept getting under his paws and hadn't noticed me yet. But I had noticed something about him. From where I stood I could see fresh blood clumping the fur around his jaws and staining his teeth pink. There was still enough of it lingering that miniature, red raindrops dripped from his fur and I could see more of it glistening on his claws.

I couldn't stop the sharp inhale from happening and the Beast stopped. He looked up, green eyes finding me immediately. His expression reminded me a bit of a guilty child caught in the act. I stared for what seemed like too long of a moment with my mouth forming a small "o". The Beast ducked his head and tried to wipe the blood off his maw with his bad arm and and grunted.

I looked down, suddenly interested in my toes and the carpet of wrinkled, decaying rose petals beneath them. Had these been dead when I'd come?

I looked back up and saw the Beast watching me warily. I took a deep breath and walked towards him. At first he backed away, but he ran out of room quickly and it took only a moment to reach him. I bit my lip, then opened my mouth to speak, but the words I had thought to say retracted themselves. I pressed my lips together, watching the Beast knead the ground with his claws.

"Uh, is your shoulder feeling any better?" I asked.

The Beast blinked in surprise.

"Um, yes. Yes, it feels a bit better. If I don't put too much pressure on it I can walk well enough."

I nodded.

"That's good."

I curled my toes around the grass beneath my feet.

"So... I saw your note," I said. "I would ask if you had any luck hunting but, ah... Anyway. I thought you might have run into Avoln or the wolves or something."

"I could have handled them if I did."

I raised an eyebrow and glanced at his shoulder.

"I think you should rest though," I said. "It would make the whole healing process go faster. How did you manage walking this much in the first place?"