Forgotten Wolf

43 Sugar

Derek gently wakes me up as the guard drops our daily care pack. The burning skin on my back has been replaced by a broad, dull ache, although my shirt chaffs painfully as I make my way over to the tray. Six bottles of water, some sort of sausages, and a full loaf of bread complete with cheese is the most food we've gotten.

"Is this our last meal?" I ask skeptically, setting the tray down on his lap. I carefully lean against the wall, the cold concrete sends waves of relief through my welted back.

"If it is ,who are we to squander it," he laughs. I check the first bottle before opening it and handing it to him. It takes two bottles of water to quench my thirst. I sniff the sausage, meeting the unpleasant aroma of anise and recoil.

"They're all yours-"

"Jess you need to keep your strength up," he chides me.

"They have anise in them. I can't stand it, my stomach's finally settled. I'll take the cheese and some bread." He sniffs them, confirming my statement before relaxing. We eat slowly, trying to stretch the meal out. After the water and cheese, I don't have much room left for bread.

Derek is looking slightly improved, at least to the point I didn't think he'd die on me at any moment. "You're looking less dead," I tease, trying to lighten the mood.

"That break did me a world of good. If I could access my wolf, I'd be in fighting form by morning," he replies wistfully.

I kneel up to take a better look at his collar once again. It's simple and smooth, made of heavy silver with a substantial lock. "What are you thinking, you've already looked at it before?" He questioned, curiosity evident in both his eyes and his voice.

"I must have missed something. My head's clearer now, maybe I can see something new," I mumble.

The lock is too big, I'd need tools to cut it off or even to try and pry it. He hisses as I accidentally shift the collar, causing it to burn a new spot.

"Sorry," I say, withdrawing.

"No, I'm fine, keep looking," he encourages. I run my fingers on the smooth face, looking for any weakness.

"There has to be a hinge somewhere, how else did they get it on you?" I muse to myself. I run my finger on the bottom lip instead. "Bingo," I say with a smile. I run my fingers along the top feeling for the opposite side and find what I'm looking for... a bump.

"What did you find?" He asks, perking up instantly.

"The hinge pin, the lock's too big and thick for me to do anything with but the hinge pin is thin, like a needle. Looks like they designed it to be an invisible hinge, and it is except for that. It's offset too, no wonder why I missed it. I can file the flange off and try to work it out but that will probably hurt a fair amount." I look at him leaving the ball in his court.

"Do it," he says without hesitation.

I set out, looking for anything to work with. Silver is metal, but it's a softer metal that can be worn away with a rock or concrete but the position on his collar is bad. Ha! I spot a couple concrete chips that have fallen from the crack in the wall.

"Sorry, I'll try to be as gentle as possible but it's going to move some... Wait!" I pause, heading to my blanket and rip a few thin strips off. "If I can work these down between your skin and the silver will that provide any relief?"

"It can't hurt," he shrugs but inspection of his neck says otherwise.

"Your neck is completely burned raw and blistered, pretty sure it's going to hurt. A lot," I say with a frown.