Only Human

3

A huge wolf stepped out of the treeline, holding his head high and sniffing the air. I backed away as far as I could as his snarling snout inched toward me.

I kept my eyes glued to the long blades of grass that were beneath me, now stained with my blood. I didn't dare look into the wolf's eyes. It would be a miracle if he didn't rip my throat out in the coming minutes.

His cold black snout inched further toward my face, sniffing at the blood the man smeared over my mouth. His teeth snapped in my face, drool dripping from his huge canines. Holding my breath i turned my head away from him in fear.

His nose followed my arm up to my bleeding hand. His ears pulled back and he took a step away from me. Just then an arrow stuck into his shoulder and another shot through my thigh. I looked down to see an arrow sticking halfway out of my leg. Adrenaline overtook me. I could hear the faint whine of the wolf who was shot and blurs of other wolves that scurried and jumped past me, no doubt heading to kill the old man.

It was hard to focus on anything other than the searing pain in my thigh. The sky was darkening by the second and it was getting harder to see anything. I held my breath, trying to calm my panic attack. I looked down to assess my wound. It was steadily bleeding. I knew that wasn't good. I wouldn't last long, I could tell by the fuzziness in my head that I was going to pass out soon. I needed to do something to get out of here.

The arrow was three quarters of the way through my leg. If I could just pull it out I could use the arrow to cut the ropes and escape. I crossed my legs and tried to push the arrow out from behind. The pain was too much, the arrow wouldn't budge. I needed my hands.

"Arrggh, Fuck!!!" I screamed, my frustration and pain beginning to overwhelm me.

I stilled as I heard leaves rustling behind me. I sucked in a breath as I felt a cold snout nudge my hand from behind. The wolf whined and licked my hand. My vision was darkening, just like when the old man took me. I was losing consciousness again.

I heard snapping and cracking before I felt my arm drop to my side, warmth encapsulated one side of my body. The pain in my leg could hardly be felt. A numbness and comfortable warmth overtook me as I slipped into darkness.

"We have to help her."

"Leave the arrow in"

"We have to move fast. Shes not conscious enough to hold on. Can you carry her with that arrow in your shoulder?"

I could hear voices blurred in the darkness. They must be talking about me.

"Hurry. Ill have the nurse ready when you get there."

Darkness consumed me completely.

….

"Get the Alpha, shes crashing."

….

"Is she going to be okay?"

….

"How long is it going to take!?"

"You know if you stayed with her, she could have been home already."

"Don't."
….

My eyes felt heavy as I tried to open them. My body felt weak. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs and slowly exhaling.

The light was dim and yellow toned as I forced my eyes open. The two chairs next to my hospital bed were empty. The room was quiet, closed off by a large door.

"Hello?" I tried to croak out.

"Hello?" I called again and I sat up. My hands were bandaged, as well as my thigh, which didnt hurt much. How long was I out and where am I?

I pulled the tube out of my arm and ripped the sticky tabs off my chest, causing the machines to sound a long tone. The floor was cold as I slipped my legs out of the bed. I tested weight on my leg. While there was pain in my thigh, it wasnt too bad to walk. I made my way to the door, grabing the cold handle and turning it.

Peaking out into the hallway I saw multiple doors like mine. Some open, some closed. The end of the hall seemed to open up to what must be the front desk. I made my way toward it.

"Hi, I'm Myah-" I tried to introduce myself.

"Ms. Taylor, how are you feeling?" The nurse quickly spoke over me.

"I'm fine..." I drew out with confusion.  How did she know my name.

"Lets get you back to your room and check you out. Youve been unconscious for a while now." Her smile was kind and warm. I followed her back down the hall.

"How long?" I asked as we entered my room.

"Close to five days." She checked the chart inside a plastic case hanging from the door.

"Why? Is there something wrong?" I wondered what happened after I passed out.

"The arrow wound you received on your thigh clipped a major artery. Your blood volume was below fifty percent when they brought you in. You were going into hypovolmic shock, which caused your blood oxygen levels to drop significantly. You were in comatose." She explained.

"Brandy, I'm here to pick up Ms. Taylor." A blond woman said from the door.

"Oh Myah, this is Blair. I guess she'll be showing you around from here. Your bag and all your belongings are right over there." Brandy said cheerfully. I offered a small smile to Blair, which wasnt returned.

"The Alpha is expecting you." She stood by the door with her back turned.

I changed into a pair of jean shorts and a baggy knitted top like usual, the gauze from my leg was fully visible and definitely not flattering. My shoes seem to have been thrown out along with my other clothes. I threw my backpack over my shoulders and followed Blair out of the hospital.