Red Pureblood

Chapter 6

The hood fell from my head and the cloak wobbled on my back because of the speed I reached, I pushed open the doors and rushed in the opposite direction of the group that was fleeing toward the protection of the stone building. Eredra was on the ground with her body propped up on her elbows and the wolf was approaching her.
"Blaidd!" shouted several voices trying to stop me from going to her.
My sister, the only one of the six who had any conscience, who was good and kind. The best of the seven of us. She could become the princess of the mermen. She was about to be devoured by a brown-coated wolf.
"Guards!" voices shouted desperately.
Eredra screamed and sparks flew uselessly from her fingertips, all the damned creatures around had magic, but it seemed that fear had overpowered her.
I threw myself between my sister and the wolf extending my right arm which the beast swallowed to protect my face. Its sharp teeth tore through skin, muscle and were about to tear my bones apart, I had no doubt it would turn them to dust before anyone did anything.
"Blaidd," Eredra shouted, getting up.
My sister tried to get past me to somehow attack the wolf, but I stood in front of her again keeping my eyes focused on the wolf. I raised my left arm to touch the animal, my heart racing at the smell of blood that filled the air. My arm was bleeding and I didn't want to wonder if they could save that arm. The whole forest seemed to be silent as they watched this horrifying scene.
"Calm down," I whispered to the animal as I had done that night with the cub.
For some reason I realized that maybe the wolf understood me. I didn't know what had brought him to Vana, but I was sure he wasn't there to kill us. The creature seemed lost, if not of its way, of itself.
"We won't hurt you," I promised, even though I felt the teeth still tearing at the muscles in my forearm.
I took a deep breath and buried my fingers in his hair, touching his skin. Even though my mind screamed, somehow my fingers were steady.
All the spectators that day were deathly still, I felt Eredra's hands trembling trying to hold me close to him. My eyes remained steady on the wolf's greenish eyes. I wondered if I had ever seen eyes as beautiful as his.
"Let me go and go... before they try to hurt you," I pleaded.
My thoughts began to blur, as if I saw myself from another angle, the loss of blood must be affecting me. Slowly, the wolf opened its mouth and let go of my arm. I stood there watching him for the entire moment, until the creature turned its back and ran back into the forest.
"Go, kill that animal," my grandmother commanded.
"No!" I said. "I promised it wouldn't be hurt."
The guards looked from my torn arm to my grandmother's as if they expected a different order.
"Please don't hurt him," I asked, letting the tears roll down my face.
"All right," the female said. "Where is Mr. Mouren?"
"The old bastard ran off and left us there when he saw the wolf," a male said, exposing his sharp fangs.
The feline's tail was agitated and my grandmother sighed without scolding him. Perhaps fearing what the wrath of someone like him might cause.
"Blaidd, why did you do that?" Eredra asked, tearing her own dress to tie my arm.
"Are you alright?" I inquired.
"I'm fine. Blaidd, your arm…" she whined.
"It's okay," I whispered.
"Come on...we have to clean this up," my grandmother guided me inside, and I vaguely heard her tell someone to go get my father.
The room became suffocating as I was forced to lie down on the table, my bleeding arm resting on my chest, blood soaking my dress.
Many faces were watching me with concern or fear, I couldn't tell, but my sisters remained close by, studying me with a greater distress. All five of them were supporting Eredra, who was crying compulsively, holding my left hand.
When a healer arrived, the male cursed when he saw the situation of my arm and dragged a chair close to the table. The scream that I had been holding back was released when the male poured a strong smelling liquid over my wound.
My fingers clasped Eredra's and she murmured softly that everything was going to be alright. A few males approached to hold me, separating my hand from my sister's.
When that part of the process was completed, they began to stitch my arm, the healer was talking about how I might not be able to move my fingers, healing spells were cast on my arm, trying to repair the destroyed nerves.
My vision went out and came back in confused intervals, my body suffered between cold and heat. When I opened my eyes again the group that had been watching the scene had dispersed, only my sisters and my grandmother were there, Eredra's hand was again clasped in mine.
"Blaidd…" my grandmother called me as soon as she noticed that I had regained consciousness.
I stared at her and nodded to affirm that I was awake and lucid.
"Have you ever spoken to canine creatures before?" she asked in a low voice.
"Yes... I spoke with a wolf pup a few days ago. I encountered dogs in the forest when I was younger ... why?" I asked.
"Canines and faeries don't get along. Haven't you ever noticed that no one in Vana breeds dogs?" she asked.
"And there are no faeries with canine animal parts," Grisinia said.
"But humans breed dogs... it's no different. I wasn't talking to the wolf, I just told him to go away," I justified.
"Yes, but wolves don't usually listen to us or understand what we say. Wolves have been our enemies for centuries, that's why dogs hate us and humans use them for hunting," the old woman explained.
"Blaidd…" Eredra whispered my name and I turned my eyes to my sister "thank you for saving me."
"It's okay," I assured her, letting her hug me.