Luna of Rogues

Part 17 - Regrouping

Early upload for you all! And don't worry, you'll still get a chapter on Monday as well. Map at the top is all the northern packs, just so you understand the terrain a bit better.

The river had burst its banks. I could see the water snaking towards me, like tendrils. And trapped as I was, in a little gully, I saw no reason why I wouldn't be drowned by it. In times of flooding, the overflow could get deep. Certainly deep enough to swallow up a fallen tree and its prisoner.

With a bitter laugh, I realised what a smartass I was. I had predicted both of these disasters when we were pitching the tents and somehow failed to follow my own advice.

Another part of the river bank crumbled away. More water flooded through the gap, adding to the growing swamp. It inched closer, gradually building up. If I waited a few minutes more, it would soak my toes. Half an hour and I'd be up to my eyeballs.

So freeing myself was a good idea. Trouble was, it took effort. After scratching hopelessly at the dirt with all my remaining strength, I only succeeded in creating enough space to wriggle my leg, which only made it hurt more. But I did get a good look at the damage, and what I did see was almost enough to make me pass out.

The bone was broken in several places. It was also visible — not great. My leg below the knees was crushed and mangled horrifically. I suspected I wouldn't escape this encounter without a scar, even once my wolf healing kicked in.

And the whole thing was bleeding an awful lot. I was sat in an ever-growing puddle of blood, and I felt a little sleepier with every drop I lost. My vision was blurred and the blood pounding in my ears made it difficult to hear. Exhaustion and shock swept over me in dizzying waves. I decided, quite sensibly, that I was dying.

That was how Leo found me later, slumped on the ground and bleeding out. I would have gone to sleep a long time ago, had I not known that I wouldn't ever wake again. So I had fought the darkness, no matter how tempting it got to submit.

"Skye," I vaguely remember him saying. He looked twice as horrified as Rhys had been. But like my brother, he was sensible enough not to panic. "I need to get you out."

I nodded. At least — I was trying to. I have no idea if it actually happened or not.

"It's going to hurt," Leo warned me.

It couldn't possibly hurt more than it did already, so I tried to nod again.

In my deliria, I had failed to notice how far the floodwater had advanced. It covered my free leg, numbing it with cold. Leo had to kneel in that same floodwater to begin digging. He didn't have time to remove much earth, and the whole situation descended into a tug of war.

But eventually, my leg scraped free, taking off even more skin as it did. I had been right— my pain receptors were already in overdrive, and I didn't feel it. Leo pulled me a safe distance up the slope, where the overspill wouldn't reach for hours.

He could then see the extent of the injury, and he swore. My deathly pale face and the redness of the puddle below must have given him a hint, but it was quite another thing to see it for himself.

I was fading further from consciousness, and barely registered when he shouted for someone. The name sounded oddly familiar. Oreo ... owl ... olive? Something like that.

"Skye. Skye!" Leo was saying. I did my best to keep my eyes focused on him. "Listen, you've lost a lot of blood. You'll need a transfusion to be able to heal yourself."

A slightly more aware part of my brain processed the word transfusion. Wasn't that for people who were really hurt? I would be completely fine once I had a little nap...