Ever After (currently rewriting)

Part 13

I'm panicked, rushing blindly into the darkness. Hope is out here, somewhere. Someone is hurting my best friend. I have to find her.

I can hear Aedan behind me. He's yelling for me to stay back, but I can't do that. Just then, shapes form in the darkness. Ahead of me, a huge dog is shaking Hope like a ragdoll. The dog turns burning yellow eyes on me. Not a dog, a black wolf, I think to myself, as the wolf drops Hope. With a snarl, it lunges my way.

I tense up, preparing for the impact, when a feral snarl rips out from behind me. A grey shape jumps through the air, meeting the black wolf. The two tangle in a mass of flying fur and gleaming teeth.

Hope is still lying in the grass. I work my way around the fight, keeping my eye on the wolves. The grey shape is my wolf, I realize. Where did he come from? Just as I reach Hope, she struggles to her feet. Holding up a hind leg, she plasters herself to the front of my legs, and watches the fight. She's bleeding from several bites and is exhausted. I have to get her out of here.

"Aedan?" I feel hysteria creeping up my throat, threatening to choke me. Where did he go? I know he was right behind me.

The grey wolf looks my way at the sound of my voice. His lapse in concentration costs him, as the black wolf kicks free and takes off running.

The grey wolf takes up a protective stance in front of me. His yellow eyes glitter with rage as he watches the black wolf disappear into the night. Just then, three more wolves rush up from behind me. I freeze in terror, but they circle around me to stand in front of the grey wolf. They look at him briefly and then all three run into the darkness after the black wolf.

I think, a bit insanely, that they are some of the most beautiful animals I've ever seen. The largest is my grey wolf. Second largest is white. Next is a dark grey. And the smallest is another grey. A pack of wolves in Pa, on my farm, I think hysterically.

Hope whimpers and I snap back to myself. I don't have time to fall apart right now. I need a vet. I reach down, scoop Hope up in my arms, and start walking as quickly as I can through the darkness.

"Aedan? Where are you?" I'm yelling into the night when I suddenly trip. Looking down, I realize my feet are tangled up in a pair of jeans. "What the..."

I don't have time for this. Kicking free, I resolutely ignore the random clothing in the grasd and continue for my car. The grey wolf has been walking next to me. Now, he runs toward my house. I see him disappear through the open front door.

Reaching my car, I set Hope gently into the back seat. Turning I run toward the house. I need my keys. I'm grabbing my keys off of the counter when Aedan appears. He's pulling a shirt over his head as he jogs into the kitchen. I can't deal with this right now. My vision blurrs, tears streaming down my cheeks.

Aedan gently takes my keys and helps me into the backseat with Hope. She whines and licks my face as I pull her onto my lap. The drive to the emergency vet seems to take forever. We have to go to the next town over. Aedan keeps looking at me in the rearview mirror, an anxious expression on his face.

When we pull into the vet's parking lot, he springs out and opens my door for me. He holds out his arms for Hope and I hand her out to him. I notice several scratches and what looks like a nasty dog bite on his skin.

We rush inside the vet's office and the technicians take over. They whisk Hope into a back room, leaving us standing there, covered in dirt and blood. The waiting room is thankfully empty. I sink down onto a chair. Aedan sits warily next to me, watching me carefully.

I'm worried for my dog, exhausted, and just want someone to hold me. As if reading my mind, he holds out his arms for me to slide over and lean into his embrace. I hang on for dear life, trying to absorb his warmth.

About an hour passes. I've calmed down some and my mind is starting to work over everything that's happened tonight. I look down at Aedan's arms around me. His skin is completely unblemished except for a fading mark where there used to be a deep set of teeth marks.

Pulling back, I look into his eyes. He's looking back at me with caution. "What's going on?" I whisper.

With a trapped look on his face, he opens his mouth, hesitates, and closes it again. He runs his fingers through his already messy hair, sighs, and is opening his mouth to speak when the waiting room door opens.

"Hope?" The lady in blue scrubs asks.

I jump up and rush to her. Aedan trails behind me. "This way, please. "

We follow her down a long hallway that smells like disinfectant. I find myself reaching for Aedan's hand, for comfort. I may be confused about what I've seen in the past hour and a half, but I can't deny that his presence helps. The blue clad technician motions to a room and we go inside. "The doctor will be right in," She tells us kindly and closes the door.

We sit on the bench seat and I scoot closer to Aedan, closing the careful gap he has left between us. He lets me lean on him and I think I hear a small sigh. His fingers run lightly over my arm, trying to comfort me.

The door opens and the vet enters. He's a middle aged man and he gives off an immediate air of confidence. "Hi. I'm Dr. Bennet." He sits on a rolling stool in the center of the room. "Hope's going to make a full recovery."

I sag with relief at his words.

"That must have been some dog fight. She sustained lacerations to her neck, shoulder, and sides. Her hind leg isn't broken, just badly sprained. She's going to be stiff and sore for a while. I'm prescribing antibiotics to ward off any infection, and painkillers. Try to keep her as quiet as possible for the next week. If her appetite seems to suffer, or if she isn't getting around better in a few days, call us."

Dazed, I thank the doctor and we walk back to the front desk. I pick up Hopes medications and pay the bill. Another technician comes out leading my limping dog slowly behind her. Aedan silently reaches down and picks her up. She gives him an enthusiastic lick to the chin and scrambles in his arms, trying to reach me.

I reach over to her quickly. I don't want her to hurt herself further, and stroke her soft fur. I take in the shaved patches. Stitches crisscross the bald skin holding the angry looking wounds closed. Choking back more tears, I lead the way back out to my car.

The drive home is quiet. Neither of us seem to know just what to say. Once home, I open the door for Aedan as he carries Hope inside. I look around briefly for the grey wolf that should be here. I saw him go in, but didn't have time to wait for him to come back out in my mad dash for a vet.

He's not here.

Somehow, that doesn't surprise me.

We settle Hope into her bed by the fireplace. I make sure her water bowl is within easy reach. Standing back, I'm satisfied that we've made her as comfortable as possible. Whatever they gave her at the vet's seems to have kicked in.  She settles into her blankets and falls right to sleep.

With my dog taken care of to the best of my ability, I can't ignore what's right in front of my face any longer. Taking Aedan's hand, I lead him to the couch. Pulling him down next to me, I look him directly in the eyes and ask, "What's going on?"

He's looking me in the eyes, clearly worried, when he says, "Liz, I'm a wolf."