The Wolf

Ch. 21: The Battle

I slash out my claws at a grey wolf. They howl in pain, turning to fight me. Their blood soaks their coat a maroon red. Just as we're about to pounce on each other, another wolf slams into the grey wolf.

My eyes widen in surprise at the large golden wolf. It's Alex. He stands over the grey wolf, holding the back of its neck in his maw. Carrying the wolf, he throws it into the center of camp where a team of people and wolves were tying up the enemies.

They are trying to save as many people as possible. Alex catches my eyes. Don't kill unless you must. His eyes are saying. I nod my head in understanding. He disappears in a golden flash.

~*~*~*~

The enemies come in waves, neverending. Pack members fall as the rogue wolves take no prisoners. A slash at my leg has me howling in pain. Growling, I turn to see a giant brown wolf. He's bigger and more fierce than me, but I refuse to back down.

We tackle each other and fight for dominance. We nip at one another. Our claws tear off skin. I cant feel any pain thanks to the adrenaline rushing through my veins. Both of us back away, and start circling. Seeing an opening, I lunge forward. He smacks me out of the air. I land with a thud, all of the air leaving my lungs.

He has a wolfish grin on his face as he stands over me. His jaws come closer and closer to my neck. I close my eyes, waiting for the final blow. Instead, I hear a thump. Opening my eyes, I see Alex standing beside me. He knocked the other wolf away.

Alex pounces and sinks his teeth into the brown wolf. The brown wolf may have been big, but he was no match for an alpha. Alex nudges me and points his head to the infirmary. He's telling me to stop fighting. I'm ready to protest, but when I stand up, pain shoots through my leg.

Begrudgingly, I limp to the infirmary. Medical personnel are running about, treating wounded and retrieving supplies. I revert to human form and take a seat in a folding chair while I wait for a doctor to come treat me.

The air is frigid tonight. The moon is a waxing gibbous. With this weather, I wonder if it's going to snow soon. It's already the end of October. My breath comes out as a plume of white vapor.

The nurse from before rushes over to me and starts asking me questions about my injuries. I tell her everywhere it hurts, and she sets to work patching me up. She's cute with soft brown eyes and short brown hair.

After she's done wrapping up my leg, she tells me to find a room to rest in, and that I can't fight anymore until I'm healed. A growl bubbles up from my throat. Of course I had to get injured. Now I can't help fight. While people are dying, I'll be sitting around in a warm room, resting.

Cursing, I walk into the infirmary. Most of the rooms are already taken up by injured and dying people. I decided to try the room Nico is in. Sure enough, it's just him in there. Sighing, I sit in the chair beside his bed.

Most of his injuries have healed. There are no scars or any signs in general of the torture he was put through. Despite his steady recovery, he still hasn't waken up yet. He's so skinny, I'm worried he might not wake up. I wonder if he's dreaming, and if he is, I wonder what he's dreaming of. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have stood a chance against the rogue pack. He's our savior.

~*~*~*~

The battle ends shortly after sunrise. My injuries are healed by then, thankfully. I head out of the infirmary to see the carnage of the scene. Bodies lay all over the ground. Thankfully, most of them are from the rogue pack, but even still, so many are dead. The shell of a burned house remains standing forlornly.

Pack members mill around, helping to clean up the mess. It's not until noon that the camp gathers for a speech from the alpha.

"My fellow pack members, we have won the battle," He says. A whoop of cheers arises from the crowd. People are sobbing and laughing, everyone's still shaken up by the events.

"We have won the battle, but we have lost many people on both sides. Fortunately, we have saved many lives today. We have also captured the rogue's leader. I hope that peace may ensue after this tragic fight and that we don't have to lose any more family." The alpha gestures for someone to step on stage.

The person has a silver chain in their hand and they lead out a chained man. The man is glaring at everyone in the crowd with his beady eyes. His hair is short and brown, he's wearing a leather jacket and skinny jeans that are torn from the fight.

"How did you know?" He spits, "You should have been sitting ducks!"

My eyes catch Alex as he walk across the stage to the man. His eyes are like fires. His expression is a storm. "I'll tell you how," He spits, "do you remember that kid that you kidnapped?"

The man's eyes widen. "That pretty brat?! He actually made it back? What happened to Jocelin then?"

"I went after him. I found a girl who was trying to attack him. She's dead." Alex's voice is ice cold.

"You son of a bitch!" The man struggles against his chains.

Alex takes a step towards the man. In a deadly voice, he says, "If you had killed Nico, then I would've slaughtered your entire pack by myself."

Alex turns and walks away, his back is stiff, as though it took everything in him to not turn back around and end the man. He disappears off of the stage, and I wonder if he's going to see Nico or not.

"You think this is the end?" The man asks hysterically, "this is just the beginning. There are things greater than me, and more scary. They're coming! They're coming!" He gives a maniacal laugh as they drag him off stage.

The man is sentenced to life in prison, and he's shipped off. Apparently, the camp has someone connected with the prison. Scary. The bodies of the dead were buried in the cemetery I didn't know existed. It's a beautiful place with plenty of sunlight.

Slowly, the camp returned to normal. Everyone returned to their daily routines. The Moon Run was held on the night of the full moon. Time slowly started moving forward again. The only person's whose time has stopped is Nico's. He still hasn't waken up yet.

And he wouldn't for a long time.