Toni froze. She hadn't noticed the dagger before. She cursed herself for being so fucking full of her own shit and not seeing it sooner.
"Shit, shit, shit." Toni rushed to Shelby and fell on her knees beside her, not knowing what to do.
"What the hell happened to you?" Toni muttered more to herself than to Shelby since she couldn't actually answer her. She reached her hand out to touch Shelby's flank but then thought better of it.
Shelby's flank was rapidly rising and falling with every shallow breath she took. In the darkness of the evening, part of Shelby's normally white fur looked black from what Toni could only assume had to be blood.
"Do I call an ambulance?" Toni thought out loud.
Shelby's head shot up. There was a fear in her eyes that hadn't been there before.
Toni took that as a loud and clear no. She ran her hand over her tied up hair, trying to come up with options. "A vet?"
Shelby weakly shook her head.
"Then what the hell am I supposed to do?" Panic was starting to seep into her voice, raising it.
Shelby looked at her and somewhat lifted her head. It seemed like she was trying to motion to the dagger.
It was enough for Toni to understand what she was trying to convey. Toni's eyes widened. "You want me to pull it out?"
Shelby nodded, though only barely. She lay her head back down, letting out pained shallow puffs of air.
The cold of the snow-covered ground was starting to make Toni's knees go numb but she didn't have the time to care.
When Toni–as gently as she could–touched her flank near the weapon with her left hand, Shelby's breath hitched.
Toni immediately retracted her hand. "Shit." She mumbled.
If she was going to get it out, Toni knew she was going to have to hurt Shelby. She placed her hand back where she'd put it. This time Shelby didn't react.
Toni moved her other hand to the dagger. She had only barely touched it, when Shelby let out a pained whimper. Her breaths were coming out in short, shallow puffs.
Toni couldn't help but be reminded of the beartrap incident. She tried to reassure herself with how Shelby's leg had healed incredibly fast. Surely, a simple dagger wouldn't be able to kill her. At least, that was what Toni hoped. But if she remembered anything from the tv shows she'd seen, whether they contained some portion of truth or if they were all just fiction, it was that silver never did bode well, and this dagger looked a worrying lot like it was made out of silver. It could also have been made of a different material but if Shelby's state was anything to go by, it was more likely the case that it was made from the deadly substance.
Toni tried to take hold of the dagger again. This time she noticed that Shelby tried to hide her pain by keeping quiet, but she could still see clearly how much she was hurting her by the way her shoulders tensed and her breathing quickened even more.
"Fuck." Toni said. She moved her hands away from Shelby. "I can't do this."
Not when she didn't know what the fuck she was doing. For all she knew, moving the dagger could kill her.
Toni decided to call the one person she knew that might have a clue of what the hell she was supposed to do. She took her phone out of her pocket. Toni left bloody smudges on the screen as she unlocked it and clicked on the contact. She put it on speaker and laid it down next to her so her hands were free.
At the sound of the dial tone, Shelby lifted her head just the slightest. Intermixed with exhaustion, Toni could make out panic.
"Relax," She tried to ease her mind, "I'm not calling an ambulance."
"Toni?" Dot answered before Toni could elaborate.
Shelby let her head fall back down the few centimeters she'd raised it. Whether it was because she was reassured or because it just took too much to keep it up, Toni didn't know.
"Hey, Dot." Toni swallowed. She hated how unsteady her voice sounded.
"Toni, what's going on?" Her tone sounded wary as fuck. "Are you alright?"
Toni wasn't really sure what she could say without revealing Shelby's secret to Dot. Toni tried to compose her voice "Yeah, yeah. Just–uhm...I need your advice with something."
"Aight. Shoot." She said, but her voice was still laced with concern.
"So, this is all hypothetical." Toni started. She scratched the back of her head trying to think of a subtle way to ask what she needed. "Say, if I were to come across a certain wolf, and a dagger was embedded in their flank. What would you advise me to do?" Toni cringed at the incredibly obvious underlying meaning of what she was saying, but she didn't have the time to come up with something better.
"Keep your fucking distance so it can't bite your fucking hand off, that is."
If she were in any other situation, Toni would have rolled her eyes. "Yes, well, say I were to, hypothetically, be able to touch the wolf without her biting my hand off, what would I do then?"
"Dude, don't approach the fucking wolf. Just because it didn't attack you before doesn't mean–"
"Dot!" Toni was fed up with Dot's resistance. "Just tell me what the fuck I'm supposed to do." They were wasting time. Time they didn't have.
"Fuck. Fine, just, please, don't get yourself killed."
"Sure. Yeah." Toni said quickly.
Dot sighed. "Can you get her to a vet?"
Toni shook her head even though Dot wasn't able to see her. "No."
"Uhm, okay, uhh, where is the dagger protruding from?"
"Her left flank, high up behind her upper leg." Toni picked her phone back up and snapped a picture of where the dagger was protruding from. She sent a picture of it to Dot. "Look at your phone, I sent you a picture."
After a beat of nerve wracking silence, Dot finally spoke. "Fuck, that's really fucking close to her heart. It has definitely punctured her lung."
Dot's words did not ease the growing panic in Toni's chest.
Toni raked her hand through her tied up hair. "What do I do, Dot?" She asked while watching Shelby's flank rise only barely with each swift breath.
"How the fuck am I supposed to know?" Dot almost shouted.
"Don't you watch a lot of survival shit on tv?" If any of Toni's friends were going to know anything about this kind of shit, Toni would have thought it'd be Dot.
"Watching over two dozen survival shows doesn't give me a fucking medical degree, Toni." The exasperation was adamant in Dot's voice. She sighed deeply on the other end of the line. "Honestly? I don't think there's much you can do. I'm sorry to tell you this but I don't think it's gonna make it."
Toni decided to ignore Dot's pessimism. She didn't have time for that right now. "I'm gonna pull it out."
"Shit. Fine. Just make sure you do it slowly, and as steadily as you can. If it has any chance of surviving this, even just a few millimeters of movement could turn out fatal."
"Okay. Fuck." Toni said as she took a few seconds to mentally prepare herself. She placed her left hand on Shelby's ribcage near the silver weapon. Her fur felt warm, and wet from the blood that hadn't completely dried yet. Toni's heart was hammering against her sternum as she hovered her other hand near the handle of the dagger.
Just as she was about to grab it, Dot spoke again, startling Toni out of her concentration. "Wait!"
Toni retracted her hands to her lap. "What!?"
"Do you have something to hold against the wound for when it's out?" Dot asked.
Toni scratched the back of her head with her clean hand. "Uhm, no."
"Well, get something. Even a shirt will do. The dagger is currently acting like a plug. There's a chance it has nicked a major artery. Once you get it out, blood will likely come gushing out like crazy."
Toni quickly shrugged off her jacket and pulled off her tank top. She put it on her lap instead of next to her on the wet–and who knew how dirty–snow. She quickly put her jacket back on and closed it. If she got hypothermia, she would be no help to Shelby.
"Alright, I got something," Toni informed Dot. "Can I get it out now?"
"Yes, just remember: slow and steady."
"Slow and steady," Toni repeated under her breath as she moved her hands to Shelby's flank, to where the dagger was embedded high up between her ribs.
Toni put her left hand on the slightly wet, bloody fur next to the dagger. She tried to keep her other hand as steady as she could as she gripped the handle and slowly began pulling it out. Shelby let out a pained whine, but, thankfully, stayed still enough for Toni to be able to get the dagger out without any complications for as far as she knew.
With the dagger out came a new flood of blood, though less than Dot had made it seem would. Toni threw the dagger somewhere next to them in the snow without looking away from Shelby. She quickly took her shirt from her lap and put it against the wound to staunch it. "Okay, it's out."
"Are you holding something against the wound?"
"Yes, my shirt."
"Alright. Make sure to apply pressure."
"Okay, and then what?"
"I don't know, dude. That's all I got."
"Fuck. Okay. Uhm." The blood was soaking the shirt and started to seep through her fingers.
Shelby's eyes were closed. Aside from the rising and falling of her flank with each breath, Toni felt Shelby's body start to shudder like it had during the eclipse. She hadn't witnessed her change forms then, she'd only seen her human and then suddenly the wolf had been there when Toni had finally caught up with her. While the shuddering increased, Toni felt Shelby's body change by her hold on her flank. It felt as if Shelby's ribs were breaking themselves and healing again, and breaking again, and healing again. Toni watched on in awe as white fur disappeared while blonde hair grew back, as limbs lengthened and changed form. Toni wasn't sure whether she should keep putting pressure on the wound or pull her hands away.
"Thanks, Dot. I have to go now." Toni said as she let go of the shirt with one hand, continuing to put pressure on the wound with the other.
"What? Wait. Dude–" Dot started but was cut off by Toni ending the call.
She put her hand back next to the other on the shirt, not really applying pressure anymore but just keeping it against the wound.
As the transformation came to an end, Shelby curled herself in a fetal position, still lying on her right side. She was shivering violently, which only spurred on the blood leaking from the wound.
"Shelby, can you hear me?" Toni asked, her tone gentle.
Shelby's eyes were closed. She nodded, but aside from that, she stayed exactly as she was.
"Okay, uhm, I'm gonna move your hand to hold my shirt, alright?" Toni took hold of Shelby's right hand and replaced her own with it on her tank top and put her own hand over Shelby's to keep it in place. "I'm gonna need you to keep pressure on it. Can you do that?"
Shelby did nothing to acknowledge her question but when Toni let go of her hand, it stayed right where she needed it to.
Toni carefully let go of the shirt. She quickly shrugged off her jacket–leaving herself in just a sports bra–and draped it around Shelby's trembling form, after which she put her hands on the shirt again, covering Shelby's hand with her own. She had covered her as much as she could while still being able to apply pressure to the wound.
Even though Shelby hadn't stopped shivering, she was hot to the touch. And it seemed like her temperature was only rising. Her body was visibly melting the snow underneath.
"Fuck." Toni shook her head, letting go with one hand to grab her phone again. "Seriously, Shelby, I'm gonna call an ambulance."
Shelby abruptly grabbed Toni's forearm with her free hand. "No. You can't." Shelby rasped barely above a whisper. Toni had never heard Shelby's voice this hoarse.
She didn't know what she was supposed to do. "You're bleeding out and the dagger probably, like, nicked some of your vital organs."
Her grip on Toni's arm tightened. "Promise me you won't."
"Shelby–"
Shelby opened her eyes. They were filled with desperation, as was her tone when she spoke. "Promise me."
Toni frowned. She didn't like this, at all, but for all she knew Shelby would be fine by tomorrow, like she had been with the bear trap. Toni clenched her jaw before relenting, "Fine. I promise. But if I can't call an ambulance or–"
"No ambulance," Shelby repeated as if it was a fucking mantra as her eyes fell shut again.
"Shelby, what can I do?"
Shelby didn't respond. It looked like she had passed out. Thankfully, her flank was still rising and falling with each breath she took, however shallow.
"Fuck." For a brief second, she let herself look up from Shelby to let everything that had just happened sink in. Toni herself was starting to shiver as the adrenaline started wearing off.
When Toni looked down again, her blood ran cold.
Shelby's breathing was quickening again. And significantly so. It was rapid, but also really shallow. Toni noticed there was blood on Shelby's lips.
"Shit." Toni said, "Shit, shit, shit."
She didn't get more time to freak out, because, aside from the labored breathing, she suddenly became aware of the rumble of a motorbike in the distance. And it was becoming louder. As if it was approaching.
Shelby's eyes shot open. She looked terrified as her breathing quickened even more, as if that was even possible. Whether it was because of her condition or the bike approaching, Toni wasn't sure.
Not knowing what to do, how to help Shelby, she looked between her and to wherever the sound of the motorbike was coming from.
Shelby grabbed her arm, instantly drawing her attention back to her. She was trying to say something, but it was coming out ragged and breathy. Toni couldn't make out what she was trying to tell her. She shook her head. "I don't understand."
Shelby weakly tugged on her arm.
Toni leaned down, closer to Shelby's face to try and percept what she was trying to tell her.
Once she was close enough to be able to feel Shelby's quick breaths on her ear, she could finally make out what she was saying: "Run."
"What?" Toni leaned back to look at her, and scrunched her brows. "Why?"
Shelby didn't answer, just looked at her with a pleading expression. She looked almost as pale as the snow beneath her, for as far Toni could see in the lack of light. Whether it was because of her wounded state or whomever was approaching–or both–Toni wasn't sure.
"I'm not leaving you. Not in this state." Toni said resolutely, hoping Shelby understood she wasn't going to abandon her. Especially not if whoever was approaching was the one who had put Shelby in this state.
Shelby faintly shook her head, gasping for air. Her pale skin was in stark contrast with her dark red, bloody lips. Shelby's eyes rolled back only seconds before her flank stopped rising altogether.
At the same time, the sound of the motorbike had stopped. Somewhere close by.
The sudden silence was deafening.
Toni couldn't make herself look up. She couldn't do anything. All she could do was stare at Shelby's lifeless body. She couldn't feel anything, only a cold numbness. Nothing about this felt real. She hoped it wasn't. That she would wake up any moment now. Maybe Shelby wasn't even a werewolf. Maybe she had dreamt it all. Yeah, that made sense. This was all some stupid fucking nightmare. Toni was going to wake up any second now.
She was vaguely aware of someone approaching them. Even though the person had to be almost right next to her, their footsteps sounded distant to Toni's ears.
"You need to move." The person said. They had a female voice. The woman put a hand on Toni's shoulder, trying to get her to move, pushing her aside. "Miss, I can help her, but I'm going to need you to move."
Toni stood up. She staggered backwards, not able to take her eyes off of Shelby's body for even a second. All she could see was Shelby's closed eyes, the pallor of her skin, and the blood that painted her lips dark red, nearly black. A drop had escaped the corner of her mouth, and was trailing down her cheek. Toni's back hit a tree, making her stop. She slid down the trunk. Her legs were numb. Everything was numb.