Hey guys, so here'e the next update. Sorry it's a little late, I've had a lot on my plate lately. I just wanted to take this opportunity to ask anyone who is reading this to comment, good or bad, I don't care, I just want opinions :) I hope you enjoy the next chapter. Oh, and I'm going away for march break next week, so I won't be able to update for 2 weeks, but bare with me, I'll update as soon as I get back. :)
Pic to the right is Tracy :)
«»
4 - Rogues
SAM
I listened to Justin's running footsteps, waiting for them to fade a bit before skidding to a halt and undressing. I was already running as I shifted, adrenaline coursing through me as I ran faster than I ever have.
I didn't have far to go before I saw them, a big group of them.
'Guys, rogues! Lots of them! I need help!' I called out with my mind. Any wolf in the Phoenix pack who was nearby would here it. I also broadcast an image of my general location.
The first to respond were my parents, and Ethan and his parents. They were on their way. Then others started responding.
As a wolf can't shift or communicate telepathically until they turn eighteen, so I didn't have to worry about alarming, or worse, attracting the attention of those too young to handle the situation.
Soon, I was joined by my dad - the Alpha, Mark - the Beta, my mom - the Luna, and the Beta's wife, Ashley. The four of them, along with me, the future Alpha, and Ethan, the future Beta, in the past have been able to take on a group of rogues. But there were just too many this time, and I was grateful for every person who joined us. Some of my friends came and joined me at the front. Allyson, Joshua, Cameron, Kristine, and Martin were standing on either side of me, determination in their eyes. Tracy was standing with Ethan, her jaw set, a vicious look on her face. She was lethal when she needed to be.
'Ok everyone, here's what we're going to do...' my dad explained the attack plan and we all gave a word of understanding. However, before we could put the plan into action, one of the rogues let out a growl. We saw that he was looking right us.
'Scatter!!' we followed my dad's instruction as rogue wolves came flying at us from all sides. There were many more than we had first thought. I ran through the sea of fighting wolves, slashing and snapping at any rogue within reach. It was chaos, a huge mass of snarling, growling, slashing, biting werewolves.
I saw my dad taking on two. Tracy and Ethan were engaged with four more, his parents circling them and keeping other rogues at bay. My mom killed one and ran toward my dad, who now had five on him. Joshua, Cameron, and Martin were fighting another six, while Kristine and Allyson were both helping directly and fending off others.
I ran to help my parents, who seemed to be being overwhelmed. I rushed one and bit its neck, killing him. It fell at my feet and I jumped over it, focused on where my dad was trying to fight off three on his own. It wouldn't usually have been a problem for him, but I noticed that his back left leg was injured, slowing him down. Another rogue jumped at me, jaws snapping shut inches from my neck. I dodged and turned to finish it, only to find my mom already had.
'Go help your father, I'm ok here,' she said, and ran to head off another who was making for my dad.
I spun around again and got to where he was standing, his mouth open and fangs bared, trying to hold them off while having less mobility. One charged and I leaped at it, sinking my teeth into the back of its neck. The rogue went limp under me and I jumped up, ready for the next one.
One of them had its claws dug into my dad's bad leg. I snarled and slashed its exposed side, creating four deep, jagged tears, flaps of loose skin hanging down. It yelped and jumped off of my dad, who turned and bit down hard on its neck, killing it too. Then he and I took down the remaining three in the immediate area.
I looked around. There were bodies all over the place. Most were rogues but our pack had also taken casualties. I saw my mom kill one. Another fell at Ethan's feet, it's neck a bloody mess. Tracy was helping Kris bring a particularly big one down. Mark, Cameron and Joshua finished off three more. Ashley and Martin were standing back to back, killing one apiece. Finally, I thought there were no more, and any I could see were dead or lethally injured and dying.
Then I felt a piercing pain in my back. I yelped and turned my head to see a huge black rogue, his claws dug into my sides. He bit my left flank and I whimpered slightly.
'Hang on Sam! I'm on my way!' Ethan had seen what had happened.
I tried to get the rogue off of me but it had its claws in deep, and all i did was cause them to slip, tearing my skin. The pain was excruciating, and I yelped again, then Ethan was there. He bit the black wolf's neck and I felt it jerk and grow still. It slid off my back and Ethan kicked it away.
I tried to take a step and fell forward, whimpering in pain. My friends and family surrounded me and helped me up. My dad supported me to where both of our clothes were lying. He shifted and dressed as fast as he could. Then he had me shift and helped me into my boxers. The others, now all human as well, came over and to see that I was ok and, when I nodded, patted my shoulder and went home to treat their various injuries.
Finally, it was just me, my parents, Ethan and Tracy, and Ethan's parents still in the clearing. My dad and Mark made a meeting time to discuss what had happened and after checking with me one more time, the three, along with Tracy, went to wash and treat injuries.
My mom had waited until it was just the three of us to start being a crazy mother and overdoing the worrying, and I assured her I was fine about a million times. I could tell that she would rather stay with me, but she had to go attend to her duties. As she was Luna, it was her job to make sure that everyone was ok and accounted for, and also to take stock of the dead. She was also a doctor so while she was checking on everyone she was able to offer med help. I watched her go and then turned to my dad.
"I'm glad you're ok. I don't know what I would've done had I lost you." He smiled at me and I could see in his face that he wasn't referring to the Alpha position. I hugged him and he put an arm carefully around my shoulders, wary of the cuts on my body.
We started walking, him supporting me until I felt I could walk on my own. We walked to the edge of the forest together in silence except for the occasional wince and sharp intake of breath from me. When we exited the trees, he hugged me and handed me the rest of my clothes, which I put on. Then went off toward Ethan's to meet with Mark and I went in the direction of home.
«»
When I opened the front door Justin jumped up off the stairs, where he had apparently been sitting, waiting for me.
"Hey," I said, closing the door behind me. I gestured for him to head upstairs and I followed, clutching the banister to keep from falling, and biting my tongue so I didn't cry out. I pointed him in the direction of my room and he went in, turning to face me. I flicked on the light and closed the door.
My shirt was rubbing the gashes on my back and causing them to feel like someone was stabbing them repeatedly with needles. I took it off and looked down to see a lot of blood.
"Oh my god!" I turned at Justin's voice and saw that he had his hands over his mouth and a shocked expression on his face. "What happened?!"
"It's nothing, just a few cuts." I said. I touched one and winced at the pain.
"No, it's not nothing! You're bleeding really badly!" He looked close to tears. "Here, one sec."
He got up and went into the bathroom. I heard him rummaging around then the water running. When he returned, he had a wet cloth in his hand.
"Lie down on your front." he said. I protested but he stood there, holding the cloth and told me he wasn't going to argue with me.
"Yes mom," I chuckled, but I did what he said anyway and I felt the bed dip as he sat beside me.
When he pressed the warm cloth against my cuts, it felt like my back was on fire. I cried out in pain and he lifted his hand, taking the cloth away, apologizing.
"It's ok," I told him when the pain subsided to a bearable level.
We decided that I should sit in the bathtub in boxers while he poured warm water over my wounds. It hurt a lot less and I had to have these cleaned. When they had stopped bleeding and they and the areas around them were clean, he had me lie down on the bed again. He put antiseptic cream on the gashes and wrapped my abdomen in gauze.
"There, much better," he went to throw the dirty things in the tub and I got some pants on.
"Thank you," I said when he came back in the room, and we sat on the bed.
"What happened? It looks like you got attacked by a bunch of wild animals." Justin was looking at me, a concerned look on his face.
"Like a dog jumped on you and....." he trailed off, evidently thinking of something. I heard him mutter the word 'wolf' under his breath.
"Just before you ran off, we heard a bunch of wolves howling. Thing is, I hear wolves in those woods all the time and I've never had trouble with them. Did they do this?" He gestured at my wounds.
I nodded, and his hands flew to his mouth again. This time a tear did escape. It rolled down his cheek and I wiped it away.
"I'm fine Justin, don't worry." I told him, trying to make him believe me.
"I don't even know why this thing is affecting me in this way. I mean, we barely know each other and yet, this feels like one of my best friends is badly hurt. It's ... weird." He looked down, tears still falling from his eyes.
"Justin, look at me." He still avoided my gaze.
I lifted his chin and made him look at me.
"Everything is going to be alright. It's all going to make sense."
I kissed him, a gentle, tender kiss, nothing at all like earlier. When I pulled away Justin looked even more confused.
"Another thing I want to talk to you about is that. Since when were you gay?" He was looking at me like I had gone insane.
"I would like to know the answer to that myself." I told him, scooting back so that I was leaning against the headboard. "But I have a question for you. Why are you taking care of me?"
"Like I said, I can't explain why I feel the way I do but when I first saw those cuts it was like an emotional spear going straight through my heart. It almost physically hurt me to see you like that." His eyes were still leaking and I pulled him into me so that he was sitting between my legs, his head resting on my shoulder, and I put my arms around his waist.
"I'm fine, thanks to you." I said, looking down at him.
He smiled at me and put his head back on my shoulder. I hugged him and kissed the top of his head.
«»