I watch as Adit turns her back towards Ezzy. The pack members in every form soon follow suit. Each one by one turning their backs to Ezzy. She stands there looking slightly defeated, but very much enraged. She looks around at her wounded and dead. She knows she can't finish another fight if she chooses to start one. The air shifts as her body begins to haze, and then she gone. Leaving the dead and wounded.
My eyes follow Adit as she begins to walk away. I am stuck between a rock and hard place right now. I look around at the mess and destruction that needs to be cleaned up and the things that need to be repaired. I don't want the children to come out and see all of this. But I also want to go after Adit and speak with her. I need to make sure that she is in the right state of mind. I feel for her. Then I need to find Kaira and make sure that she is ok.
"Go Imani," a voice says.
Looking up I see Haisley, a female who lives here and teaches.
"I can't leave you all with this mess," I tell her.
"Go child," she tells me. "We have this."
I look at her one more time before jogging to Adit. She is walking with her head held high but her movements are stiff.
"ADIT!!!" I yell getting her attention.
She turns to me with her eyebrow raised and her head tilted.
"Yes Imani."
""Well why did you call me down? I didn't do anything the battle never touched me."
"Look up," she says. I can see the wariness starting to take place in her eyes.
I raise my eyes to where her gaze is focused and see the tree that I was in. It has been burnt and tarnished. All the way down to the roots is blackened. The top where I was perched is gone.
"You really think I would allow something to happen to you? That battle wasn't yours to fight," she says turning back to walk again. "We will talk more tomorrow. I suggest you go be with your mate. Essentially, she has been betrayed again. She will be to the east of the hospital. Underground. I'm sure you will see the pack members guarding the place."
"Adit?"
"Puppy?"
"Will you train me? Will you teach me to be able to protect my family from these threats?"
"Yes."
I watch her as her body begins to contort and bend. She becomes her wolf., trotting then running into the night. I look back up at the tree. A soft glow of light coming from behind catches my attention. It is coming from where the heart of the fight happened. From where I just left. I turn back towards the area. As I get closer, I see members with their glowing eyes trained on the area where the wounded and dead bodies lay. A contained fire is twirling around the place. Consuming everything in its path. As the fire burns off and travels further, flowers begin to sprout. The black ash turns to dirt.
"I told you we had this," Haisley says.
I nod, turning back around and running to the east. I see members walking along with the same fire burning through the wreckage. I walk to them.
"I need to get my wife," I say.
One guy looks at me, he nods, walking off. I follow him to an old building. It a warehouse. He opens the door and leads me through. It is a storage building. There are appliances and equipment all over.
"What is this place?" I ask him.
"Where we store extra things. We buy a lot of items on sale and store them here for when we building another house," he says. "Eventually we are going to get around to building some apartments for the single members of the tribe."
"Isn't there enough homes here?"
He looks at me and smiles.
"Not everyone is ready for a family. Some prefer bachelor or bachelorette roles. Especially those returning from college," he says.
We come to another door, entering a hallway that steeps down, merging into stairs.
"Did, um was anyone hurt tonight?"
Closing his eyes, he licks his lips.
"None of us were hurt. I can't say the same for them or for Adit." With that he leads me downstairs.
I hear quiet murmurs coming from children. Soft cries drifting through the air. Then I hear a voice I will recognize anywhere. As I approach, I see her cradling a frightened child. I lean down to her. One of her hands reaches up and grabs my shirt bringing my lips to hers.
"Don't you ever do that again," she says still kissing me.
"I can't promise that I won't." Taking the child from her arms and standing us. Keeping the child pressed against me. I see other kids coming to us. They all are scared. And my heart breaks for them. Even with special powers and gifts. The feeling of my being left defenseless is always there at a young age. Most of the children here are babies, all are under seven. Sure, there are the preteens and teens guarding the different levels. But if something worse was to happen tonight would they be ready to raise a village and become parents?
Heavy footsteps coming down the stairs draws everyone attention. Parents start calling out to their children. Scrambling around searching for them. The children yelling back. Even with all the commotion around me, I can't take my eyes off of Kaira.
The aftermath of the fight may have been cleaned and wiped away from the surface, but the damage from it was done. You can't remove the memories. You can't cover up the feeling or act of betrayal.
A hand taps my shoulder, I turn to see a woman, she has her arms extended towards the child I'm holding. I look at the child, then pass her over. I move to Kaira and lift her up.
"What happened, Imani?" she asks.
"I'll tell you when we get home." Seeing the curious gazes on me.
I take her hand and follow the parents out of the room, up the stairs and out of the building. Plenty are soothing their frightened children. The smiles on the teenager's faces are one of relief. Fathers embrace their sons and daughters for standing strong and for being prepared to be the last line of defense. For protecting reacting fast and protecting the younger children. Mothers kiss them just being happy to be able to see them again. To feel them again pressed against their breast.
Once we are outside, I pull Kaira to me. Wrapping my arm around her. We begin to walk in the direction of our home. As we pass the mini mansion where Adit live, I see a wolf sitting in front of the door. Pulling Kaira to a halt, I call out to it.
"Adit?"
"I don't think that Adit love," Kaira says.
"What do you mean?"
"I cannot 'see' it," she explains.
The wolf whines before it stands and comes to us. Naturally I move Kaira behind me. The wolf comes and sits in front of us, staring. It tilts its head.
"It tilts it's head like Adit does," I tell Kaira. "But I believe you are right. It doesn't have the black markings on it."
The wolf yelps, standing back up and padding to the door.
"Could it be another member of the pack?" I ask.
"I don't think so love."
"Well I don't speak wolf, so I say we proceed home."
I go to maneuver Kaira back into walking. The wolf yelps again, this time going to Kaira and licking her hand. It gets up on its hind legs and starts licking her face. I growl at it.
This better not be a pack member.
"Imani, let's just see what it wants," she says laughing and rubbing its head. "Come on big baby."
Walking behind Kaira and that wolf, we make our way up the front porch. Just as I raise my hand to ring the doorbell, the front door opens.
"Why am I not surprised to see you two again this night," Adit says, as she casually leans her body against the doorframe.
Oh goodness, I quickly cover Kaira's eyes. And forcibly lock my eyes to Adit's. She is naked, I mean she has a towel wrapped around her waist but that it is. And towel is hiding nothing. Leaving nothing to the imagination. No bra, no sports bra, no bindings. Just skin. A lot of tattooed and marking covered skin. I stop and stare at her.
"You just can't help but to check me out," she says shaking her head. Lifting her body off of the frame she steps back into her house, leaving the door open for us.
As she turns, I see her flesh. There are welts and lacerations cover all over her torso. My gaze wanders down and I see some peeking out of the bottom of the towel. Some of them have already started to blister. Others have this dark blemish around them. It's like she has been singed. Kaira tentatively steps forwards. Her hands are extended. She lightly grazes Adit's back.
"I can feel the heat coming off of you Adit. You are badly wounded," she says. She gently runs her fingers over the burn marks. "You haven't treated them."
"I'll be fine Kaira. Don't worry your pretty little head about me."
"I'm not," she says pushing Adit ahead. "I'm worrying about the people here if something happens to you. Love, see if you can find honey and aloe. Adit, take me somewhere where you can lay down and I can see to your wounds."
Adit sighs deeply, looking at me.
"She always like this?"
"Yes."
"Ok, come on Mizaru." Leading Kaira to a room, you can tell she isn't happy about the fuss being made. But I feel she secretly likes it.
Going to the kitchen, I look through her cabinets until I find the honey, I don't know where to find aloe. I take the honey to Kaira along with some cold water.
"I don't know where to find aloe," I tell her.
"Check around the backyard, I can smell it. If not then run to the hospital and grab me some lidocaine and a few gauzes."
She stands up and inclines her out of the room. I follow her.
"How is she this badly hurt?" I ask her.
"She can be hurt, she just won't die from the wounds," she says. "From the smell coming from them I would say she has some sixth-degree burns."
"I thought there was just three degrees?"
She purses her lips.
"See if you can find her something to eat. I would guess it has been awhile since she had something substantial. Her healing hasn't fully kicked in. That tells me lack of proper nourishment. And while you are at the hospital see if you can find some Temazepam. I need her to sleep so her that way the healing can begin."
Breathing in through my nose and out through my mouth, I rub my face.
"Ok babe."
"Imani, grab anything you know that is for pain. I don't even know how she is up and moving right now. But I guarantee you she is hurting."
I kiss her.
I head to the hospital and walk in. The place is a dead zone. I guess we don't help and try to save the enemy wounded. Walking through the empty corridor, I scratch my head. I don't know where to find anything in a hospital. Looking up at the directing signs hanging from the ceiling, I follow the on that says pharmacy. Jumping over the counter, I start looking over the different medications.
Oxycodone, fentanyl. buprenorphine, codeine, tramadol and morphine. Ooo, fentanyl patches. Just grabbing some of everything that I find. I stuff my pockets with it all. Finding some aloe cream, I grab a few of those also before leaving.
I walk through Adit's front door and see her wolf friend laying on her sofa. She watches me go to into the kitchen. I pull everything out of my pockets. I go to the room and see Kaira sitting next who Adit who is laying down. Kaira looks up as I enter the room. I go to her and pull up and out the door with me.
"I didn't really know what to get so I grabbed some of everything. Anything you don't need I'll return." I tell her.
I name off everything that I have gotten. I take which ones she wants and bring them into the room. Setting them on a stand close to Adit's head. She doesn't even open her eyes to look. I walk back into the kitchen and raid her refrigerator and freezer.
Damn, she is the ultimate bachelor.
There are tons of frozen snacks littering her freezer. From hot pockets to jimmy dean stuffed hash browns. Shit even French fries. She needs a real meal for what she is about to endure but I have to use what I got in front of me. Grabbing a few frozen dinners, I heat them up. Stocking everything into one bowl. I grab a spoon and head back to Kaira.
I see that she has set up her phone to act as her guide. She has already begun to clean Adit's wounds. She has a scalpel submerged in a chemical. I guess she will have to cut away dead skin.
"Adit you need to eat," she tells her.
"Not hungry."
"Not up for debate."
Adi lifts her head and turns in my direction. I raise the bowl up to show her. I walk to the end of the bed where her head is and sit on the floor.
"You going to feed me puppy?"
"Shut up and eat," I tell her spooning up some of the food. Meatloaf and mash potatoes.
"Aww meatloaf. My favorite. How did you know." she says smiling a little before I jab the spoon in her mouth. "Careful puppy. Your bedside manner needs a little working on."
I see Kaira roll her eyes from beside Adit.
"Even when you're at your worse, you still manage to be at your best, don't you Adit," she sarcastically says to her.
Adit's choses her food, turning her head to Kaira.
"Come now Mizaru, what could be better than this?" she asks. I shove more food in her into her mouth.
She looks back at me and smiles. You can see the twinkle in her eyes but underneath you can also see the pain. I guess she has come to accustomed to it that it is second nature to her. I hope this plan of Kaira's work.
With idle chit chat between Kaira and Adit, neither of whom is referencing to the giant elephant in the room about how Adit received her injuries. I am just sitting there feeding her. I believe Kaira was right it has been a minute since Adit has eaten. I try not to think on it. About three quarter of a ways through, her eyelids start to hang. Her eyes are taking on this glazed over look. She swallows the last bit of food I have given her before she is knocked out.
"Oh, thank goodness," I say to Kaira. "I didn't think it was going to work."
"It's carfentanil, love of course it was going to work," she says. "Plus, the amount I told you to mix in she should be out for at least 48 hours. But then again Adit's genetic makeup and structure is different than almost everything, so who knows. After we get her fixed up, I need you to go back to the hospital and grab iv drip bags. I need her to stay out."
With that she proceeds to start working on Adit's body.
"Hey babe?"
"Yes love?"
"Since she ate will she need a bed pan and a catheter?"
Kaira pauses her work and spares me a glance.
"To be truthful I don't know baby. I haven't had the chance to properly check over Adit's body or her system. I was working on the fly." she smirks looking at me while returning back to her task. "Besides its isn't as if you've never been my candy striper before."
"Babe you don't see what Adit has. There is no way I'm touching that."
She throws her head back laughing.
She continues to work and I assist her until the late hours of the morning. I return to the hospital to get the equipment that she has requested. After setting everything up we take showers one at a time. Then lay down on the couch in Adit's bedroom. Kaira didn't want to leave her alone. I hold Kaira close to me as she lays on top of me. I listen to her breathing even out as I rub her back and massage her scalp. I can't take my eyes off of Adit though. I am afraid. I am afraid of what could have happened had she not returned in time. I am afraid of what could still possibly happen. I am afraid for the people that willing jumped into action and risked their lives for Kaira and I. I am just afraid.
My eyes drift shut with me battling my fears.