135. Relieved to See You
Safina
I reach down the bottom of the cliff and slip off Rufus’s wolf’s back. Shane was right. This wolf was terrifying going through the mountain side. He acted like I wasn’t even present on him and just jumped and ran to his heart’s content. Never mind that I felt like I nearly slipped off him more than a few times.
My body was slightly shaking as I carefully remove myself from his back. His wolf stays back, watching as I look over to see Trevor quickly walking up to me.
“Hazel?!” He reaches me and clasps me in an embrace.
Feeling a bit awkward of the hug, I pat him on his back not knowing what else to do. He releases me and meets me eye level. His face was in a serious expression.
“Where is Derek? Where is everyone else?”
“They’re all safe. Right now, they’re all sleeping.”
Raghorn suddenly appears beside him, grabbing my shoulders. “The children? Are the children alright?” He demands in a panic.
I quickly nod my head to assure him they were all okay. His eyes turn soft with relief and then with grief. “Tell me what had happened after I left?”
My body shook a little as I told him everything. About the attack, about running away, and about how the prince and his Elite warriors had come to our rescue. Through it, I started crying, while they both patiently listened. When I was done Trevor says,
“We were able to find Oscar as well as Slater.”
I frown with confusion. “Slater? But he wasn’t there.” Was he?
“It’s a long story and one I need to tell, but I need to see my son first.”
I turn to Rufus’s wolf who nods his head and closes his eyes. A moment later he barks, and three more men came out of the shadows. Trevor looks to them with suspicion, but otherwise doesn’t say anything as they come up to both Slater and Oscar, that I didn’t realize were there until now.
My eyes widen in horror at the condition Oscar was in. But he was alive, for now. I rush up to him as he winces from the sudden movement of being lifted from the ground.
“You’re alive!” I nearly cry in relief.
“Barely.” He hisses as one of the Elites raises his arm over his shoulder.
I look at his battered face with concern. “I’ll be fine Safina. I’ll heal in no time.” He whispers with a difficult smile on his lips.
“Ah!”
I jerk to hear Slater’s cry of pain. Another Elite was helping him as well. He was favoring his right leg as he starts hopping. I didn’t understand what he was doing here and why he seemed to be injured. Someone lays a heavy hand on my shoulder and I turn to see Raghorn.
“We’ll explain once we see the others, I promise.”
“Where’s Artimus?” I ask, noticing he wasn’t among them.
Raghorn’s expression suddenly turns into sadness as tears brim his eyes. “He chose to stay behind to retrieve our dead.” He lowly states.
My eyes start to water at the understanding of what he was telling me. “Are they…is there really no one else?” I ask timidly.
He just shakes his head. Breathing in a shaky breath, I look away fighting against the sobs that wanted to take over. “W-We should get going now.” I tell them.
As soon as we reach the entrance of the cave, Osmoses and Nami were waiting for us. I once again slip from Rufus’s wolf’s back and turn to see the others carefully placing both Oscar and Slater down on the ground. Raghorn and Trevor quickly turn back into their human forms, coming from behind a rock where they put their clothes back on.
Trevor carefully faces Osmoses. “I’m Gamma Trevor of Blue Silver. I’m here to retrieve my son.”
Osmoses sizes him up before he gives a curt nod. “Only you. The rest will need to stay out here until I deem it’s safe.”
Trevor slowly nods his head and looks to me. He turns to Raghorn and says something I didn’t quite catch, who then just nods and goes to kneel beside Oscar. Looking back to Osmoses he says,
“Alright, agreed.”
We all head back into the cave and upon seeing the sleeping children, Trevor stops momentarily with shock. He doesn’t say anything as he carefully maneuvers around them, not bothering with the other Elites that were carefully watching his every step.
Once he spots Shane he quickly heads to his side. He feels his forehead and frowns. “He’s burning up.”
“He’s on the verge of shifting.” I quickly inform him, coming to stand on his other side, looking down at Shane sleeping peacefully.
His brows furrow even more. “That’s strange. He shouldn’t be burning up like this just because he’s about to shift for the first time.”
“What do you mean? Isn’t it different for everyone?” My voice took on a worry tone.
“Is he showing any other symptoms?” He quickly asks.
My face slightly heats up at thinking of the way Shane had been acting towards me before he had passed out. “N-Not really.”
He sighs deeply. “I’ll need to keep an eye on him for the time being.”
“Dad?”
We both look over to where Derek was now standing, staring groggily at us. Looks like he had just woken up, probably from hearing the sound of his father’s voice.
“Derek.” Trevor stands back in a flash and within three large steps he engulfs him in a back breaking hug. “Thank the Goddess you’re alright!” His voice sounded vulnerable and relieved at the same time.
“Dad, what are you doing here?” Derek asks confused, hugging him back.
Trevor lets him go as he scans his eyes all over his person. He then looks beyond him and slightly shoves him to bend down to Benji, who was still out cold. He closes his eyes, his body sagging in reassurance to see him not harmed as well.
Shifting his hand through his hair in a fatherly way, he looks back to his son and says, “Raghorn got a message from one of you saying you guys were being attacked. They lost communication suddenly and we became alarmed. When we arrived…”
“But how did you know what was going on?” Derek asks next.
Trevor stands back up to look at him. “There are many things that I haven’t told you lately. I’ve been…investigating.”
“You have been acting strange since Shane’s lashing. What is it that you’re investigating?”
“Does it have something to do with them?” I look to Osmoses and the others.
Just then prince Z comes out from the room of his brother. Trevor freezes when he sees him, his eyes wide open. He then quickly bows.
“Your highness!” He rushes to say.