Just as I thought it was over, I heard another feral growl. A massive wolf charged into the clearing. It moved so fast; its claws and teeth tearing at the wolf on top of me. The wolf howled in pain and the wolf that saved me stood in front of me, its fur dark and its eyes were full of fury.
The wolf feels familiar, but it isn’t Terran.
One rogue ran and snapped at his side, drawing blood, but the wolf didn’t flinch, the sheer power the wolf had was unlike anything I have seen before, it was dealing with the rogues like it was nothing.
Blood and fur flew as the wolf fought without breaking a sweat. Its growls shook the ground, and the remaining rogues, realizing they couldn’t win, turned tail and fled into the forest. As the last of them disappeared, the wolf swayed on its feet, its body was covered in deep wounds. I held my breath as I saw it collapse, shifting back into human form.
“Vixxen,” I gasped, crawling towards him, ignoring the pain that I felt in every part of my body. His injuries were very severe, and he was gushing out too much blood. I was so scared.
“No, no, no,” I whispered, pressing my hands against his wounds. “Stay with me.”
This is all my fault; I should have listened to my instincts.
Tears ran down my eyes as I kept pressing the wound.
But then, something started stirring inside me, that strange familiar warmth in my chest began to spread to my fingertips. Before I could process what was happening, my hands began to glow faintly, and I noticed the wounds started to close bit by bit.
I had no idea what I was doing, but I was just hoping it didn’t stop. I used up every energy I could use to heal him. I began to feel faint, and my body was getting weaker, but I didn’t stop until I made sure all his wounds were closed.
When the last of his wounds closed, his eyes fluttered open, his gaze locked into mine.
“Zeph…what…what are you doing?” his voice sounded like a whisper to my ears as I felt my consciousness slipping away.
“Zeph? Zeph!!”
Those were the last words I heard before sleeping off.
I don’t know how long I slept, but I woke up with slight aching pains in my body. I grunted at the pain, recalling the ambush and Vixxen’s safety.
I hope he is doing alright.
I shifted slightly, only to notice the weight of something near my arm. I turned my head and saw a familiar figure, Vixxen, with his head resting on his arms, which were folded on the edge of the bed. His disheveled hair fell covered his face. Before I could say anything, he stirred, lifting his head and locking eyes with mine.
“You’re awake,” he said, his voice was low but filled with a sense of relief. “How are you feeling?”
“I am alright, “I said with a small smile. “But what are you doing here? You should be resting.”
He leaned back, running a hand through his hair. “I couldn’t. Not knowing if you’d wake up. Zeph…” he paused. “Why would you do that?”
“Do what?”
“You used up all your powers on me. You could have died.”
“You were in a condition that was far worse than mine, you were bleeding so seriously.”
He wrinkled his forehead, showing irritation.
“We barely know each other. You shouldn’t be putting your life on the line for me.”
I leaned back against the pillow, meeting his gaze. “And you shouldn’t have charged into a pack of rogues to save me. But you did.”
“That’s different,” he muttered, looking away.
“It’s not,” I argued. “You saved me first, Vixxen. I just returned the favor.”
I could tell he was about to argue further, but he held himself. His tone became more serious. “I found the man who tricked you,” he said coldly. “What do you want me to do with him?”
My lips pressed into a thin line. “Do whatever you think is right. Though I wouldn’t object if you made him scrub the training grounds with a toothbrush.”
He gave a smirk. “That’s very easy, but also creative. I might consider it. Anything else?”
“Well…maybe don’t kill him. But a little scare wouldn’t hurt.”
“I will find out the person behind this.” He replied, squeezing his feet.
“I know you will.”
I decided to change the conversation. “But seriously, you should rest. You look like you have been awake all day. Do you even own a bed?”
He gave me a smile. “I do, thank you very much. I just don’t use it much.”
“Well, maybe start. You don’t want to end up looking like a grumpy old wolf before your time.”
He laughed, shaking his head.
“Grumpy old wolf, huh? I will keep that in mind.”
Just as the mood was becoming comfortable, the door opened and Terran stepped in. His eyes looked into mine, and his face was full of concern.
“Zeph, how are you?” he asked, but his face twitched with anger when he saw Vixxen.
“I’m fine,” I replied, though I could sense the mood between them.
Terran’s expression became hard as he turned to Vixen.
“This is your fault. You’re supposed to be her trainer, her protector, and you let her get ambushed?
“Terran,” I said, but he ignored me.
“Careless?” Vixxen said, standing and meeting Terran’s gaze head-on.
“I was the one who saved her.”
“Where were you when she was on her way to you?”
“Terran, it’s my fault-” I said, trying to interrupt, but neither of them seemed to hurt me.
“You act like you’re some noble protector,” Terran continued, ignoring me.
“But the truth remains that you are reckless. You can’t keep her safe, just like you couldn’t protect her-”
“Enough,” Vixxen shouted. He clenched his fist. “Don’t you dare bring that up.”
“Terran stop it. This isn’t helping anyone,” I interrupted.
Vixxen exhaled and turned to me. “Take care, Zeph,” he said quietly, before turning and leaving the room without another word.
I frowned as I turned back to Terran. “Why would you say something like that?” Bringing up his past like that-it was cruel.”
Terran stopped frowning. “He needed to hear it. I can’t let him put you at risk again. You need to understand who you are trusting.”
“And I trust Vixxen. He was there when I needed him. If he hadn’t shown up, I might not be here right now.”
“But he is the reason that you were ambushed in the first place.”
“And that’s his fault? Is he the one that set me up?”
Terran exhaled, dragging a hand through his hair. “You’re new to this pack, Zeph. You don’t know anything about him.”
“Yes. I don’t know anything about him. The same goes for you.” I shot back.
The room became silent. Terran’s shoulders sagged slightly, “I just…I worry about you Zeph.”
“I know,” I said softly. “But there is a difference between worrying and being so unfair. I don’t know the history between both of you, but I know that this wasn’t Vixxen’s fault.”
He nodded reluctantly, “You should rest. We will talk later.”
As he left, I felt guilty for Vixxen. His pain had been laid bare at that moment, and I knew Terran’s words had hurt him. I will speak to him as soon as I fully recover.