The Pack Chapter 8 - - Accountability
He moved so fast that I had little time to react. Before I realized it his razor-sharp maw bit down on my left shoulder. I honestly wasn't ready for the excruciating pain that exploded from his attack. The smell of his breath was intoxicating, almost like syrup or molten candy. Poison...
Reeling for the shock of his attack I put all my strength into ripping him from me. I grabbed his arm from around my chest and sent him flying towards the closest stand of trees. His high-pitched growl pierced the burning night air like hot metal through flesh.
Grinning with satisfaction I watched him struggle to remove himself from the large branch impaled through his right side. The hanging gore from the tree limb made the wolf in me preen at our accomplishment.
My satisfaction was short-lived as he tore himself free. His wound began to regenerate almost at once as he walked back towards me. His wolfish smile showed his glass like teeth as he made a sort of giggle and said, "You could be so much more, but your too new to fight me. In a few hundred years not even the end of the world would scratch you! Your weak and your kind must die."
"My kind? Aren't you one of us?" I growled back.
The very edges of his body became fuzzy as he said. "No. I'm much more and so different..."
My last thoughts as I felt him on me are hard to explain. The pain in that moment bloomed to heights I could never imagine. I felt disconnected as he tore into me. I was dying.
"Cody?" Asked a quiet voice.
My ears rang with a thin high note as I stared into gray mists.
"MATT!" I screamed in terror. There was no answer.
Suddenly I noticed the sound wasn't ringing but a feminine voice singing. I could feel her words but not understand them. They made my fear fade away leaving a blanket of calm. It was then I realized I was soaking, but it wasn't water. It was blood.
A deep resonating thud slowly overcame the singing. The clouded mist cleared ever so slowly. All I could see was a black shadowy form standing over me. His thin form heaving with an effort to breath. His dark fur was wet and matted with my blood.
"You were so beautiful little one," sighing as he brushed some of me from his clawed hands, "but you had to die. Now I will play with the rest. Perhaps your mate first so he may join you." He looked almost sad for a moment.
An in human sound filled the air. The clouds blew out in all directions for miles allowing the full moon to light the sky. It's almost burning blood halo caught my attention for a moment before I focused on my killer.
I realized the very edges of the world began to fade. I tried moving but found my body unable to respond. A deep panic grew like a chasm inside me. Am I dead?
The sound was getting louder and louder as the ground began to shake with an extreme intensity. My dead fixed eyes were screaming to move and see what could make that freakish sound.
"Oh. It seems I didn't have to find him. Luck smiled on you and I. Your mate is coming." Looking down at my dead eye he asked, "Why am I even talking to you dead thing.". And with that he kicked my lifeless young body away.
Fortune and horrible bad luck would have it that I landed a ways away but in perfect view to see what I thought was Matt running at the shadowy black wolf.
Matt's normal beautiful wolf form had changed to a tank! Well not really a tank but his entire structure look thick and massive like a bull-dog. His wolf features still remained but were more intense. If a dead body could cry I would be screaming in a river a tears.
Please run Matt! I begged from my corpse.
Why? Answered a wispy voice.
Because I love him! I responded without thinking or caring who the other voice was.
The shadow wolf was toying with Matt. As they exchanged blows I wanted more than anything to move and help.
There are no words to ever explain the depth of my agony at that moment. My short fourteen years with a month as a mated wolf were a drop in the endless ocean of time; but I would burn the world and devour the universe to keep my love from dying. How could I explain that to this voice.
Finally. It said in a slight exhausted tone. You are the one I want.
Who are you? I asked desperately.
It doesn't matter. For now I am friendly, sort of at least. Also it just so happens that I can bring life to your dead flesh. To prove its point I blinked.
The wolf's dire need for freedom took hold as I took my first breath. It felt as though I had just jumped into a frozen lake at full winter. My body burned like liquid hate but quickly smothered by a cold rage. The sheer pain of my ruined self almost made me black out, but I couldn't. The one who; was my heartbeat, my very breath, and the only thing that would keep me from death needed me.
Let me help.
Liquid light oozed from the wounds across my body as I felt the pain fade. The light turned to a thick grayish white smoke enveloping. I felt fur sprout all over my body and the air-filled with a lingering scent of water and dirt.
It gave a silent command.
I was up in an instant and bolting towards the black shadow clawing at Matt's back. Like a bullet I hit my opponent ripping him off what was mine. The world moved in slow motion for me.
My claws tore at the demon wolf with such fury he didn't have time to cry out as I set about dismembered him. His black blood splattering my white fur and smelled faintly of liquorice. Bones and fur mingled with flesh that went in all directions.
Without warning I was standing over Matt's bleeding form, scooping him from the ground. He shifted to a small bloodied child. I will never forget the peace I saw in his green eyes as they met mine.
"C... Cody?" Was all he could make out before he drifted off into a deep sleep. His body was shutting down to heal.
"Matt!" Yelled Justin as he came running towards us.
Losing my grip on this new white wolf form I made a sort of half sit half collapse to the ground. Still holding my heart as Justin put his arms around me so I wouldn't fall back and drop Matt.
"He's alright Justin." I whispered.
The others made their way close. Thankfully no one was missing but everyone looked dirty and a little worse for wear. Luis hung on Kida's neck with tears streaming from his beautiful eyes. The house was gone along with everything any of us owned. The blackened frame, like a skeleton, stood motionless in the moon's light. The night shared our sadness in its own quiet way.
"I never thought they would still be alive." Graywalker said half whispering to himself. His sad face met mine with a questioning glance, but changed to sorrow in an instant.
"Well now that the runts play time is over and we have no house. Where are we going to sleep?" said Luke accusingly. To my surprise Nikki elbowed him.
"A motel or something, please!" Responded Nikki. "I need a shower and a real bed to sleep in."
"I'll go get the truck." Shane mumbled as he sauntered off to the truck. Luis jumped out of Kiba's arms and flew after Shane.
Justin reached for Matt and I gave a deep growl without thinking. I felt my face ashen suddenly and gave a weak apology letting him be taken out of my arms. Gray helped me up as we all headed for the truck.
Falling a little behind I could tell he wanted to talk privately for a moment. Well as private as you can get when everyone can hear a pin drop on the moon. Not really but you get my point.
"I felt your life go and the connection to your pack snap. You were dead." It was simple and direct.
"I don't know what to tell you..." I didn't know how to respond. I did die, but I didn't. How do you explain that to someone.
Waving his hand to stop me he said, "You don't need to say anything now but some day I would like to talk in private. You are special Cody. I don't know how but you are."
"I will." Was all I could say.
The cheap shit hole of a motel had four rooms empty. We took them all and split up. Matt and I were given a room as well as the other two mated pairs. Gray, Shane, and Luis took up the fourth.
Justin helped me get Matt into the bed and checked on his wounds. For the most part his flesh was healing fast but he still hadn't woken up.
"Lay next to him. Your scent should draw him out." He turned to leave but stopped at the door. Still facing the door he said, "I'm glad you're alive. Without you Matt would have kill himself. I would have lost my brother over you. It scares me that you would have so much power over his life. It truly scares me."
He turned a little and I saw his blood-shot teary eyes. "Don't you dare let that happen."
With that he left the room with a small click of the latch.
I crawled under the blankets and tried to ignore the stench of the people before us. At least it didn't it didn't smell like sex. Matt's scent filled my nose as I got closer. Finding a sense of balance and a pinch of happiness I began to hum.
The tune for the female voice in the white void touched my lips. It seemed sad, like a dirge, but in a way it was perfect for this moment.
I'm not sure how long I laid there and sang quietly to my love. Sweet love I sang to him.
"Cody?" He whispered still partly sleeping.
"I'm here."
"You're alive..."
After a long moment I felt him shift and snuggle closer to me. Taking a deep breath of his fur I passed into sleep.
"He is dead my Lady" Said the darkness .
"Of course he would be." Responded a little girl. She stopped jumping rope and stared at the deep black shadow at her feet.
"Shall I pick up where he left off?" It asked hungrily.
"No." Whispered the girl. "Let's see what they do next."
She began to jump rope again down a deserted road. Humming a sweet and almost sickening tune to herself. Nothing resembling civilization stood in site. She was alone.
Thanks to everyone for the emails! Sorry for the wait but there you go. Let's hope the grammar site helped me out... and not make me look bad lol.