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"Things are finally lookin' up,Jimmy,"said Victor reclining on the foot board of the bed.
They'd finally found a place to stay. A middle-aged couple without kids had gladly taken them in. As long as they kept their 'gifts' hidden, they'd probably be able to stay for a while.
His 11 year old younger brother smiled back at him."Sure are. I can finally release my claws without all the blood. See?"
"James don't-"
To late. Mrs. Smith, the one that had taken them in, walked in."Boys,time for-OH MY GOD!...What are you?"she yelled before fainting.
"Rose!" They heard Mr. Smith yell from another room.
"Nice going! Out the window. Now!"
Both boys slipped easily out the window, thankful they hadn't gotten ready for bed yet. It was early April, and snow was melting a bit. The temperature was still cold, and some snow still remained. Victor could hear the other men from the town gathering.
It was always the same. One of them got caught, and they were both chased out of town like animals. Jimmy usually found them a new place. His young age and innocent looks made many women take pity on him, and he'd then convince them to allow him in.
Not to many people liked Victor upon first glance, however. Maybe it was another effect of his powers. He wasn't sure. Whatever the reason, people seemed to mistrust him as soon as they saw him. However, years with his father made him mistrust people as well.
Victor dismissed the thoughts and pushed him brother onward in front of him. They made it a mile and half into the woods before stopping and walking instead.
"Good thing we ate before left. The next town isn't for another half a mile. We can reach it by sunset at this rate,"said Victor,his gaze shifting to the ground.
James nodded and pulled his coat closer around him. Victor suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him back.
"What is it?" He'd learned to trust his bother's instincts over anything else, even his own.
"An old bear trap."
Victor grabbed a stick from a hanging branch. He crouched down on one knee, but the other sunk causing the stick to touch the spring. The steel closed around his wrist with a snap, and Victor bit his tongue to keep from screaming.
James came to the traps other side and tried pulling it open, and Victor soon used his other hand to do the same. Sadly, neither boy was strong enough to pull it open. Ignoring the pain, Victor heard the sound of shots from behind them. The hunter hadn't stopped;they'd gotten guns.
"Jimmy run,"he ordered through gritted teeth.
"But-"
"Forget me and go! I'm find a way out and meet up with you later."
James stared at his brother before rising and complying. He began running in the direction the were going, looking back at his brother every now and again until he was out of sight. That left Victor alone for now.
He realized he wouldn't be able to pull himself free, and he was positive the bone was knitting itself back together. He also realized that it was his left hand that was trapped. Things were going to be a bit harder now since he was left handed.
A crazy idea came, and he leaned his weight forward to break the bone again. He used his other hand to pull out his prized switchblade and began sawing at the skin. After minutes of grueling pain ,he'd finally separated the his hand arm. He packed snow onto the end to lessen the bleeding and grabbed his hand. He slid his arm into his sleeve to keep the end from freezing over and held his hand against it for it to reconnect.
Victor then headed off in the direction of his brother. The hunters had likely felt the drop in temperature like he did and turned back. If only he had the same luxury to be able to turn around and go back to a warm and safe place.
Victor shook his head. This is why he kept Jimmy around. Despite being only 13, Victor's own thoughts when he was alone terrified him sometimes. He'd even settle for animal companionship if it got him to think about something else.
As if to answer him, he spotted a cave. He smelled something dead inside along with several live things, but he decided to take his chances. He stepped into the mouth of the cave and regretted his decision. A mother cougar lay asleep near the back of the cave with three cubs curled against her side.
The cougar's eyes popped open, and she immediately stepped into an attack position. Victor knew that female animals were protective of their young, and the cubs looked barely a year old. He knew better than to approach or run, so he sat himself at the mouth of the cave.
She cocked her head suspiciously at him. His hand wasn't healed, but it no longer needed to be held. His right was inside his coat holding the open switchblade in case she attacked. One of the cubs crawled towards him a rested his head on his leg.
Victor closed the blade and used his right hand to scratch him behind the ears. The other two, another male and one female, ran and pounced on their brother. That started a wrestling match between the three. Victor laughed and looked at their mother.
She had reclined and was licking her paws. He saw the large dead bear that he'd smelled. It was barely eaten, and Victor silently wondered how she'd managed to kill the beast by herself. The smell of fresh meat made his stomach growl. He'd just eaten, but his healing factor was on overdrive mending his hand.
He'd had bear meat before but never raw, and he wasn't sure if their mother would share. She looked up and caught his blue eyes with her green ones. She moved aside a bit, and Victor stood up. He stepped over the wrestling triplets to the back of the cave.
He sat against the back of the cave, which was warmer than the mouth, and picked up a piece of meat. It wasn't as good as human food, but it tasted better than rabbit. Sleep was calling for him after a while, but he felt as though he'd forgotten something.
Jimmy!
His eyes opened, and he remembered his brother. He looked outside and saw that it was raining, and the sun was setting. He decided to stay put for the night. Besides, even if he found his brother, he doubted whomever found him would let him in with his hand like this.
Victor smirked. Animals took care of him, and humans feared him. Maybe he'd been around the wrong things. The mother cougar let out a low chirp, and the cubs stopped. They ran up to their mother, who licked them clean one by one.
She placed herself at the end of his outstretched feet facing him, and her cubs curled on his legs and feet. They were so warm, and he felt his entire body heat up. Victor closed his eyes smiling. He knew that no matter what happened to him in his life he'd be fine.
After all, he was a survivor.
TBC