Dark Moon Brother
Part Twenty-One
Recovery
Dusk was deepening before Wolf returned to the house. In the meantime, Virginia had persuaded the others to help her move back upstairs to her bedroom. She felt awkward lying on the lounge room floor. It made her feel even more like the centre of attention, especially when her well meaning carers stood over her whilst they talked.
"Very well. It's probably a good idea to get you more settled, since you'll be laid up for quite a while, you know" Natalie had said finally. Virginia didn't much like the thought of the long healing period ahead, but she was feeling so grateful to the doctor and the others that she didn't really feel like she should start complaining about it now. Give it a week, at least, she thought wryly.
Tony and another male half-wolf who she hadn't even been introduced to, came forward to help her rise. Virginia gritted her teeth against the pain, but found that it wasn't really as bad as she had expected it to be. She silently thanked the doctor for bringing the morphine through the mirror with her. Which was another story altogether, thought Virginia. It was going to take hours just to bring herself up to date with all the things that had gone on whilst she lay dying. She smiled gamely at her father as he steadied her whilst the others hauled the mattress back up the stairs. She could tell that he wanted to give her a huge hug, but he seemed afraid it would hurt her. He leaned to kiss her forehead instead.
"That's my girl, easy now, let us take all the weight. It's only been 24 hours you know. You'll still be very weak, the doctor said so" he had said to her as she teetered to and fro.
"Dad, just how did Natalie get here in the first place?"
"Wolf went and 'persuaded' her"
"Wow, he did all that? I wonder what made him think of doing it in the first place?"
"I don't know darling, probably all those episodes of 'ER' he watched, but I'm glad he did. The others, the half-wolf's he left here to look after you, they did not expect you to survive. When, when I arrived, I have to say that I thought that too. I'm sorry, but that's just what I thought. But it gets worse, Virginia. You see, when Wolf arrived at the castle, all blood covered and crying, well, I thought that it was he who had done this. I just overreacted and got the wrong story. I didn't even give him a chance to explain. I could have killed him then, Virginia. I was in such a rage". Virginia reached up to pat her father's damp cheeks, glad that the sullen silence between Wolf and Tony was partially explained, at least. She wondered if it would further damage their already precarious relationship.
"Don't worry Dad. I'm not angry at you. And I don't think Wolf will be, when he's calmed down enough. He blames himself anyway now"
"Self blame is something he's always been good at" spoke now the other man who supported her. She looked to him, seeing him properly for the first time. He was a slightly built half-wolf, with light brown hair and cool blue eyes. Virginia had until now only seen him at a distance, in the background of the room, helping Elsie and the others quietly, trying not to get in the way. Memory of the night before came back to her then. Of course. This must be Wolf's long lost brother. She smiled tentatively at the man, and he smiled shyly in return. With the smile, she could suddenly see the resembelance. He dipped his head slightly.
"I am Willem, older brother of your mate, Lucian" he said, raising his gaze once more and winking at her.
"Lucian?"
"That's the name our parents gave him, yes. But I understand that he's goes by the moniker of 'Wolf' these days. A strange name to take, that one, but very like him, I must say. Although, that said, I can't really claim to know him anymore. So many years between us, not many of them happy ones. And now it seems my presence had heralded yet another near tragedy for my brother. If not for my intrusion last night, Wolf would have been with you"
"And likely dead, defending me from Elias" Virginia had said, giving the half-wolf a stern look. She was becoming exasperated at all the blaming of oneself that was going on. Her brother-in-law returned her gaze, but she could see that he was still troubled. There was the clatter of boots on the stairs then, and Elsie had come down, nodding to indicate that her room was prepared. Willem made as if to lift Virginia, but she held out her hand.
"No. Let me try this, please" she coaxed, and he relented, but kept a firm grip on her arm. With him on one side and her father on the other, Virginia managed the few steps to the bottom of the staircase. It didn't hurt all that much, which was good, as she took deep breaths, but she felt terribly restricted and as weak as a newborn kitten. Spots swam before her eyes. She heard Willem sigh and felt him scoop her up gently, carrying her up to the room and laying her out on the soft mattress.
"Thank you, thank you" she smiled at the men as Natalie bent to examine the suture lines. The doctor turned to shoo the men out of the room before peeling back Virginia's clothing. Virginia craned her neck to get her first good look at what the werewolf had done to her. She gulped and fought down the nausea as she looked down at the mess. A long line of neat stitches bisected her torso, though it didn't take much imagination to visualise what the wound had looked like before. It reminded her of something. Had she seen it before somewhere? Maybe. She had a sudden fleeting vision of being in a strange place. She'd been talking to some people there. She sighed and laid her head back down into the pillows. Natalie straightened and covered her back up again.
"It's looking good, Virginia" she said, and Virginia had smiled to hear the woman's sharp New York accent. She patted the side of the bed, inviting her to sit.
"So, tell me just how my wilful mate convinced you to come here"
"Well, here I was just sitting around, wishing that something, anything, exciting would happen to me, and in walks this fellow covered in blood, followed by this priest, of all people, and they're trying to explain that you were badly hurt but that they couldn't call an ambulance for you. I tell you, I very nearly called the cops on them, but they managed to persuade me to come with them. And then, when I saw that thing, you know, that place in the park, well, he just grabbed me and pulled me through, and I grabbed the priest and he came through as well. And so here we are, wherever we are". Virginia laughed gently at the woman's expression. No doubt she had looked the very same way when she had first arrived. She told the doctor as much.
"Yes, it's a strange place, but it's very real. You're not going mad, trust me. And my father and I, we're just ordinary New Yorkers like yourself. But then, you have a far from ordinary skill, Natalie. You saved my life"
"Ah well, it was a team effort. Besides, all of your Wolf's efforts at securing my services would have been in vain had not your, half-wolf's, do you call them, kept the pressure on that wound and stopped you from bleeding to death". Virginia shivered at the blunt words of the doctor. Yet she knew instinctively just how close she had come. There was the telltale little padding of feet coming across the floor now, and Natalie bent to lift Caelum onto the bed, one arm around his middle to prevent him from crawling onto Virginia's stomach. But he accepted her restraint of him, as though he knew that his mama wasn't quite up to his bulky weight sitting on top of her. Virginia reached to caress his curls.
"Oh yes, my brave boy, I'm so proud of you. I'm so glad you didn't get hurt when I dropped you through the window! But I was so worried the big monster would get you" she cooed at him, and he responded with one of his gorgeous smiles. Virginia drew him into her arms for a moment, ignoring the pulling pain in her side. Some things were more important. Caelum sighed happily and curled up next to her in the bed, asleep within seconds. Virginia felt her own eyes start to droop then, and soon she joined her son, resting and healing from their terrifying flight.
Some time later, she awoke to the gentle pressure on the bed which she had come to know so well. She smiled in her half sleep, feeling Wolf's hand on her forehead. She opened her eyes to see his own hovering over her.
"I'm sorry I ran off" he said simply.
"It's okay. Where did you go?"
"Just out and about. Clear my head, you know? Plus, I wanted to see if I could find any sign of Elias, any tracks"
"And did you?"
"Yes. They were quite easy to find. That creature must have been huge, judging by the paw prints. You must have been terrified, Virginia"
"I think I was beyond fear. But the only thing I could think of was to get Caelum inside the house, but I didn't then dare to open the door, cause that thing would have gotten in"
"You did the right thing. I think, actually all us half-wolf's think, you're very brave. No she-wolf would have done any less. But I still should have been with you. I know you don't want to hear all about my sorry for myself excuses, but really, for a half-wolf male to leave his mate unprotected, it's unheard of you know?"
"He would have killed you, Wolf, and then, he may as well have killed me too" Virginia said softly, carressing his furrowed brow. She felt him nod minutely, accepting the likelihood of just such a thing happening.
"What will you do, Wolf, when you find him again?"
"I truly don't know, Virginia. I feel like I am torn in two. On one hand, he threatened and hurt you, and for that, I should by rights hunt him down and destroy him for that. But on the other hand, how can I truly blame him? He came to us in good faith, and we tried to help him. He had no intention nor desire to do this. So, to answer you, I honestly don't know. Perhaps it will depend on how he himself reacts to me. Or even if he is still alive. James dealt him a nasty blow, I am sure of it. But, Elias is not someone who I am going to worry about right now. I need to stay here with you, nurse you back to health just like I said I would. You remember, in Kissingtown, when I said that?"
"I don't think either of us would have thought at the time, that one day you'd be doing that very thing, Lucian" Virginia replied. Wolf blushed at her use of his former name.
"Oh, yes, I can see that you've met my brother. Well, Lucian I was once, but I was just a little cub. Virginia, please, don't call me that name, can you do that?"
"Of course. You'll always be Wolf to me anyway. But, can you tell me of Willem, and how you came to be parted from him?"
"Yes Virginia, I'll tell you the whole sorry tale, if you want. But you know, until I scented him yesterday, I had convinced myself that he was dead. And yet even though he lived all this time, he was still dead, to me. He's four years older than me, and the year of the burning, well he had been making some trouble with the villagers. Nothing really bad, just the antics of a young half-wolf just getting his teeth. There were no other half-wolf families living nearby at the time, so I guess he grew up used to being the dominant cub in the woods and there came a time when he refused to listen to our parents. So, my father sent messages to his brother, who lived far away across the mountains, and one day he arrived. I remember him picking up Willem by the scruff and soon after, he left, taking my brother with him. He had cubs who were older than us, you see, and the adults thought that Willem would benefit from being at the bottom of the ranking for a while. The, burning, happened only a few weeks later. Afterwards, I lingered at the spot. Willem came back one day, I think he'd run away. We had words between us. I blamed him that he had caused the troubles, he blamed me that I had hidden and not helped our parents. We fought. I hit him with a stone, which is forbidden to half-wolfs, picking up a weapon, that is, and he fell, senseless. The farmers came back then, and I ran once more, but I did not return. I thought him dead then, and all these moons have carried his death at my hands around with me, along with his last words, blaming me for not helping our parents. Now, he has returned. I don't know how it will go between us, but I have to be hopeful. We have made a good start anyway"
Virginia was silent as she thought about Wolf had said. What a thing to live with all these years. And she thought her own story had some tragic moments! What a pair they both were, she thought to herself. She glanced at Caelum sleeping innocently, trusting his parents to raise and protect him. She hoped that the drama's he had already endured were not going to be indicative of his whole life. But then, maybe that was just how life played out here. Hadn't Wolf said once that they either lived happily ever after or got killed by horrible curses? Well, a horrible curse had certainly had a good go at killing them. She wondered where Elias was. Would he have realised what he had done? How would he respond when he learned the facts? She knew that he had become close to Wolf, and to herself even. He had killed his love once, his Bella. She could only imagine how he would be feeling to know how close he had come to doing it again. Virginia found herself in much the same position as Wolf. She couldn't bring herself to blame Elias. She had looked into the eyes of the beast and she knew that the tall, softly spoken man was not even remotely there. He was not like Wolf, who, even when under the full moon's influence, could still be reached, by herself anyway. Virginia found herself wondering about the origins of werewolves. What or who had made the first one, and when? She longed to talk to Elias. There were questions she wanted answers to, and one in particular that she dared not raise with Wolf.
He curled his arms around her carefully, resting his head in the curve of her neck. Virginia felt faintly ashamed of her newly scarred body. Would he still find her attractive? He mumbled against her skin as if he had read her thoughts.
"Hmm, this is nice. You'll have to stay right here, in bed, all this time. Hope you won't get too bored, but I suppose it'll be up to me to keep you entertained" he whispered suggestively.
"Oh, don't count on it, buddy!" she said, elbowing him in the ribs. He grunted and reached to take her earlobe in his teeth.
"Ah well, I guess I'll have to wait then. But you know, scars are something of a status symbol amongst wolfies. I've got my share too, you know. But we can always do the next best thing!"
"What's that?" she asked stupidly.
"Why, eating, of course!" he said, bounding out of bed and heading for the door. Virginia listened whilst he complimented Elsie on her cooking. Virginia was mightily glad that the other woman had decided to move in for a while till she got back on her feet. There were some things that only a woman could help another with, after all, no matter how attentive a mate she had.
Wolf carried the food back up the stairs carefully. He paused at the door a moment, looking over Virginia with a critical and detached eye. The wolf-self making a careful assessment of his mate. She was still pale, but then she had the fairest skin normally anyway. She lay propped up on some pillows. Her eyes and mouth were lined slightly and he knew she felt pain. He would have to make sure to coax her to take her painkilling medicine, but she could be ever so stubborn about things like that. She disliked being fussed over, he knew. Even after Caelum's birthing, she had been up and around within hours, saying she felt fine, when she really was exhausted. Just your average modern girl, he realised, but then she was quite unlike other 9 Kingdoms ladies.
He came forward and put the tray down, helping Virginia to a sitting position. He felt the strain of her muscles as they tried to compensate for those that were damaged. He put a big bowl of Elsie's stew in his lap, and ignoring Virginia's protests, fed her spoon after spoon of it. It pleased him to see that her appetite was good, and she reached to drain the bowl when he had finished. There was nothing more reassuring for a half-wolf than to see another eating well. If one could eat, all would be well, he was sure of it. When she was full, he looked at her meaningfully, silently asking her permission, before lifting up her nightdress to reveal the wound. He knew she blushed and felt uncomfortable at his scrutiny, but he smiled and kissed her to reassure her that it would in no way stop him from desiring her. He ran gentle fingers down the line, bending to sniff at it here and there. He was happy to find no evidence of infection. Obviously the strange medicines that the doctor had been giving Virginia were working.
"It looks good, love. No infection that I can smell. And the scar itself, well, it should fade out in time, if you heal well and don't go running around too much too soon". He saw her grimace, but she nodded finally. She yawned deeply then, and he helped her settle back down into the bed. She cuddled up to Caelum and Wolf drew the covers over them both. Then he stood back just to watch them sleep. By the Goddess, how much he loved them! He went to the window, opening it a crack to allow fresh air in. He breathed deeply the scents in the garden. Stephen, talking with Willem, Tony, Wendell and a few of his retainers, Doctor Natalie and the priest Frederick. No Elias. But Wolf didn't know whether he would come back here. He doubted it. Would he return to the scene of the crime? He left the window and padded down the stairs, stopping by the kitchen to impulsively hug Elsie.
"Oh, stop it, enough!" she shooed at him, but she smiled and hugged him back anyway. "That's one strong girl you've got there. I didn't think she'd make it, you know, but I'm so glad she did, and that you made me give her the chance". Wolf kissed her hand, holding it firmly for a moment. He hadn't been angry at Elsie for speaking what they had all known to be the facts of the situation. At any other time, or in any other place in the Kingdoms, Virginia would surely have died, and a good calm woman like Elsie would likely have assisted her. He left her to her bread making and went outside to join the others. His first gaze was to Willem. What a strange reunion they had had. But Wolf was glad of it. His brother had grown into a reserved, quiet man, it seemed. The brothers looked at each other shyly. They were strangers still. Wolf hoped his brother would stay around for a while, but then he knew next to nothing about his daily life. Did he have a mate, cubs? So many things to figure out. His head was aching from it all already. He reached up to rub his temples.
"Don't forget to get some rest yourself, Wolf" said Natalie as she approached.
"Oh, I'm sure I'll be alright doctor. Us wolfie's are made of tough stuff you know. What about you? You've barely rested yourself. Do you want me to take you back to New York yet?"
"Well, I'm sure my disappearence has been noticed, after all, my leaving with you would have been captured at least on the security cameras and I haven't exactly showed up for my shift today. I bet my parents are worried sick. There's no way of contacting New York is there?"
"No, none that I know of. But really, I think Virginia will be just fine now, thanks to you. I can take you back right now, or maybe Wendell might do it. You just have to step through the mirror and it'll take you right back to Central Park"
"It's unbelieveable to me, this whole experience, but I can't deny my own senses. And it's such a beautiful land, from what I've seen, so different from my world. It's tempting to stay, that's for sure, but yes, I really should go back tonight"
"Good. Wendell will take you, won't you?" Wolf said, calling out to the King who stood outside one of his travelling pavilions that his servants had set up in the yard. The King motioned to his manservant and a carriage was prepared. Whilst they waited, Wolf turned to the priest who stood looking on.
"Well, Frederick, do you wish to return to your world also?" he asked. The young man still had that slightly stunned expression that he had had ever since he had arrived. Wolf wondered privately if the man had felt himself to be in the Hell that his colleagues had spoken of so many times. When he had first turned and found that the priest had come though the mirror, he had thought that he would have to somehow restrain him, but the man had proven himself to be quite calm and considerate the whole time. He hadn't gone about brandishing his little dead man on a cross at least. Wolf waited while the man considered his response. He watched as Frederick stared about himself in the evening light, looking up at the sky.
"The stars are the same here" he said to the priest.
"Yes, you're right, they are. If I choose to stay a while here, can I go back another time?"
"Of course"
"Really? That's good. But would I be welcome here? What would I do, where would I go? I have no particular skills, nothing to offer. But then, God would not have brought me here just to turn around and leave without learning anything. I feel I owe it to you, Wolf, at least, to stay and reconsider my beliefs, but that may be a hard task I set for myself"
"Stay then. Why not go to the palace? It's always a hive of demonic activity, and there's plenty of room. Besides, visitors from the 10th Kingdom are a rarity. I'm sure you'll be appreciated simply for being who you are" Wolf replied with just a touch of sarcasm. "But let me warn you, priest, if I hear of you trying to poison the minds of the good folks of the Kingdoms against each other, I'll personally return you to New York in several pieces!" he added, trying to look more menacing than he felt. Frederick paled significantly at his threat, but he nodded assuringly. The carriage drew up then and Wolf stood back as Natalie and Frederick were helped up into it. Natalie leaned out the window and gave him a piece of paper.
"Here. This is my phone number. Call it any time if you need me to come back. I've left more than enough antibiotics and painkillers, and the instructions are written clearly on the bottles. Oh, and I've told Elsie how to remove the sutures in a few weeks or so" Wolf gripped her hand tightly, bringing it to his lips. He felt tongue tied as he tried to grind out a proper thanks for the doctor. She smiled reassuringly, seeing his trouble.
"It's okay Wolf. I know"
"We are forever in your debt. You are pack with us now. When Virginia is better, we'll come back through to visit, and you can come here for a holiday, if you like"
"I would like that, very much" she called out as the carriage drew away. Wolf stood waving until it was out of sight. He sensed movement behind him, knew it to be Tony. Virginia's father shuffled awkwardly and Wolf wondered what the man would say to him, as opposed to what he really wanted to say. Still, he owed it to Virginia and Caelum to try and make peace with the man. He turned as if to speak, but then his attention was caught by the howl message filtering through the forest and across the fields to the house. It was the fullblood wolf pack.
"Come to us. We have your friend" they sang. Wolf's skin prickled in agitation. The other half-wolf's stared at him pointedly. Tony cleared his throat.
"What do they say?" he asked.
"They have Elias" replied Wolf soberly. He gazed at Willem. Would he gain one brother and lose another? He rocked back and forth on his feet in the subconcious rythum of the wolfsong, before tilting his head back finally.
"Keep him safe for me. I will come at dawn"