Chapter 4
0400 Hours. Willow's Perspective.
It's late, really late. People from the pack are definitely aware of my absence. I was able to get Humphrey and the remains of the cloth from the train to a nearby den that I hope is abandoned. It's been dug out underneath a tree's roots. The opening is smaller than normal, but that's useful for keeping heat in. It's actually a roomy den, with arched walls. The ceiling is strong; due to the tree roots running through the entirety of the surface above. It's about 6 feet deep, so warmth tends to reside mostly in the back. That's where I put Humphrey for now.
To say I'm bloody, is an understatement, My once shining white fur is now an uneven, blackened, crimson red. The blue of my ear tips makes my appearance strangely aggressive; unlike how I usually am.
I am very tired, and right in front of the den is a moderately sized lake, spanning maybe 300 feet. I'm right on the edge of it, trying to get most of the dried blood off of me; which is no easy task by the way. Honestly, I don't know why I'm trying to do this; considering It's very likely that I will get bloody again anyway.
Speaking of bloody, after getting what blood off that I could, I returned to the den to see the cloth around the wolf's mid-body doing a good job of stopping the bleeding. It's not perfect, but he needs all the blood he can get. He has lost far too much already, and any amount more could be his death. The thought of that makes my throat feel swollen, and suddenly I felt light headed.
I went over to him, and checked to see his body temperature. It's still very low, but at least I can see that he's breathing; which is a miracle at this point. What I found strange was that even though his body temperature was so low, his body wasn't shuddering to make him warmer. If he can't get warmer by tonight, he will definitely not make it til' morning.
In an attempt to warm him up, I laid next to him, letting my side rest against his underbelly. I thought to myself what this might look like, but in this circumstance I suppose it doesn't really matter. I knew I couldn't go to sleep yet, not with him in this condition.
I looked over his body, watching his ears and face. He doesn't look like an Alpha. Not that he's not fit, but I mean he just doesn't look like the type. Looking after him made me wonder where he came from, where he was going. I mean, he was bleeding out on the train. Based on the fact that he wasn't dead yet, he couldn't have been on the train for very long.
Then I thought of something else, which made me shiver. If I had not been curious about the train, and if I had not stayed for that second longer, I would have missed him; and.. He may not have been found in time. The thought of that made me slightly grimace. What a poor soul, being alone in a time when he can't even help himself. I wonder what he is thinking about, if at all.
Maybe.. what if he's in a coma? Based on the loss of blood I wouldn't doubt it, but I'm pretty sure those that slip into comas stay there for some time.
I let out a slight sigh, and laid my head over the back of his neck. I could feel his breathing ever so slightly, which was a soothing feeling if I'm being honest. Actually, thinking about it, I've never gone out of my way to be this close to someone, let alone a guy. I know this is a wildly different circumstance, but regardless; I've never been close to someone like this.
Outside the den, the moon shined brightly; for a moon- that is. There was no wind, and there didn't seem to be any clouds blocking the moon from glowing so.
I closed my eyes, listening to the heartbeat below me growing stronger every minute. That feeling gave me hope that this person may just survive. I thought about who this person may be. It's definite that I don't know for sure, but my curiosity thrived. Was he an outcast? A throwaway? Perhaps he was a killer; someone undeserving of salvation such as my own.
These different personas raced through my mind far too fast for me to settle on. Every moment, a new possibility took the spotlight. Does he deserve to be in this position? Does he have a family? Did… he have a family? Was this a suicide attempt? Am I just dragging him back to a life in which he so desperately wanted to escape? I do not know. I suppose I will just have to wait to find out. Or.. if things don't turn out the way I hope they do, maybe I won't. Hopefully things don't turn out that way.
With that, I slowly drifted into a deep slumber. I didn't mean to fall asleep, I wanted to stay awake to assure he was okay until morning. God, I hope he'll be okay.
0900 Hours.
I slowly was brought back to reality by the distant chirping of birds. My eyelids felt like they were made of iron as I opened them. The sun's rays were inches from reaching us, warming the ground in front of us and the roof above us. The den was still slightly cold, though warming quickly. I regained my surroundings and realized that I was much closer to the person than I thought. I guess sometime in the night I cuddled him. My cheeks burned slightly as I carefully got up and sat beside him.
In a way, -as I overlooked him- I realized that, that wasn't such a bad thing. In fact, the extra warmth perhaps helped him more than before. I used that reasoning to excuse the position I awoke to.
I felt around for his heartbeat, and to my surprise it felt rather normal. My ears rose in hope. His breathing seemed normal as well, for someone who may or may not be in a coma. His makeshift bandage was darkened with blood. Perhaps I should change it.. I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not. I'm no pack healer.
I went over to the unopened bags of cloth and brought a couple over. I sat down and thought about the best way to proceed. I brought one of my claws to the cloth and began tearing it, without straining him.
Slowly, I cut through each layer. Once it was finally cut all the way through, I opened the plastic bags and unraveled the new cloth. I flipped the bloody cloth over him. He was lying on the side that was not bleeding, so I placed the new cloth over him so I can just roll him over gently, and I will be able to replace the bandaging quickly. I laid down next to him and pushed him so he rolled over.
Immediately I noticed exactly where he had been bleeding; which seemed to clot just fine and was no longer seeping blood. This made my heart leap in joy, mainly because I really didn't know what I was doing.
I carefully wrapped the new cloth around his body snugly, but not too tight. I placed all of the plastic bags and used cloth inside the empty box, and put it in the corner. The remaining cloth was still in it's bags, separated from the used items.
I sat next to him, thinking of what to do next. The sun was shining over his closed eyes, and in a way, he looked so peaceful. He had a face that even while resting, looked as though nothing was wrong with the world; only peace.
This was nice. At that moment, my stomach rumbled. I realized that I hadn't eaten last night, nor had the male before me; not that he could eat anyway.
I looked outside the den, devising a plan in my head. I need to go hunt, but who knows what could happen if I leave him alone here. What if he wakes up? What if someone comes and finds him here?
I closed my eyes and pushed those thoughts out of my head. I won't be long, I'll make it quick.
I left the den, immediately catching the scent of a nearby rabbit. Great, should be an easy target. I followed the scent to an open field. This had to be where it was. I carefully looked around and eventually heard what sounded like quiet crunching. I drifted my gaze through the tall grass and laid my eyes upon a male rabbit grazing in a patch of green. I got as close as I could without being seen or heard. Once I was close enough, I pounced upon the animal with speed.
I pressed down -hard- on the rabbits neck, hearing a small 'crack!'. It didn't even have time to react. Perfect, no fear. I hate preying upon these small animals, only because I hate putting that incredible fear in their heart. It's not fair, I know I wouldn't want that.
I picked the rabbit up with my jaws, and began to trek back to the den. Along the way I thought about the male that I left there. If he awakes, he surely won't be able to do things on his own for a little bit. Perhaps I can find something to contain some water to leave in the den for him if he wakes up.
I searched the area as I made my way back to the den for anything that would work. Eventually, I laid my eyes upon something that could work. It was a piece of tree that had broken off during a storm. Perhaps I might be able to turn it into a bowl. I'll come back for that.
I finally returned to the den with my kill, leaving it by the male. I quickly went back to where I saw the piece of tree, not before making sure the male was okay.
I grabbed the wood piece with my teeth, surprised to see that it was far lighter than I thought it would be. That could mean this will be easier than I thought. I made my way back to the den at a brisk pace. I hated leaving him alone like this, it makes me feel like something will happen. Not that I'd be any good at defending him, but I definitely wouldn't just let something like that happen.
I turned the corner into the den to see the male still lying there, motionless. I sighed, relieved that nothing happened while I was absent.
I placed the piece down, and laid next to the male again, beginning to eat my kill. I only ate half, not because I wasn't hungry, but because if he wakes up I want him to be able to eat something.
I grabbed the wood piece and began scraping at it with my claws. My intention was to dig into it in a circular shape to resemble a bowl to contain water. This process took some time, but eventually I got it there. I blew into it to remove any of the dust and remaining pieces of wood, then I brought it outside to the river to fill it with water.
I returned to the den and placed it in front of the male, not too close. A foot or two away, but close enough for him to get to.
I sat down, looking at the scene in front of me. I replayed everything in my head that had happened in the last 12 hours like I was fast forwarding through a movie. This has been a predicament if I've ever been in one. For sure though, this is definitely not a burden. I rarely ever have importance; to anyone or anything, and this event makes me feel like I'm actually doing some good. That thought made me smile, and I laid down next to the male again.
