Clouds had washed over the full moon. Jake flew through the pitch darkness, guided only by instinct. An hour passed. Jake wondered if he was on the right path.
Just as he was about to give up, he saw the familiar light from the windows of the shop. Never before had it seemed so welcoming.
He flew inside to find Gramps pacing the floor. Lao Shi looked up. "Ai-yah! Jake, where have you…" his voice trailed off when he saw Rose. "What happened?!"
Jake gritted his teeth. "A Huntsboy named Rebik did this. He said that it wasn't the Huntsclan way to let a traitor go free."
Jake lay Rose on the couch. For hours he waited as Gramps and Fu bandaged Rose's wounds. At last, Fu came over to Jake. He put a paw on Jake's arm.
"We've done all we can." the shar-pei said. "But the wounds are deep, and she's lost a lot of blood. We're not sure…" he stopped. When he spoke again it was softer. "We're not sure…if she's going to make it."
"No." Jake whispered. He put his head in his hands. For a moment there was silence. Then Trixie and Spud saw Jake shaking. Then they realized: Jake was crying. Their friend, the cocky, overconfident, always-trying-to-be-cool Jake, was crying.
Trixie put a hand on Jake's shoulder. "Jake…" He pulled away, and turned from them. Trixie and Spud exchanged worried glances. "Jake, please." Trixie said.
"This is all my fault." Jake sobbed. "If I hadn't dragoned up in Central Park that day, none of this would have ever happened."
"Jake you don't know that." Gramps said. "You and Rose couldn't have kept your relationship hidden forever. The Huntsman was bound to find out soon."
This didn't make Jake feel any better. In his eyes, he had caused it, and now Rose was close to…Jake couldn't continue that thought. He couldn't bear the idea of losing her.
Suddenly Jake heard a weak voice behind him. "Jake?" He spun around and saw that Rose had regained conciousness. "Rose." he whispered, as if afraid to speak to loudly, for fear this was an illusion.
Rose looked around the room. "How did we escape?" she asked.
"It was the Huntsman." Jake replied. "He rescued us."
Rose turned torwards Jake slightly, only slightly, but the pain ripped through her body once again. She lay still, and took a deep breath.
"The Huntsman?" she echoed. "But…why would he help you?"
"It seemed to me," Jake responded. "That he was more intent on helping you."
As Jake talked to Rose, he saw that she could barely keep her eyes open. "Hey, Rose." he said. "I can tell that you're tired. Don't fight it. Get some sleep."
Sleep came over her like a soft blanket, and as Rose drifted off, she heard Jake mutter, "You certainly deserve it after all you've been through."