Chapter 2: Kale's Rescue
Gerard paced angrily at the top of the building. It had been over an hour since his two minions had gone out to take care of Jareth and they still hadn't returned. This made him wonder and worry. What could have happened? Jareth was practically out of it when they took him off. Could he have been faking it?
"No." Gerard said aloud, shaking his head. "That boy was almost dead, I'm sure of it." he said, looking over the edge of the building again.
"Boss?" a man said from behind.
"What?" Gerard snapped, looking back at the man.
"I think you should see this…" the man said.
Gerard stared at him for a minute, then followed him through the door.
XxXxXxXxXxX
The man lead his boss to the woods, where the two dead men lay at the foot of the rose. Gerard stared down at his men then growled. Each man had two huge holes in the sides of their necks, where blood flowed freely, and their legs were bleeding badly.
"What caused the holes, boss?" the man asked, looking at Gerard.
"I know exactly what caused it, and I'll kill that fucker for it!" Gerard growled. "Gather your best men, and hunt down that little bastard! Bring him back to me alive, I want to kill him myself!" he snapped, looking at the man.
"Yes boss!" the man said quickly, saluting and then vanishing.
"Jareth I will get you for this!" Gerard yelled out, his voice echoing around.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Jareth walked slowly through the woods, putting as much distance between him and the dead goons as possible. Those two were the best the Gerard had, and the closest to him, and he'd for sure be after him. He was positive he'd have found them by now, so in his condition, it was best that he get as far away as he could for now.
Suddenly, Bam squeaked, and flew in front of him, bouncing up and down in the air quickly. Jareth looked at him, then looked around.
"What is it Bam?" he asked.
Bam squeaked again, then flew back behind him, making Jareth turn around. Behind him, was a tall, black cloaked figure. Jareth's eyes widened and he backed away quickly.
"Not these guys again!" he yelled.
To his left, another black figure appeared, like the wind blew a pile of black dust into a figure. Jareth looked at it, still backing away. Bam squeaked louder, and Jareth turned to see another black figure behind him. Sighing, Jareth shook his head.
"This is going to hurt like a bitch." he muttered, before turning into his demon form.
A long black, leathery wing stretched from his left shoulder blade, while a long white feathery one stretched from his right. The growth of his wings stretched the deep cuts on Jareth's back, making him cry out in pain and drop to his knees. Bam bounced in the air, squeaking loudly, as one of the figures approached him. Jareth looked up and smirked, then jumped into the air, flapping his long wings. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough, and one of the black cloaked figures attacked him, dragging him back to the ground. Jareth landed hard on his back, bending his wings in a odd direction, and stretching the cuts. If the fall hadn't knocked the wind out of him, Jareth would have cried out in pain. But he couldn't breath right at the moment, and all he saw was a huge black figure getting closer.
Suddenly, from over head, a huge black wolf dive bombed the figure, growling fiercely. A blonde haired demon jumped down beside Jareth, making him jump slightly, and helped him sit up. Jareth coughed and sat up, then looked up at the demon. His hair was blonde with fiery red highlights in it, and his eyes were as red as fire itself. A silver industrial ring glinted from the cartilage of his left ear, and a silver ring from his lip.
"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice calm and sweet sounding.
"Not exactly." Jareth muttered, his voice hoarse from having the wind knocked out of him.
The blonde demon looked at his back and shuttered.
"What the hell happened to you?" he asked.
"I got into it with one of those black things over there." Jareth muttered.
"Ah…I see. Well I know a place to take you that we can get you taken care of." the blonde said. "Name's Kale by the way. And you?" he added.
"Jareth." Jareth replied.
"Ok Jareth, lets get you out of here." Kale said, starting to pull Jareth to his feet.
Jareth winced, but followed Kale's lead and stood up. Kale looked back at the black wolf, then looked around. The wolf growled and snapped its huge jaws down on the cloak of the figure it had pinned and shook its head viciously. The cloak ripped off and below the wolf, lay a pale white skeleton, staring back up at the wolf. Kale blinked and shook his head, while Jareth's jaw dropped. The wolf made a confused sounding noise and cocked it's head to the side.
"Kill it, Duke!" Kale called, and the wolf growled again.
Tossing the cloak to the side, the wolf snapped its jaws down on the collar bone of the skeleton, and shook its head again. Bones flew in every direction imaginable, and even though the skeleton could make no noises, its feet kicked under the wolf. When the wolf was finished, bones lay scattered around, and all the other figures had long since vanished. Jareth looked at Kale, shocked.
"Wow! Where'd you come across that thing?" he asked.
"Well, it came across us. Now come on, time to get you fixed up." Kale said, as Duke trotted over to them.
After helping Jareth up, Kale jumped up on Duke's back and they took off at top speed for the Fox house.
XxXxXxXxXxX
"Shi! Come quick!" Abi yelled from the living room, looking out the window.
"What?" Shi asked running into the room.
"Kale's back. And he has a new friend. He looks kinda rough too. He's all bloody." Abi said, looking at Shi as she looked out the window.
"Oh damn! Alright, go get me some warm water." Shi said, turning towards the door. "Madende! I may need you!" she called, opening the door.
Kale was just getting to the door when she opened it, and looked up at her.
"Hey Shi. Got room for one more?" he asked.
"Of course, bring him in so we can look his back over." Shi said, smiling and stepping aside. "Take him up to a spare room." she added as Kale lead Jareth in the house.
Dalila, Shi's mother, came around the corner as Kale started up the stairs with Jareth.
"Oh my God! What happened?" she asked, looking from Jareth to Shi.
"I don't know. But I'll take care of him." Shi replied, following them up the stairs. "Can you let Duke in Mom?!" she called as she turned the corner.
"Of course." Dalila said, smiling and walking to the door. "Come on Duke!" she called out the door, and the huge wolf ran in.
Upstairs, Kale gently lay Jareth down on his stomach on the soft bed, and stepped back. Shi and Abi quickly came in, Abi carrying a bowl of warm water. She gently set the bowl of water down on the night stand and looked over at Jareth's back.
"Oh damn…" she muttered, making a disgusted face.
"We're going to have to clean these out." Shi said, gently pulling a dead leaf from one of his wounds.
Jareth flinched and gripped the pillow tightly.
"I'm sorry." Shi said, sadly. "Abi, can you get me that trash can over there?" she asked, turning to Abi.
"Sure." Abi said, nodding and getting the trash can.
Shi dropped the bloody leaf in the trash can and gently sat down on the side of the bed.
"Alright, here we go…I'm sorry if I hurt you, just don't attack me, please." Shi said.
"I won't…just be as gently as possible…" Jareth muttered, turning his head to the side.
"I will." Shi said.
"Shi is very gentle. If she can help it, she won't hurt you." Abi said, sitting on the other side of Jareth.
Jareth nodded and Shi began gently picking out pieces of dead leaves and small pieces of sticks. Jareth gritted his teeth and turned his head into the pillow, groaning in pain and digging his claws into the pillow. Abi watched sadly, as he twitched and flinched as Shi pulled pieces from his back. When she had gotten all the pieces that she could, Shi turned to Abi.
"Go get me one of Sandra's remedies that she left here. And some peroxide so clean out his cuts." she said.
"Got it!" Abi called, jumping up and running out of the room.
"Need anything else?" Kale asked, stepping forward.
"Yea, go get Madende. I may need him when I pour Sandra's stuff on his back." Shi said.
"Alright." Kale said, nodding.
As Kale left the room, Jareth turned his head and looked up at Shi.
"Thank you…" he muttered.
Shi looked down at him and smiled.
"No problem. What happened to you?" she asked.
"I got into a fight with a creature called a Reaper." Jareth replied, relaxing some.
Shi raised an eyebrow and started to say something when Abi walked through the door, holding a vile of dark purple liquid.
"Here you go." she said, handing the vile and the peroxide to Shi.
"Thank you." Shi said, taking the two. "Alright Jareth…this may sting a bit." she said, turning back to Jareth.
Jareth nodded and sighed deeply. Madende walked through the door, followed by Kale and looked down at Jareth's back.
"Damn man! That looks bad!" he said, stopping beside Shi.
"Don't remind me…" Jareth muttered, closing his eyes.
"Sorry." Madende said, looking over at Shi. "You needed me?" he asked.
"Yea. When I pour Sandra's remedy on his back, it may sting like it always does, and I may need you to hold him down." Shi explained.
Madende nodded and looked down at Jareth, who was trying to remain relaxed. Shi grabbed a towel and handed it to Abi, who looked at her oddly.
"Hold that right here, so that when the peroxide runs down, it won't get to the bed." Shi said, and Abi nodded. "Ok Jareth, here we go." she said.
"Alright." Jareth said nodding.
Shi nodded and held the peroxide bottle out and poured a little at a time over the cuts. Jareth flinched and buried his face in the pillow, growling. Abi gently wiped the bloody peroxide up as it rolled down his sides and shook her head. The cuts foamed white from the peroxide doing its thing and killing off the infection that was already starting to form in the wounds.
"Alright, moving down to lower cuts." Shi said, and Abi moved back with the towel.
Jareth nodded and Shi began pouring more peroxide down his back.
"God damn that shit burns!!" Jareth growled.
"I know, I'm sorry. It's because infection is already starting to start and the wounds are so deep." Shi said.
"Just pour it all over my back and get it over with, please!" Jareth begged.
Shi looked at Madende who nodded.
"Alright, but its going to hurt worse." Shi said.
"Hang on, let me get to where I can hold him." Madende said, walking around the side of the bed.
He gently placed his hands on Jareth's shoulders, ready to hold him down if he tried to struggle. Nodding to Shi, she started pouring the peroxide all over Jareth's back. Jareth cried out in pain as the peroxide burned his whole back at once and started to get up, but Madende held him down.
"It's ok. Calm down." he said, as Jareth tried pushing against Madende's strength.
"It burns! Damn it!" Jareth yelled, gripping the pillow and hiding his face in it again.
"I know, it'll pass, hang on." Shi said, as she and Abi quickly but gently wiped up the bloody peroxide running down his sides.
Once they had wiped up all the running peroxide, and the stinging had passed, Madende released Jareth and looked back at the others. Jareth lay with his head to the side, panting, as a tear rolled down his cheek.
"I'm so sorry, Jareth." Shi said sadly.
"Don't be…I told you to do it…" Jareth muttered shaking his head.
Shi nodded and picked up the vile with the dark purple liquid.
"That's not what I'm sorry for…" she muttered, pulling the cork out of the mouth of the bottle.
Jareth looked up at her, and closed his eyes.
"That one hurt worse?" he asked.
"More than likely." Madende said quietly.
Jareth sighed and nodded.
"Do it…get it over with…" he said, opening his eyes again.
"Ok. It'll help you heal faster, and then I swear after this, we'll wrap you up and that will be it." Shi promised, sitting back down.
"Ok…" Jareth said, nodding.
Madende stood back over Jareth, holding his shoulders again. Shi sighed and lifted her arm.
"Here we go…" she said, then tipped the bottle up.
Starting at his shoulder blades, Shi poured the solution all down his back, all over the cuts. Jareth started to struggle again, but Madende held him firmly down.
"God! That shits worse than the peroxide!" Jareth growled.
"I know. Hang tight." Shi said, pouring a little more on his sides.
"Fuck! What the fuck is in that thing?! Alcohol?! It burns like a mother fucker!" Jareth yelled, trying to push against Madende's strength again.
"Relax. Don't fight me, I don't want to hurt you any more than you already are." Madende said, pushing down on his shoulders again.
"It hurts!" Jareth growled, hiding in the pillow again. "Worse than that other shit!" he muttered.
"I'm sorry. Come on, sit up, I need to wrap you." Shi said.
Madende loosened his grip on Jareth, and helped him gently sit up, being as careful as possible not to stretch the wounds.
"Alright, you guys can go now. I think I can handle it from here. Just wrapping him up then I'm gonna let him get some rest." Shi said, looking at Madende and Abi.
"Kay." they said together, and headed out the door, Kale behind them.
As the door closed, Shi grabbed the wrap off the nightstand and looked at Jareth.
"Lift your arms gently and slowly, so you don't rip open your back." Shi said.
"Rip it open? It already is ripped open." Jareth said, looking up at her.
"Not anymore its not. That's why it burned so much. You're back is healed up to scabs now." Shi said, smiling.
"What? Seriously?" Jareth asked, looking shocked.
"Yes. It will be healed completely by tomorrow, but I have to wrap it." Shi said.
Jareth nodded and slowly lifted his arms, wincing slightly. Shi very gently wrapped his sides, making it tight enough to keep them from splitting, but not to tight. It took about ten minutes for her to get finished, but she was gentle and taking her time wrapping them up.
"Ok, your done. Lay down and get some rest. I'll call you when we have some food ready." Shi said, smiling and tossing the wrap on the nightstand.
"Alright. Food sounds good." Jareth said, then yawned. "So does sleep…" he muttered, laying down.
"Good. Sleep well. I'll see you later." Shi said, then turned and walked out the door.
"O….k…" Jareth muttered, before falling into a instant, deep sleep.
A/n: i didn't get to review cause i been busy, so bare with me. i fix it later :) review for me!! LaterZ!
SHOUT OUT
To Abi of course! We on the Road Again! :)