Death's Saviour

Song of the Chapter: Pretty Fool by Beasts With No Name

Noah and I run for hours, or maybe even days, on end. We lose ourselves to the forest as time becomes an unknown concept as Noah’s suspension works out because it will mean no questions as he isn’t at school. No one is looking for him. Sally and Chris are gone, Lora is safe in the mansion and no one needs us. Sure eventually we are going to need to meet up with Carl as I need to talk to him. Noah thinks it is just to explain things to him but I know there is more, I know Carl needs to tell Noah about being a wolf, the time for that just isn’t now. For now, Noah and I run, hunt, and play. Those are the simple things our lives revolve around. There are no consequences of being Wolves right now, no consequences to us being us and together. For once we are truly happy just being with each other, but as good things must this time is cut short. Cut short when a white blur bursts from in between the trees attacking me as it sends me rolling with its speed. It happens so quickly that Noah doesn’t have time to react and I wasn’t prepared. For once in my life, I let my guard down and god be damned it will cost me. Teeth snap into my side drawing blood and causing anger to seep through the air. Claws dig into fur as we go at each other. A female white-Wolf is putting her full weight on me hoping to pin me down. I snap my teeth closed inches from her throat as she rears up to avoid my attack, I slash with my claws using my leg muscles to launch her off me. She slams into a tree, but she is a quick little thing as she has landed a couple of good bites and scratches on me as blood drips into my eye as I look at her snarling. Noah stands beside me snarling at her, together we form a united front that has the girl snarling as she looks up at us. We should finish her off, but, something about this situation seems off. This is a girl, she is untrained and unassisted. The pack is stupid, but they aren’t stupid enough to send a girl after us alone, especially a girl this young. I glance into the clouds seeing no full moon above, this means this girl choose to shift, she choose to track us and come after us alone. I narrow my eyes at her as I try to decipher whether she is some sort of a trap of if she is simply here in the hopes that she would take on of us with her to the grave. Why would she be here alone, none of this makes any sense?

‘You are stupid to have attacked us alone!’ - Noah growls at her, her eyes widen a little before she growls at us her mind open.

‘I thought there was only one Hellhound, Noah, not two. I have no beef with you, I am here for her. It took me a while Hellhound, but I finally gound your scent again. I’ve tracked you for so long, you killed my best friend. Slaughtered her when she was innocent and don’t tell me otherwise because I know why you are here. This is about you and me and me getting revenge for Fiona!’ - The girl’s voice echoes in our minds so full of anger that is fueled by her need to hurt me, she speaks of Fiona and suddenly I remember her.

She was with the ones who found Fiona’s body. I remember she was the only one who seemed to pick up my scent.

‘This girl goes to my school Dusk; she is your age and her name is Cassie.’ - Noah tells me only, I not to him as I keep my ears and eyes trained on Cassie.

‘I’m truly sorry about your friend, but, if you know why I am truly here then you would know she was collateral damage. She knew what was happening and she was accepting of it. You should be too!’ - I growl out baring my canines at her letting my eyes glow though the tone of my voice is truly sorry as I feel sorry about Fiona.

‘You and me Hellhound. I challenge you to a battle of the old-fashioned ways. Wolf to wolf, teeth to teeth, strength to strength, no powers, no helpers!’ - Cassie sends as she snaps snarling at me.

‘Why would I take that battle?’ - I ask her, she seems momentarily confused by my lack of need to fight her or even just kill her on the spot.

‘If you don’t you are no honourable Wolf! Instead, you are a monster, a demon of death himself.’ - Cassie recovers quickly as she throws her words at me like I don’t have any honour anyways as far as she is concerned.

Her words nail at a soft spot in me since I am a very honourable Wolf and I like to make good on my word, yet I can’t let her know that or else she will use it against me.

‘I am a monster little Wolf, I am a demon that death himself summoned to earth!’ - I growl out in a deathly calm tone as I stand tall, Cassie looks me dead in the eyes with a new-found lack of patience.

She wants a battle and I am not willing to give her one. I have honour, but she doesn’t need to die. She is an innocent angry Wolf that we would gain nothing from her death.

‘If you don’t battle me I’ll tell your brother, Crane, about Noah being a Wolf! Batlle me Hellhound, I am dead already, I have shifted on a non-full moon. That is a death sentence in the pack. Battle me and allow me to attempt to get my revenge. Give me an honourable death, one that my mother would be proud of!’ - Cassie pleads now her words hammering into my soul hurting my barely beating heart.

Cassie is dead already if the pack finds out. If I don’t battle and kill her then she will rat on Noah. I can’t let Crane know about Noah, not yet, not when he isn’t ready for that. I look at Cassie and my eyes must show how much I don’t want to do this because she growls at me with a new-found sorrow in her eyes. Cassie doesn’t truly want to kill me, she just misses her friend that I took away from her. She just wanted to know that I was sorry for killing Fiona when she was innocent. I glance over at Noah who is baring his canines while growling deep from in his throat. He would gladly help me end her but I don’t want to teach him this kind of death. I want to teach him mercy. He catches my eye-stopping his growl while giving me a small nod, he is telling me it’s okay. I can kill Cassie and he won’t be upset with me. I move forward growling at her as she moves forward and we begin circling each other. I watch her, I watch the way she moves, and I search for her weakness. When I see it I am ready, I can show mercy.

‘I’m truly sorry about Fiona, Cassie. I had to hurt Crane and I knew killing her would do that. I regret it every day, she was an innocent that I didn’t need to kill!’ - I send to Cassie my words prompt her to launch forward going for my throat.

I move to the side closing my teeth around her neck squeezing. Cassie’s eyes bulge out as panic fills them. Just as I thought she isn’t ready to die. I squeeze tighter as she claws at me digging into my shoulder ripping with all her might. I don’t falter with my grip but I also don’t deepen it. I will not mercy kill her, no, instead I will save her. Blood trickles through my fur as pain digs into my body but I don’t let up. Cassie struggles cutting herself on my canines. I draw a little bit of blood but not enough to hurt her, I need to hold her tight or else this will not work, and I will have to hurt her. She begins to weaken, I meet Noah’s watchful eyes as Cassie goes limp in my jaws. I don’t let up, I need to make sure she isn’t playing dead on me. When I’m sure she isn’t playing I let her limp body fall to the forest floor.

‘Why are we letting her live?’ - Noah questions me as I begin to drag Cassie’s body following her scent from the way she came.

‘I’ve already killed one innocent Wolf, I refuse to kill another one, Noah.’ - I tell him quietly and thoughtfully in my mind as I continue to drag while Noah continues to follow.

We continue in silence, but it turns out we don’t have far to go as Cassie’s scent leads back to a house set back a little deeper in the trees than the rest at this edge of town. I listen carefully before dragging Cassie into the house’s backyard and setting her down on the cement step of the back door. Looking around I shift when I see what I’m looking for. A pad of sticky notes and a pen sit in an open window to my right. Quick as lightning, I take the pen and paper. I write down a note that I stick to the door before putting the pad and pen back where I found them. I double-check the scent here then I knock on the door. I run jumping over the fence joining Noah as a wolf in the shadows of the forest as we watch the back door open. A woman steps outside taking one look at Cassie as she covers her mouth with her hands.

“Oh, my poor girl what have you done?” The woman questions, I’m satisfied that this is Cassie’s mother.

Cassie stirs on the step and we should go but I can’t, I need to make sure I didn’t just kill this girl. The woman pets the wolf’s head as its eyes open, then it is her daughter on the step before her.

“I’m sorry mom!” Cassie sobs as her mother’s arms come around her.

“Did anyone see you?” Her mom asks, Cassie nods as her response brings more tears pouring from her eyes, but she sees the sticky note on the back of the door pointing at it.

Her mother reaches up pulling the sticky note off the door reading it. She then breaks out in her own tears as she hands the note to Cassie to read.

“You are safe Cassie. No one will ever know about this. The pack won’t find out.” Her mother cries as Cassie reads the note with an open mouth before turning her head to search the forest.

Her nose twitches as she mouths thank you since she can smell we are out here somewhere. I smile inwardly knowing I have done the right thing. She won’t tell about Noah because she wants to live and keeping him a secret will be keeping her alive. Noah butts his head lightly against my side as we turn to return to the forest where we belong.

‘So, the Hellhound is capable of mercy.’ - Noah’s voice laughs jokingly in my mind as I nudge him with my nose letting him know I appreciate his joke.

‘How about we redeem my reputation?’ - I ask him as I let a hint of mischievousness into my voice.

Noah gives me a light nip on my haunches and we take off running again.