Nightfall

When I got back to my pack there was a dog, a boy, and Greg to greet me. Greg was humble. He was busy tending to Betsey who was whining and laving his face with spit.

I turned to Andromeda. “Andy I love you fur and all, but if you even act like Betsey I’m going to collar you,” I said.

Andromeda let out a whine and I sighed raking my hands through my hair. The danger wasn’t over and I was arguing with a wolf!

Bending down I lifted my chin. “Okay! Okay. Once. Don’t keep licking me like Betsey. I will not appreciate it,” I mumbled. Andromeda drew herself on her hind legs and licked my face. I shuddered in disgust but let her lick on. She was greeting me after all. She lowered to her hindquarters and barked.

“Yes, the danger is still real. We’ve got to leave. We’ve done all we can. It’s up to those alive to restart now,” I said, glancing as a shout caught our attention. A bunch of men were killing the one-eyed monster with harpoons. It shrieked a dying wail and collapsed in a puddle of slush as a harpoon slashed its belly open. It was made of air! A stink encompassed the room and Andromeda whined while I gagged.

“Air and shit,” I muttered watching as a nearby man retched.

Greg stood unbothered by the smell. “If we are leaving we better go now while the attention is on that thing,” he pointed to the Nibbler and I agreed nodding and whistling low. Andromeda barked and Betsey came alert. Donny looked traumatized and I pitied the kid. He was a pile of clattering teeth and shaking bones.

“It’s not going to be better out there, Donny. You can stay here while Andy and I get back to the outpost somehow,” I said gently patting Donny on the back.

The kid shook his head. “P-Please d-don’t l-leave m-me here!”

I nodded. “Ok. Come on then. Grab your pack.” I turned to Andromeda who was busy growling at Betsey, who was growling back both tails twitching.“Whoah! Hey, down missy! I know Andromeda is territorial but that comes with being a wolf.” I faced Andromeda who whined with her tail between her legs. “Calm it,” I said narrowing my eyes at her and she barked at me.

“Good. Can you lead the way again?”

Greg intervened, stepping up. “I can lead the way. I know this place like the back of my hand.”

The others still didn’t know he had brought me to the cells. I was wary of him now. I shook my head. Better safe than sorry. “Andromeda has the smells of the tunnels now and can avoid danger. She leads.”

Greg sighed and nodded petting Betsey. She trotted over and barked which caused Andromeda to growl for some reason and both were growling at each other again.

I petted Andromeda on the head. “Cool it now,” I whispered, kissing her head and rubbing her ears. She relaxed and I squatted down for another face lick. Instead, she rubbed her head against mine and barked taking point. I smirked and followed putting Donny in the center as he held our only light, and he felt more secure too. We started once again for the tunnels.

There were dead people everywhere we looked. The Houls were still feasting on them. Donny, not holding it any longer retched.

“I-I c-can’t k-keep g-going,” he whispered, shuddering and retching again. I held his hair from his face. He collapsed crying and shaking. On any given day I would have stopped and let him rest but we needed to be gone from there. Maybe these Houls might not touch me thinking I was one of them but the same couldn’t be said for the rest of them. I was a protector now and I wasn’t leaving one of my own behind.

I squatted and brushed his bangs from wide green eyes. “Come on Donny. I’ll carry you. Get on my back.”

He glanced at me confused but I grabbed him and hoisted him on my back, standing from my squat. He clung on digging his knees into my ribs and strangulating me. I wasn’t immortal that I knew of. “Not so tight, Donny!”

He relaxed his grip and I breathed easy again. I started forward and Andromeda barked. “Let’s go,” I said as we picked up the pace. The tunnels were a mire of loops and twirls that made me dizzy. I’d hate to live here. I’d never find anything! Andromeda seemed to agree with me as she snorted when I groaned “Another one!”

“Greg laughed. “We’re almost out. Your pooch chose the scenic route.”

I grumbled. “There’s an easier way?”

“Always has been. If you had let me lead we would have been gone by now,” he said whistling for Betsey. She passed Andromeda and growled. Andromeda barked at her and Betsey let a tail fly. Andromeda dodged it and barked again.

“Enough Betsey. She doesn’t understand Cockerdillian speech. She thinks you are issuing a threat,” mumbled Greg grabbing Betsey by the scruff of her scaly hide and tugging her. Betsey barked.

“Not right now,” he mumbled letting the beast lick his face again.

I exhaled and glanced at Andromeda who was giving me these big soulful eyes. I sighed, squatted, and patted my knees. “C’mon, girl. Who’s been a good girl?”

She barked wagging her tail and bounded over almost knocking me over and raised her legs on my shoulders. I let her lick my face. Once! I huffed and pet her head as she rubbed her head on mine.

“Greg says we are almost through this maze. That true?” I asked her and she barked wagging her tail.

I pet her sides and patted her head. “Good. Come n. Let’s go.”

I adjusted Donny’s sleeping form and followed my wolfie and sure enough, the abyss of night stared back at us from the entrance or was it exit? Whatever it was, it was our escape. Donny mumbled incoherently and I felt something wet travel down my shirt. Did Donny just drool on me? Oh hell no! I wanted to wake the little shit up, but Greg spoke.

“Well this is where I leave you,” he said, starting off in the opposite direction.

“Hold it,” I said. “You got a place to go?”

He shrugged. “Not really but the settlement has been breached and I don’t want to live in a place where mutiny is still possible.”

“How about accompanying us to the outpost? It’s like the settlement only ruled by a council instead and more military style. Bigger too.”

Greg lifted a finger to his chin and tapped it. He glanced around the forested wasteland. “Well I’ve got nowhere else to be and my gear won’t last me forever. Ok. As long as they accept animals I’m game.”

I glanced at Andromeda. “They’re gonna have to,” I muttered starting to walk again when a familiar giggle stopped me in my paces. I glanced through the haze of the murky forest but couldn’t spot Elana anywhere. I turned to Greg and nodded.

“Let’s go,” I said wary of that giggle. Were the three witches watching us and if so why? Was it because of me? I felt their eyes on me and deep in the dark red twinkled back at me from different angles. I gulped as we passed a tree that shook with laughter. Greg stared ahead gulping but I examined the dark silhouette. Walking over I lifted a bough but found nothing I squinted my eyes, glancing at the mess of tangled branches and leaves above me. Something shook the branch beside me and my head snapped to the side catching the last words.

“All is not as it seems. Be careful little Houl. They are coming,” whispered the voice of Elana and her sisters as one. I froze. Who was coming and for what?