Another Attempt

"I don't know, he can't be trusted. Frankly I think we'd be better off getting rid of him before he tries to off you and your father." Cameron stated to Malachi.

"If it were so simple." Michael said and spotted his soon to be daughter in-law and Ariel moving toward them. He gave them a smile and Cameron noted his gaze and turned his head. A light coming to his eyes that wasn't there before. He had it bad for Sally, and Michael couldn't ask for a better person than Sally. He was incredibly happy for his son.

"Hey you two." Cameron called turning slightly and taking a step forward to go to Sally. It felt like a hot burning coal was suddenly shoved into his upper right shoulder and then into his lower left side. He gave a sound of pain.

Malachi flinched as he felt something hot and wet hit him. He had surprise on his face before he realized that it was blood and Cameron was shot. He jerked knocking into Malachi and they went down to the ground. Michael was fast to act, leaping the distance to Sally and Ariel knocking them down to the ground.

Malachi heard running, at least two sets of feet. They were in the parking lot and he thought that they might be trying to get a better shot. He grabbed Cameron around the chest and hauled him fast backward into the tree line there to take cover. The shooter was not going to be able to take much more time. The first shot was known now and they were aware.

"Fuck it hurts." Cameron said. Malachi peeled up his shirt to see the wounds. One bullet was still lodged in his back. The other had gone clean through his left side. Malachi felt a sinking feeling, if Cameron hadn't moved to go to Sally, it would be Malachi with the bullets. They had been meant for him. He could tell with the placement of them. The first that hit Cameron's back would have hit Malachi right in the chest, probably into his heart.

"You're losing blood quite a bit." Malachi said pressing his hands to what he could of Cameron's wounds. Malachi glanced around, they weren't out of danger yet. However Cameron was bleeding a lot. He was worried for his friend. There was a sound and Ariel and Sally where there. Michael having taken off toward where the shots had come from. He had a gun of his own and had fired one warning shot over the cars. That let Ariel and Sally get to cover in the trees behind the lower retaining wall.

"Ariel help me." Malachi said suddenly worried at the amount of blood coming out of the wounds. She could heal, Cameron might go feral if they didn't stop the bleeding. Or his wolf might take over trying to protect the human half. They couldn't afford that right here, but Malachi was more worried about the blood coming from the wounds.

"Cameron!" Sally said coming forward and suddenly beside herself seeing him. She put pressure to his other wound that Malachi wasn't. Cameron winced and was trying not to move to much so he didn't aggravate the bullet holes more. He tipped his head though glancing toward where the danger had gone. He hissed a bit and his teeth her sharper.

"I'm not dead yet." Cameron managed but it didn't have his normal flippant air with it. He looked extremely pale. Ariel came over and put a hand to the exit wound on Cameron's stomach. There was a lot of damage here and she'd never healed something so complex, but she would try. She had a lot of practice on little things. To be honest she wanted to study medicine, not politics and running a company. However she was glad that in her spare time she read books. Didn't make her feel like she knew what she was doing, but it was a start.

Ariel willed the wound to close, for the tissues to mend and be whole. She could never explain it but she just knew. She could feel it happening through her touch. A part of her mind understood it perfectly and that was what she focused on to guide her. She hoped that her natural skill got her through this. Her family didn't like to acknowledge it, but they sure came to her when they had minor wounds to heal. This was not minor, but Ariel cared about these people and she could see how upset Sally was. How worried Malachi seemed to be.

She steadied herself and focused on the bullet being pushed backward out of his body and healing as it went. He gave a sound of pain and honestly it come out as a growl. There was an odd ripple over Cameron's skin. He made another sound that was more animal than man. She moved her hands at the unexpected feeling.

"Malachi," Cameron said through clenched teeth and glanced up at him. Something silent passed between the two.

"I've got you." Malachi promised glancing toward the parking area where people had gathered. They were deep in the shadows here in the trees hidden from view. Malachi's grip tightened on Cameron and made him turn to his side instead. Ariel gasped as one second her hands were holding to the wound on Cameron's stomach, with smooth flesh, and then suddenly her hand was sinking into rich fur. Ariel's eyes went wide and she was in complete shock for a second. No freaking way! This could not be happening, she thought all those stories from the first settlers were lies. Tales made up to scare kids, was she looking at a real werewolf?

"Oh my." Ariel said pausing in what she was doing. Did this just seriously happen. Holy crap what was Cameron? What kind of joke were they getting at here, it wasn't funny at all. He'd been shot right? She just stared down for a minute unable to think. There was a wolf half in Malachi's lap, Sally talking to it like a human.

"Ariel." Malachi snapped, and took hold of her chin from where his hand was now pressed to the shoulder of the wolf stemming the flow. She met his gaze and he did not look scared. He clearly knew and it didn't bother him. Ariel pulled in a breath as Malachi spoke to her sternly.

"A change will only heal some of the injuries. This is still Cameron, not a monster. He's lost to much blood to force another change to happen. He's too weak, help me." He said calmly and Ariel met his gaze.

It was obvious that Malachi knew this. That Sally knew this because she was up near Cameron's head with a hand on the side of his head. She had tears in her eyes as she spoke to him.

"Stay awake, don't pass out okay?" Sally coaxed him . Ariel looked down at the wound and started healing it again. Well if everyone else was okay with this. She'd jump down that rabbit hole too she figured. After all Ariel was littering kneeling here healing a wolf man with her mind alone. Was it that far fetched to believe others had abilities too? No, and you know what. Finally someone was weirder than her.

What was the difference, animal or human. A wound was a wound and she'd heal it. Sally was clearly okay with this. Malachi wasn't in the least bit shocked. Cameron had been a friend to her and treated her like a person, not a thing. She was odd herself she reminded herself at this strange turn of events. She couldn't very well snub her nose at someone that changed to a wolf. Especially one that she cared for and considered a friend. Even if she lost her god damn mind right here, she'd still take a friend werewolf over her sister.

Malachi watched Ariel work. Through the matted fur caked with blood, he could see the flesh knitting together. He saw the shock and disbelief run through her face when Cameron changed. Then she'd turned back to look at the wound. There was resolve there and nothing else. He could see she was having some kind of internal conversation. However she stayed calm.

She didn't look upset nor get hysterical. She handled it better than Sally had at first. She'd told Cameron to leave her alone for a while and then hadn't talked to him for a week. Though she had come back and apologized for it. Saying that she just didn't know what to think at first, but that she loved him and it didn't matter.

"Okay, that should stop the bleeding, the rest his body will have to do on it's own here. I need to look at the other wound before I get to tired." Ariel told them. Malachi looked at the wound higher up on his stomach. The flesh looked red and raw. Like it was going to bruise but nothing else. Ariel scooted up to the shoulder, Malachi's hand was covered in blood now.

"The bullet is still in the wound." He told her and she nodded. Ariel had stopped trying to get it to come out when he shifted. She'd been working on them both at the same time, but that was tiring. Malachi glanced over at the parking area. There was a woman with darker brown hair and that was running toward them. Everyone else was facing a different direction and didn't notice her coming toward them. She dipped into the trees and came to them.

"Malachi how bad is it?" Tessa Corvich asked getting down and touching Cameron's side. Her face went cold and harsh. Almost animalistic when she saw Ariel. Clearly thinking her a danger to her son.

"Who…"

"She's healing him. Let her be." Malachi said darkly. Tessa calmed and nodded. She leaned down by Sally and Cameron's eyes were closed.

"His breathing is very shallow."

"He's lost a lot of blood." Ariel said and was concentrating on the bullet to pull it out. She had to make the flesh of his wound do the work to push the bullet out. Malachi was the first to react grabbing onto Cameron with more strength than Ariel thought he was capable of. He was holding him down to the ground as he came awake growling and snapping.

"I'm sorry!" Ariel said knowing that it was the pain of what she was doing that had woken him up.

"Just keep going." Tessa said urging her on. "We have to get it out and close the wound so he can start to heal. Infection might set in, and it will take him longer to recover." Ariel nodded and continued.

"Cameron, shut up. Just deal with it, you're drawing attention." Malachi tried to get him to think for a moment. Cameron thrashed on the ground as the bullet scrapped along the wound and moved backward out of the hole. It hurt worse than going in, it felt like the wounded flesh was tearing trying to expel the foreign object.

"Almost there." Ariel said moving to get her fingertips around the small bullet and pull it out. People in the parking area had turned toward the trees. Cameron was just whining quietly now rather than loud growls.

"Okay, it's okay I got it." She said reaching up with her left hand and touching his neck. The fur thick and warm, a dark brown mixed with blacks. She sent a calming wave to him, because his heart rate was up. He couldn't afford that, the animal in him didn't understand the pain and why it was being held down. It wanted to run and hide and protect itself while it was vulnerable and hurt.

At Ariel's touch he calmed and lay panting. She then started on the bullet wound. Ariel needed a bit of help here. She could feel that it had hit bone in the shoulder blade. She grabbed Malachi's hand and put it high on the shoulder. Touching him, she could sense that Malachi had energy like her and like Cameron. She needed him to try this, she needed help.

"Can you feel the damage there?" He was silent for a minute and then nodded. Through Ariel's touch he could feel what she was doing. Ariel was definitely special, and they were glad for it.

"Sort of, but I'm not very strong at this Ariel. I can heal on my own, I'm not gifted like you."

"It's okay, just do what you feel is right. I need the help with the energy, I'll direct it. Just let it flow into him." She said because she didn't have the experience with the talent to do this, after this she felt that perhaps she should practice a bit more. Right now she regretted not doing so sooner.