Chapter 73

"VEFIR!" I hadn't finished shouting his name before he was already there and healing Took to the best of his abilities. For the first time, I was able to watch as his magic began to flow into Took's open wounds, and I saw as her flesh began to knit together beneath his hands. The healing was different from what I had seen and done as a Wavespeaker. Wavespeaking accelerated the body's natural recovery, but Vefir's magic seemed to create new flesh and skin from nothing. 

In my perception, Took's wounds flared in color, an incandescent white against her normally deep red. For the first time in quite a while, I cursed this different "sight" for not allowing me a better understanding and a true view of what was actually happening. Why had I never tried to improve my vision somehow? I'd had thirty days, and I always defaulted to what was easiest when it came to my vision. I swore to begin to make efforts to improve my vision as the heat faded from Took's chest.

She had been savaged in at least three different locations, but the worst had been a massive bite taken out of her breast, just below the base of her neck. That had been the wound Vefir had concentrated his efforts on, and as he staggered back, exhausted, I saw tender flesh, completely uncovered by scales, had replaced the gaping wound. Took's breathing began to calm and level as the worst of her injuries was tended to, but one of her flanks had a deep bite wound in it, and the other side's ribs were exposed from some sort of a raking strike. 

Looking over at Brutus, he hadn't been as wounded as I'd thought. Instead, he was coated in congealing blood, much of it I assumed to be Took's. Brutus hunched, tired but only with flesh wounds. When Vefir approached, looking to see what he could do for Brutus, Brutus rebuffed the attempt, simply shaking away the healer. 

Now that I was somewhat sure that the two weren't in mortal danger, I felt the rage begin to build. I immediately tamped it down, my self-mastery having improved markedly over the past days' training with Redael. Still, I couldn't keep the edge from my voice when I spoke.

"What happened?"

Brutus began to try to speak, but Took raised her hand and tried to stand as she spoke. Vefir tried to keep her from rising, but she shook him off and shakily looked me in the eyes.

"A pack of five of us. Went to hunt, and were attacked by the wolves, more than ten of them. Only we escaped, by luck."

I heard more than I felt my jaw clench and my fangs grind on each other. Those stars forsaken, worthless canines did this? And killed three of my own. Immediately, I drew on the miniscule amount of magic my sonilphon had recovered and began to howl to my listening pack.

"We are the long shadow! We are the darkness our foes fear! We fear nothing! Fear no one! We are the blade that reaps! We are forged in battle!" I shouted and pounded my chest, the hollow thump filling the den as my pack stood, spellbound at my haranguing. "Tempered in blood!" In my frenzy, I reached across with my left arm and cut a long shallow line in my right forearm. As the blood began to flow, I wiped it under my jaw and the scent of my blood filled my nostrils. 

"Who follows?!"

"FORGED IN BATTLE AND TEMPERED IN BLOOD, WE FOLLOW!" The voices of my whole pack rang out in the den, and I saw Treel, Foire, Vefir, Brutus, Percral, Shemira, and even Sybil, Etra, and Cree thinly slice their arms, anoint themselves with their blood, and approach me. Took began to join with the rest, but I stopped her from speaking. 

"You're only barely still standing. I don't want you to come with us and get yourself killed. You did well getting back here, and I'll avenge the fallen."

"Alpha, please." She didn't say any more, but Took's eyes filled with pleading.

I clicked my teeth, denying her as her face fell and her shoulders drooped. Before anything else, I continued speaking, "Took, I do have something I need you to do."

She looked at me, hopeful.

"I need you to go to Redael, or at least Rulac, and tell them that I won't be there at the usual time. In fact, I might not be able to go to Redael today." Took flared her frills, tired, but seemingly a little grateful for the assignment and respite. "Take your time." After I was done speaking with her, I finally resumed my burning rage, my need for violence. I strode forward, every one of the pack except Took behind me.

Then, without another word, I began to lead the frenzied pack out of the den and to the jungle.

[Took POV]

Against her will, Took slumped to the ground. The journey back to the den had been agonizing and long. Vefir's help allowed her to stay conscious now, but she knew it wasn't long before she'd give in. Watching the pack leave her behind sent shards of pain shooting through her, that she, as a Beta, was unable to help the pack. She couldn't avenge them. 

"Nievtala, guide Shruk." She gasped, pulled in a breath, and continued. "Nievtala, guide Creck. Nievtala, guide Cashas." Her final rites finished, Took allowed herself a moment's rest, catching her breath and laying against the ground.

As the last echoes of the pack's passage faded from the den, however, Took forced herself back to her feet and turned to go down the path to where she knew Rulac and the Swarm Alpha were. She'd been given a task, and she would complete it.

Every step was a struggle, but going down the slope was better than going up. Took didn't let herself think of how difficult it would be to return to the den. She put one plodding step in front of the other, didn't pay any mind to anything in front of her. Just. Continue. Walking.

The dizziness grew, and finally Took fell, slumping to her side and laying, gasping. For the first time, she realized how hungry she was. Maybe if the hunt had been successful before the wolves' ambush she would be in a better state. Whatever the case was, Took's vision began to cloud as she began to lose consciousness. She could barely hear a voice as she inevitably succumbed to the blissful oblivion of sleep.