December's Moon

22| DECEMBER

| DECEMBER |

December pressed his face into the warmth of Iris's fur, breathing in her scent of dirt and earth. She'd always smelled like that, even as a puppy the day he found her. The only exception was her feet, which smelled like Fritos.

Her rough tongue licked at the cut on his chest. A sharp sting rushed through his entire nervous system at the contact, but he didn't want to pull away. Iris had a way of calming him and making him feel happy in a way nothing else did. She'd been his companion since he was a child, and he didn't know how he would cope if he ever lost her.

"Thank you for bringing her to me, Luca," December said as he turned his head up. He rose to his feet, but the earth spun beneath him. His legs went weak.

"Careful," Luca said.

Someone gripped December by the arm, keeping him upright.

December reached back and braced himself against the rock. The stone was cool and damp beneath the palm of his hand. Iris rubbed against his legs, and he placed one hand on her head, petting her between the ears. Her soft fur was smooth like silk beneath his fingers.

"We've got to figure out what's going on," he said, his head spinning. "That shifter that made Aurora attack us is still out there. She's . . ." His voice trailed off as his thoughts went hazy.

"Take it easy for a minute, December." Luca's voice was low but calm. "You're losing a lot of blood." Something pressed against December's chest, like a piece of fabric or a bandage. "Aurora, hold this for a second while I get something to clean it with."

The pressure eased slightly as Aurora took over holding the fabric for a moment. Iris leaned against December's legs protectively while Luca rubbed something that burned like alcohol on the wound.

December gritted his teeth as his skin stung. A deeper, nauseating pain pounded through his chest each time his heart beat. It flared all the way up his spine and into his brain. He wasn't sure if it was a deep cut, or if it was just so painful and disorienting because the wound had been inflicted by silver.

"How bad is it?" December asked. He brushed a finger over the cut, but he couldn't tell how severe it was.

"It could be worse," Luca replied, removing December's hand from it. "Don't touch it, though. I just cleaned it." He taped a bandage down and applied pressure. "It's not very deep. You'll be fine."

December nodded. "Thank you for helping me, Luca."

There was silence for a second. "Of course," Luca finally replied.

"Sit down for a bit," Aurora said. She tugged at his arm lightly. "You need to rest."

December chewed on the insides of his cheeks, blocking out the sting. If it wasn't a deep cut, that meant the pain was just superficial. It wasn't indicating anything was really wrong. He could push through it.

"I'm fine." He shook his head. "We don't have time to waste."

"At least put on some clothes," Luca said. "You're shivering." He pressed fabric against December's chest. "Here."

December took the clothes without thinking. He hadn't even realized how cold he was. "Thank you," he said as he slipped into the pair of jeans.

Luca hadn't brought socks or shoes, but December wasn't about to complain. He was pretty sure he'd destroyed his last pair of shoes when he'd accidentally shifted earlier.

"I couldn't find any of your shoes," Luca said, confirming December's assumption. "I would have brought you a pair of mine, but we aren't the same size."