Liberation: Oscar's Story

Chapter 22: Pt. 1

"Ananya!" Samiya's terrified scream ruptured her eardrums. Vaguely, Ananya saw her feet shifting in front of her. "Karsten! Cai!"

"Agh..." Ananya groaned, trying to shift her weight under the massive wooden pillar. She had her arms wrapped around the heads of the pups, creating a protective barrier while hiding them under the arch her body made. The weight pushed on her back, adding pressure to her knees as she struggled to retain her bridge-like position. "Are you guys okay? You're not hurt, are you?"

"No..." one of the boys shook his head. He was pressed against the other child, who was in turn pushed up on Ananya's arm and cheek.

"Good." Ananya noticed that there were dark red scratches on their skin, but apart from that, they seemed to be okay, if not a bit shaken from the event. Her fingers dug into the dirt and she tried to keep her body weight under control, forcing all the pain to stream along her legs and knees. Her head hung helplessly, as she was unable to lift it, and with every second that passed she felt a tear collect in her large eyes. Don't fall, don't fall, don't fall, she repeated to herself, grinding her teeth in agony. Somebody get this thing off me, please!

"Ananya!" She heard Cai's voice. "Just hang tight for a little longer. Karsten, get the kids out."

"Got it." Karsten knelt and poked his head under the pillar. "Can you move your arms, Luna?"

"I...can't." Ananya tried to push up from the ground, but the pillar groaned and shifted, digging into her shoulder blade. She winced. "No, I can't move."

"We'll have to get the pillar off her first, Beta," Karsten decided. "The pups are safe anyway."

"Right. Hang tight for a little longer, Ananya." Cai's heavy footsteps receded, the vibrations thundering through the ground. Ananya felt a stream of softer tremors follow, most likely from the wolves he had taken with him.

"Hold on, Miss." one of the pups, who'd shifted to give Ananya more space, nuzzled her cheek. "The Beta will get you out soon."

"I'm sure of that." Ananya smiled through the blood collecting in her mouth. She felt something sharp pierce her back and she flinched. "We just have to be patient..."

"Don't move, Marco!" A woman bent and poked the young wolf pup with a shrill command. "The more you move, the more the plank will shift." She regarded Ananya and the hostility vanished from her clear gaze. "We have some wolves trying to create some weight on the other side of the pillar, Luna. Right now, you're acting like the fulcrum and all the weight is in front of your head."

"I can feel that." Ananya managed to say through clenched teeth. Something warm trickled down her spine. "Do you know where they went?"

"They went to call the patrol," the woman explained. "Patrol wolves are usually the strongest, apart from the army. They'll be able to lift the plank off of you."

For a group of werewolves renowned for their strength, it's sure taking a lot of them to remove a silly board, Ananya thought acidly. Immediately afterward she felt bad, knowing that they were collectively trying to help, but the discomfort on her back only grew with each passing moment. Her elbows were buried deep into the ground, scratched by dirt and small rocks. She was sure, now, that she had a nail stabbing through her spine. Even better. I'll have to get a tetanus shot.

"We're back!" Cai announced. "Step back, darling."

Ananya saw Samiya's feet vanish, and in her place were Cai's bright green crocs. He bent and grinned.

"We'll have you out in a jiffy!" He assured her. "Guys, lift!"

A collective groan followed the Beta's command. Ananya held her breath and pinched her eyes. Yeah, there's something in my back, she decided when a sharp object slid out from inside her, rubbing against her skin and leaving a generous prick as it finally exited her body. As the plank was raised from her back, she collapsed on the grass with a deep, fatigued exhale, her limbs exhausted and knees throbbing. The pups dashed out from under her and into the arms of their mothers.

"Ugh..." she released a miserable groan, disregarding the mud and dirt staining her cheeks and being inhaled up her nose. "I can't move..."

"Stay still, Ananya." Samiya began to lower herself, but Cai stopped her.

"Darling, no. You know you can't do that," he said sternly.

Samiya scowled. "I'm a doctor, Cai. She's injured. Let me do my job."

"Not at the risk of your health or the pups' health," Cai retorted. "Ananya, Karsten and I will help you to the hospital."

"Do I have to?" She mumbled, her face still in the dirt.

"Yes. You're bleeding on your back. We have to patch your wounds." Cai grabbed her by the shoulders and hoisted her up to her feet.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch..." Ananya whimpered and stumbled into Cai's arms. She felt the warm liquid that was trickling down her back increase in speed and density. She groaned.

"It's a flesh wound, luckily." Samiya waddled behind Ananya and lifted her shirt. "We'll still give you a shot just in case. Cai, go tell the Alpha what happened."

"Eh?" Cai's eyes darted to his wife, and when he realized that she wasn't joking, his color paled. "Me? Why? Are you trying to send me to an early death?"

"He won't kill you, Cai," Samiya said and sighed. "General, where were you? This accident could have been avoided if you were present and participating with the pack members, which, need I remind you, is your job."

Karsten blushed. "I'm sorry, Beta," he said and bowed. "Luna." He bent lower so that his forehead almost touched Ananya's toes. "I promise to be more diligent. This won't happen again."

"It's okay!" Ananya offered him a small, if not, forced smile, as the pain spread like thin vines throughout her body, growing thicker with each throb and sting. "Really, you don't need to bow."

"Ananya." Samiya wrapped Ananya's arm around her shoulder. "Come with me." She led the girl toward the hospital. Ananya was aware of the paralyzed state of the pack, and she felt embarrassed to have created such a scene. Now that she was aware that nearly everyone had seen it, she was sure that her attempt to make a positive impact on the pack had been rendered useless, as from that moment on they'd see her only as the helpless human girl. 

"You're good now." Samiya rolled away on the wheeled stool to set her equipment down. "Remember, you need to rest for at least a day. If you feel any pain, don't take aspirin. Take ibuprofen or other non-aspirin pain relievers. If it gets to be excruciating, come back here."