Liberation: Oscar's Story

Chapter 36

"Shit." Oscar, still cradling Ananya, oscillated between leaving her and staying rooted. "How many are there, Karsten?"

"Around a hundred or so, possibly more," Karsten said, trying to remain stoic, but the franticness in his tone broke through the facade. "He's rallied support from nearby towns who are against integration."

"Do we have any casualties?"

"None so far. We're trying to get the injured out of the way right now."

"Alright." Oscar breathed heavily, steam puffing from his ears. "Ananya, stay here with your friend. I'll be back."

"What? Wait-!" Ananya began to object, but she was cut off when Oscar kissed her and shifted, following Karsten into the pack.

"He's fast," Stella noted, turning her wheels to face Ananya, who was still staring at the path Oscar had left. "What are you going to do?"

Ananya's jaw set. "I'm going to help bring everyone to safety," she said. "I can't let Samiya do it by herself."

"But he told you to stay here."

"I know, but I'm the Luna, and I can't sit and do nothing while lives could be lost," Ananya said. "Come on!" She rounded Stella's wheelchair and crept through the thick trees, keeping one eye on the ground to watch her footing and one eye toward the path in front of her to make sure she wouldn't be ambushed again. She didn't look back to see if Stella was following her, but the crunch of leaves behind her told her that she was.

They snuck behind the houses, and occasionally Ananya would peek around the corner to witness the fight. Shifted wolves fought against the butts and heads of the guns being waved in the air. Some of the humans fighting growled and brandished their teeth, jumping hither and wither, and Ananya wondered if the wolves were really the animalistic ones.

They reached the front of the pack by the gates, where a few cots had been set up. Coincidentally, Samiya was also there, struggling to raise the injured onto the stretchers behind her. A few fellow nurses tried to help, but they too were distracted by the fighting.

"Samiya!" Ananya rushed to help her. "Stella, help me lift them."

"I gotchu." Stella brought her chair around and took the heads of the injured people, allowing their bodies to make an arch so Ananya could reach their legs.

"What are you doing here?" Samiya hissed. "You should be getting to safety!"

"I'm not letting you work alone," Ananya said stubbornly.

"You're injured! Your back is bleeding!"

"I'll survive," Ananya grunted and continued to lift the bodies. Samiya opened her mouth to object, but a groan from one of the hurt humans distracted her, and she was forced to resume her work.

"The Alpha will be furious."

"I'll take the blame."

"He won't like this."

"I know."

The young doctor sighed. "You want to help, don't you?"

"I don't want to be helpless."

"Ananya! Samiya!" Dhrys ran up to them, and behind him, Ananya caught the bright ponytail of a stone-faced January Bayor, whose expression was one of a woman with a mission. "You guys gotta get out of here!"

"We can't!" Samiya exclaimed over the sound of a gunshot. "There are still people who need to be moved!"

"We don't have time," January Bayor said briskly. "Dafowick's advancing, and he has silver bullets. They're deadly to your kind. Karsten wants you all to get to safety. He and the others are going to retreat."