The Angel's Humanhood

8. Dangerous Sentimentality

That evening when they gathered for dinner, Dow refilled Wahag's plate three times.
"Eat. If you faint again, I am feeding you to the hounds." She said at the first refill.
Dow didn't sit next to him this time. She sat in the corner next to Joza.
"Have you figured out this guy's deal?" Joza leaned forward making the table creak.
"Do you know the hospital by the edge of the woods?" Dow asked.
"The one for the loonies?" Joza scorned.
"I think someone went for a walk at night and didn't want to go back." Dow nodded her head towards Wahag.
Joza shook her head gently, "I don't know kid. He looks like someone that used to be someone."
"Exactly, used to be." Dow thoughts seem to trail off and got up without another word, but Joza held her by the wrist.
"Don't loosen those handcuffs just yet." Joza warned.
Dow nodded hesitantly and silently went and took a seat at Wahag's table.
"I can't take another bite." Wahag whined.
"We risk our lives for this food." Dow said without being snarky or aggressive, and then turned to the only other occupant of the table. "Dodi, can you go sit with Joza? I think she is lonely."
Dodi, who has become Wahag's shadow since the incident this morning, sulked and crossed his arms over his chest before leaving the table. The hounds' attack was the hot topic of the night. The kids were arguing about how they scared the hounds away. Few thoughts it was the new wood they had found. One girl claimed it was the garlic she grew. Another was fully convinced that a dream he had the night before must have given him super powers.
The scene of the hounds this morning kept repeating itself in Dow's mind too. The hounds were circling a group of them, a girl in the middle was screaming in horror, which seems to always happen when they attack, it's like they break you from within first. Then suddenly, the hounds start to fight something invisible and they run off. For the past six years, they have been in these woods fighting for a place to be and she has never seen them run off like that not once. They were always the ones running.
Dow leaned back in her chair and sighed deeply lost in thought.
"You said what if the truth was something you couldn't understand or believe. Can you tell me that truth and let me be the judge?" Dow asked with little hope for an answer.
Wahag wasn't sure how to phrase things in terms humans can understand. It also didn't help that he wasn't sure what happened either. Dow waited in anticipation for his attempt.
"I am a servant of God, or I used to be. And for some reason, -a dramatic reaction for a small mistake, really- I descended and ended up here in this body." Wahag ended the sentence with a satisfied nod.
Dow slapped her forehead and left her hand on her face for a while. Then she regained her composure.
"Okay, where do you want to go when you leave?" she asked.
Wahag was silent for a long moment. "There is someone I need to find. He said he can help me. I don't exactly believe him."
"And who is that?"
"He called himself, Sal. The problem is he is not someone that can be found in a place. He has to be summoned, and I am not sure... how..." Wahag trailed off into his own thoughts. "If I can summon the shield... maybe I can..." Wahag stopped and looked up at Dow's sour face, "Can you send me to my hut now?"
"Logic abandoned ship," Dow shook her head and got to her feet.
Once out of the Joza's hut, "Why didn't you ask me about how I knew the hounds were coming?"
"I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. Everyone in this hell is desperate for anything to hold on to. And you seem to be the absolute worst thing to cling to. If you don't die from malnutrition, you will probably wonder off somewhere and get yourself killed. And, you remind me of someone that looked trustworthy, but ended up being the devil himself." A hint of pain smeared Dow's words.
Wahag felt offended but wasn't sure why. "You know what your problem is? You don't believe in anything!"
"I didn't ask for your professional opinion." She said with a hint of annoyance.
Wahag was going to say more, much more, but he stopped in his tracks. The leash yanked Dow back.
"They are coming." Wahag said wide-eyed.
"There is no way. They never come to this area of the woods."
"She is here." A hound was hissing gleefully.
"They are after you!" Wahag accused in a whisper.
"What? Why would they.." Wahag dragged Dow by the leash. "Shhh" Wahag took the lead on running.
Dow was confused, but had no time to protest.
"This way..." another hound hissed.
Wahag stopped Dow, "Empty your pockets! You have something on you that they are tracking you by!"
"You are insane. How can .." Dow heard the familiar rustling and the cold eerie feeling hit her.
She was wearing a small backpack, it had multiple knives, some snacks and a small ball that was solid covered in cloth. Wahag put his hand into the bag and pulled out the ball. "Where did you get this?" He said in horror, "Do you know what the hell this is?"
"I... I .. I always had it." Dow was shaking with the possibility that she was the reason the hounds kept finding them.
"Water... Water... Find me water!"
Dow hastily pulled from behind her the bottle that was hanging around her waist.
The bottle neck was too tight. "We need to engulf this in water." Wahag heard the hounds closing in, hissing and laughing.
Dow took the bottle from him and with her knife broke the leather that was covering it, and then broke the glass bottle neck with a strike. Luckily, it was just about enough for the ball to sink in but not without cutting open Dow's hand. Dow groaned but didn't drop the bottle.
Wahag paused for a minute listening for the hounds.
"Something is wrong" One voice hissed in pain and panic.
Wahag signaled to Dow to quiet down and follow his tracks.
Dow saw the hounds for the first time ever from behind and they didn't turn.
The two slowly snuck around till they were far enough to start running.
"Someone's there." Wahag heard the hounds alert each other.
"We are still being chased. Lead us to the lake!" Wahag commanded hurriedly.
The hounds were right behind them. One was particularly fast and leveled with them in speed. The hound went after Wahag's limbs but was unsuccessful on the first attempt. The second and third attempts scratched Wahag. The fourth time he was almost caught, but luckily they were at the edge of the water and this time he didn't hesitate. He ran right into it but slipped and fell face first.
Dow grabbed him by the back of the collar to his feet.
They both turned to face their enemy, but the hounds were no where to be found.
Wahag found the bottle still in Dow's hand.
He snatched it out of her hand and started waving it violently next to her face, "Can you tell me on what God's hell and heaven are you doing roaming around with a spirit summoning talisman!!"