Midnight Moon

Chapter 8: The Claw

Hunt Forest 

Location: Unknown

If I'm being completely honest I don't remember much of the walk, I couldn't tell you how long it was, if we stopped at all, or if a word was said the entire trip. We got to a cave-like structure that had weeds hanging off every edge, and was surrounded by large boulders. I'm not sure when the terrain switched from thick forests to large rocks, but it works to our advantage because of the shelter it offers. I debate asking how long the hunt has been going on but decide against it as I don't want to face the disappointment of not even being half way through. 

Typically the hunt goes on for 5 days, day one they bring the humans to the location and at some time let them lose into the forest. Days 2-4 are spent with wolves running around acting as killing machines while humans run for their lives hoping and praying they are not claimed or killed. Day 5 and 6 are the return days, all the newly claimed get carted off towards the wolf sections of town, no chance at goodbyes.

Those that are not claimed are directed out of the hunting arena by wolves in their wolf form, however those unable to walk and with nobody to carry them are left to die along with the already dead. 2 weeks later the dead are documented through pictures and their bodies assumed to be buried. Once all have been found these photos are pinned to the large billboard at town central where the guards work. A couple years ago they had to get a larger board because there were too many deaths to fit on the old one.

That year marked the renaming of the hunt in the human's eyes. From that hunt onward the hunt was now known as the blood sport, because if you ran into a wolf and you didn't have the mate smell you were as good as dead.

I believe there are about 7,000-12,000 humans in my city, all of whom work under Alpha Ziron and his Luna Karis. Last year's hunt killed some 850 humans of all ages, some who had just turned 16 and barely made the cut off while most were older mothers and fathers. Last year it orphaned some 380 kids, most of which end up dying from disease or starvation before they reach 16.

Isaac is trying to tell me something but everything he says goes in one ear and out the other. I just kinda stare off at the cave wall as my head pulses in tune with my heart beat.

I don't know how long I sit there staring before I hear a loud painful groin from the other side of the cave. I try to get my body to shift around and find out what's happening but my body doesn't respond fast enough and I pretty much just belly flop onto the cave floor.

Isaac goes to get up but I wave him off and give a thumbs up to show him I'm okay and that he can go back to what he was doing. He gives me a concerned look and continues to watch me get up -this time much slower- once he's sure i'm okay he beckons me towards him. I go over to him thinking he wants a kiss or something but when I get over there I gasp at what I see.

Eli is laying on the ground with a very poorly wrapped wound on his back, it stretches from the top of his left shoulder down across his body to his right hip bone. I stand there in shock as I take in my brother lying on the cold hard cave floor in critical health and beg my brain to tell my body what to do.

My hands shake.

I don't know what to do, I drop down on the floor next to Isaac and frantically run my hands over the air above his back trying to figure out where to start. The beginnings of a panic attack come on as the shake that was once just my hands intensifies and spreads up my arms.

"Hey, hey it's alright. I know we can get through this, you just need to breathe, focus on me. Okay? Alright, just do what I do, okay? In... out... good. Again... That's it, see you're already doing better."

I focus on his voice and try to remember the familiar feeling of calm that comes with working with a patent. I have seen a lot of dark things since the takeover, had to tell parents that there was nothing they could do for their dying child, and had to sacrifice friends in order to save the masses. But even through all of that my family was never the target.

Seeing Eli struggling on the ground rips me apart and I can't find my calm.

You've got this, he's going to be alright.

I clear my head of every thought, set a cement wall between me and reality outside of this cave, nothing else matters except for right here right now. It's time to save my brother.

It takes a couple hours for me to do what I can, I found some infection preventing herbs as well as mushrooms with a strong analgesic (pain reliever). Because I didn't have any gauze I used our water to wet some moss, I put that over the crushed up leaves then I put dry ones over it and wrapped it with some of his ripped up shirt.

The only problem I'm running into is the mushroom I found for the analgesic, I know he needs the relief but I'm pretty sure it's a white poppy mushroom. Known for being closely related to the poppy seed, which is more commonly known for what it makes: Opium.

Opium is commonly found in harder drugs like heroin and morphine. All three of these drugs have run rampant in sector 12 at one point, all bringing nothing but death and debt. I don't want to risk addiction when I don't know how concentrated the mushroom is. Also assuming I get the proportion right a common side effect of Opium is serious hallucinations and that is not what we need when we are trying not to die.

However at the same time he is in a lot of pain and this could help, plus there's no way in hell we are leaving this cave without him and without the meds he won't be able to move.

I don't know what to do.

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A/N

What do you think of the story so far? What do you think happened to Eli? Should Arlein give him the mushroom? Let me know what you think in the comments!

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Word count: 1,187