A Fox Among Wolves

Chapter Thirteen

"H-He's human?" Lena stutters, falling onto her knees beside me. All of us are silent for only a few seconds, talking over one another once we overcome our shock.

"So they are real!" I hear Quinn say. I take my gaze away from the human and look over my shoulder. Quinn has a triumphant grin on his face, obviously proud that he was right all those weeks ago about the humans still being alive. The wolves all have stunned expressions on their faces. We had all been questioning the existence of humans lately but to see one in person is a whole other thing.

Loud voices come from the street in front of our house, causing me to sit up straight. Being caught with a human wouldn't be good, and being out in the open like this makes us vulnerable. I'm not the only one thinking this, seeing as Braeden and Link both walk around me and crouch down next to the small body.

"Let's bring this conversation inside," my mate says, picking up the human with ease. He cradles him like a child, muscles straining from the extra weight.

"You sure you got him?" Link says, holding out his arms as if to take the human out of Braeden's arms. Braeden just shakes his head, indicating that he is fine.

"Okay, let's bring this inside," I say, motioning for everyone to walk. The voices are getting closer, and I don't want to be standing outside by the time they make it to our house.

Quinn runs in front of us all, opening the sliding glass door and stepping inside. Carefully, Braeden steps sideways through the open door, making sure not to bump against the door frame. Once we are all inside, I flip the lock and close the curtains, making sure that someone can't peer in.

Lena and Lottie notice what I'm doing and close all the curtains in the living room, leaving us in darkness. The lamp next to the couch clicks on, casting a soft glow throughout the living room and allowing me to make my way to the couch without bumping into anything.

"Do you think he's alright?" Quinn questions. We all look down at the fragile looking body laying on our couch. There are deep bloody gashes along his arms and legs, pus seeping from the open wounds. His filthy hair is matted to his head, making it difficult to determine the natural color. All of his bones stand in deep contrast against his skin, indicating how malnourished he is.

"Are you serious?" I say, raising an eyebrow at my best friend. "There is no way he is alright. I honestly don't know how he managed to stumble into our yard. These wounds are some of the worst I've seen."

"They look pretty bad," Braeden mumbles from my right. We are all standing around the couch, looking down at the small body laying there.

"He has to be in so much pain." I kneel next to the couch, my fingers hovering over his damaged body. I'm almost afraid to touch him, worried that I could do more harm than good. Finally, I draw my hand back, deciding how we are going to help him.

"Okay, this is what we're going to do. Quinn, gather some clean cloths. Braeden, grab some of the hydrogen peroxide and pain medicine from the first aid kit. Lena and Lottie, you two need to sterilize a needle and some of the waterproof thread. Make sure to place both of them in water and boil it. Link, grab a bucket of warm water, soap, and some clean clothes."

Everyone stares at me for a few seconds, not moving from their spots. "Do you want to help him or not?" I say, staring at them. Lena and Lottie are the first to move, shaking everyone else out of their reverie.

"What are you going to do?" Link questions.

"Make sure he stays alive." As I turn away from them, I see Braeden run up the stairs and Quinn grabs Link's wrist, pulling him away from the couch.

"He works at the medical clinic, remember?" I hear Quinn hiss. The sounds of everyone doing their tasks is easy to hear from the living room, but it is soothing to me. I know that we are in this together.

Feet come running down the stairs and into the living room. Turning my head, I see that Braeden is the first one to return, holding the first aid kit we keep stored in our bathroom.

"Thanks," I say, taking the kit from his outstretched hand. He huffs from the running and collapses on the other side of the couch.

Opening the kit, I pull out a pair of the rubber gloves and slip them on. The purple of the gloves stands out against my unusually pale skin. This is the first time I will be completely responsible for taking care of someone else and it is a little unnerving. At the medical clinic, I always have an experienced doctor around to help me. Now, I am the most experienced hybrid in this house. I am the only one who knows what I have to do to help this tiny human to heal.

Quinn and Link stumble into the room a couple minutes later, each carrying the items I had asked them to get. The soapy water sloshes as Link sets it down beside me, some of it spilling over the sides and onto the carpet. I don't bother to clean it up, instead, I just grab one of the cloths from Quinn and dip it into the water.

The mud and blood prove difficult to wash away, making me scrub harder than I had wanted to. Soon, the water turns murky and Link has to refill the container three more times. I am so concentrated on cleaning the human, that I don't notice Lena and Lottie coming in and joining us.

Thirty minutes later, I drop the cloth into the murky water for the last time and exchange my now dirty gloves for some clean ones. With all the blood and mud cleared away, I can assess the cuts more clearly. They are bright red from infection and the dead haggard skin, along with the pus, makes the cuts even more repulsing.

I let out a sigh, hoping that the infection hasn't spread to his blood. He would need serious medication if that happens, something I would have to get from the medical clinic.

"I can't watch this anymore." Turning my head, I see the pale green color Quinn has become. Lena nods her head in agreement before pulling the other fox out of the room and up the stairs, their mates following behind. The sound of the canny laughter from a sitcom can be heard from the second level of the house.

Braeden is the only one who hasn't abandoned me. He gives me a reassuring smile before turning on the television in the room. I can tell that he doesn't like looking at the gashes on the human, but he doesn't want to leave me by myself.

Carefully, I clean out the wounds and sew them up. The sutures aren't nearly as good as the ones the doctors I shadow can do, but this is my first time practicing on something living. Usually, I am stuck practicing on dead pigs and chickens.

I wipe away any remaining blood before covering all the sutures with clean gauze and tape. Looking over my work, I allow a small smile to slip out. While washing his body, I had managed to clean the human's hair, revealing the warm blonde strands hidden underneath the mud. Now, he looks a little bit alive, unlike before.

Arms wrap around me and pull me into a warm chest. I pull off my gloves and knot them in a bag before relaxing against the warm chest behind me. The television is a myriad of colors, my mind not following along with what is happening on the screen.

"What time is it?" I mumble, my eyes threatening to close from sheer exhaustion. Braeden moves behind me, shifting us into a more comfortable position.

"Almost six." His chest rumbles as he talks, causing me to relax into him even more. "I know you're tired. Why don't you get some sleep?"

"I have to take care of him," I say, my words riddled with sleep. My eyelids are barely open now, but I turn to look at the frail figure on the other side of the couch.

"He'll be fine," my mate says, sitting up and putting a pillow under the human's head and a blanket over his body. He grabs the other blanket hanging over the back of the couch and places it over us, our body heat trapped in the soft cocoon. "I'll watch over him while you sleep."

"You sure?" I whisper, my body already relaxed and half way asleep.

"You'll both be safe, I promise." His strong arms wrap around me, and I snuggle closer to him. The comfortableness from the couch, the weight of the blanket, and the reassurance from my mate all cause me to lose my last shred of consciousness, falling into a much needed sleep.