Chapter Thirty: The Blessing of Lupus
Shock was etched onto every feature of his body. Below, he could still see a silver head bobbing above the river, fighting against the strong and unforgiving current. Cameo then did an unexpected stunt. He flung himself down into the gorge too.
He’d like to say that, as he was falling, he was thinking of heroic and admirable things in the time that was probably his last living moments. But, as he was plummeting down, the only thought he was thinking was ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
He briefly remembered that falling into water from such a high distance was like slamming into a boulder. Oops? But then he remembered what he was supposed to be thinking: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
His vision turned green, and he was wondering why right when he smacked into the water. The impact was harsh, and his skin burned, but he hadn’t died, and that had to count for something, right?
A wave crashed over Cameo, and the air was sucked out of his lungs. Icy water was pushing in on him from every side, and it took him downstream. Ha! Downstream! More like down death!
He forced his eyes open, and they immediately burned. Okay, stupid idea. But then again, flinging himself down the gorge wasn’t smart, either. At least he’d learned one thing from opening his eyes: his vision wasn’t green anymore. Maybe I imagined it, he thought. He knew by instinct he hadn’t, though. It was think he was going insane or actually seeing things. Cameo went with the first option.
His paws worked furiously as he tried to swim, but the force of the current was so strong and demanding it rolled him under. Finally his head surfaced, and he coughed, his lungs burning. Gasping for breath, he searched frantically for Disappear, and finally spotted her silvery gray head bobbing above the waves, just a few tail-lengths ahead of him.
Cameo kicked out strongly and neared Disappear. When he was close enough, he sank his teeth into her scruff. The extra weight forced him underwater, but he poured every ounce of strength he had into swimming towards the river bank, dragging his alpha with him.
When he reached the river bank and tried to heave Disappear up, he failed; his exhausted muscles giving up, he blinked the water out of his eyes. This is it, he thought miserably. We’re doomed.
But then he felt teeth fastening around his scruff, and heard someone grunt as they pulled Disappear and Cameo.
Disappear lay still, her fur plastered to her body. Then she coughed, and she forced herself on her paws as she vomited river water. She collapsed upon the ground when she finished, trembling.
“Disappear?” asked Cameo, his voice quavering slightly. She did not answer.
“Cameo,” murmured Breeze, and Cameo jumped. He’d forgotten he and Disappear weren’t alone, not when someone had pulled them out of that river. “She’s gone.”
Breeze was proved wrong, however, when their dying leader let out a weak cough. Her dull eyes blinked slowly up at them, alarm flashing in them, until she recognized the two wolves in front of her. Disappear’s eyes softened with relief and pride.
“You saved me,” she rasped, and Cameo felt himself tremble from nose to tail-tip at the sound of hearing his alpha’s voice.
“I’ll be gone soon,” she said, closing her eyes. “I can sense it. But I still have some final things to say.”
“Please don’t leave,” Cameo begged.
Disappear shook her head with what little strength she had left. “I must. And, you, Cameo, are taking my place as leader.”
Cameo was shocked, too shocked to say anything. That was impossible. Him, leader of Moon Stars? The idea was ridiculous!
He looked up at Disappear, just to realize his vision was green again. Okay, what’s going on here? I must really be insane! Some alpha! He snorted in disbelief.
Cameo heard Breeze gasp, and he glanced at her. She was gaping at him, unable to say anything.
“The blessing of Lupus!” Disappear said, sounding stunned.
The blessing of Lupus? thought Cameo. Isn’t that just a nursery tale? That would never happen in real life!
But the thing Cameo didn’t realize, was that he was surrounded by a green aura, an aura of power. This aura was the one that protected him from dying when he slammed into the water, after falling all those tree-lengths. A blessing from Lupus himself!
The visible aura faded, replaced by an invisible one. The very air seemed to hum with power, the power that radiated off Cameo.
“One last thing,” Disappear whispered. “Tell Hazelnut I love her.” She then sighed, a long sigh that whispered unspoken words in the wind, and her eyes closed a final time.
Disappear was dead.
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Leave it to me to make Cameo's almost dying funny
