Robbin

PART THREE: JAKE25. Flashback

Terra had a vision five hours later.

"Antoinette, it's Boucher. It's... old fashioned."

"By what, ten years? We're going to Italy, Madiera: I think the time calls for something reminiscent," She replied matter-of-factly.

Madiera paced away with a wave of her hand down the bustling square, the width of her dress's bosom causing several young men to stumble around it.

She looked back at the dress: pale red with pastel blue ribbon. Terra gripped her money bag tightly.

She came back to Robbin's staring eyes.

"Another vision?" he asked meekly.

She nodded, thinking herself rude for stealing the center of attention, and ventured carefully to where he sat, sweating, against the dark pillar of a tree trunk.

"Jake will be back soon," he reassured, voice hoarse and sickly.

Though she should have been the one reassuring, she wasn't so sure.

Five and-a-half hours earlier:

Robbin studied Jake.

"Go find Terra, I said."

"But what about the wolves?"

"I'll take care of them," he droned, irritated that Jake ignored his demand. No one at the cave would have ignored him, though he best get used to it as he had left his cave in their hour of need. He was a refugee now, no better than Jake. He gave Jake a pointed look. "Well, go get her!"

He turned to the wolf before him, it's partner not far behind. He hoped the third had been scared off by the collapsing of the tree.

It padded to the left slowly, watching. Wolves were never patient with stalking prey, however, and it soon pounced. It was small, so he managed to subdue him, or at least, keep the wolf from injuring him as this was no demon but much fiercer. His mistake was in forgetting about the partner while in the midst of the fight.

Maybe it was because he was scatterbrained. Maybe it was because he was thinking of Terra, though he couldn't really blame her for his stupidity.

The she-wolf's appearance distracted him and like a sixth sense, the male attacked his weakest side: the side the demons had opened weeks before. It was the only wound which had not completely healed—the only wound which could still harm him.

He growled in pain. The partner was obviously female and he wondered if this was Lou and the other Anje. He was knocked to the side with the force of her approach, and the male managed to rip a small hole in his bandage.

It was a single claw that did it. It barely grazed his stomach but the raw under-skin, still exposed to the elements, hurt like the underworld.

He savagely ripped at the young wolf's underbelly and the wolf howled forlornly. The young she-wolf did not like this. He was practically being buried by blows when Jake ripped back through the trees toward him.

He pulled the female wolf off of him and she went whimpering away with her mate not far behind. He glowered at Jake. "I told you to find Terra!"

"I did, she's fine."

"You mean she was fine." Robbin couldn't admit that he had needed Jake's help so he whipped away in search of her with Jake trailing closely.

"I'm not one of your damn nomads, I won't listen to your every word because I can think for myself," Jake huffed, and he was right. He most definitely wasn't one of his nomads, and maybe it was a good thing. There was a reason he kept Hunt so close in the cave, after all, and it was because Hunt was the only one who would tell him if he was being dumb or not.