Salt to Her Sea ✔️

25. breathe

THADAL

After a forest fire, nothing but the ghost of the environment remains. A shell stripped down to charred remnants that smolder and smoke in the haze of aftermath. Something so drastic changes the landscape at the very bottom line, anything that came before is wiped clean away. How do you restart with nothing?

"Where is she?" I moaned out, limbs struggling to push myself up. Eyes opened without adjusting but there wasn't much to report. Smudged faces peered down at me from amidst the smears of brown from the ceiling. The room was stuffy, too warm, I was suffocating. Many hands pressed down on my shoulders, torso, legs. Roaring out, flailing, chest heaving. "Where is she?"

"Keep him down! For Luna's sake, keep him down, I need to work." The strong feminine voice rang out.

I threw wolves off of me, snarling, meeting their eyes and watching them cower. I could smell her, and something similar to her. I was in a cabin, the log walls deep brown and rustic. Homemade. The glow of orange-tinted lamps cast a den-like feeling over the area. I was on the floor, a bearskin rug beneath my back. A fire crackled to the right of me, raging in its hearth. There were a lot of wolves piled into the somewhat small room, enough to be overwhelming. More came, taking another turn to try and pin me down.

A female appeared in front of me, her gray hair long and braided down her back. "Calm down, Alpha. We're working." She was unfamiliar in looks and scent. She smelled deeply of sage. There was something about her that read; trust. But I didn't just trust anyone. What held me most in place were her eyes; hazel, globe-like. Just like Akesis's. I didn't look away from her gaze and she didn't look away from mine. "It's alright, totum lupus. You're safe here."

I slumped back against the floor, letting my head fall heavy. There were tears that refused to fall from behind closed lids. Did I care what happened at this point? She wasn't alive. She was gone.

"They were right." She held my jaw, tipping my face back and forth. "You are one handsome male." Her grin was wide and toothy, eyes crinkling at the edges. She let out a low, appreciative whistle.

"Maura I need the bloodrose now!" I listened to the old female shuffle away, the scent of roses permeated thickly through the room, undertoned with something laced with iron. It made my nose wrinkle and eyes water.

With closed eyes, I could detect the familiarity of my female's scent, but it was smothered in sickness, decay. I didn't want to open my eyes again, I wanted the Luna to take me. This was no world without her, still, I felt like an ungrateful motherfucker to want to hand my second chance back. For a moment, I let myself believe that she was just across the room, sleeping safe or keeping occupied. Then I opened my eyes again and my chest heaved a stuttering breath, the pain was so sharp.

"Come on, female." The sound of thumping, rib bones creaking under stress.

A second of stillness, no one in the room moved, no one breathed. I looked over, hands on my shoulders attempting to keep me pinned. I let them, too consumed by the oline of her body on the wooden table to my right.

She consumed my vision, beckoning me forward. I ignored those who came after my advancements as I pushed myself up. The need to get to her took over my steps, my heartbeat, my hands that shook. The silence made up my grief, it gnawed away at my sanity.

The female on the table was unbelievably pale, tiny, a shell. Dried blood crusted beneath her nostrils and coated her hands. It was my blood on her hands. Tears fell down my face, dripping onto the wooden flooring that was warm beneath my bare feet.

I reached out, taking her hand in both of mine. She was cold.

The old female put pressure on her jaw and her lips parted. Her teeth were stained red with blood. Blood everywhere, it was choking me. She placed a petal on her tongue and closed her mouth, holding it closed.