Call of the Wolves

14. Red Shall Reign

"Lowell," the female wolf cries out to the wolf beside her as their body remains on the ground. Though, I drown them out and shift my sights elsewhere.

"Caesar," his name bawls out past my lips. Finally, I lift my body up from the ground and run to him. Still in his wolf form, his body remains limp. Blood swirling between his fur, soaking into the dirt that sponges it up. My hand hovers over the holes that mark his skin, debating if it's worth it to stop the bleeding. I hesitate, fearful that by touching him I'll hurt him even further. Instead, my hand lands onto his head, tracing over the side of his face. As my skin presses against his soft fur, looking for any indication of breathing— any signs of life. Nothing. Instead, it's almost as if his pain transfers through my touch. My eyes shut in a wince, tears forming within my eyes, as I replay him jumping in front of me when the wolves attacked. How I'm the reason for his suffering.

Please don't die. Please.

My face drops down close to his, a whispered breath pleading for him to wake up. "I'm so sorry," my voice strains out. Words so quiet, I'm not a hundred percent sure they came out at all. Still, I continue, "I couldn't help you. I couldn't protect you like you did for me. But I'm not giving up on you. Keep fighting, please."

A small movement twitches beneath my fingertips. Guiding my head back upwards, I look for another movement, wondering if I purely imagined it. But the short and faint movements of Caesar's chest rising and falling confirms what my eyes are seeing. He's alive.

A rush of comfort and relief engulfs me. More so when his eyes briefly flutter open. The red and black of his irises flickering before his eyes shut once again.

"Caesar, stay awake. Please, wake up. You need to keep your eyes open," fear collides with guilt as he's unable to open his eyes once more. His body begins to tremble and his breaths become lighter. He's fighting. Despite all of the pain he's in, he's fighting.

"We'll save him," a woman's voice shocks me from behind. Twisting my head, the sight of a human girl stands close to me. "Both of them," she says, despair lining her voice, as she looks off to the side where a few other people surround the gray wolf who was bitten. Bringing her gaze back onto me, she kneels down to become eye-level with me. "You must be Serelia," she pauses, her eyes sweeping across my face. "Caesar did always say you looked like Abria. I can finally see the resemblance."

My eyes cast downwards, the shame leaving another painful wound at the thought of my last interaction with her. The guilt of my mother being locked up even though she truly isn't insane, but rather living in a truth others are too ignorant to believe. Being called mad by all of society—by me.

"I'm Verena," the girl goes on. "I apologize for anything my brother may have said or done prior to catching up with us," she lets off a doleful smile as her sight lands on Caesar.

"You're Verena? His sister-" I trail off, remembering what Caesar had told me about his past.

"So I take it that he's mentioned me?" Her soft smile widens. "Yes," she nods in confirmation while going on, "and anything he's said about me is untrue. I'm a much better fighter than him." A warmth fills Verena's voice as she speaks, but as she takes a second, her smile falls and her words rush out quicker. "We need to go. A Lupi bite is not a wound so easily healed. Lowell and Caesar, they both need to be healed before it's too late."

As she stands upright, the family resemblance between her and Caesar is evident. Her long, dark hair cascades down her shoulders, a deep color almost the color of charcoal. Brown eyes as piercing as Caesar's, only a bit darker in shade.

By the time I look around to gain a sense of my surroundings, the majority of the wolves have shifted back into human form. Some of them approach Caesar and I as I still sit next to him, crowding around Caesar before lifting him up. Some of the others in human form do the same for Lowell while the rest who remain in wolf form shape into a defensive line like guards.