Feral

9

Everything burned. She could barely move, breathing hurt. Whatever had struck her had stayed lodged in her side. Shifting back had been excruciating but she was able to break the object that had pierced her.

Deep breaths were not an option at this point.

So this was how she perished, saving her pack from the greedy oneshapes that would plague her land. She had seen the glee in those eyes right before the blinding pain had struck. 

Blood seeped from her wound, fresh, hot, smelling sour and burning her nose hairs.

The moon was up in the sky, and the sun had risen again, high and blaring down upon them when Irik, her second, let out a low growl. She heard the splash of water as the an intruder crossed the water.

It was the male, bringing another twoshape like themselves. This one was also male, but didn't hold the same power as the first male. He even smelled different, more like the oneshapes, but still had the same underlying scent as the other male, as her wolves.

Irik didn't like this new male, and made it clear as his growl deepened. She stayed him, watching with blurred eyes as the two approached.

The new male stayed back as the other came forward, carrying something in his hands. It was shaped like the thing, the book, he had brought before, but smelled different and did not fall apart like it had.

Irik submitted to the male, letting him by, but snarled as the new one came closer. The male next to her opened the new object. Her senses were assaulted by new smells, some easily overpowering her nose, making her cough. It hurt to cough.

A gentle hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Jerod, we have to take her back to the pack, the arrowhead is lodged in her side and could be damaging organs, I'll need Jane to extract it,"

The Male before spoke. His voice giving off that musical sound. It hummed easily to her ears and she delighted in its notes and timbre.

"What would her pack do? I'm sure they wouldn't approve of you taking their alpha," the Male behind them responded, his voice was musical and flowing in a different way. She enjoyed listening to them communicate. It was different than the oneshapes who were loud and hurt her ears.

Irik seemed to understand them better than her, for he growled at the male next to her, baring teeth and tongue.

"Damn, her beta it seems, knows what we're doing. We're going to have to do it now, Jerod please come here so you can hold her down as I remove the arrowhead," Irik's growl only became worse when the new male came to the other's aid. She stayed him with a small wave. They knew what they were doing and she could only trust that they wouldn't kill her.

Stars formed in her vision as those gentle hands moved her on her good side. She whimpered and sucked in air as the pain became blinding once again. His fingers were in the wound, she could feel them as they moved to find what was left of the shaft. She could hear screaming, then the pain lessened, and all was silent.

She could breathe again, the burning was still there, and it hurt to move, but she could breathe.

"Hand me the needle, so I can stitch it closed. I don't think it hit anything major, just slipped between two ribs," the new male reached over her line of vision, giving the other something. She felt the stinging, and tugging on the wound, then that stopped.

Whatever this had been was far worse than when she'd been injured by a buck several moons ago, his antlers had pierced her midsection, but she'd been able to kill him before anything like this had happened.

She was able to sit up now. She twisted her body to look at the wound, which proved to be a mistake, as she hissed in pain. The wound was a line in her skin now, held together by what the male had passed through either side, keeping it closed. She ran her finger over it, it was warm, and wet, blood still seeped from it, but nowhere near as much as before.

The two males were covered in blood, her blood. The new one went to wash it off in the river, leaving her with the other. Now that she could move, and breathe, they could go, but her curiosity peaked when the male beside her put things in the book like object.

She pointed to it, uttering the strange word on her tongue, "Book?" The word rolled off of her tongue like it did the male's. It sounded funny.

He shook his head at her gesture, replying with, "Box," box. That was new, it was more harsh than book, coming from his mouth, more like what she used to talk to her wolves, but not quite.

She went to grab the box, but was unable, as the male took it in his grasp. The object that had been in her body lay next to where the box had sat. She pointed at it, hoping he'd understand that she wanted to know what they called it.

"Arrowhead," she tested the word out, it sounded as unpleasant as it had felt in her side. The male nodded. What was he called? Before she was alpha, the wolves called her Saraika, it would sound different to her ears speaking it in the same tongue as theirs.

She didn't know how to form her question so he'd understand, so she pointed at him. At first he didn't grasp what she was doing but she saw him register it before he responded.

"Damien"