âNowhere to run now, you little mutt.â
The wolf spins around, staring at the hunter⌠and the notched arrow aiming at him. He backs away, letting out a soft snarl. But, it doesnât sound intimidating; it sounds frightened. He frantically looks for an escape route.
âYou should be more careful who you shift in front of.â The hunter smirks, taking another step closer, watching the wolf cower back. He releases the arrow.
Yelping, the wolf stumbles backwards. Pain explodes from his side as the arrow grazes his skin, slicing through the fur. Before he can react, he feels himself starting to shift.
The wolf lets out another yelp as he collapses, pained whimpers becoming groans as he changes back to human. His hand grips the wound over his rib cage and he backs up, desperately trying to get away. If he can just get behind the tree, maybeâ
His vision blurs and tints red, his breaths coming out in shaky gasps. He collapses onto his back, and thatâs when he finally notices the arrow sticking out of his chest, and the blood pooling around the wound. When was heâŚ?
Smirking, the hunter walks up to him and kneels down. âPoor mutt. Shouldâve been more careful.â He pats the boyâs cheek, then stands and walks away.
The boy whimpers, trying to touch the arrow. âAh!â Itâs far too deep in for him to move it. And heâs so tired⌠Maybe he can rest his eyes, just for a few minutesâŚ
He sees the outline of a figure in the distance as his eyes slip shut, and he welcomes the darkness.
He comes to with a weak groan. One hand moves to his chest, relieved to no longer feel the arrow there. Instead, his fingers brush against fabric bandages wrapped around his chest and back.
His eyes open, but his eyelids are so heavy, itâs taking a lot of energy to keep them that way. He scans the area, quickly realizing heâs in a cave. He notices the light from a fire, casting eerie shadows along the rock walls.
The voice startles him, and he turns quickly towards the soundâ much too quickly. He yelps in pain.
âHey, hey, relax. Donât need you opening those wounds again, pup.â
The boyâs eyes lock onto the person speaking. The first thing he notices are his eyesâ the lavender eyes staring at him with slight worry masked by annoyance. Then to his hair. Itâs not a natural color. Itâs a magenta that fades to a light pink. The only people who have features like that areâŚ
He gasps and shrinks away, eyes wide in terror. âYâŚy-youâre⌠youâre aââ
âA warlock, yes,â the man nods, his annoyance growing. âIâm also the person who saved your life. Now, come on, you need to relax.â He takes a step forward, and the boy cowers back again.
âN-no, s-stay away!â He whimpers, a hand going up to the collar around his throat. No, he canât go back. He canât go back to that lifeâŚ
The man stops. âHey, pup, look at me a second.â The boy looks over hesitantly. âI donât know what youâve been through, but Iâm not going to hurt you. If I were, I wouldnât have bothered to heal you.â
That does make senseâŚÂ
The boy nods, still seeming anxious. At least he isnât cowering any longer. He begins to shiver as a cold breeze makes its way into the cave, and he stifles a sneeze.
The warlock watches him, then pulls off his cloak. Itâs a rich purple color, and looks incredibly expensive. He hands it over, still careful not to walk too close, or move too quickly.
âI can see you shivering. Take it.â
The boy nods, grabbing the fabric. Itâs so soft⌠He carefully wraps it around himself, his body almost instantly warming up. Far too fast for normal fabric. âThank you.â
The warlock gives a nod in reply. He turns his attention back to the fire, which had started to die down. He holds his hand out, and the fire roars back to life, filling the cave with a comforting glow.
âSo, pup, whatâs your name?â
The boy glances up, a bit surprised by the question. âGaian⌠and Iâm not a pup.â
The warlock smirks a bit. âYouâre definitely a pup.â He pauses. âThe nameâs Nidan.â
Gaian nods, about to argue about the âpupâ comment, but instead he just yawns.
âGet some sleep. Itâll help you heal.â Seeing the worried look in Gaianâs eyes, he adds âIâll be here. Nothingâs gonna happen to you.â
The words reassure him surprisingly quickly. Nodding, he curls up on the ground, holding the cloak close as his eyes close.