Part 2 - Alayna

I woke up to see Amanda, the old woman in our group bandaging my arm up and running a wet cloth over my face. The other girls were crowded around, thankful to see me awake. There were about twenty people in our group, ranging from Amanda, who was in her sixties, to Clare, who was just turning six.

The the crowd of faces who watched me was the little girl from the house, standing off to the side and peering at me through large blue eyes. If she was here, then the demon must be near by. I turned my head and sure enough there he was, and I noticed the others around him.

Wolf demons just like him, laying here and there in the grass, up against trees; Some bandaged up, others moaning in pain as their wounds bled. I looked back at the women and say some of them were bandaged up as well, dried blood crusting their skin.

"What happened here, Amanda?" I asked sitting up, my arm slightly throbbing.

"We were attacked while you and the others were out. They came out of no where, yet they were without a leader, I suppose he was the one who attacked you."

"What about them?" I spared a glance to the wolfs behind her.

"They saved us, though they were out numbered they were able to fight the others off. We were lucky to get away alive."

"I see." I stood then, moving to gather bandages from our small supply.

This was the ever changing battle we lived in, being attacked by one pack, and protected by another. This new pack, with the little girl who traveled with them, we had no debt to them, yet they had still saved us. I might not like the wolves that took over my world, but I was not cruel enough to turn my back on the pack that had saved me and the other women.

I walked to were the pack was gathered and knelt next to the man who was bleeding heavily from his shoulder, flesh torn by claws, raw and red. Haley, a girl of seventeen came to my side with a pale of water and a rag. I cleaned out the wound as the man seemed to be sleeping, his eyes blinking open as I started to wash away the blood.

"What are you doing woman?" He demanded.

"I am only returning the favor, it would be cruel of me to let you and your men save us and walk away without aiding you in your injuries." I swept a piece of my hair from my face as Haley handed me a bandage.

Though the wolf demon didn't seem to like my help he kept quiet, only a small growl rolling under his breath. "Haley, look after him while I tend to the others, will you?"

The young girl nodded and washed the dirt from his face. I moved from one man to the other, cleaning their wounds and explaining my actions, they all seemed hesitant to let me aid them, yet like the first none of them spoke. It was as if they were not used to someone watching after them, of showing gratitude. They were a pack, and surly they had come a crossed women like myself before, why save us if they had no intention of wither killing us, or keeping us?

"I don't need your help wench." Spoke a middle aged wolf with short black hair. I tried to ignore his words, but when I raised the rag to the wound at his abdomen his grabbed at my wrist and pushed me away.

"You would rather bleed to death than let me help you?"

"I don't need to women to coddle me." He tried to sit up but a hiss of pain escaped his lips with the movement, and he slumped back down against the tree.

"You helped save us yet you resist our help in return. Do you wish to die because you are too proud to let a woman help you?"

"Just sit down and shut up David, let the girl help you or die." I looked up to see the wolf who had saved me, claw marks down his shoulder and arm.

"I would rather die." Spoke the man named David. I called Ashley over, she was hard headed and didn't take no for an answer, I was sure she could persuade David, either that or beat him into submission.

With David taken care of I stood to face the leader, holding the pale of water and bandages in my arms. He raised an eyebrow at me as I invaded his space, lifting my chin a notch to look up at him.

"Sit down."

"Excuse me?"

"You are bleeding, let me help you."

He turned his head to the side and his expression turned cocky, "This is nothing but a flesh wound, I will be fine, you should focus your energy on the others."

I lifted the rag in my hand and slapped it across his arm, he jump with a yelp and shielded his arm from me. "What the hell was that for?"

"I thought it was just a simple flesh wound?" He just scowled at me, "just sit down and let me help, or are you above my help as well?"

He didn't say anything, just glared at me determined to have his way. I only scowled back, as determined as he was. Neither of us spoke, our gazes never wavered and I felt the others around us watching. I was actually surprised when he sighed and turned away from me, stopping at a large rock to lean against as he gave in.

He was odd, not like any of the other wolfs I had met before. He had saved me and my people, had risked his pack for us. Yet he was asking for nothing in return, he made his men open to our help yet he was not demanding us of it. He seemed to have no interest in us, not for slaves, companions, or a meal.

I knelt down and washed the blood from his arm. He sat perfectly still with his eyes closed, looking almost bored; He did not flinch when the cloth grazed over his wound, made no sound of pain. I looked behind me at the other woman as they tended to the wolves, then back to their leader. We were getting weak without a pack to travel with, and I was face to face with the leader of one....

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[butterfly]

omg i love this book