Chapter 11-Healing

Recovery took awhile.

I wasn't allowed out of my makeshift bed for a week. I couldn't even sit up. Cody fed me small chunks of meat, to keep hunger away. I didn't talk a lot. My chest hurt too much.

Maybe eight days after the Bearmutt attack, Cody pulled me into his lap. I put my head on his shoulder. He gently rocked me back and forth. I snuggled into his chest. I felt him kiss the top of my head.

"You feeling alright?"

I shrugged. He put his arms around me. I melted into them without hesitation. I didn't care that I had broken ribs and leg. I didn't care that I had been mauled by a Beast. I was happy. And I could tell that Cody was content as well.

Kaylee was tending the fire. The second dead Bearmutt sat next to the remains of the first. She had already skinned it, and most of the meat was gone. We would use the bones of both of them for shelter and additional weapons.

"You guys hungry?" she turned towards us. I nodded, and Cody carried me closer to the fire. he picked up a small piece of cooked meat and slipped it into my mouth. I smiled and ate it. He kissed my cheek and pulled me closer. I slowly put my hands around his neck. He smiled and nuzzled my face.

Kaylee pulled my pelt over. She set it on a small rack, made up of sticks, a foot from the fire. It was risky to go to the beach now, and this worked faster. It had been getting colder, even during the day.

Cody stroked my hair. I closed my eyes and let out a small, happy sigh. I reached up, extended my index finger, and painted a small heart on his cheek. He grinned and kissed me.

Night fell. Cody had wrapped the two of us in the Bearmutt pelt. His added warmth helped me. I was lying against him, my eyes half-closed. His arms were around me.

"Go ahead and sleep. Don't try and stay up late. You can sleep in, too. We don't have a schedule, remember?" I nodded. I shifted closer to him and fell back to sleep.

When I woke up again, Cody was awake. He had his arms around me tightly, and he was breathing heavily.

"Cody?" I whispered, worried. He looked down at me and smiled weakly.

"Good morning, Cammie."

"Are you alright?"

He stroked my hair. "There might be something out there. Can you shoot?"

I nodded. "What's out?" I grabbed his hand.

"I don't know. I told Kaylee, she's up in a tree, with a couple of daggers."

I nodded and fell back against his chest. "Don't let it hurt us."

He kissed my head. "I won't. I promise." I relaxed. Somehow, just being snuggled with him helped.

There was a low growl. Cody and I looked over to a pair of glowing yellow eyes. I almost stopped breathing. I didn't move.

"Cammie, can you run?"

I shook my head slowly. Panic rose in my throat. I almost screamed. Cody slowly got up, still holding me. The eyes brightened, and a growl rose. He started to run, and that's when it jumped towards us. I let out a scream. There was no way we could outrun this...thing.

It looked human, but it looked wolf, too. Dark, pointed ears, a muzzle with sharp teeth, and a bushy, curved tail. But it had a human-like face, build, and hate in its eyes. It was a DNA, but this was sick. It was trying to kill us!

It landed, just short of Cody's ankle. He ran faster, trying to find somewhere the thing couldn't reach. I had my arms wrapped tightly around his neck.

A blot of lightning split the sky. Rain came down, soaking us. Cody slipped....time slowed down. We crashed down on the mud. The wolf-boy lunged again. Cody raised his arm to defend us, and the DNA bit down on it. He yelled out in pain.

Suddenly, there was another person. She looked like Kath, except with red hair and ears, and her ears were larger and pointier.  She jumped on the wolf-boy, and he turned at her and snarled. They rolled off of us and went back and forth. The rain came down harder. Another bolt of lightning crashed overhead.

"Cody!" I yelled.

he held me with his good arm. "I'm here, I'm here." He was shaking. I buried my head into his chest and started crying silently. Cody watched the two DNAs fight. Eventually, the girl won. She stabbed her sword, which was waved, into the thing's chest. She collapsed next to it, out of breath.

I lifted my head and looked at Cody's arm. it was bleeding. A lot. The rain only washed the blood off. I wanted to do something.

The girl came over. Her ears were straight up, and her fox-like tail was limp and soaked. "Are you guys alright?"

Cody showed her his arm. She bit her lip. "I can fix that. Here, follow me. I have a stash of healing stuff not too far from here."

He didn't get up.She blinked at him. "She can walk, right?" I shook my head and pointed towards my still-wrapped leg. She nodded. "Here, I can carry you." She scooped me out of his arms. Cody got back up, and we went off.

A few minutes later, we stopped in front of a thick oak tree. The girl set me down on the ground, in a tangle of roots. Cody sat net to me and pulled me, careful about his arm, into his lap. I snuggled back up with him.

The girl came over with a roll of white cloth. "Here, hold up your arm." Cody obeyed, and she wrapped it gently around the wound. When she finished he nodded his thanks. The girl smiled. "Now, who are you?"

Cody spoke for the two of us. "I'm Cody, she's Cammie. We're Runners."

"Doesn't speak much, does she?" There was a hint of playfulness in her voice.

"She's been recovering for a Bearmutt attack. Broke her leg and ribs, and it tore into the same leg."

The girl sighed. "My brother was taken that way. I'm Bailey, by the way. DNA fox, if you couldn't tell already." She brushed the hair out of her face. "Do you guys have somewhere to sleep?"

"Yeah, but we don't know how to get there."

Bailey sighed. "We should probably find it soon. With all of the other things on the island, you wanna keep your own findings."

Cody put his wrapped arm around me and stood up. I could see him struggle to keep the cry of pain back. I leaned up and kissed his cheek. He smiled and kissed me. Everything was going to be alright.

Author's Note