[Avira]
We continued our journey a little while later, after my breathing became even. Dylan waited until he was sure that I was okay before we continued.
We were in the middle of the forest now, and still within the pack's territory. From what I felt, we won't be out of the forest until hours later, and my left leg has become heavier and more painful than it used to be. I was trying hard not to limp, and trying even harder so I don't get noticed by him, and so far, I was doing great.
"I don't think you can continue with all that pain," Dylan said from beside me, and I shot him a look.
"What?" I said, pretending to not understand what he meant while wondering how he managed to know that. Even though he mentioned feeling all of my pain some time ago, I still doubted the truthfulness of his claims, and now wasn't an exception even though I was beginning to think otherwise.
"Let's get your leg treated," he said, stopping, but I shook my head in disagreement. That would slow us down, and we couldn't afford to slow down, especially when we were still within the pack's premises.
"I can manage," I said quickly even though I wasn't quite sure about that, and continued walking with ease, even though it took me every fiber of strength to not scream out in pain.
Somehow, we continued with the journey without stopping to treat my leg. If Dylan could actually feel my pain or knew just how much discomfort the pain on my leg caused me, he did not show it. Instead, we wandered around the forest for a long time stopping at intervals to hide from approaching footsteps which we believed belonged to some members of the pack.
"How are we sure we are not heading back towards the pack's settlement?" I asked when it suddenly occurred to me that we might be walking in circles. The part of the forest we were in was strangely familiar, and I couldn't help but wonder.
I was trying desperately to not revisit the memory of that awful night or the days that succeeded it, and talking to Dylan seemed the only way. But I wasn't sure if he would respond, seeing how I had snapped at him a little while ago.
"We are not," he said simply, and suddenly went quiet. Now what could he be thinking? He didn't think rescuing me was a bad idea now, did he? I thought in my head. I turned swiftly towards a shrub as a snake slithered into it, and shuddered in fear. This whole forest must be crawling with snakes and other animals that could be dangerous, maybe not to a werewolf in his wolf form but definitely in his human form.
I remembered how painful the sting from the snake bite had been, just four nights ago, and I quickly fell back into place with Dylan who had somehow gone ahead of me.
"We are close to the pack's boundary." Dylan said after a few minutes of walking silently beside each other, during which I had maintained my position beside him. I nodded, not sure whether to be relieved or not.
The boundary meant that we were only a few metres away from leaving the pack. It also meant a lot of risk as the boundary was usually guarded heavily, and now that they all were on the lookout for me, the guard would be doubled, and impossible to get by.
We continued our walk towards the borderline nonetheless. Well, Dylan did while I trailed fearfully behind him, and just as I thought, the border was heavily guarded with thrice as many guards as usual. Only a few of the guards were warriors, with most of them pack members whom I was sure were acting according to Alpha Demian's instruction.
"What do we do now?" I whispered to Dylan, close to tears. I couldn't help but fear for the worst now. Surrounded by nothing but overgrown shrubs, and with no sacred cave to protect us, I could already see myself back in the Ashen cage and being struck dead with the killing curse. My whole body was shaking already in fear, and I couldn't help it.
"We camp behind that shrub, and tend to your leg." Dylan replied calmly, and I bit my lip to stop myself from screaming out in frustration. How can he be this calm? How can he not care when we were both at the verge of being caught and killed?
My left leg was swollen now but I could not feel the pain. I mean, what is the pain from a snake bite compared to the pain from the killing curse? Besides, my healing ability would take its course in no time, and I would be free from the pain, but what about the killing curse? What will free me from it?
"My leg is not a problem right now, we need to get the hell out of this evil forest." I said with my voice still in whispers. I didn't know how but I was hoping that he had a plan we could rely on, I mean he should have a plan, seeing how unbothered he was.
"We would, but your leg needs tending to," Dylan replied in whispers. When I shook my head in disagreement, he pulled me gently towards the shrub at the far end of the left corner. The image of a snake slithering into a shrub some moments ago flashed through my memories, and I shook my head to get rid of it.
What if I was bitten again?
I couldn't help but ask myself as Dylan made me settle on the ground behind the shrub. From behind the shrub where Dylan and I was, we could see the men guarding the borderline from the distance, and it only made getting away seem impossible to me.
He reached for the piece of cloth with which he had tied the wound, and untied it. The wound which should be dried up by now wasn't. Instead it was fresh with dark coloured blood, and slimy. The wounded skin was stuck to the cloth so that when he tried to take the cloth off, it pulled the flesh around the wound, causing me so much pain.
"It's infected," Dylan said as I sucked in air, and reached for his backpack.
He brought out a black plastic bottle, and after hesitating for a while, he uncorked it. The foul smelling stench of whatever was contained in the bottle immediately wafted into my nostrils, filling me with disgust.
"What is this?" I asked, covering the wound with both of my palms to stop him from applying whatever that thing was on it.
"It's a substitute for the healing potion." He replied but I did not buy it, and I did not pretend that I did.
"Don't worry, my healing ability will do its work soon." I said after thinking of an excuse to stop him from pouring that smelly thing on me. It was a perfect excuse, only that it wasn't.
"You don't get it, do you?" He asked, placing the bottle on the ground, and corking it. Something told me he was only dropping the bottle for the briefest of time.
"Get what?" I asked.
"This thing around your neck," he said again simply, and I frowned. If there's something I should know about the damn necklace around my neck, shouldn't he say it straight up, and not beat around the bush?
"You can't function as a wolf, healing ability, shifting, special olfactory, special sight, every ability you had by merit of being a she-wolf is gone, and would stay gone as long as the Lunar Lock is around your neck." Dylan explained, and the only reaction I could come up with was to stare wide-eyed at him. It all made sense now, my healing ability should have healed the snake bite three days ago but it didn't. I couldn't ask him to take it off now, not after he had tried without success in the last three days.
I suddenly felt the urge to cry but I tried to suppress it.
I reached for the necklace on my neck, Lunar Lock as Dylan called it, and as I touched it with my wide-eyed gaze still fixed on Dylan, I wondered how this harmless-looking piece of metal could prevent so much.
"When was the last time you related with your wolf?" Dylan suddenly asked, and the tears which I had tried to suppress all this while, bust out in an uncontrolled but silent wail.