Assistance

SINBAD My breath caught in my throat, and I felt a fresh pain. Not maddening like the last one. No, this one fueled my rage. I sprang up and shifted. My grey wolf growled at the two intruders. They backed away but otherwise didn't seem surprised or the least bit frightened. "Oh," the big man said. "The pup's awake." I looked behind them. They came out from her house. Did they take her? Did they hurt her? The thought of it nearly had me foaming at the mouth. I attacked. The small man had surprising agility and dodged the swipe of my claw. I felt something clamp onto my tail and swing me away. It was the big man. I smashed into a tree with such force I was sure I would be rewarded with a few broken ribs. My claws started to retract. I was shifting back. I took a deep breath and focused. My claws came back. I ignored the pain and charged again. I aimed for the big man's neck, I'll take him out first then make quick work of his friend. As if anticipating my move, the big man bent with his elbow raised. He shot up and got me right in the chest. I let out a very non-alpha whimper. The world spun 360 degrees, and I landed head-first on the ground. Blood trickled down my snout, and I spat out a particularly dark clot. I blinked away sand and grit from my eyes. A sudden chill alerted me that in my weakness I had shifted back to my human form. I tried to stand, but I couldn't move, and a bout of nausea hit me. I spat out bright red blood. Once again, I was down. But this time, there was no pretext. I couldn't move; I was at their mercy. And I hated it. "Err, what should we do with him?" the big brute said. "I don't know, idiot! But we can't kill him." "Why? He's just a little wolf pup." I gritted my teeth and glared at their feet, which from my position was the only thing I could see. "Let's just take him in... for now." The big man grumbled something and shuffled close to me. For a split second, I considered trying to bite him out of spite. But I had a feeling he wouldn't be averse to kicking a few of my teeth down my throat. He hefted me over his shoulder. And just as I was about to feel the shame of being buck naked, I was hit with the worst stench to pass a living, breathing nostril. I gagged. If my injuries don't kill me, his body odor will do the job. He smelled like what I would assume rotten corpses melting in sulfur would smell like! As my eyes watered from the blinding stench and the jarring pain in my ribs, I saw him. Leaning lazily on a tree branch. Dressed in black sweatpants and a hoodie. I don't think I've ever been so happy to see a person other than Aria. I wanted to call for help, but I was so weak my lips wouldn't move. The figure slid from the tree with a lazy yawn. He landed on the grass with a silent thud. "Hey guys," the heir drawled. "Wanna play?" *** "Oomph," the cold water hit me hard. I tried to sit up and found that I could. My ribs were already healing, and my bruises hurt less, a few of which I got from the actual fight. I turned to glare at the heir. "Did you have to drag me all the way here by my foot?" He didn't reply. He tossed a plastic bag at me. It hit me in the face and fell into the water with a plop. "Cover your nakedness," he said. He turned around and sat on a low stone. Why was he acting all innocent? I rolled my eyes and fished the bag out of the water. In it were clothes. A top and shorts. I raised the bag above the water and used my free hand to scrub the dirt from my body. When I was moderately clean, I put on the top with difficulty and walked out of the water. Garsam turned to me. His eyes widened comically for a second, and he shot to his feet and turned around. "Why the hell are you still naked?!!" I looked down at my butt in all its glory. "What's the big deal?" I snapped. "I didn't want the shorts to get wet." "Still, you shouldn't be prancing about naked!" "I'm fully clothed now, you can turn around, lady." He turned so fast I was sure he'd get whiplash. "What. Did. You. Call. Me?" His eyes were blazing red with fury, and his claws elongated. I remembered how those claws easily tore through my attackers, leaving them unrecognizable chunks of flesh. I raised my hands in a hurry. "Sorry, man, I was messing with you." He relaxed, still red-eyed, but at least the claws were gone. "But," I began, "how long were you in that tree watching?" Garsam smirked, a barely visible upward quirk of his lips. "I wanted to see what the alpha's big-mouthed pup was made of." I clenched my fist. So he was just watching as I was beaten up. "And I was thoroughly disappointed," he sighed. "Surprised? Nope, just disappointed and a tad bored." "Sorry I didn't put on a good show for you," I gritted out, barely controlling the blind urge to start a fight I knew I couldn't win. But the cheeky heir had the urge to nod. "It's okay, I don't expect you to be as amazing as me." I nodded stiffly and walked away. "Where are you going?" he called. "To report to the Alpha." "I'll come along." I turned to him with a frown. "I fought them, remember?" he tilted his head. "And unlike you, I actually beat them." I bit the inside of my cheek and nodded. I ignored him and continued walking. I wasn't just going to report the intruders to my father. I was going to get permission to search for Aria. And if I don't get it... I clenched my fist, determination in my eyes. I'll leave on my own.