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The Wolf Within
Althea focused on the heat deep inside of her and used what little magic she possessed to form a barrier around it. She fought the urge to stomp her feet or rub her hands together. Instead, she filled her lungs with frigid air and expelled it in a huff. Beside her, Destroyer uncurled, stood, stretched, and then resituated his huge body around her feet and knees.
“You should leave me. You will die if you stay here. We can not wait much longer for him to rescue us,” she whispered, but the wolf simply opened one insulted blue eye and let out a sigh that sent the snow in front of his mouth flying wildly around them.
“I wish I had your faith,” she whispered. “Do you think he will come tonight? I can feel him drawing nearer, but the cold is deeper now. It almost reached my bones. I fear it will soon be too late.” The wolf opened both blue eyes this time and whined. “Do not worry, I will use what last strength I have to return your mate to you. Perhaps Milo and I will not live to keep you in this plane, but that does not mean you can’t be together.”
The wolf said nothing, but he did not close his eyes again. “Still, I do not understand. You bit him days ago. Surely he would be out of his mind in his effort to seek out by now. Why is it taking him so long to find us.” At that, the wolf did close his eyes. This was not anywhere close to the first time Althea had asked Destroyer these answerless questions. She closed her own eyes and opened her heart to his mate inside her. Her mind’s eye drew her somewhere dark and wet. She squinted into the depth and barely made out the contoured shape of her wolf. Her heart leaped when she saw the familiar beast. It had been too long since they had been united, one.
Healer, she called, but as she stepped forward there was a flash of teeth and a deep growl that pushed Althea out of the cave. Still, she tried again. Your mate calls for you, Healer. I need your strength to carry us through. Please, do not forsake us, but the black wolf simply crouched low and sprung at her. Althea hardly had a moment to pull her mind away and she could feel the strength of her claws at her back, pushing her away. Pain erupted and she nearly lost her balance off of the stone she was chained too. Destroyer was there, however, always with her support. Althea rubbed her chest and spoke to Destroyer aloud. “I am sorry, I could not reach her. She is injured or...something. She won’t let me be close enough to feel her.”
The white wolf sat upon his paws and lifted his giant head and howled loud and pure for his mate. Althea closed her eyes again, trying her best in spite of the pain of cold and stiffness of muscle, to open a line of connection between the pair. She could feel Healer inside her, turning and shifting in her den. There was a beat and then a quiet, but clear howl joined in.
She kept the channel open for as long as she could, but that was not long - a minute, maybe too, and then she collapsed on herself, exhausted, in pain and cold.
Of course, it was at this moment, when she looked her absolute worst, that Milo finally came to her once more.
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