Chapter 4

I could hear the voices around me as I gained consciousness. They are actually muffled noises that I can't even comprehend. I am still forcing myself to stay awake after passing out not too long ago. I can't even open my eyes to see the people around me. But still, I am extremely grateful that I did pass out earlier, causing the rogues to actually leave me.

I can no longer bear the pain earlier, and I really thought that I had died from the attack. Or am I already dead at this point? Am I just hallucinating that I am still alive? I tried to move my hands, but I am not finding the strength to do so. I can’t even move no matter how hard I try. And despite my best efforts, it appears that my mind can no longer control my body.

Then someone around me started to ask, "What ended up happening to her? Is she still alive and breathing?" He asked, and this time I was able to understand the words he said.

But it's really extremely difficult for me to open my eyes and look at the person who is trying to speak. I wanted to be able to tell them that I am still alive and that they have to help me survive this, but I was too drained and weary to even do so.

I tried to call out to my wolf, "Eris, are you awake?" but all I got in return was stillness and silence. "Eris, are you alright?" I repeated. I'm not really even sure if that would be the proper question to be asking her now, given how Eris might have been feeling at this exact moment. If I'm in pain and on the verge of dying, the rejection Eris has experienced will exacerbate the pain for my wolf.

"Eris, just give me a sign that you are still alive." Although her heartbeat is incredibly faint, she still seems to be breathing, but as expected, she is unconscious, just like my state earlier.

Another person around me then spoke, "Maybe we really do have to take her back home with us. We can't just possibly leave her here, can we?" and I could hear and feel his anxiousness in his tone.

They are bringing me to their home? But where is that? Are they wolves like me? Vampires or witches, perhaps? Who or what are they?

"Shit! She is very much still alive, but I think she must be in a lot of pain, as she's even in tears." Yes, he is right to say that I am in pain. More than the physical pain I am experiencing at this point, the pain of being rejected and cheated by my partner and fiancé is what is actually taking a toll on me and Eris. But they can never understand that; they can never feel our plight.

"I am not sure, though, whether she can possibly withstand the travel, but we really do have to try and take her back." Can they truly save me before I leave this forsaken world I am living in? Will they be able to bring me back from the brink of death?

I'm really conscious that there are people around here with me, desperately trying to save me. And if they do save me, I will be forever grateful to them. But exactly where are they taking me? I don't even know what home they are talking about, but for now I will be content with knowing that there is a slight chance for me to survive this attack and this horrible state that I am in.

"Come on, pick her up. She's been losing a lot of blood already, and we can't waste any more time, or else she'll die in our hands."

I whimpered in pain as my head slowly started to spin crazily as I was being lifted up. "Arghhh."

"What is she going through? What is happening to her? Why is she even whimpering?"

"I'm not able to say, but more likely than not, she is really in a lot of pain. That is why we really do need to move and act quickly."

"Shit! When we are somewhere out here in the middle of the forest, how would we even exactly achieve moving that quickly?"

"Shut the fuck up, good grief! Will you just let the others back at the highway know that we still have an emergency here and to expect us in a couple of minutes instead of whining?"

"I am thinking, then, why not just leave her in this location and wait for someone else to rescue her? We bear no responsibility for her in any way."

"How can you even think so viciously like that? Are you out of your mind? Holy shit! She could die suddenly here, and that is against what I am practicing."

"Considering the fact that we do not really know her and that she is still alive and breathing, perhaps someone will try to find her here. She may have a family that would be worried about her."

"No. The decision I made to bring her back home with us is final, so no, you don't get to have a say on this."

Hearing the banter between the two makes me want to stay awake, as I was also curious about our destination, but the darkness is slowly consuming me once more. And, to be honest about this, I'm not sure if being with all of these guys would be a gain for me, as I would be rescued, or if it would turn out to be the opposite, that being with them would eventually cause me to die.

---

In the room, two of the boss's trusted men began pacing back and forth. As the boss is trying to figure out the woman's condition, every single one of them has become tense and deeply concerned. Because despite all the medical assistance that they are providing, the woman has so far not made any significant recovery since she was brought here.

Two days had passed since they found her in the forest and saved her. However, she has remained unresponsive up until this point. The boss, a general practitioner, has likewise been mystified because of what is happening to his patient. 

She appears to be in a very good state, despite the fact that she has a few bruises and bite scars, some of which were undoubtedly caused by animals in the wild in the woods, but he is unsure of the exact cause of her continued unconsciousness at this time.

"She looks all right, but for some reason she still seems to be close to death, so I'm really at a loss on what to do next, Quen."

"She has been pretty fortunate that we found her and were able to bring her here. But perhaps her body has also not entirely recovered from whatever it is that actually occurred to her deep into the woods."

"The fact that her bruises and cuts are really healing more quickly than usual than any other normal person mystifies me all the more. But what left me baffled is why is she still unconscious?

"We ought to have left her there, as I originally suggested, because what if she was a fairy?"

Quen's remarks caused Blaze, his boss, to scowl at him. "You fucking think she's a fairy? Are you crazy? How old are you to even believe in such?"

He responded right away, "No," realizing that his boss was furious with what he said. "I was just trying to actually humor you by saying that."

"I don't have time for your nonsense. This woman should better wake up so we can get to the bottom of all these things. I've got a feeling that she may have knowledge of what we are also seeking back there in the woods."

"So what do you plan to do if she awakes?"

"What else is there to do? Of course, interrogate her. Know everything about her and what had happened to her. She can be a source of information to us."

"I get it, but what do we do if she dies?" Blaze was not ready for that question raised by Quen, because no matter how hard he thinks that the woman is dying, he senses that she won’t. "Should we bury her here?"

"Jackass! She won't die. I am sure that she’ll wake up soon. And by that time she should be prepared to have an answer to all our questions."