Chapter 4
Sprinting in a straight line away from the cave as best she could, she soon found herself in a wide open clearing with a fire pit at the center. Several benches were set around it, and there was evidence that a fire had been burning there not too long before her arrival. The smoldering hiss of the logs was still audible, even over the desperate thump of her heart and her heaving breath.
“Wait!”
She heard what she distinctly recognized as the beast's voice, his visceral growl underscoring his intention. There was no question in her mind as to what he was after. He was going to drag her back to that cave and do something awful—eat her, take her against her will—it didn't matter what it was. She could hear the ill intent in his roaring voice.
She felt some grasping force around her waist, and found herself sailing through the forest twice as fast as she had been before. All she could do was hold on.
The hulking beast that attacked her—at least, it seemed to be the same one—came from the side, delivering a crushing blow to her would-be savior's side, sending the both of them spinning and sprawling off to the side. Marcia rolled away far enough that in the moonlight, she could make out the large, somewhat lupine figure sprawled on the ground near her. In a moment, it leapt back to its feet, making a great rush for the hulking bear.
Marcia pulled herself into a small outcropping in the rocks, likely the cave of some small creature, mercifully absent from its home now. The desperate fight raged on before her eyes, the snapping of teeth and the bestial roars of the two combatant alphas filling her ears. She found herself, for the first time, truly regretting coming to Kinson.
The two great half-beasts wrestled and tore at one another. The wolf tried and failed to sink his teeth into his opponent, but the hulking bear's thick skin and fur completely thwarted the attempt. With a great swipe of his massive, clawed hand, the bear sent the wolf reeling into the tree behind him, the blow forcing him back into a seemingly full lupine form. He was a silvery gray wolf, large and proud, but he looked completely and utterly defeated in a panting heap against the tree. He panted and whimpered, twitching and making cursory attempts at raising himself up.
The bear's body began to change as he walked back toward the cave, the fur and claws receding, though he retained almost his full height and his imposing figure. Only now was it apparent that the wolf had managed to gash his chest, but he seemed entirely unfazed. Marcia shrunk back as much as she was able, but felt the strong hand grasping her wrist, beginning to pull her up and out of the cave she'd fled to. It was not the bestial claw he'd wielded only moments earlier, but it was no less menacing and terrifying.
No sooner than he'd begun to pull her from the cave, she saw the great wolf diving in behind him, sinking the long fangs into the man's shoulder, drawing a wild cry from him. He tried desperately to shake him off, but was dragged to the ground. Marcia scrambled from the cave then, making her way back to the clearing. From there, it was easy enough to find the path back down the mountain. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, the sound of roaring, of snapping teeth, of desperate battle behind her. She no longer felt as though she was being tracked or hunted, seemingly every monstrosity falling in upon the singular wolf. She felt badly for it—him—but couldn't do anything to save him.
She made it down to her house, but decided to pass it up completely, running through the thick fog that had descended over the town to reach the clinic. Thankfully, there was little reason to keep the door to the clinic locked, and she made her way quickly inside, bolting the door behind her and running back to the operating area. This door too was closed and locked, the rarely used frosted glass divider being pulled into place shortly after.
Marcia sat in the corner, huddled up tightly, knees pulled up to her chest, waiting for the first rays of morning to dispel the dense mist covering the town. She knew that by the time the sun cleared the horizon, everything would be alright. It wasn't as if she could sleep if she tried. Nevertheless, she found herself drifting off just as the first pale blue light began to break over the horizon, lighting the interior of the clinic.
She woke to a firm knock at the door, and eased herself up to her feet, coming to unlock it. Despite her ordeal last night, she was sure that none of the beasts would be bold enough to stroll through town in broad daylight.
“We need to talk.” Samuel stood, bloodied and gashed, bruised and hurt.
Marcia brought him into the clinic uneasily, stepping aside to point toward the back room where the operations were done. As he walked through, he faltered and fell, the impact sending him shifting rapidly back into his lupine form. Marcia stood over him, and with a sigh, wrapped her arms around him just behind the bloodied fore-legs, hauling him up onto the table with some effort.
He was well and truly unconscious now, having made it to safety after a night of running for his life.