~~Jake~~
Since after I smelled Wolfsbane I knew something was wrong but I had never been so wrong about something; Gia. She was different, very different from what I knew her before she's become so strong especially after I saw her dropped the guy. He was stronger than me; just a hand swing from him left me feeling like the aftermath of a war. I wanted to ask a lot of questions that had been there since the day I saw her here but I couldn't I want to when she's comfortable talking about it.
"You are getting good at this healing thing" I commented scooting to a side as she seats, she gave a scoff and nudge me directly at the place that he bruised, involuntary making a painful clatter
"Are you ok? You are hurt"
"let me see" she said quickly having her hand around my torso to see.
"No I'm,"
"Show me. This instant" I knew she wasn't letting go so I let her, she helped me pull my shirt off carefully. I saw her face dropped a bit after seeing my bruised side
"He was really pissed"
"No doubt" I chuckled a bit; I looked towards the man she dropped and the other that was laid on his back with a shred of his shirt covering over his eyes.
Gianna hardly spent a minute on him and he was definitely poisoned, I smelled it in the air, I was surprised how he even survived that long. She brushed her fingers over my ribs leaving a tingling and painful sensation but mostly a warmth that I have longed from her for so long, I wanted her hands to run over my surface area and even deeper for as long as I could breathe but she took it away.
"Hopefully nothing is broken or you healed, it's just a bruise. It will get better after I rub this in. Good thing I thought of everything before we left"
I replied with a "hmmm" sound before she pulled out the vial containing oil of mixed herbs, she relieved the cork and poured some in her hands and started messaging it in my side with it coming a numbing pain and a burning desire built in years trying to break out, I followed the motion of her hands to keep away from thinking anything but instead my eyes rose to her face. I watched her fair skin, smooth to her straight narrow nose, her rosey cheeks and while the corner of her lips were straight and still. Some of her hair falling over the side of her face, she gazed at me suddenly, her blue eyes piercing but soft. The level of control I have had around her had decreased significantly. I stiffed under her touch and quickly moved away from her.
"That's just enough" I said quickly although my voice was quite hoarse. She closed the distance away her arms stretched out towards me but not touching me
"Are you sure? For it will help a lot"
"I will take care of it myself. Thank you"
She took her hands away simply letting me pull my shirt over sitting forward silently
"What about him?" She looked over her shoulder towards him with worry and pain laced in her features; it was surprising to see how much she cared about strangers and how much she wanted to save that guy. It was just as much like she wanted to save phoenix
"There is no much to be done. He was oddly fine, just a lingering fever but I gave him a Sporem"
"Werewolves can't resist Wolfsbane, it is extremely harmful when it gets into the system. It's sometimes fatal but how is he?"
"I guess sometimes we accomplish the impossible just for our loved ones, just to keep them alive maybe it's the same with him" she said her eyes looking distant like she was talking about her feelings and not about him
"We just have to wait,"
***
GIA
The man, there was a lot of mystery embedded in him and a sense of loyalty that I could clearly see he had for the dead body. After I dropped him cold, I realized there wasn't much to do for him but just to accelerate his healing and reduce the damage wolfsbane could cause. Thanks to spending time with my great grandmother I could easily find Acrone leaves which were almost everywhere but not everyone knows of their magical importance, round shaped leaves, ever green and longitudinal veins. They are said to suck out poison too even the most deadly ones but it takes time and if luckily in the right time the victim might survive. Although Wolfsbane takes effect in an instant on a werewolf, he managed to try strangling me and that gave me some hope that it could actually save him.
After careful selection of the leaves in best condition, I unbuttoned his shirt exposing his tight gut embedded with abs covered in his blood. I placed them carefully as many as could cover the area completely holding them in place with a plant vine strip. I also went ahead and gave him a Sporem, it's supposed to heal wounds and acts as slight antipoison, that was what I had to work with anything else was out of my league.
We waited for the whole night not really sleeping but monitoring the man on his back. I urged Jake to take a rest too. He was unconscious but having a bit of involuntary movements and speaking incoherent words probably from the fever that he had all night or of memories he held dear. I stayed away from him as I could not properly control the impulse of going into people's head lately and I consider it invading privacy or worst I might think of somewhat close to an abomination to take his pain away.
"Leave now" I heard him say under his breathe and a lot more of "I will end this" and such related words seeing his and the dead friend's condition I knew it would be the same story with them too, war. It was morning and I was still leaning against the tree while Jake was sleeping by the fire we made. Sudden movement and groaning brought me back from deep thoughts; I quickly got on my feet towering over his body. As soon as his hazel eyes open to the realization of me looking into his face and that the darkness of the night had been replaced with the shimmering warmth of the sun he was fast on his feet.
"Who are you?" he asked again straighten out completely.
"You are thesame girl,"
"I'm Gianna from the Paradox pack and I promise you we are friendly"
"..And I am Jake from the Ravenna's pack" Jake introduced stepping beside me
"He died from internal injuries and they didn't heal probably from the Wolfsbane in his blood"
"I'm aware of that" he said simply masking out his anger with a straight face. He shook his head twice and swaying a bit, it looked he was dizzy.
"I think you need to rest some more" I tried to get close to him but him looking up at me left me frozen, I saw the resentment in his eyes. He then pulled at the rim of his shirt looking down at his wounded side but now mostly finding it covered in Arcone leaves, he immediately yanked it away from his skin throwing it to the ground
"You might want to keep that on" I exclaimed before realizing he's completely healed
"You are healed?" I stated astonished as to how quick he was healed and the effects of the poison and fever was all gone. He ignored me completely matching to the body that was laid carefully; he put a knee down and the other foot put at front keeping his head down. I looked towards Jake probably asking what he was doing but he shook his head. After a while I spoke to offer my sincere apology at my conquest in saving his friend
"I'm sorry for your lost"
He still didn't acknowledge me but quiet for a while until he was on his feet turning on his heels to address us but instead he just came towards me and didn't stop until he was extremely close to me
"You will not speak of this to anyone. you saw neither of us" and he turned away taking with him the corpse of his friend
"There is something with him"
Jake was right, there was something different about him because I felt it the difference between his spirit and that of his friend and every other werewolf spirit I had touched over the while of the unlocking of my powers. His was more energetic, spiteful and extremely loyal and his spirit was something a little different.
"You are right"
No anymore encounters occurred after the mysterious wolf and his friend, it's been two days and we decided to just camp out in that spot. I had most of my time trying to meditate over Jake's workouts noises and slicing of the air with a bow staff he made out of the slim tree trunk, he smooth the bark using a carving knife.
Although I gave a good distance between us as good as I couldn't see him but my hearing increases whenever I was on high alert or relax and I wanted to keep an ear on him if anything unexpected was to happen. I groaned under my breath sucking in air and holding it for a while and then exhaling, I tried to meditate again. Achieving the Lotus sitting position on a tree stump pinching the air with my thumb and index finger, my eyes still shot but very active from the noises around, darting from one corner to the other. I decided to give up and head back to our camp site as it was very useless at the moment. I had been thinking to go back to the village since I heard no chaos and there weren't any flares in the skies but especially I was worried about Ruby.
Although I had foresight nonetheless weakly developed I could see breaking images of her in the cabin stationed at different points of the house mostly with her back turned at me, I couldn't make use of it but there was a persistent image of a growing pool of blood on her floor board which started yesterday evening and I had witnessed it four times now. That was the reason I seek to meditate to tell myself that everything was fine with her but I couldn't.
Emerging out of the thick trees Jake whom was unaware of me coming nearly swung his bow staff at my head but also being highly alert and very fast I dodge with a back thrust and then quickly held on the other end of the bow staff. He realized it almost immediately turning around, I observed that he was shirtless and covered in salty water from his thick hair down to his V line.
"I almost didn't see you there," he said heaving a bit. I released the other end going around him
"and you were fast too spar with me" he offered
"No I think I'm good, the space doesn't get hurt if you swing at it and especially doesn't care what you smell like. Besides you are really good at this, I can't match" As I lay off my words I heard him coming at me fast, unbelievably I knew he wouldn't take no for an answer so I slide to my side as fast as he wouldn't register snatching out the staff from his hand and connecting him with the ground with a loud thud pressing him down with a hand over his bare chest.
"Now you're even better than I thought" he mused I took his challenge and spar with him also helping the aggression and anxiety that had been storming inside my head but being aware that I was extremely stronger than him and that I could seriously hurt him. Most of the time I would send him flying into a tree resulting in the surrounding trees all toppling over to their sides or I would let him have an advantage over me. He doesn't give up each time he gets up more determined
"I thought you weren't giving up" I taunted while he was on a knee recovering from a blow in his guts sending him out by a feet or two. He didn't respond but just continued to heave, I was immediately washed by a feeling of concern and wildness, and I might have been a bit rough.
"Jake" I called out as soon as I was close enough to touch him but to my surprise he jumped on me pining me to the ground. I decided not to go any further so I pretended to not be able to wiggle out of his grip. His gaze was firmly looked to mine which was very uncomfortable especially because he was on top of me, his sweaty skin against my shirt.
"I think you won since you got me on my back" He wasn't being responsive but just continued staring, I knew the look in his eyes weren't any that I had seen before which got me extremely worried and since he had his grip has been slightly losing up, so I used the chance to push him off me and quickly getting up
"You tricked me into thinking you were hurt. An alpha doesn't resort to such trickery Jake"
"I am really hurt, you have such a strong fist" he said not even trying to get up
"..Or you are just going easy on me" I chuckled as he tried to get up with a painful groan
"Are you really wounded?" I said quickly sending in front of him checking for any injury, just few centimeters below his collar bone I noticed for the first time probably because I never saw him shirtless his own clans' mark, it was two snakes wind up together and a pair of wings, my hand instinctively rose up and touch over it; it was magnificent. He simply watched me amazed by his mark before he grabbed my wrist which was still against him
"There is something different with you Gianna Devans, it's not just your eyes. It's the energy I perceive from you"
"What is this?" I asked still not letting my hand touch over it while I stare.
"It's my pack mark, a caduceus"
"It's beautiful"
"Gianna," my stare broke away from him as soon as I heard my name being called and it's not just that but the voice.
"Hunter?" he came at us quickly grabbing me into a hug
****
Hunter was quick on getting us both back; he didn't waste time for us to explain, all he wanted was us following after him closely. As soon as I was back in Arctos kiba's territory it was like she heard me coming as she was waiting outside her cabin. My heart brightened when I saw her on two feet, alive and well all my worry vanquished. I realized how much I had gotten fond of her, although living with her was challenging she also watched me come closer delight
"Grand-" I was cut short by her smacking me at the left of my head
"You are in big trouble" she scolded while hunter and Jake laughed heart fully. We went into the house getting hit with the usual aura of her house; it was good to be back
"Where have you guys been?" Maya asked emerging from the living room with the others following closely after her
"Nice to see you all" Jake said delightfully
"How could you too just run off like that?" Maya seemed to be genuinely offended by our actions.
"It's not Jake's fault, it's all me" They all fell silent for a bit
"Ok, we can all get to talking after I have a bath" It was more of a party after my shower everyone was having food; they didn't bother to wait for me. I also caught on getting myself a plate from the cupboards and also doing the serving, I felt ruby was ignoring me as part of my punishment furthermore I had to stand because they weren't any seats left for me. After lunch came the customary tea, I noticed they do it a lot around here. Sipping my tea carelessly watching Leo speak of the reason of mine and Jake's sudden disappearance, and me letting Jake try to explain it wasn't what they were thinking especially after Hunter saw us close enough to think such.
"Ruby's anger is justified. She doesn't want to lose anymore of family to the war again, none of us wants to"
"Sorry I failed to inform you both; I just really felt the need to get away"
"It's not easy getting introduced to all this at once but it gets better if we stick together" I nodded
"I will remember that, always"
"It was clever of you to mask your scent but it would have been dangerous. The situation is not safe, it was good Jake didn't"
The tea cup fell loose to the tensing of my lips my head looking towards him; I knew I didn't mask my scent and I wasn't intending to although I didn't want to be found
"It will never happen again" I assured, he smiled squeezing my shoulder a bit before turning on his heels
"Ruby I know I have acted stupid but I need you to forgive me" She ignored yet another plead sitting quiet in her sofa looking down at a title less book
"While I was away I saw something," I paused hoping she would atleast glance my way but she seemed more focused on her book.
"I had a vision of this cabin and you but it doesn't make any sense. I was so worried for you" I was stopped by the sudden sound of slapping a book closed.
"While you were away, the clan leader sent for information from the other side of the lake and it came back that the vampires were just bluffing,"
"How did...."
"And that the rumours of Luther's child being alive was skim." She was already on her feet going back into the kitchen. I followed quick behind her
"What are you saying?"
"That the semi deity is just a legend now on this part of the lake"
"But the vampires still knows of my existence. Don't you think they will do something to prove I really exist?"
"They are still trying to get to me"
"Gianna," grandma Ruby came by me and cupped my face pulling me down to her height
"I'm not angry that you went off, I'm glad you did" She let go and turned again.
"I'm angry that I couldn't keep your mother alive like I promised my daughter"
"Ruby," I started but she cut me off
"Now we've got more time to get you ready"