Fallen friend
They ran a little more ways until at that moment, they heard the sound of more gunfire… but it was louder this time… much more closer.
Along with the howl of a dog… a dog in pain.
‘Lilith !' Hunter howled. 'That idiot! What was she thinking?'
'What is it?' Luz asked him.
'That was Lilith ! She’s hurt! They must've got to her!' Hunter howled back at her, 'Keep up! There could be hunters anywhere!'
Luz nodded, though it was hard to do so while they were running. She gulped down some spit and zigzagged through some trees, right behind Hunter … and that was when she saw them. A group of hunters dressed in warm clothes were standing around a wolf with midnight black fur.
'Luz! Hunter growled at her. 'Stay here until I drive them away! then help Lilith!”
'But…' Luz began to worry, but it was too late. With a howl of rage, Hunter gave an extra burst of speed and launched himself between the wolf and the hunters.
'You want a challenge?' he barked at them, 'Well, why don't you come after me?'
"IT'S The golden guard!" one of the hunters called in amazement and thrilled.
Hunter’s eyes flew to Luz’s and she nodded. Not knowing how to help his pack member, but she would figure out how to do something.
He nodded his head before he dodge a bullet that one of the hunters sent at him. With another howl he went running off, with the humans following close behind.
Gasping for air, Luz stopped running and looked around, making sure that there weren't any other humans waiting to attack her before she went to the wolf on the ground.
She was still breathing… but it was in short, desperate gasps.
Not knowing why she did it, she nudged her nose gently into the older wolf's side. Her eyes opened and she looked at her in surprise.
'Who…?'
'Luz,' she answered her. 'I'm a… friend of Hunter’s.'
'Ah,' Lilith said as she closed her eyes again. 'So you were that lone wolf that we kept hearing. I'm glad that I got to see you. I was worried about a young wolf like you being all alone in this area where there are many humans.'
'Oh, I'm fine,' she said quickly, 'But don't worry about me. We have to get you out of here before the hunters come back!'
'It's no use,' she said back to her.
'No, it's not!' she barked back desperately. 'Just… just tell me how to help you and I'll do it! Hunter called you Lilith right?'
Lilith raised her head a little bit and said weakly. 'Yes… Lilith is my name. But the humans call me Midnight because of my black fur.'
Lilith turned over and tried to get back onto her feet but she fell back down almost instantly. 'Please,' she said to her, 'Help me get away from here at least. I don't want them to take me away like they did to my friends.”
.'
Luz got on Lilith’s left side and helped her to walk slowly away from the forest clearing.
'It was my fault,' she said to her. 'You see, our pack was just getting ready to leave when that group of humans found us. They hide and came leaping out at us. We all got separated.
Hunter was able to lead most of them away, so that I could get the rest of the pack as far as I could. But I'm afraid that I'm just not as young as I used to be. We were ambushed. I stayed behind to try and let the others escape… but…'
She looked down at her left side. 'I got careless.'
'You'll be alright,' luz told her as she struggled. 'We'll get you back to your pack and then you can all escape into the mountains.'
Lilith gave a harsh bark that might've been a laugh. 'Wishful thinking, young pup,' she said. 'You remind me a little bit of my dear little sister edalyn…'
Edalyn…? Wait that sounded familiar? Wasn’t that her mother’s full name? So that means Lilith is….?
Lilith gave a cry of both pain and sorrow. 'A old man named Philip tricked me. He said he would help with me get rid of my sisters wolf lover.' She howled in misery. 'He gave me a spell to increase my strength to get rid of him….but I didn’t think of the consequences. it was too late and gotten my sister killed as a cursed wolf and I’ve spent my life trying to do good and raise amity and her siblings.
'Amity? Luz gasped as Lilith’s weight continued to sag against her, she was getting heavier.
'My adopted pups,' she whimpered back. 'They’re with the other members of the pack. I stayed to fight those humans and make them pay for what they did to my friends….. but I see now just how foolish it was again.'
'But…' Luz began, but all of a sudden Lilith collapsed. 'Oh, no! Lilith , are you alright?'
She was back on her side… but she now saw what the problem was. Red blood was mixed in with her black fur.
‘Lilith …' Luz whispered. 'You're… seriously….you're hurt!'
'I know,' she panted as she lay back down. 'I knew that. I just didn't want to die in that place. Now pup, think you can help me go a little further? I want to see something one last time before I die.'
Lilith struggled to get back up, and Luz , instinctively, put her head underneath her own and helped her to walk again. 'But Lilith , if you don't stop then you'll bleed to death!'
'Even if I stopped to rest,' Lilith explained to her, 'I know that there wasn't any hope for me. I don't mind dying, I just want to die in a place where I can see the cliffs.'
She must've seen the heartbroken look on Luz’s face for he said, 'Don't be so sad pup. You and I just met. You shouldn't feel like this. At least you're helping me now.'
'But I promised Hunter…'
'Oh, who cares what that impatient pup says?' Lilith said annoyed. 'He may help rule the pack but he still has a lot to learn.'
Luz didn't ask what she meant because it seemed to be taking a big toll on Lilith.
_______________
She continued walking wherever she told her to go. But with every step she took, the weaker she seemed to become. 'Come on Lilith ,' she said to her once, 'You can pull through this. Think of amity and her siblings. They lost both their parents, if you go then they’ll have no one.'
'They’ll have friends and the rest of the pack,' Lilith answered her. 'They’ll be alright. It's not like they would be completely alone.'
They continued on their way until Lilith told her, 'Stop… this place will do. You can put me down.'
Unwillingly, Luz did what she asked her to.
She flopped down onto her side in the cover of some trees and boulders. A place where they hopefully couldn't be seen.
Lilith seemed to give her a wolfy smile as she turned her head to the east, there in the distance, you could just make out the images of the tall, white cliffs.
'Beautiful aren't they?' She asked her. 'I can't even begin to remember all the cold winters I've spent up there. It's where my sister met her lupus lover again.
The only place where our pack was safe.'
'But if it's so safe for you,' luz asked as she lay down next to her. 'Why don't you just live up there?'
'So young,' she muttered before she answered. 'There's hardly any food up there. The best we can get is the occasional goat , squirrel or hawk. Down here, food is much easier to come by. During most of the year, its safe for us, it's only when it gets cold like this that calls the humans.'
'But you all waited a lot longer to leave?' she asked, though she already knew the answer.
'Ava.” She gasped back. 'She's very near to having her own pups and she can't handle a big trip like that all in one go.'
Her ears suddenly straightened up and she froze.
'What is it?' she asked Lilith worriedly.
'Can you not hear them?' She panted. 'Just stay quiet and don't move.'
Luz didn't understand… that is until she heard the muttering of human voices. She also froze and put her head as close to the ground as she could, hoping that they wouldn't see her or Lilith.
"Can you believe our luck?" Bill said grudgingly. "We finally catch a blasted wolf and we get distracted by the Golden guard!"
"It's not everyday you get a glimpse of the legendary wolf!" another human said. "Even the best boys around here say that he's one of the big prize."
"Yeah," his buddy said. "But as soon as we finally catch Midnight , he appears, leads us on a wild goose chase and then just disappears!"
"Good point, that Golden guard —he's some kind of ghost or something I think. But what happened to Midnight? I didn't think that any creature could walk away with a wound like that. But she’ll no doubt bleed to death soon enough. She won't get far."
Luz nervously moved closer to Lilith’s side, feeling afraid. The humans would undoubtedly come after her as well. She was glad to hear the Hunter got away, but she was more afraid for the two of them at the moment.
'Stay calm,' Lilith whispered to her. 'If we don't move, then they're less likely to find us. They think that we werewolves are dumb and that they can outwit us easily.'
Luz was as still as a statue as the men's voices grew closer. "It's going to be so cool when we finally find midnight. Can you imagine the looks on the boss’s face when we show him one of the top dogs?"
"Yeah," and Luz was furious that she could detect a smile in his voice. "But stop talking and start looking before some other bloke comes along and tries to take the credit."
She could see them now. And for the first time she could see how humans looked to werewolves. They were carrying around guns on their shoulders like they were big shots, stupid smiles were on their faces as they talked about killing…
luz couldn't help but wonder… did she look like them before this?
She forgot about every monster or Halloween movie she ever saw. Those make-believe monsters were nothing compared to this. For that moment, she could see that there were no greater monsters than humans. It made her feel sick to her stomach.
They walked right passed their hiding spot and were out of her sight in no time.
_________________
Luz sighed in relief as she turned her attention back to Lilith. she didn't look good at all.
'Lilith? she asked her, 'Please, don't give up now! I'm sure that we can…'
'Can what?' She replied with a trace as a sad smile. 'No wolf has survived long after getting attacked with those metal weapons with silver bullets. …..It won't be long now.'
Luz was about to tell her to shut up and save her breath when she heard more footsteps. But these didn't sound like they belonged to humans this time, but she still hid as whoever they were came running towards them.
Finally she sniffled, and picked up hunter’s scent. ‘Hunter!' she howled as she came charging out of her hiding place. In the distance she could see the silver wolf bounding towards her, looking tired.
'What are you doing?' he howled back angrily. 'There could still be hunters around!'
'I'm sorry,' she cried. 'But… Lilith…'
'What's wrong?' he panted as he finally came to a stop in front of her.
'She’s hurt!' she whimpered as she led him back to the dying wolf. 'I don't know what to do.'
Hunter came over to his adopted mother and nudged her in the side, the place where the ruby blood was now pouring from. ‘Lilith,' he said gruffly.
Lilith seemed to smirk as she barely glanced at him. 'What kind of trouble did you get yourself into this time brat?' She asked him weakly.
'Now is not the time for you to joke around,' Hunter told him. 'I led them all away, but two came back looking for you.'
'I know,' luz spoke up as she came over to him. 'We saw them, but they just walked passed us. They were looking for her.'
'I know that,' he said bitterly. ‘Lilith…'
'No point beating around the bush,' she said as she licked the bullet wound 'Don't worry about me. I won't feel anything much longer. You better make sure that you get everyone else up to the cliffs before even more hunters come.'
Hunter placed his nose against Lilith’s side again, 'You don't need to worry about that. I'm sorry for coming so late though.'
'Ah, you're just a pup compared to me. Better an old dog to be shot,' Lilith told him. 'Just promise me that you'll look out for the others.'
'You can count on it,' Hunter promised.
Luz was feeling a little out of place, but before she could do anything, Lilith said, 'You? Young one?'
'Yes?' Luz said quickly.
'You aren't like any other wolf I've ever seen,' she told her. 'But at the same time, you're spirit is more wild than most…..just like someone I knew. I know we just met, but can you also do me a favor?'
'Of course,' luz whimpered as she came forward trying not to cry.
'Like you said,' Lilith explained as her breathing got shorter and harsher. Talking long seemed to be painful for him. 'If I die, I'll be leaving my children … without a mother or father. Would it be… too much… to much trouble if you keep an eye on them? There going to… need all the comfort… they can get. Edric he’s good boy but he's such a…'
'Crybaby?' Hunter added helpfully.
'Hunter!' Luz snapped at him.
'Sensitive, is would be a better word,' Lilith commented. Emira and amity will need emotional support. 'Could you help and look after them until they are ready to do it on their own?'
'Yes,' Luz said. It wasn't like she had anywhere else to go, and she knew that her safest bet was to be with Hunter and his pack until she figured out what to do. Besides, it wasn't much, but at least she would be making up for what those hunter’s did to everyone’s parents.
'I'll take care of them for you. You have my word.'
Lilith gave another one of her dog grins and said, 'You're a good pup. As for you hunter , you always were a bit hot-headed and stubborn.'
'Oh,' Hunter said without any real heat. 'Even when you're about to die, you still have time to insult me?'
Lilith went on as if she didn't hear anything, 'You always were hotheaded and stubborn…' her eyes closed, 'But that's what I liked about you. Take care of everyone.'
And with those final words… the great midnight wolf became still and her breathing stopped.
Luz stared. Just a minute ago… she was alive. A proud wolf with children and friends who she was sure cared for her….. And now because of some selfish greedy humans—she was gone.
Hunter gently nudged Lilith’s head, which just flopped uselessly. 'Dear mother,' he said. 'And she was always the one that was telling me to be careful in a fight.'
He reared back his head and began to howl loudly. His song sounded unbearably sad and Luz knew it was a lament for a fallen warrior.
Feeling that she too should do something, she joined in with him and began her own song sad. She may not have known Lilith long, but she still felt as though she had lost an old friend…err family member.
Was this just another wolf thing?
After about a minute of sad howling, they both stopped. 'We have to go,' he said to her grimly.
'But Lilith,' she said with another sad look at the old wolf.
'There's nothing more we can do for her,' he said. 'The humans will find us soon if we don't hurry and leave. You ready to die? Then stay here.'
Luz was about to start another argument when he then said, 'If we don't hurry and find everyone else then we could end up losing them also. You promised that you would look after amity and her siblings right?'
That got her, she stood up and followed him. 'We'll come back and bury Lilith later,' he promised her. 'But right now, the living is much more important.'
And without another word or glance at her, he bolted. Luz blinked in surprise before she began to follow.