Chapter 174 - Negative Turbulence
My heart pounded throughout my body as we crossed some more of the dead bodies, "Dandeline, why is everyone so close to one spot?" Even though the border was quite wide, it looked like they were headed in one direction in particular.
"We received a distress call from where the entrance to Waterwoods open," Dandeline said as she checked yet another wolf and it was dead.
It was a gruesome scene and to think that all the people important to me should have also been caught in this was the worst. "Where was Suzan's duty?" I couldn't help but ask because I had spotted Sam on my way into the Waterwoods with Fang and Sam was on the far end of this border.
Dandeline, who had joined back to run beside me, answered, "I think she was close to the Waterwoods gate."
My teeth clenched at the thought that Suzan was closest to the distress call. Someone was definitely trying to create some trouble here because I doubt the attack happened from Waterwoods. As far as my eyes could see and the scene that we had seen till now, the wolves all belonged to the Winterwells. "Let's hurry," I just could not hold it back with the thought that people close to me might have died.
Running over a distance, we saved two more while Dandeline put them all to sleep right there. Now that I observed, it looked less like a wolf attack and more like a sharp object.
There were some who were still in their human form and I could recognise their face pretty well. I had seen some in the Winterwells pack.
No matter how anyone looked at it, this was a massacre and the cuts on the throat were clean enough. A few who had put up a good had managed to survive but still were breathing their last breaths. If there were these many people, I could not help but wonder was this a work from the castle? Maybe my mother wanted to teach me a lesson or step in my way.
We ran faster with the wind cutting us and I did not have to worry about Dandeline following as I had asked her to ride me.
Time was of the essence to me and I still had to reach Sam at the far end.
"There," Dandeline pointed to the inner side of the forest and I realised how slowly the bodies headed inside the forest of Winterwells.
We were quick to rush and reach where there were two wolves who laid struggling with their breaths on the ground, fresh blood oozing from the clean wound on their neck and some cuts on their body. I remembered the scent. It was Connie's, and that only meant Donnie was the second wolf. Luckily, we had found them breathing like most of them. The casualty rate was very low with my healing, but that only accounted for how fast I could heal and find them.
Dandeline repeated the procedure where she cut above my paw and I let my blood trickle into their mouth. After which I activated my abilities that automatically healed everyone who had my blood in them along with me.
"Forget what you saw just now. Go to sleep," Dandeline repeated the command like a chant that she had been doing for some time now.
As soon as the command was issued, both the wolves turned back to their human state, naked as the day they were born.
"Hurry now," I rushed Dandeline to leave them be instead of trying to cover them or something. Donnie and Connie were safe, and that somewhere gave a positive boost between my swirling negative thoughts. Dandeline came back to hop back on my back and I sped again. Since predicting the location was taking a lot of time, I had to slow down my pace and take the help of Dandeline's sight.
My nose was doing no good because everywhere I smelled it was blood, a thick scent that had covered the atmosphere and my mind was in a panic to differentiate the scent of others.
Over a distance, I smelled the scent of Arina and my muddled mind was quickly back in its tracks.
I had to follow through!
I had to save everyone!
Arina was about to announce about her and Sam tomorrow. They were about to be officially declared couples. I could remember very clearly when I had caught Arina and the blush that had covered her face. But her face was now red with a bloodbath. Someone had slashed her delicate face, and the sight was uneasy to watch. I felt the nausea hit when I tried to keep myself controlled, but my guts poured out. How can someone be so cruel to do something like this!?
Nevertheless, Dandeline did not wait to see my puking state. Rather, she went to check on Arina, and checked her heartbeat, "She is alive."
Thank Goodness!
This was only taking a toll on my mental state as it was turning fragile from the bad thoughts that swirled around along with the unsuppressed need to save them all while we had found dead bodies on the road till here.
The area we were in was deep inside the thicket and far from where the border was not even visible. Who so ever it was, they had made sure to leave no evidence behind.
If this gore had happened by the border, the entire of Waterwoods patrolling wolves would have seen it.
We repeated the same procedure with Arina as well and the moment she got up, her eyes spotted Dandeline and then my wolf. Arina was shaken to her core and her hands went to her face, immediately checking if the wounds were still there. She exhaled a tensed breath as she called out to me, "Selene-"
"Shh," Dandeline was about to make her go to sleep when I stopped her quickly,
"Dandeline wait."
Arina passed a confused looked between me and Dandeline before she got up and came rushing to hug me, "Selene, please save Sam! I can't imagine waking up tomorrow without him." Arine turned to Dandeline and said to her, "Please, save him as you saved me, I don't know which one of you brought me back from the death's door but I know Sam is dying and I can feel his pain, please Selene you have to save him! She was crazy. Channing's ex is crazy!"
Tears streamed down her eyes as she wept, still clinging to me. There was no surety would Sam be alive by the time I reached him. I could make an empty promise to Arina, not when she was his soulmate.
But it was only Arina who knew who Channing's girlfriend was. It meant the attack was done by Ellie!
Was she out of prison? And if she was, then this might be a way of her getting back at Channing. She might have held a huge grudge against him for putting her in prison. I had to save others before solving this mystery.
I looked at Dandeline, and she nodded to me. "Arina, come here," she called Arina.
"It was you, wasn't it?" Arina left me and faced Dandeline, "You saved me right, please save Sam. I could feel his pain." She crumpled her shirt around her chest in her fingers.
Dandeline had a troubled look for the first time on her face when she placed her three fingers on the temple of Arina's face, "Forget what you saw just now... and go to sleep." Arina closed her eyes and fell limp in Dandeline's arms. Dandeline placed her back on the ground and came onto my back as we ran further along the line of the border. My senses were back, and I was faintly smelling Ellie the closest right not.
I took turns where my nose guided. Over a distance, I spotted Ellie, and my feet rushed to her.
Please be alive!
My breaths were turning ragged, remembering how weak Ellie was. The smiling girl, who had energy incomparable to any or in our pack. I could still remember how the first time she had come to heal me and the warmth I had felt around her. The girl had spent entire six hours trying to heal my broken ribs, which was beyond her powers and yet she had continued healing me just to keep the pain away. I did not want her to die!
Dandeline quickly went to where Ellie laid cold on the ground and kept praying to the goddess to keep her safe.
Please, Goddess Luna, don't let her die, not someone so good as her!
I walked closer and everything was like the time had slowed down and I did not want to go closer and check exactly what was wrong with Ellie. In the deepest part of my heart, I wanted her to have kept healing herself and kept alive.
Dandeline picked her up, and the body rose in her hand, as limp as a soft toy like she was sleeping. So slender and the pale.
There was a big slash on her throat from where the blood gushed as Dandeline picked her up. "Careful," my words so light and Dandeline supported the head from behind to stop the open wound from gushing out more.
Dandeline moved her hand over Ellie's chest, "She is-"
"No," I interrupted her and Dandeline creased her brows, "Let me try. Let me heal her."
"But-"
"I said let me heal her!" I telecommunicated out loud as I thudded my forelegs.. I cannot leave without trying, not when this girl had given her time, her energy and her smile to me.