Trial of Fates

Chapter 22

Rolf and Rigaldo are arguing loudly when Natania finally wakes up. Gretchen is asleep next to her hospital bed, though Natania wonders how anyone can sleep with that racket going on. She reaches out a paw and touches the top of the human's head. Gretchen stirs but doesn't wake. Her skin feels foreign to her as she moves, raw and too tight.

"You'll be lucky if she even lives a human lifespan now! You know wolves can only recover so many wounds before they start to die. The demon has already gotten control of her once, if she stays here you will kill her," Rolf snarls.

There's a loud crash as Rigaldo pins Rolf to the wall. "How dare you," Rigaldo hisses.

Natania can feel the anger pulsing from him and concern for Rolf has her leaping from the bed. She regrets it immediately as pain shoots through her limbs. Without meaning to, she yelps and crumbles to the floor.

Rigaldo drops Rolf and runs to her side. "What are you doing? Get back in bed right now," he scolds.

Natania glances at the doctor who's rubbing his neck but he looks okay so she doesn't fight as Rigaldo lifts her back onto the bed. "Why is this human still here?" Rigaldo snaps.

He goes to shake her awake and Natania snaps her teeth, catching his arm in her jaws. Rigaldo stares at her and she can see his fists clenching and unclenching, rage bubbling to the surface and Natania drops her ears, but refuses to let him go.

Rolf catches Rigaldo's fist before it can connect. "Are you seriously about to hit her? When she's just barely awakened after two weeks? What did I just fucking say to you?"

A throat clears at the doorway, they all turn to look. Branson, wide eyed, stands in the threshold, taking in the scene, Natania crouched protectively in front of Gretchen, wounds still raw and open. Rolf holding Rigaldo's fist. Branson doesn't speak, but his gaze hardens. Sara and Thomas come up behind his shoulder. Rigaldo slowly drops his fist and Rolf backs away from him. Branson opens his mouth to speak but Rigaldo growls at him so he keeps silent.

Gretchen finally wakes up, she looks between them then smiles at Natania. "You're awake."

Natania drops Rigaldo's arm and, not caring about her wounds, crawls into Gretchen's lap. The human laughs softly, pressing a light kiss to the top of her head, and Rigaldo grits his teeth. Natania glances at Rigaldo, snaps her teeth once and nuzzles into Gretchen's neck.

Rigaldo shakes with anger. "You stupid-" He takes a step forward and Natania snarls, turning in Gretchen's arms. She leaps at him before he can finish, pinning him to the ground, having caught him off guard. She bites back a yelp as pain shoots through her entire body at the impact. She knows it's reckless and the last thing she should be doing, but she just faced down a witch that had control of a phoenix she's not going to cower from another wolf.

She tells him as much, baring her teeth. "Don't you dare touch her."

"Don't forget who you belong to," he growls, lying on his back, teeth clenched with fury. Surprisingly, he doesn't raise another hand to her. "You made a bargain."

Natania steps off him. "I said I would come back, I never promised to stay."

She can tell when he realizes the magic linking them is gone. His eyes widening a fraction. "You-"

Natania sighs loudly and nudges him with her nose. "Do you really want to do this in front of my family?" Her gaze travels to the doorway. They hadn't dared to enter, but Sara was glaring at him with enough heat to melt glass. She glances at Gretchen, then turns back to Rigaldo.

"She's the reason this happened to you," he snarls, rising to a crouch. "She did this to you." Natania doesn't take her eyes off of Rig, but she can feel Gretchen flinch behind her.

Natania flicks her ears, unfazed. "I know."

Rigaldo finally switches to his wolf form. The silver wolf nuzzles her chin. Natania steps away. "You belong here." Rig's voice is honey sweet in her mind. She can feel him trying to subtly attack her with Charisma.

"No, I don't." She bares her teeth when he steps towards her again, shedding his Charisma like a fur coat in summer. The burst of adrenaline is fading fast and she fights the urge to sag against the bed, limbs trembling.

He glares at her, but she's too exhausted to be afraid. Rolf clears his throat. They both glance at him. "You should be resting, Natania."

Rigaldo growls under his breath but turns and stalks away, shoving past her family without a word. Natania stays where she is until his footsteps are gone from the hall, then crumbles to the ground. Rolf scoops her up and drops her back on the bed, not entirely gently. "I'll be back soon. Don't let her leave the bed," he instructs Gretchen. "It's not a good time for visitors," he says to Branson, Sara and Thomas as he passes.

"It's okay," Natania projects to the wolves. "They can come in."

"We'll just have a quick visit so you can rest," Sara says. She strolls over to Natania and grabs the wolf's face in her hands. "Don't ever do that again, You'll send me to an early grave."

Natania huffs. "I don't plan on it."

Sara kisses her muzzle. "I love you. I'm glad you're getting better" Sara narrows her eyes at Gretchen, but doesn't say anything as Thomas steps forward.

Thomas lightly scratches the top of Natania's head, where some of the fur has started to grow back. "You scared us Sunshine."

Natania closes her eyes, sinking down into the mattress. "I'm sorry."

"She says she's sorry," Sara murmurs to her husband..

"Don't be sorry," Thomas says. "Just beat this, and get better." He pats her head one last time then lets Sara lead him away.

Branson hasn't moved from the doorway. His eyes are full of conflicting emotions. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you, about Rig," he whispers.

"It's okay," Natania can barely push the thought to him, her body feels like every ounce of strength has been ripped out of it with talons.

"I'll let you rest, we can talk later," Branson says, noting how weak the thought was. "I love you."

Once everyone has left, Gretchen cups the side of Natania's face. The wolf leans into her hand, relaxing.

"Natania," Gretchen starts, "I am so, so sorry. I didn't think she would hurt you so badly. It was supposed to be quick. Follow her to her base, get you out and burn it down. I couldn't get inside the building. It took me too long to hack into the security. I'm so sorry." Her eyes are full of tears as she speaks.

Natania paws the side of her face weakly, trying, and failing, to wipe away the tears. Don't cry. She can't shift forms to say the words.

Gretchen smiles at her efforts and rubs her eyes on her sleeve. "I love you, you know? I should have realized it sooner. I would never have gone through with that plan. It wasn't worth it, after seeing how much you were hurt. Even though she's finally dead."

Natania's gaze darkens. She had killed all of those creatures. Victims of the witches torment. "You ended their suffering," Gretchen says, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

Natania paws at Gretchen and scoots to the other side of the bed. She wants to be held. "You're hurt," Gretchen protests.

The wolf doesn't care, she grumbles and paws with more insistence until Gretchen finally caves and slowly lies on the bed beside her. Natania forces her way under one of the human's arms and presses her entire body against Gretchen. Her wounds ache at the slight pressure, but she lets out a contented sigh.