"Wolfsca
! cried Deanna, scrambling out from under the stolen blanket, her little Sephie whimpering helplessly. "Sefi, wait here. He will help us. I know he will!"
He barely twitched, but she thought she heard him whisper her name. After becoming ill, he wouldn't even eat the little food she managed to find or steal. This morning, as the sun rose, she noticed that his dark blue skin was tinged with a sickly gray. Now, as the sun and daylight disappeared rapidly, he was silent all day. or move.
"Wolfsca
! she yelled again, chasing the wandering star, flying far above the treetops, barely visible in the darkening blue sky. She prayed silently to the ghosts who remembered her tribe, then leapt through the tangled brush toward the open ground.
Once she was out of the woods, she ran after him as fast as she could. He was unmistakable, a dim star moving low in the sky, as if the gods had forgotten to pin him down. They hadn't been together long, but WolfScar was nice, they were good friends, he liked Sev, and even though she acted so horribly in the end, he would definitely forgive her for little Sev's sake. She will do whatever it takes. Please, please.
She ran fast enough to beat a horse, fast enough that her mind couldn't keep up with her steps, but she didn't catch up to him. She concentrated on running away with all her strength. Her cheeks puffed out like sails when she opened her mouth to breathe, which she had to do because her nostrils couldn't fill her lungs fast enough.
She was a little dizzy but didn't catch up to him. He ran too fast. She could never catch up. She will yell. She skidded to a stop, taking four steps in the mud and gravel.
"WOLFSCAR!" she screamed. "WOLFSCAR!" She put her hands over her mouth and screamed over and over again, so wildly and desperately that she felt something tearing in her throat. She jumped up and waved. arms, screaming incoherently.
He didn't stop. God, Father, make him stop. He didn't stop. She blinked to see clearly. "WOLFSCAR!" He didn't stop.
He was too far away. He was flying too fast, the wind howling past his ears, hopelessly. In sheer frustration, she wanted him to stop, as if she were a goddess herself, capable of affecting the world simply by having a thought. WOLFSCAR! She mentally screamed at the top of her lungs in his direction. It left her feeling a little drained, and she realized she'd put a little energy into it. She had never done this before. What a waste.
She knelt in defeat, watching the light of the wolf's scar fade away, now so far away, her poor heart reeling in pain. All day long she lay beside poor Sephy, watching him suffer, not knowing what to do except keep him warm. He neither eats nor drinks. She was frightened.
Sev will die. He may be dead.
He hasn't been happy for a long time. Sephy cried for days after leaving the others and now always looks so lonely. But where could she find relief? She had no friends either. Not now, not after losing her tribe and insulting the first people who had helped her. Aguna and her family have always been so kind and forgiving, look how she treats them. Since then, Sev has been unhappy, and neither has she. She put the guilt in the stretcher and dragged it behind her, where it sat and stared at her balefully. She couldn't get rid of it.
The blue star turned and began to move toward her.
Her first reaction was fear - she was actually going to have to face him now. say. What would she say? How could she ask that? Pure, innocent wolf sca
?He will be repulsed by her. Better to hide. Maybe it was best to leave Sev and herself alone. This is unbearable. She almost did it. Her legs twitched to get up and run.
Old memories of her father flashed through her mind. Just a fleeting thing; a flash. She took her father's hand and jumped across a stream. Just like that, it was gone, but it was enough to make her hesitate and consider her options. Something about him stuck with her and helped her think.
Little Sephie needs a little happiness like a dose of good medicine, and that's what Wolfsca
What can be given to him. he loves wolf sca
. Wolf Sca
Although small, he is resourceful. He knew where to find help. Maybe poor little Sephy would die, but maybe not. She had to try it. She could still salvage this. She had to be strong. She was her father's daughter and taught him all the arts. The strongest, smartest, most loving man alive. She can do this. with help.
She stood up in time to greet him.
"Dya
a! said the glowing little boy with dragonfly wings. "Where..." He looked around in confusion.
"Where is Seffy?"
"No, I thought there was someone else with you. Right next to you. But how could you talk to me like that? Only Gabby would do that," he said in a squeaky bird voice.
"You...did you hear what I was thinking?" she asked in surprise and joy. "I don't know, I just tried."
"Deanna, are you okay?" Your lights look messy. Where is Seffy? Is he okay? Wolfsca
ask. He flew close to her face, frowned, looked at her with great concern, then looked around for the boy.
"He is ill. I need your help. Will you come?" she asked. She pulled the cloth over her breast a little and invited him to his usual haunt, almost without realizing what she was doing. .
Scar the Wolf plopped in without thinking, as cold as a snowball. He squirmed and sat down and said, "I'll help Sev, but I won't help you. You said mean things. I hear them. I have to go find Dad and tell him I found Pepper, so just Can stay for a while."
She almost retorted, but his words made sense, so she endured it. "Wolfsca
, you are colder than I remember. she said, turning and running back. She meant it in two ways.
However wolfsca
Seemed to have completely forgotten and started chattering as she remembered. "That's because the sky is cold and I fly a lot. But I'm about to stop. Dad can't make my clothes anymore because he's still a slave. But he can go now because I just found Pepper. But I Just about to stop. Usually I find a bear to warm up, or some squirrels, or a cute dog, and sometimes a bird. Sometimes there are other elves that we decide to be friends with, so they keep me warmed up. But sometimes we're not, so they won't be either. Sometimes I find a warm chimney. But I have to stop often because it's too cold to fly around," he explained. "Come on, Deanna."
She is chasing the wolf sca
She had gone further in the process, and although she had her own way to go, fear made her limbs become as heavy and slow as metal. What if Sev was dead? She left him alone, alone and helpless. So close to death. He would choose this time to die alone and scared without her.
Wolf Sca
He kept urging her forward, mumbling all the time; he seemed just happy to have someone to talk to for the moment. Deanna just reluctantly listened and didn't understand most of what he said. She was just too worried to pay attention, and her energy was running out. . Gods, why does she indulge herself like this?
She ran no faster than an average person and was out of breath when she arrived. The blanket was completely still where the child lay, but that didn't mean anything. His breathing was too shallow to be sure. No, she had to watch. Father, God, please, let him get better. Let him recover. "Sephy, darling, look who's here," she said softly, kneeling on his shoulders.
She pulled the blanket away from his face just enough to look at him, and Scar the Wolf jumped down and walked over to pat his cheek. Sev's skin, once a beautiful night blue, became more gray; a dark and dangerous color that quickly covered the moon like a midnight thunderstorm. He looked like a corpse.
But he opened his silver eyes, blinked a few times, and tried to smile. "Woofscaw!" he said, his voice weak and hoarse.
Wolf Sca
She tilted her head and smiled like a concerned old woman. He said, "Hi, Sev. Are you sick?"
"Yes."
"how are you feeling?"
"bad".
"How bad?"
"Too bad. Bad benefits." Seph closed his eyes again and grimaced while trying to smile. Deanna's heart broke for him - he was so weak he couldn't even keep his eyes open, he was so eager and wolf-scapped
Getting along so well that he used his last strength to put on a friendly face. He was really dying. He's finished. That most precious child. She blinked her eyes to keep the tears from flowing, held her breath to keep from sobbing.
Wolf Scar said, "Deanna, pull the blanket off him and let me see what's going on."
"What? !"
"Do as I say, girl! They're too heavy for me! Wolf Sca
replied, completely imitating A
d
okles look. This sentence was so inappropriate at the time that she almost laughed.
"Just for a moment. It was too cold for him," she said. The little fairy just patted his little foot impatiently, imitating exactly what Aguin did to make the flower hurry up.
Sev barely reacted when she pulled back the blanket. He didn't even shiver, even though he was wearing only a red coat the Ursine had made for him. Wolf Scar flew up to waist height and crossed his arms. "Turn him over," he ordered.
"Why?" she asked.
"It's even harder if he's on his side. Don't argue! Wolfsca
Again with A
d
Okles dialogue, said.
She hesitated, but did so, and after making sure Self wouldn't hurt himself by curling up his slender tail, she rolled him limply onto his back. She smoothed it for him and tucked it under his thighs.
Sev's expression turned painful and he gritted his teeth; Deanna reached for his hand, but the wolf sc
Shake her off. "It's no use what you're doing!" he complained. Then he pulled her back a little.
Satisfied that she would not interfere, the fairy nodded and flew over to kiss Sev on the forehead. He patted the boy's horns gently and said, "This won't take long. Be strong, okay? You can do this. Then you can warm up."
Sev nodded, so slightly that it was almost invisible, wolf scowling.
Get to work. Deanna didn't know what exactly he was doing, but he was serious. He flew slowly around the boy's body, about a foot high, hands outstretched. During her training, her father had also measured her essence in this way, but only in the three containers where the essence was stored - lower, middle and upper, which were all in the center of the torso. but wolfsca
Running around, it doesn't make sense, so he must be doing something else. Occasionally, he would fly down with a frown on his face and put his ear on the boy's knee, or put his hand on his belly button, or make other similar random movements. The fairy, as always, is ultimately a complete mystery.
Now she could see Seif clearly. Only his face, shoulders, chest and part of his abdomen were gray, clearly different from the normal blue-black color. Wolf Sca
Very interested in the border of this area and slowly flew over it several times from all directions. He asked Sev to open and close his mouth several times, then looked closely at his ears and nose.
Finally, the fairy plopped down on Sev's chest, legs crossed and her chin in her hands. His eyes never left her little devil, and it seemed to Deanna that his eyes were filled with pity. Just as she was about to ask him what he had learned, he said, "Deanna, what are you going to do if he gets better?"
Deanna looked at the little thing, its light illuminating the small beads of sweat that were just beginning to form on Sev's chest. Otherwise she would never see them on his skin. "I...I'm returning him to his people. I'm looking for them. I'm sorry, Sev. I'm so, so sorry," she said. It hurt her to say it out loud, but Seph barely reacted. She doubted he fully understood what she meant.
"Well, you're nowhere near where they are. Seph, do you want to be with Deanna? Wolfsca
asked, as if it were that simple.
"Yes," he said. He sounded scared.
"Deanna, he wants to be with you." Wolf Sca
explain.
"He knows nothing!" she shouted to him. How dare he? Doesn't he know how hard this is for her? Can't he see how hard she tries and it's never enough? "Please, help him so I can bring him back "Next to his people"
Wolf Sca
He seemed to ignore her outburst. He was still sitting in the same position, although this time he turned to look at her. She tried to sound determined, but he seemed unperturbed. He just said, "Why would you give up on keeping him? No one gives up, Deanna. Only you. You can do hard things."
She opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again and looked away. Anger, shame, fear, and sadness were all so tangled in her that she could never sort them out. She can certainly do hard things. But not this. She was at a loss. Even though Sev made it through.
Wolf Scar held his chin with his hands, looked back at Sev and said: "Deanna, I want to tell you something. When I first met my father, do you know why he liked me? Because I brought Gaby An apple came but he was ahead so I had to find him and hold the apple, it was really heavy. I was mad at him but I knew she had to eat so I held it. Guess Guess what he said to me? He said I was a loyal little thing. We became friends. Sev was loyal too, wasn't he? Dad could tell that, and that's why he liked him so much. All kids, or adults Most kids, I guess. I guess that's why God loves Dad too. They're friends. You know what? They are. Same with Mom and everyone else. We've all met him. Palthos. He's loyal too, even though he's God. But maybe that’s why Dad doesn’t like you.”
She stared at him for a moment, startled. Wolf Scar is an honest, innocent little guy, and his words touched me deeply. Deanna wasn't loyal at all, was she? Her loyalty and all her goodness was destroyed when she watched her father burn to death. Some part of her body was broken that day and could never be repaired.
Her inner turmoil led to a painful realization: perhaps she wanted Seif dead because she was afraid of losing him. Maybe she wants Aguna to hate her because she's afraid Aguna will hate her one day. Maybe predicting and expecting the worst means she has some control over her life. Maybe it meant she could learn about the world and stop being afraid...but that last bit never happened. Father, gods, what's wrong with me?
"Okay, Deanna, put the blanket over him, but only up to where I'm sitting. He can't get too hot yet."
"Is he going to be okay? Where should I take him to get help?" she asked, pulling the blanket up against the wolf's calves.
on the back. "Do you know what happened to him?"
"He's sick." Wolfsca
explain. "It's because of these things."
