Chapter 16 - A Death Worth Saving
Tave lay sprawled across the ground, his body trembling, his breath ragged and shallow. His vision blurred, his hearing dulled, and his limbs felt as if they had turned to lead. His heart pounded in his chest with an almost violent force, every beat like thunder as he gasped for air, his body on the edge of collapse.
His consciousness teetered on the brink of slipping away, but he forced himself to hold on, just for a moment longer. He had made it out. He had escaped the jaws of death, if only barely. That alone was worth a breath. Just one.
Beside him, he could hear the soft, broken whimpers of the pup. The little wolf struggling against the rope still wrapped around its body. It yelped, calling out, maybe for help, maybe for its mother.
Beyond the railing, the adult wolf still growled, pacing just on the other side of the boundary, its fury trapped by the barrier.
He couldn't rest here for long. He needed to move. He needed to get far away from here before anything else found him.
At least now... he had what he needed. A creature for the sacrifice.
Damn.
His head throbbed, so heavy it felt like it might fall off his shoulders. He pushed himself up, blinking against the weight in his skull, and looked at the pup again. It was still fighting the ropes, twisting and struggling with soft, angry cries.
He reached for it, gently holding it in his hands.
"Hey buddy... sorry... but I need your blood," he murmured.
Then he fell silent.