The wolf gave a little snort, like he was rolling his eyes.
“Sorry,” I offered. “I guess it’s not like you can go anywhere else.” The wolf’s paws twitched as I did one more glance over before standing up. I couldn’t explain why I had this feeling that he understood me.
Goddess, I was losing my mind, sitting here and talking to a wolf.
I hurried back into the bakery, grabbing my phone and a handful of clean raggedy towels we used for spills. They weren’t much, but maybe I could stop the bleeding, and fasten some sort of sling that would help me get him inside to help him. Though I hadn’t really figured out what I was going to do after that.
Only that Ineededto help this poor creature that was in pain.
I’d always loved animals, and though I couldn’t talk to them—not directly—I felt a deep connection to their feelings and needs. Sometimes, I liked to think they understood me, too. Growing up, everyone had thought I would end up working at the animal shelter, or becoming a vet—especially with my healing abilities—but I’d never had any interest in the field. I was too tenderhearted to lose patients or perform surgery.
Managing the coffee shop suited me just fine.
Rushing back out with the towels—and a large tablecloth I found in one of the cabinets—I crouched back in front of the wolf. Pressing one against the biggest gash on his side, I kept applying pressure. I needed to heal him—the blood was already matting to his russet fur, turning it a deep, angry red. He was still bleeding, and I knew I needed to act fast. Trying to do it outside in this grimy, dirty alley seemed like a way to get it infected. Plus, what if whatever did this to him was still lingering around?
I struggled to move him onto the tablecloth, wiping the sweat from my forehead off on my arm once I had finally completed the task.
“I’m sorry,” I said, hearing the creature cry out as I started to tug him into the coffee shop. “I’m not exactly the strongest. You probably could have found a better alley. Like, maybe behind the hardware store.” Lou, the man who ran the place, was older, but he could still lift things I couldn’t even fathom. Being blessed with superhuman strength would have come in handy right now.
Finally, after a lot of huffing, I succeeded in dragging him into the back of the shop.
“You’re really big, you know,” I said to the wolf, who hadn’t moved from his spot. He lifted his head, stared into my eyes, and then dropped it again. “I think you might need stitches after I clean you up. And I might need to pack the wound with some gauze. I think we have a first aid kit somewhere around here…” I bit my lip, running over to the spot where we kept it. There were bandages and ointment—burns and cuts were common in a bakery and coffee shop if you weren’t careful—but I didn’t know if it was enough to help.
I grabbed all of the supplies I thought I needed—plus a basin of water, and sat down in front of the beast.
“This might hurt. I’m sorry.” Talking to him like he was a person was helping distract me from the severity—and insanity—of the situation.
Grabbing more clean towels, I worked to clean his wounds, trying to infuse my magic in the hopes that it would speed up the healing process.
The wolf let out a howl, and I winced. “Hey, it’s going to be okay,” I told him, worried he’d bite me if he got too agitated. “Please, try to stay calm.” Though, that was more formethan it was for him. “If anyone hears and finds you, I have no idea how I’m going to explain this.”
I was fully aware that I was talking to myself, that this babbling nonsense wasn’t something you’d normally say to an animal, but I was out of my depth here. I’d never helped an animal this big before. Certainly not one with teeth that could rip out my throat if he desired it.
Surprisingly, he settled down, only letting out a few whimpers here and there as I worked across his body, paying attention to each spot where he’d been attacked, cleaning and healing as I went. When I pulled the towel away, the bleeding had slowed significantly, though I couldn’t see just how deep the cuts were.
“What could even do this to a wolf of your size?” I wondered out loud as I took another clean cloth, dipping it in the water before wiping the wound. I repeated the process until they looked clean.
“Do you think an antibiotic ointment would help?” I asked the wolf. “Probably not. I don’t know why I’m still talking to you.” Probably because my hands were shaking, and I was trying to ignore the fact that I’d let a wild animal into the back of Willow and Luna’s shop. “I think I’m just nervous.” Taking a deep breath, I covered the wounds with gauze. He didn’t seem to be able to move much, so I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to wrap them. “I’ve never healed anything of your size before. Mostly just some small birds and cats.” And the occasional rabbit.
Standing up, I took the bowl of bloody water to the basin and washed my hands.
“We’ll probably need to change those again in a few hours,” I muttered, propping my hands on my hips as I looked at the wolf. “Otherwise, it might get infected.” That was my biggest fear at this point. Though, what was I going to do with him? I couldn’t exactly leave him here, and there was no way I was going to beable to drag him up the stairs to Luna’s apartment. It was hard enough just to get him inside.
“I’m just going to have to get help,” I said, more to myself than the wolf. He needed to be somewhere where I could check on him—without worrying about anyone else finding him or what a potentially wild animal might do as he healed.
Biting my lip, I pulled out my phone, desperately texting two of my friends. Maybe it was a little crazy, but what was I supposed to do?
Eryne
SOS. I need help.
Rina
Where are you? I can head over in 5.
Eryne
Still at the Witches’ Brew. Something happened.
