"Devon!" Kashvi called out, she couldn’t see him, but she could hear the stream of expletives coming her way. They had just entered another small forest to seek shelter from the plains for the night.
Oh, and she had just been thinking gratefully how uneventful the day had been so far.
Kashvi crashed through the clearing to find Devon on the floor clutching his foot.
"What the hell did you do?" Kashvi snapped. She knew she shouldn't be angry at Devon, if anything she was angry at herself for letting him fall over again.
"I tripped on something!" Devon exclaimed with a pout.
Kashvi sighed and walked over to him, suddenly she froze, not something but someone. Kashvi yanked Devon to his feet forcefully as he yelped in surprised protest.
"Get back," Kashvi whispered as she tiptoed towards the corpse. It was a man, black hair, shirtless, large muscles, looked like he was a fighter. Fatally deep gashes riddle his side. Her eyes lingered on a compass like tattoo on his chest, she knew that symbol - she had seen it somewhere. Kashvi was lost in thought when she heard Devon,
"Er...Kashvi?"
"There's a body. You tripped over a body."
"Oh god, ew, oh god, that's disgusting, is it rotten? Oh my god are there maggots on me?"
Kashvi raised an eyebrow at Devon, how the hell had they survived this long again?
"No you idiot. He's recently dead," she huffed.
Kashvi stepped gingerly over the man and crouched down by his front. She was slightly surprised – he was not that old and his face was handsome, hard lines and a stubbled chiselled jaw.
Kashvi wondered what he would be, if the apocalypse hadn't happened? She liked to play this game with every person they came across, imagining their profession, their place in a non-destroyed world.
This guy looked as if he would have been an athlete or model like in one of those vintage magazines Ginger used to have.
Kashvi glanced up at Devon hovering awkwardly behind, "It's okay Devon." Kashvi smiled to herself, looking down again, "There really are no maggots and I'm pretty sure he's not a zomb-"
Suddenly a hand darted at her with lightening speed and clutched Kashvi’s wrist. She screamed in shock and fell backwards.
"Kashvi!" Devon shouted frantically.
Kashvi gasped in horror at the bloodied hand that was now weakening its hold on her wrist. The man's chest was heaving sporadic rasping breaths. His eyes were open...golden eyes.
Suddenly, Kashvi remembered where she had seen that mark before, in one of the coven's books Devon had stolen, the one about werewolf lore.
"Alpha," Kashvi tried to speak but it came out as more of a whisper. Regardless, Devon obviously heard her as his jaw dropped and he started hopping about from foot to foot.
"Why aren't we dead? Are we dead? Am I dead?"
"Shut up!" Kashvi hissed at him then looked down at the deep gashes on the man's sides. They weren't healing like they should, but he was still alive when any normal human would be a corpse.
"He's injured, not healing. Probably witches."
Kashvi saw Devon tense up and fall silent. She knew he wanted to look around them, to scan the surroundings for signs of their old enemy.
"I haven't felt any traces of magic nearby, he must have travelled a long way after being attacked," Kashvi reassured Devon. The last thing either of them wanted was to run into witches, even wolves would be better than that, even Chim...okay, maybe not Chimeras.
Kashvi stood up, the clawed hand falling limply from her wrist. She drew the machete from the strap on her back, the metal made the familiar grating sound.
"Kashvi what are you doing?"
"Putting him down."
"Are you crazy? That's an Alpha, Kashvi."
Kashvi flicked her eyes up. Devon had his hand outstretched trying to stop her.
"I am aware of that Devon. What if he heals soon? We may be able to take lone Betas at full strength, but an Alpha?"
"Kashvi, an Alpha. Do you have any idea how much he'd be worth?" Devon pleaded.
Kashvi froze momentarily, letting the machete drop noiselessly to her side. Her head whirred with thought. How much would a human settlement, or even a witch settlement for that matter pay for an Alpha?
She had never known anyone capture one before. It wouldn't matter where they showed up or what marks they had on their necks, if they offered people an Alpha werewolf and maybe...maybe they would be given protection? Shelter? Allowed to stay?
"So tell me Devon, how exactly do you propose we transport an Alpha?" Kashvi asked, staring at the golden eyes that had fallen closed again
"Wolfsbane ropes! We can shackle him," Devon was already setting his backpack on the ground and unzipping it. He brought out a leather pouch before feeling around and drawing out a length of rope with the other hand.
"You stole Wolfsbane from the witches? You never told me that!" Kashvi exclaimed in shock.
Devon looked up grinning, "Nope, been collecting it over the past few months from the forest."
Kashvi would have asked how Devon could do that without seeing the plant. However, she already knew, the smell was pungent enough even for non-wolf noses.
"I'll grind it down and infuse it with the ropes," Devon stated, his brows knitting together as he fiddled about with the herb.
"Hurry up." Kashvi snapped, glancing back down at the man who was starting to moan with pain. His gold eyes were flashing open and shut.
Kashvi always knew she would probably end up dying as a result of one of Devon's crazy ideas. But he had a point, this Alpha might offer them something other than the threat of an agonizing death.
He offered hope.
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