The Stolen Wolf Princess

Chapter 6 - His Arrival

Dalla ran back towards the hunters, and I couldn’t breathe as I watched her dive back into the fight to rescue me. I turned away and started hobbling forward, knowing I couldn’t let her sacrifice go to waste. I heard the screams behind me, knowing those were the cries of the people I tried so hard to save. It took every ounce of my energy to fight the urge to turn back around. I knew I had to save myself to save my people, but it felt wrong.

I pushed through the pain in my leg, moving as fast as I could, which still wasn’t very far. The screams tapered off, which told me I was likely running out of time. I ran faster, the sharp pain in my leg increasing significantly. I started feeling light-headed from some of the blood loss, but I couldn’t stop now. I couldn’t let Dalla’s sacrifice go to waste. I had to survive and escape so I could come back for them all.

I heard footsteps approaching me and tried not to panic. I was in no shape to fight, and my speed was significantly hindered at this point. I just had to find a place to hide or else it would be all over. 

The only thing I saw around me were trees upon trees. Hiding behind a tree wouldn’t be enough, but I didn’t see anything else that could be of use. The only other idea I came up with was climbing a tree. As I ran, I looked for a tree that looked easier to climb. I ran straight for one, jumping up and grabbing a branch. I pulled myself up with my upper body strength, laying my torso against the branch. I lifted my good leg up to get some leverage, but when I tried to push up, fingers wrapped around my other ankle.

The hand yanked on my leg, causing me to slip. I held onto the branch as tightly as I could, refusing to give up. Notches in the branches dug into my skin, and the smell of blood filled my nose. The force was becoming too much from the man trying to pull me down, so I swung my free leg around until it made contact with the man’s face. He let go of me, reeling backwards, and I used the small opportunity to pull myself up again. I scampered to the next branch, getting out of reach of the man.

When the hunter rebalanced, he scowled at me. “They wanted everyone alive, but I’ve had enough of you.”

He lifted his crossbow, aiming the bolt at my chest. He pulled the trigger, and I dove off the tree, just barely escaping the attack. I hit the ground hard, feeling the broken ribs shift as I rolled over and over again on the ground. My body was now in so much pain that I couldn’t move or even breathe. I tried gasping for air, willing myself to fight a little longer, but my body wasn’t responding.

The man walked over to me, pointing the crossbow at my heart, and I knew it was all over.

The man smirked, a thrill filling his eyes. “You should have just given up. Maybe then you would have survived.”

I closed my eyes, not wanting to see the last moment, but a second later I heard a thunk. I opened my eyes, surprised to see the hunter on the ground. Another man was on top of him, fighting him. The new arrival took the butt of his sword and slammed it into the hunter’s head, knocking the hunter unconscious.

The new man climbed to his feet and turned to me. His eyes were a bright green and his hair was a chocolatey brown. He stood tall and, with the sun shining behind him, he looked almost angelic.

“Can you walk?” he asked, moving to my side.

I nodded slowly, trying to figure out who this was. He saved me from the hunter, and he had a wolf scent to him, but I didn’t recognize him. He wasn’t from my wolf pack, and he wasn’t from the northern territory. His skin had been darkened from the sun, and his wardrobe was fitting to the warm weather here. I didn’t know who this man was, but something told me I could trust him.

I tried to stand up, but my body ached, and it was still hard to move. The man swooped down, grabbing my hand and pulling me to my feet. The moment he touched me, something stirred deep inside. There was something different about this man, but I didn’t know what.

“Are you sure you can walk?” he asked again.

I nodded, knowing I could push through the pain. I tried to step forward, instantly wincing in pain.

“We don’t have time for this,” he said. He wrapped his hand around my waist, lifting me up into his arms.

“I can walk,” I said, trying to pull away from him. I didn’t like the idea of relying on this stranger, even though I felt strangely safe in his arms.

“Not well, and if we want to escape, we don’t have time for you to try to be independent.” He didn’t say anything else and started running forward.

I wrapped my arms around his neck instinctively. I looked behind us and saw several hunters running towards us, but even with me in his arms, this man was creating more and more distance from those chasing us.

After a few minutes, we came across a small stream in the forest. He splashed across the river and took a sharp turn to the left. There were a bunch of boulders nearby, and he ran right towards them. When we got to them, he weaved in and out of them until he found one that had a small cubby in it. He set me down and assisted me into the crawl space. He then followed in after me.

There wasn’t enough space for the two of us, so he ended up pressed against me while my back was against the wall. After a moment, I heard footsteps echoing around us. It sounded like there were several hunters nearby, and my breathing started increasing in panic. The man quickly put his hand against my mouth, muffling all noises. He held up one finger against his lips to tell me to be quiet.

We stayed like that for several minutes, staring into each other’s eyes. His bright eyes searched mine, making my heart race even more. I found myself wanting to know more about this man who saved me. He risked his life to protect mine, even though he knew nothing about me. Perhaps it was because he could tell I was a fellow werewolf and felt a sense of obligation to rescue me, or maybe it was because he was a kind-hearted man who couldn’t leave someone behind.

As we stayed there, unmoving in such a tight space, I found myself creating a narrative for this man. He was kind and mysterious. He was daring and exciting. He was something untouchable and close at the same time. I found myself caring more about him than the situation I was in, and I was able to calm down, distracted by his presence and his scent. He smelled so different compared to all of the other wolves I had ever met.

Even after the footsteps faded, we didn’t move for a while. I waited for him to make the first move. Even though we were in such a small space, I wasn’t uncomfortable. I even forgot about the aches and pains in my body, for at least a moment.

After what felt like a lifetime, the man finally pulled away from me, causing cool air to rush around me. I found myself wanting him closer again. Once he was out, he offered a hand to me and helped me to my feet. He didn’t let go of my hand right away, making sure I was stable.

“You saved my life,” I whispered, not wanting to make too much noise, just in case the hunters were still around.

“You’re welcome,” he said, almost brushing my comment off.

“I didn’t say thank you,” I retorted. I didn’t like how cocky he came off.

He squinted his eyes at me and then continued on, ignoring my comment. “Stay here. I’m going to make sure we are in the clear.”

“I can come with you,” I insisted. It felt weird waiting around for this man. I was much too used to relying on myself to want to wait around for his return.

I poked my shoulder, causing me to lose balance. “You are in terrible shape. If those hunters are still around, I don’t want you encumbering me while I escape.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but he walked away before I had a chance to say anything. I huffed as he walked away, the narrative I had created for this man falling away. He wasn’t some hero rescuing me. He saw me as a weak girl who needed saving, and I didn’t like that.

I leaned against the rock, feeling the pure exhaustion filling my every cell. I was grateful this man didn’t let me go with him. Even though I didn’t appreciate his tone, he was right. I was in no condition to be wandering around. I let myself slide to the ground, feeling light-headed once again. I still had the crossbow bolt sticking out of my thigh, and I was still slowly bleeding. I would need to remove the bolt in order to start the healing process, but the idea of pulling it out on my own made me feel queasy.

I let my head fall back and closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing. I knew my body would heal on its own fairly quickly, even with my extensive injuries, so I wasn’t worried about that. Once my healing abilities kicked in, I would be in much better condition in twelve hours. It would only take twenty-four hours for the pain to significantly subside, and I was confident all of my bones would be healed in only two days. Until then, I just had to relax and let my body do the work.

I didn’t know how much rest I would be able to do here, though. I was in a strange territory with no food, water, or weapons to defend myself. I didn’t know where I was or how I would save my people or go home. The gravity of the situation started falling onto me, and my chest ached in a different way than the broken bones.

I heard footsteps crunching towards me, but I didn’t have the energy to open my eyes. I just wanted to rest and sleep.

Warm hands touched my face, so I slowly opened my eyes. The man with green eyes was staring at me with a frown.

“You’re back,” I whispered.

“You are not doing well,” he said, pulling away. He started looking over me carefully. 

“I’m fine. I just need some rest,” I said. I didn’t have the energy to feel defensive at the moment.

“Stop arguing so much. I get it. You’re used to being independent, but you need my help. Just accept it.” The annoyance was back in his voice, but his face still stayed calm.

“I don’t even know who you are,” I said, resisting the urge to close my eyes again.

“I’m Navarro. Now will you let me help you?”

I nodded slowly. He had saved me once already, and he hadn't given me a reason to not trust him yet. Besides, I knew I was in no condition to manage on my own. I needed help, so I would have to suck up my pride and accept it.

"I'm Kai-" I stopped talking, realizing it wasn't smart to tell him my full name. I was a princess after all. If the wrong person found out this information, I could be putting a target on my back.

Navarro held his hand out to me. "I look forward to getting to know you, Kai."

I took his hand, and once again I felt the warmth fill my body. There was something different about this man, and I was determined to figure out what it was.