Chapter 48 CANINE PARTNERS.

FRIDAY
I tried taking my mind off Dawn but it seemed impossible. I thought about her in everything that I did. She was pasted on my mind like before. Her beautiful face was all I could think about. I could only think about the times that we shared together. Those blessed moments that I would forever keep to myself. I removed the pendant and placed it inside a small box I got from Jhan. I couldn't let it damage on my neck.
'It was for the best," Tia told me.
'She was getting more delicious with every passing day anyway," Jereum said, giving me a consolatory pat to my shoulder. Leya had been silent ever since. The whole concept of the war and the possibilities of our deaths, she was not dealing well with.
The arrow that struck night had gone through an artery in her body. She almost died but was now in an unconscious state in her village. Tia was still a bit sad about it. I had talked to her earlier when we were alone and sh just broke down, crying on my chest. She wanted answers that she couldn't get at the moment and I wished I could help her.
"Did you know?" She had asked me.
What? No, if I did I would have told you," I had answered her.
We were all in the higher court. The gloomy hall looking even gloomier with the dread and hopelessness that emanated from the adjudicators around. I stood with my clan looking up at the podium. There sat Alzaraq, behind the long crescent shaped table, at the extreme.
Several adjudicators stood at the entrance to the building and I was sure there would be an army of them in the lower grounds.
Amongst the crowd that stood down here were both Lupine and vampire. Standing together as one and united. The battle was to take place east from here. In a large clearing within the trees. My heartbeat increased on even thinking about it. There would be deaths and loses on both sides. The adjudicators had gone through thorough training against the wolves when I was still unconscious, using wooden poles as their blades and trying to hit vitals while the wolves attacked.
It was the best we could to ensure we even had a fighting chance. I saw John—the vampire I had beaten after he touched Tia at the playground. He caught my gaze and grimaced in disgust. I wanted to apologize but I figured this wasn't the right time. Maybe if I survive this onslaught I might apologize to him... That's if he survived as well though.
The air in the vast hall was filled with a growing hubbub, everyone was either scared, terrified or bold to face what was about to happen. It would b the largest war in all of vampire history.
Alzaraq stood up and the place went quiet.
"My brothers and sisters and stand here before you today not as your ruler, but as a fellow victim to what has dawned on us"—I winced at the word 'dawn' I had succeeded to put her in the back of my thoughts but now her face, smiles, scent, kiss, moans etc. Everything about her was drawn back to my major thoughts—"we have to fight back on the enemy not as divided vampire and Lobo, but as one big army."
There was an uproar from everyone around me. I saw Leya's glum face and I reached out to her.
"Hey Let's, it'll be okay. Okay"
She looked at me heavily crestfallen and I looked into her big, sad brown eyes.
"You've already had two brushes with death Kaldar... Please don't actually die this time."
"I won't, I mean I'll try my best to stay alive."
She nodded and Tia held her closer to herself, probably hearing our conversation.
The lead woman from the higher court stood up. She had a grim expression and for a moment I think o locked gazes with hers.
"My fellow vampires of the higher court, Lupine kind and my vampire subjects. We find ourselves staring into the eyes of death. We are immortal but that doesn't not mean we cannot die. Immortality only means one can live forever but can still be killed by other forces.
"We have stood strong as a society, as one big clan and we would not be defeated by any force, be it humans, fellow vampires or even Lobos. We will fight as one and overcome any obstacle that threatens our existence and—
But she was cut shut by the loud sound as the main doors to the hall were forced open.
An adjudicator stood there. Looking shaken and petrified like a child that had just survived a chase from a lion.
"Higher court! They are here! The wolves we spotted them within the trees, hundreds of them! They are coming!"
A loud gasp was let out from the crowd below.
I looked at Jhan who looked back at me with a stiff expression.
Nobody actually knew when the wolves were to attack. But we had estimated that thy will strike about a week from now because of the far distance they would have to cover to get to that clearing from the mountains. They must have been moving since to throw us off track.
"Are you sure of what you say?"
"Yes, I saw the mass of wolves with my own eyes."
"Then we have not any time to waste. Soldiers, move to position. All who have been trained and are willing to fight move to the lower quarters and receive your red robed. Today will Mark the fate of our kind!"
The plan had been established. W, the soldiers, were to keep all others wolves from Alzaraq while he battles Hardaj if Alzaraq could win him, then he would seize back control of the wolf army and end the war. But if he loses, then we fight for our very own survival.
The rowdy shuffling noise of metal boots and shoes against the hard porcelain floors filled the room and I followed my clan to the lower quarters. There was a larger room down there that would serve as a safe room for all the others that were not fit for the battle.
Tia pulled Leya along and together they walked towards the safe room. Jhan had ordered that Tia stays with Leya and away from the battle but she refused. I also supported the fact that finding out about her sister in such a cruel and dishonest way had rendered her emotionally incapable of fighting but she pressed on her argument and Jhan was forced to let her in on the battle on the condition that she fights alongside Jereum.
I was still greatly weakened from surviving the stake to the chest. A low pulsating pain radiated from my the tender area and spread throughout my body. I kept this to myself knowing that if I had said it out Jhan would make me stay with Leya.
We got to the lower quarters and I saw an adjudicator giving out red and silver embroidered robes to the vampires and red and silver embroidered saddles. I saw several Lupines shake their body in an involuntary way before ripping out of their clothes as their bodies morphed and changed to that of a giant wolf. Some looked friendly and nice to approach mean while some looked scary, with red gazes and bared teeth which made the adjudicators keep caution when putting the saddles on their backs.
I spotted Nicha and her croonies. The stood in a small cluster at a far corner. I walked towards them, Nicha caught sight of me and quickly turned away... Surprising. I reached them and Tom was the first to smile before Jabari and Cole.
"So this is it huh?" Tom said, his arms were folded tightly and he had a small smile on.
I nodded. "Yes, I guess this is it. We fight."
Jabari chuckled. He nodded to me before leaping away a whole two meters into the air and transforming gloriously into an ash coloured, green gazed wolf.
Most of the vampires in the room looked at him in awe. His wolf was beautiful.
"Well he's into it," Cole said, looking very nervous and standing anything but steady.
"Cole we talked about this," Tom said, "if you can't handle it then stay back."
"I don't want to leave you people out there," Cole argued.
I seized the opportunity of their distracted argument to pull Nicha by the arm and drag her off.
"Hey!" She protested but didn't resist.
After we had gotten an earshot distance from them, I turned to her. She avoided my eyes but I didn't urge her to look at me.
"Why are you avoiding me?" I asked her.
"Look, I'm sorry okay. I'm sorry for kissing you like tha—"
"It's worse if you keep on avoiding me."
"Well we don't even need to have this conversation. We may not survive this war—"
"Don't use that as an excuse to not talk to me."
"Okay... Look, I love you alright."
"What?!"
"Are you deaf? I said I'm in love with you. I love you so much it hurts." She was uneasy, her eyes darting about my face but never settling on my eyes.
"Wow."
"What? You come to our village with your pretty face and manly frame and alluring voice what did you expect?"
I let go of her arm. "I didn't expect... I didn't know you had those kind of feelings."
"Yeah. It doesn't matter anyway. You already have someone and it would never work between us. I'll find someone else."
"And what if you don't?" I asked her. I wanted to know the answer to her question because her answer would also answer the question I had been asking myself; I can't be with Dawn but what if I don't find someone else?
"Well, I'll have to live with the hurt forever..." With that, she turned away and did the same as Jabari had done. Leaping into the air and I watched as she morphed into her glorious white wolf. She was beautiful, both as a person and as a wolf.
I sighed, gave her one last look and then walked towards Jhan, Jereum, Tia and Leya.