Wolf's Rain Fan Fiction ❯ Saved ❯ Chapter Two: Death's Jaws ( Chapter 2 )

Saved

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Keiko Nobumoto/Bones characters or ideas. This story is for entertainment purposes only and not for sale or profit.

A/N: Some of the following may seem a bit on the "strange" side. I have tried to keep wolfish behavior as truthfully as possible. One of the things I admire about Wolf's Rain is that the story makes the characters act like wolves, and not like "civilized" human beings. I really appreciate the reviews, and I will keep the updates timely.

WARNING: DARK IMAGERY IN THIS CHAPTER

Chapter Two: Death's Jaws

"What the f---!" The man's exclamation was cut off as he screamed soprano. Through her blurring vision, Marie watched in horror as saliva-dripping teeth sunk into the man's shoulder. A flash of silvery fur and hotly yellowed eyes danced across her mind, as disbelief and incredulity warred within her. Sobbing, she tried to shrink back against the wall and into herself as she watched the man's desperate fight for his life.

The man's knife slashed desperately against a leg, and the animal yelped in pain, letting go of his shoulder. The man slithered backwards, holding his bloodied knife in a weak defense. "What the fuck are you!" He yelled at the animal, who answered with a fanged snarl. Marie shivered in horror, her over-ridden mind focusing on the jagged rows of death that awaited the man. The yellow eyes, hot with bloodlust, devoured the man's soul.

"Get the fuck outta here, you mangy mutt!" The man shouted, desperation and fear twisting in his voice.

The animal seemed to grin.

And then he leapt.

Marie covered her eyes with her hands, choking on her sobs, unable to watch. She heard the scream cut off abruptly into a sick, gurgling sound as a heavy weight impacted on the asphalt. Rolling into a fetal position, her mind whirled under the onslaught of sounds, terror nipping at her sanity.

Abrupt silence froze her soul.

She waited in terror for the hot breath of certain death to find her.

Death whined.

Startled blue eyes opened, and her hands clenched on her pale cheeks. The animal, silver fur greyed with shadows from the darkened street, looked at her with glowing eyes. A wet splatter of sound hit the pavement by the animal's left shoulder where the man's knife had sliced it. Marie's eyes held the animal's like a lifeline, uncertain and afraid.

The animal's triangular ears perked, and he made a low sound in his throat. Marie swallowed convulsively, and tried to draw her numbed legs in. At her movement, the animal stiffened, and growled. Blood-covered teeth barred in fanged spikes, the yellow eyes heating once more.

Marie clenched her eyes closed, certain of her own death now. A low moan of sorrow hissed from her throat as she prepared for the worst. She could hear the foot-pads of Death stalking closer, could even feel the hot, growling breath on her hyper-sensitive skin. A sad mew of helpless protest escaped her.

Something nosed her cheek, and she tightened in upon herself, waiting for Death's jaws to clench around her throat. Instead, something tickled her arm, and she almost sobbed as the animal nosed her shaking body, the heavy presence traveling from her arm and down her torso to her bent legs where she curled on her left side, facing the wall. She almost cried out when she felt the hot breath on her bare right foot, her toes curling instinctively.

She jerked as a long, rough tongue swiped at her bloodied foot. A growl froze her reaction as a rough paw, claws digging into her skin, stepped on her leg, bringing formidable weight to bear down on it. She stared in shock as the animal, holding her right leg still with its own, lapped at the blood on her wounded heel.

She couldn't bite back the strained, terrified sob that broke from her white lips. A cold yellow stare was her only answer before the animal bent back to his task. Marie watched in tensed fear as the animal cleaned her foot, the rough side of his tongue bathing her heel in saliva. She couldn't quit shivering, her mind reeling with the impossibility of it all.

The animal gave her injured foot one last swipe of its tongue, flashed her another unreadable golden glare, and then the weight was lifted from her leg as the animal turned away. Marie's body half-twisted as she followed him with her unbelieving eyes, her shaking hands coming to rest on the soiled ground in support as he stalked away from her.

He was favoring his left leg, giving his proud walk a slight, barely noticeable hitch.

"Wait!" She called out breathlessly, even as her mind screamed at her to remain silent.

The animal gave her a coldly yellow stare, and then faced toward the street again.

Marie lurched forward on her hands and knees, trying to gain her feet. She leaned her weight on the left leg, careful with her right. The animal turned at the sounds of her movement and growled menacingly.

"Please." She said, tears blurring her blue eyes as her head swayed with the sudden activity. Dirty tangles of blond hair fell over her cheeks as she stared at the silver animal. "You're hurt." She gestured helplessly.

The animal wrinkled his mouth, showing fanged teeth, but stopped growling.

When she tried to use the wall to hike herself up, the animal's low rumble froze her motion. Sinking back to her knees, the animal quit making the noise.

"Please. Let me help you." She actually pleaded, breathless lest the animal growl again. She inched forward on her hands and knees, and the animal stayed silent, watching her closely. He waited with unearthly patience as she slowly crawled forward, instinctively hugging the ground. Her height was smaller than his shoulder when on her hands and knees---the animal seemed offended when she tried to rise above him.

"You helped me. You saved me." She said softly, her blue eyes compelling. "Please. Let me help you."

The animal allowed her to draw closer to him. When she was two feet away, she held out her hand, making a soft noise in the back of her throat. The ears flattened, and the animal answered her with a gruff noise of his own.

"Please. Let me." She said, tears of fright and compassion making her blue eyes glow.

The animal sniffed the air delicately with its nose, and seemed to relax. Marie's shoulders sagged in faint relief. Her head was still pounding, but she kept the nausea back with determination. She inched closer, making soft, soothing sounds even as she kept her hand out, palm open but fingers together.

The big head dipped, and the long tongue licked her hand roughly. Elation almost made Marie giddy, she felt faint as the silver animal stepped closer to her. Daring to sit back on her knees, she brought her other hand up, palm scraped and abraded, to let him sniff that too. Daringly, she laid her small hand on the wiry fur, smelling the metallic scent of blood on the animal's hot breath.

The animal tensed under her palm, but merely wrinkled his mouth at her when she uttered soothing sounds. "Please. Please let me help you." She whispered, tentatively petting the silver fur.

The left paw raised slightly, and the animal deliberately placed it in front of her. Taking that as allowance, Marie used both hands to feel for the dripping wound. She could feel the yellow eyes intently focused on her face as she became distracted by the cut. Dried blood crusted the wound on the well-muscled shoulder, matting the silver fur. The wound still bled sullenly. Feeling with her fingers, she could tell that the cut was not deep, but inconvenient. She half-expected the animal to shy away when she tore at her shirt, looking for cloth to use as a bandage.

Tiny hairs rose over her white skin as the chilly night air goose-bumped its way over her bared arms as she slid out of her white, silk blouse. Her nipples puckered under her lacy bra at the touch of the air, but she ignored her own reactions to the cold. The silken material of her shirt was dirty and torn from her ordeal, but it was the only thing she had on hand. Turning it inside out, she gripped the collar and ruthlessly tore it down the middle.

"Let me just cover this. At least I can stop the bleeding until I can get it cleaned." She explained to the animal, who just stared at her with unfathomable yellow eyes. Using the cleaner side of her silk blouse, she cleared out what blood she could with her own saliva, lacking anything better. When she had most of it off, she used the other half of her blouse to bandage the shoulder.

She lost all fear of the animal as she bent to her task, leaning in to wrap the impromptu dressing under the deep chest and back over the broad spine. Her breasts were pressed against wiry fur as she inadvertently hugged him, trying to gather the two ends of the slippery cloth in her hands. She nearly jumped when a heavy head came to rest on her left shoulder, a heated breath caressing her neck and back. She let out a soft gasp as a rough tongue licked at the nape of her neck. She could smell the earth, blood, and musty odor that were the animal's unique scent, and she shivered involuntarily.

The animal's head raised off of her shoulder, and he seemed to look back down the alley at the slumped form Marie's eyes deliberately avoided. As she finished tying off the awkward bandage, Marie sat back and appraised her work.

"Not too bad. It'll do, for now." She said with some hint of satisfaction. The animal's yellow eyes turned back toward her, and she awkwardly patted it.

"You're a beautiful dog." She breathed, looking at the strong, silver form.

The animal growled.

Marie actually let out a slight laugh, even as she raised her hands defensively. "Okay. You're not a dog." She smiled, completely at ease with the beautiful creature. The animal quit growling, and wuffed low in his throat.

Marie felt suddenly drained and tired, her headache coming back with a vengeance. She sat back on her heels wearily and sighed. "I need to get you home, so I can clean that cut properly. And I need to clean my foot too." She leaned up on her knees, and was surprised when the animal-who-denied-being-a-dog stepped closer, allowing her to use him as a prop to stand up. She kept her weight on her left heel, balancing herself with the toes of her right foot, instinctively keeping the sharp stab of pain up and away from the ground.

"We're a pair, aren't we?" She asked, tiredly amused as the animal pressed to her legs. She kept her right hand tangled in the wiry fur as they both turned toward the beckoning street. They hobbled together, bracing each other as they slowly made their way out of the alley.

A flash of lights caught her eye, and relief flooded her numbed mind as she waved tiredly at the vehicle that followed the eye-blinding beams. The auto slowed, and she thanked whatever Fates had sent her the gift of an empty taxi. A smeared window slid down, and an incredulous pair of brown eyes over a bewhiskered chin and broken nose stared at her.

"I need a ride." She said lamely, suddenly aware of what she must look like, standing in her bra and skirt, her knees and elbows scraped, her feet bare and her blond hair dirty and half-falling out of its neat bun. At the driver's doubtful scowl, she reached into her skirt pocket and produced a wad of bills. "I can pay. I need to get home."

"What about him?" The driver thumbed a dirty digit at the silver animal, who growled menacingly.

"He's with me." Marie's voice was cold, daring him to question her.

"All right, lady, but you better keep that damned dog in the back and away from me. And quit him growling. Gives me the willies." He shivered in demonstration, his brown eyes unhappily staring at the bristling animal.

Marie opened the back door. "Come on." She coaxed, and the animal jumped into the backseat. He took up most of the room on the cracked cushion, and he growled at the taxi driver, who hunched down in his seat. Marie slid in after the animal, closing the door.

"Get your dog to lie down, lady! I can't drive with him breathing down my neck!" The driver squealed a protest.

Her hand tangled in the silvery fur.

"He's not a dog." She said, her hand pressing down minutely. The animal complied reluctantly, settling down on his back haunches, his front paws over Marie's legs. He continued a low rumble of warning in his throat.

The driver twitched in reaction as he pulled the auto out of park. "Then what the hell is he?"

Marie smiled into enigmatic golden eyes.

"He's mine."