Chapter 20 #2
“Didn’t expect a reaction, did you, buddy?” Zane smiled, the first real one since he’d returned with Seri.
The dire righted himself, fur still standing on end. He gave Foster a contemplative stare, head tilted to one side.
“Who, Alpha Fun?” he asked through Zane.
“His name’s Foster. His wolf Greisen is in… Um, like a deep sleep.”
Brumous circled the unconscious wolf again, tail flicking with interest. His initial fear had given way to curiosity, and he seemed to be deciding on a suitable name for our unexpected guest.
Alpha Stink? Alpha Big Paw? Alpha Singe? Alpha Ow Ow Ow?
Each suggestion made Zane’s smile grow a little wider, which was worth the ridiculousness. Ko, still sitting vigil at Seri’s side, huffed a quiet laugh.
“We’re not keeping him,” I said, returning to my cleaning. The last thing we needed was someone with as much baggage as Foster had.
“Alpha Toast?” Brumous mumbled via Zane, making Koa snicker.
“Put away the elixirs, Z. Alphabetically, too.” I shook my head as I rolled my eyes.
“Aye, aye, Captain Buzzkill,” he saluted, but there was no heat in it. The color had returned to his face, and he moved with something closer to his usual restless energy.
Brumous, having recovered his dignity, padded over to where I knelt on the floor. He sniffed at the bleach-soaked rag in my hand, sneezed dramatically, then plopped down beside me with a heavy sigh.
“He said, Alpha Sharp clean too much,” Zane declared as Brummy rested his muzzle on his paws and watched me.
“No such thing,” I corrected, fighting a smile.
I gave the floor one final wipe, then sat back on my heels, surveying our work. The med bay was nearly back to its usual ordered state. Equipment sanitized and stored, surfaces disinfected, floor gleaming. Only our two patients indicated anything out of the ordinary had happened.
I sighed and finally, finally exhaled. Seri was alive and safe. Zane was alive and safe. Foster was alive and safe. Not perfect, not how I would have run the play, but it had worked. And in the end, only the results mattered.
“He thinks you’re happy, Cas,” Zane reported. “He said, Alpha Sharp smile!”
I hadn’t realized I was. My bleach-scented fingers touched my lips to confirm it.
Cruor, I am.
I glanced over at Seri, still sleeping. Then to Foster, still twitching, but no longer steaming. Then to my brothers, Zane still reorganizing supplies with his usual lack of system despite my instructions and Koa still keeping silent watch over our beloved.
“Yeah, Brummy,” I admitted, reaching out to scratch under his chin, mindful of the terrible scar there. “Alpha Sharp’s happy now.”
#
Seri
I woke to the scent of bleach stinging my nose.
Shifting on the cot, I noticed first that my fingers didn’t hurt. The weird green fire was gone. Someone had tended to me. I could smell the herbs in the salve worked into my skin and feel the tight band of gauze around my hand. The care was delicate, methodical, and all Casimir.
I blinked up at the ceiling, waiting for the sharp edges of sleep to dull, and listened.
There were voices, low and close.
“He named it!” Zane was saying. His voice was hoarse, threaded with something too fragile to be mischief. “You know what that means, right?”
A pause. Then Casimir’s voice, dry as bone.
“Noctem maledicta.”
“Alpha Toast stays now.” A soft clink of glass. Zane shelving something, probably out of order. “Law of Brumous.”
“I am surrounded by madness,” Casimir muttered.
“You invited the madness.”
“Correction. You brought him here.”
“Correction. Our wife brought him here. You might be able to tell Brummy no, but you really think you can tell her no when she looks up at you with those big gray eyes, all soft and teary?”
A snort, probably from Koa, and the soft rustle of fur.
Curious, I turned my head, and my breath caught.
Brumous was half-draped over a huge black wolf, sleeping and still, his ribs barely lifting with each breath.
Foster. He was alive. We’d been in time. Barely, it appeared. His once-glorious coat was singed and patchy, and gauze wound around most of his body. Brumous’ eyes were bright and his tail flicked once as if to say, Mine now.
Casimir stood with his arms folded and his jaw tight. He looked like he was losing an argument with himself.
“He stays,” Zane said quietly, and I realized he wasn’t joking anymore. “You saw the way Brum-Brum looked at him.”
Casimir didn’t answer right away, then he pinched the bridge of his nose like he could physically push the headache back into his skull.
“Fine. But you’re feeding him.”
“I’m not afraid. Fozzy Wozzie is halfway to domesticated. Ha! Brumous says, Alpha Toast stay now. We take care. So there!”
Zane grinned, but the corners of his eyes were red. Had he been crying? He had. Still, his smile reached deeper than before. Like something in him had been temporarily stitched back together.
Casimir swore under his breath, then his gaze shifted, and our eyes met.
“Serafina,” he said, voice softening. “You’re awake.”
“Looks like I missed something.” I swallowed. My throat felt like sandpaper.
“Just Brumous claiming Foster,” he said, coming to my side and brushing a strand of hair from my forehead.
I glanced at the pup, now dozing as he lay on Foster, tail twitching with puppy dreams. Then I looked at Casimir, whose green eyes had never left my face.
“You’d let him stay here with us?” I whispered.
“Not like I have a choice.” He shrugged, and his next words made me giggle. “Once a stray has a name, it’s already too late.”