Chapter 14 #3
“Put me down!” Virgil shouted while his head was raised. “I’m going to throw up.”
As soon as Krys set him on the ground, Virgil clutched the fence and retched.
When he finished, he raised his head and unleashed a feral scream that sent Luna running. “This is it. I’m gonna die from a snakebite. That thing was a mile long.”
Catcher rocketed toward us while barking the whole way. When he arrived on the scene, he smelled everyone and then followed our scent into the woods.
Virgil bent over and lifted up one side of his spandex shorts. We could see the red puncture marks easily where the blood was trickling out. It must’ve hit a vein.
Krys wiped his hand over his mouth. “Wild animals really don’t fucking like you.”
My blood chilled when Catcher unleashed a vicious sound, then went silent.
A few seconds later, he bounded onto the scene with an enormous headless rattlesnake in his mouth, the long body dragging behind him.
It looked six or seven feet long. Catcher violently shook his head as if trying to kill it again.
Virgil squeezed his leg above the wound. “Do you have a knife?”
Krys whipped out a switchblade, which Virgil snatched out of his hand. Virgil growled through clenched teeth as he cut through the wound. Two rivulets of blood snaked down his leg. “Suck out the poison or I’ll die!”
Krys knelt in front of him and examined the wound.
“Please suck it.”
“No wonder you can’t get a date.” Krys wrapped his hands around Virgil’s right thigh, tilted his head, and began sucking out the venom. He spat out blood several times while Virgil moaned and whimpered.
I looked at Catcher and wondered if the snake might’ve bitten him too. “Easy, boy. Come here.” I crouched and searched all around his face and paws, but he seemed okay. Only tired and anxious from all the panting. “Can you get Tak? Go get him!”
He grabbed the snake back in his mouth and took off.
Krys sat back. “My mouth is getting numb. Are you sure you’re supposed to suck out the blood?”
Virgil clutched the base of his throat. “That’s what they do in the movies.
Spit, don’t swallow. If I had a nickel for every time I—” He grimaced and squeezed his eyes shut.
“It burns! It feels like someone’s stabbing me with a hot iron.
” Dropping the switchblade, he looked around with uncertainty. “I need to sit down and put my leg up.”
“No!” I ran and tucked myself against him for support. “The venom will move through your body faster that way. We need to carry you back to the house and call Salem.”
Virgil began sweating, and I worried he might have seizures or faint and then we’d never get him back.
Krys kept spitting. “I don’t think that was such a hot idea.”
I backed Virgil up to the fence and looked at Krys.
“Can you carry him back to the house? If he walks himself, it’ll increase the circulation.
That can’t be a good thing with venom. We should keep him still.
What do you think?” I stepped back, clearly out of my element and terrified anything we did might make it worse.
Krys wiped his mouth and turned around to offer Virgil a ride on his back. “Come on, buddy.”
Thundering hoofbeats ripped across the earth in our direction. Tak was astride his white horse with Catcher leading the way. Tak slid off just as the horse came to a halt. “Who got bit?”
I pointed at Virgil just as Krys stood up.
Tak pulled down Virgil’s biker shorts. “Take these off before you swell.” He examined the wound closely and looked up at Krys. “Tell me you didn’t suck out the poison.”
Krys wiped his bloodstained lips and goatee. “He told me to.”
Tak muttered in another language. “That’s not what you do.
” He pulled a leather pouch from his pocket.
“White men,” he grumbled with a shake of his head.
“You watch too many movies.” He stuffed a handful of something into Virgil’s mouth.
“Chew on that. Swallow some but spit the rest into your hand and put it on the wound.”
Virgil chewed. “What is it?”
“Snakeroot, herbs, some other roots.” Then he gave a little to Krys. “Chew on that for a minute and spit. Don’t swallow.”
“Fucking hell,” Krys complained. “Never had so many people want me to put something in my mouth and then spit.” He shoved the medicine into his mouth and chewed.
Tak dusted off his hands. “It’s not a cure, but it’ll help until we get Salem. I called him away from a job when Catcher went batshit crazy outside with all his barking. Then I saw the snake.”
Virgil spit chewed-up leaves into his hand, then spread it over the wound.
Tak folded up the biker shorts and flattened it over the snake bite. “Give me your belt,” he ordered Krys.
Krys pulled off his belt, and they secured it around Virgil’s thigh.
Virgil moaned and clutched his Packmaster. “It burns. It’s getting worse.”
“You’re lucky I made this,” Tak said. “When I saw the snake recently, I said to myself that someone was going to get bit. And here you are.”
“Here I am.” Virgil’s eyes were red and watery, his lips swollen.
“Help me get him on the horse,” Tak said.
Both he and Krys lifted Virgil onto the mare, who obediently stood as if she knew this wasn’t playtime. Then Tak gave Krys a boost to sit behind him.
Tak took the reins and led the mare toward the house.
“Is he going to be okay?” I asked.
“We’ll see. It depends on how much poison there is. Snakebites are bad news.”
Virgil whimpered in pain.
“You’re gonna be fine,” Krys said, his tone more comforting than before. “Salem will patch you up.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Virgil securing the hat on his head. Honestly, I didn’t care about my panties anymore, but it made me tear up that he would keep my secret in the face of death.
Tak quickened his pace. “I gave him an old remedy used by my people. Human tribes used it long ago, but I don’t know how much it helped them. A few of the plants are toxic, but it works well enough to counter the venom. Let’s hope Salem can help.”
“I feel just awful. It’s all because of me.”
He glanced down at me as we continued walking. “You needed help, and we offered.”
“But I never wanted anyone to get hurt.”
“You can’t predict the future, can you? We accept the dangers of living out here.
Many times we’ve encountered snakes while swimming at the river.
It doesn’t stop us from living. Our wolves avoid snakes, but we have to be more careful.
People aren’t watchful in winter because the snakes are less active.
” He gestured to a fallen tree. “You see that?”
I noticed all the beautiful white patterns that looked like graffiti. “What is it?”
“Bird shit,” he said, gesturing upward. “From an eagle’s nest. They usually take care of the snakes.”
“If they stay this close to the house, they might take care of your chickens too.”
He clucked his tongue to speed Luna up.
I glanced behind us. Krys’s arms were locked around Virgil to keep him from falling.
“What can I do?” I hated this helpless feeling. Would he even want my help? I had already done enough.
Luna snorted behind us, and Tak gave the reins a firmer tug. “Did you find your locket?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Precious things are irreplaceable. If you want to work, that’s all I expect of you. But if you want to help, you can run ahead and see if Salem’s home. Tell him what happened. He’ll know what to do.”