Carl looked to the bleeding man then up to the other. Words failed him. Fear had him wanting to bolt but not without Casper.
Just then a howl ripped through the trees and he saw a streak of brown as it raced toward him. He turned in time to wrap his arms around Casper’s neck, holding him back. Carl didn’t know these men and didn’t want to chance they’d hurt the only family he had left.
“Shh, calm down, Brother,” Carl whispered into Casper’s ear. He could feel his brother’s pulse racing under his thick fur. Casper settled down and sat at his feet. He rubbed a hand over Casper’s head then stood up to face the other men. The blond man still held his gun and stood there staring at him like Carl was a lesser man than him. It angered him. He wasn’t weak. “I said to get off my property and give me back my gun.” Rage fueled his courage. Courage he hung onto by a single thread. “Did our pack send you here?”
“Huh?” The blond-haired man looked at him like he had grown a second head. “What pack?”
“Seth, help me.” The man turned to look at the one kneeling on the ground next to the man he had shot.
Carl watched as the man helped his friend pick up the one bleeding. His face had gone pale and Carl wondered if the stranger was dead.
“Do you have any first-aid supplies in your cabin?” the dark-headed man asked.
A whine had him looking down at his brother, and Casper’s sad eyes pleaded with him. Knowing it was the right thing to do, Carl waved them toward the cabin. “We don’t have much but you can help yourself.” He stopped walking and held up a hand. “But after that you have to leave. Do you understand?”
“Yeah, yeah, now get out of the way.” The blond man pushed past him, carrying the other. He shoulder-opened the door and went inside.
Casper nudged him in the thigh and Carl walked toward the cabin. Once inside he saw the blond man lay the injured man down on the makeshift bed he and Casper shared. The other man rummaged through their cabinets until he found the little first-aid box they had. It was one of the few items he had stolen. When he and Casper escaped from their alpha’s house they only had the clothes on their backs and even that wasn’t much. Carl hated to have to break the law but they needed supplies. He made a vow to someday pay back for everything he had taken.
“There’s only Band-Aids and alcohol wipes in here.” The dark-haired man sounded panicked. “We need to get him to a hospital.”
“And say what?” the other man asked. “If we go to the hospital they’ll ask questions that we cannot answer.” Carl noticed the man looked at him and his brother when he said that. “If we can get him back to my house I can call a friend.”
“You don’t have any friends!” the dark-headed man shouted at the other. He started to pace the floor.
“When I moved to Clawson I introduced myself to the pack in the area. It’s small and they have their own doctor.” He shrugged. “I can tell them there was an accident and get their assistance.”
“Good, then let’s go.” The dark-headed man grabbed a few paper towels and held them against the bleeding man’s chest.
The blond-headed man lifted the man off the bed and headed for the door. Without knowing why Carl stepped in his path. He looked down at the man’s pasty white face and felt a pain in his chest as if he had been shot. He couldn’t explain it but he didn’t want the man to leave.
“Get out the way or he’s going to die,” the man said in a gruff voice.
Carl stepped out of the way and watched as the men walked away. Something gave way in his heart and it screamed for him to go after them and follow.
He flinched when he felt a light touch to his arm.
“I can tell you are frightened of something but I swear we didn’t come here to hurt you.” The dark-headed man looked out toward his friends then back to him. “Just please don’t leave. We just want to help you and your friend.”
“He’s my brother,” Carl said without thinking about it.
“I had a hunch.” The man smiled. “I have to go but please don’t run off. It would kill Jake if your bullet doesn’t first.” With that the man took off running after his friends.
Carl watched until they were only specks in the distance.
“Do you believe them?” Casper’s voice sounded small and fearful.
“I’m not sure but I feel like we can.” He turned to his brother. “If they came here to kill us or take us back they would have done so. I think we should wait.”
Casper wrapped his boney arms around his thin body and Carl stepped forward to hug his brother. “Don’t worry, Casper. I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”
“I know you will, Carl,” Casper whispered against his neck. “And I’ll keep you safe.”
After a few minutes Carl let Casper go and told him to get dressed. Both their stomachs were growling and Carl thought it best to make some supper. Casper had caught a rabbit while out hunting and he took on the responsibility of gutting and cleaning it while his brother sat and watched.
The graying sky had darkened by the time he was finished. He tied the meat to a stick and carried it inside to lay over the fire. Every so often Casper would rotate the meat so it would cook evenly.
Carl went into the tiny kitchen and poured some water over his hands to get them cleaned. He stared out the window hoping he might see the men come back with word that Jake was okay.
Jake.
The name flowed off his tongue like a leaf flying in
