The Last Call of A Broken Wolf

The Stranger

Everything hurt...everything, breathing, blinking, and trying to reach out to Fen, that hurt the worst. It was empty, his wolf was gone, replaced by a hole so deep that Thorin felt he couldn't breath, he dug deeper, calling out to Fen but there was no response. He felt his breath come quicker as he struggled to contain his panic.

"Deep breaths boy."

Thorin couldn't see anything, without Fen lending him his wolf sight, he was left with only his human vision. He smelled smoke nearby and heard the crackling of a fire to his right. He tried to turn his head to look but pain radiated from his back, it felt hot and sticky, without Fen to heal the wounds delt from his father, he would have to bear them like a regular human would.

"Where..." he tried to speak but his throat was dry and cracked, his words slurred and dispute having just woken up he felt exhausted.

"Away from your pack." The voice answered, it was low and gruff, yet it radiated calm.

"My wolf?"

"Asleep."

Thorin inhaled sharply, he felt angry, but also cautious about displaying that anger to this person he could not see.

"Good control." The man said softly, it was a comment that only served to make Thorin angrier. If the man sensed this though he did not comment on it.

the silence stretched between them as Thorin took in his surroundings, They were in the woods, that much was clear, the sounds of wildlife moving around them was evident even to his human ears. He turned his head cautiously and hissed in pain.

"You will have to heal that injury on your own, your wolf will not be helping you."

"The f**k you mean?!" He growled, as suddenly as the words left his mouth he wished they had stayed. The man's hand slapped him across the face and he cried out in pain.

"Try again." There was no mockery in his tone, just a statement.

"why can't I move?" Thorin asked after a minute.

"Wolfsbane, restraints and a back injury." This time Thorin could see a shadow off to his right, it was a large shadow, sitting in front of the fire, he had his back to him... so how had he moved so fast before? The boy pondered this for a moment as he considered his options. It was the Wolfsbane that was keeping Fen suppressed, he had read a book once that had a theory about how to get around that. it took a mastery over ones own body to achieve usually and it involved increasing your heart rate to faster metabolize the Wolfsbane, if it had been injected into him then it would just be a matter of time before it was flushed from his system. He also needed water, continuous urination could work too, sweating might do it as well.

"Water?" he asked

"No" came the gruff reply, leaving no room for argument.

He's gotta be onto that method, Thorin thought to himself. "Who are you?" the question he should have asked earlier came out

"Tyr."

"Where is my father?" he asked

"Not here."

Thorin snorted, "no shit." the slap came just as suddenly and with just as much force as the first time.

"What the f**k!" he yelled, and then realized his mistake as soon as the next slap came, he could taste blood in his mouth and turned his head to the side to spit it out.

"Why can't I cuss?"

"You wish to be the next alpha, speak less and act more, only fools cuss and give a window into their rage." Tyr turned from the fire and for the first time Thorin got a good look at him, he was about the same age as his father, his jaw was chiseled and covered with a full beard, His hair was short and well kept dispute the fact that they where in the middle of the woods. He wore black military cargo pants tucked into leather boots, and plaid shirt buttoned only halfway. Thorin snorted as he stared at him, "you look like a lumberjack." The man ignored the taunt and turned away from him, "if you want your back to heal, best sleep on your stomach tonight."

Thorin watched in stunned silence as the man laid down on a sleeping bag and from all appearances went to sleep.

"What the f**k is going on." he muttered, and yelped as a rock hit him in the head, Shoulda seen that one coming, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice...ha, shame on me.

Thorin didn't remember drifting off to sleep, but he must have because the next thing he knew a steel toe boot was nudging him awake.

"Up."

sweet slicked his forehead and he looked around, he was cold and hot at the same time, a wave of nausea hit him and he rolled into his side and vomited.

"I don't feel so good Tyr." he murmured, surprisingly the man rolled him away from his vomit and back onto his sleeping bag.

"Turn over boy." Dispute not liking being told what to do, Thorin didn't really see himself having a choice in the matter, he rolled pathetically to one side and Tyr pushed him the rest of the way over. "Gotta sit up."

"Can't..." he answered pathetically. But Tyr wasn't having any of that, Thorin screamed in agony as pressure was put into his wounded back. "Sit up now." tears flowed freely from his eyes as he tried to comply but he was far too weak, no Fen, meant infection, and having never dealt with anything like this before, the boy couldn't think of anything worse then what he was going through right now.

He felt himself jerked roughly into a sitting position, Tyr, seeming to understand that Thorin wasn't trying to fight him anymore moved his knee in front of him and allowed Thorin to rest there. He felt the bandages that had been applied the night before being removed, at some point a rag had been shoved in his mouth, though he couldn't remember that exchange and he eventually passed out from the agony, It appeared Tyr was not known for his bedside manner.

He woke up again when Tyr dumped a bucket of water on his head, leaving him coughing and gasping for air. "What the f**k is wrong with you!" He screamed, and was rewarded with the usual backhand to the face. Can't do anything right apparently. He thought to himself bitterly, He just wanted to not be in pain, But when he had asked for something for the pain the man had simply stared at him and walked away.

Their little camp was quickly packed up, the fire put out, He had watched hungrily as the man ate his breakfast and drank his coffee, never offering him any, and ignoring him when he asked. After packing everything up he chained Thorin to a tree and left to get the truck that he had apparently his the night before. Left alone for the first time in 24 hours he struggled to break free of his chains dispute being weak with fever. After that failed he had begged and reached deep into his mind looking for Fen, but to no avail, it was as if the wolf had never even existed. The frustration caused tears to prick at his eyes, blurring his vision, he thrashed against his restraints, feeling the skin around the handcuffs cut and bleed as he did.

The roar of a truck engine stopped him, and he pressed his head against the tree ass Tyr came back, the man did not seem to care or notice that he had clearly been trying to break free of the handcuffs. "Where is my wolf!" He roared suddenly, and the man looked up from loading stuff into the truck.

"Asleep." his face remained expressionless and he continued to load the truck, after a while everything but Thorin was loaded up. which begged the question, how was this going to work?

"Hard way or easy way?" The man stated, he reached in his front pocket and pulled out a vile and syringe.

"What is that?"

As usual no answer from his frustratingly silent captor, but as he drew up whatever was in that vile he weighed his options. as if he knew what he was thinking the man glanced up and flicked the tip of the needle to grt he bubbles out.

"Easy way, you ride in the back seat and get to come inside when we get were we are going."

The offer was appealing, "What is that?" his voice was quiet.

"Wolfsbane and a sedative." he responded.

He immediately backed away and let out a sharp yelp as his back hit the tree behind him. "I'll not run, please let me have Fen back, please, I'm serious I need him."

"only 2 choices."

Thorin wasn't sure if it was his demeanor or the shift to defensive position that caused the man to choose for him but he had apparently chosent the hard way. To call it a fight was kind, it was more just the man holding Thorin down and shoving a needle in his neck, at which he immediately fell unconscious. but not before biting the man's left arm so hard it drew blood. Fight a wolf you get the teeth, he thought as he slipped yet again into the void.