Rebirth of the last flame

chapter nine: changing pt3

Makumi was relentless in her attacks and Dakota had no choice but to defend himself. It was all like a dream, was this really Makumi? Those innocent brown doe eyes now looked feral, burning with the flames of madness.

Dakota didn't want to hurt Makumi, but right now he doubted if this was Makumi, it was like she did not recognise who he was anymore.

The two wolves continued to battle it out, one out of her mind and the other trying to save a friend...neither of them backing down..

"hang in there Makumi.."

Dakota's heart was pounding fast as he tried to subdue Makumi, but she wasn't having any of it, her wolf was out of control and didn't want to be held down, but realising the foe before it was much powerful, Makumi escaped once more, running pass the tall trees and down the hill, before coming to stop near the roaring water fall, trapped with nowhere else to run.

Dakota had caught up to her, he stalked her movements, blocking her off.

Makumi on the other hand felt her mind start to waver once more as she let out a blood curdling howl, the pain was unbearable . Balancing on her hind legs Makumi began to shift between forms, wolf to girl to pig, she just couldn't control how her body morphed, it was hell for the girl.

Dakota stood not too far from her, he was terrified as he too shifted back to his human form, he tried to get close, but anytime he did, Makumi would step closer to edge, she was too close to it and this worried him, he need to do something fast.

In the confusion Makumi caught his gaze, tears glistening in her red eyes, she muttered the words

"help...me... please..."

Everything seems to move in slow motion as she tipped over the edge of the the water fall, plummeting to her eminent demise, down to the very last moment, all she felt was agonising pain.

" AVA!!!" Dakota yelled as he ran after her, without hesitation, he jumped after her, desperately reaching out to grab the girl. They both hit the surface of the water with a great SPLASH!!! and everything turned silent except for the rushing sounds of water around.

It looked as though neither of them made it, but...just as the chapter on their lives was about to turn over, right on the dying minute, Dakota broke through the surface of the water gasping for air, an unconscious Makumi in his grasps as he pulled her up to shore.

He might have survived but she wasn't moving.

"No...not again..." Dakota Turned her over, laying her flat on the ground as he attempted to revive her. Makumi's mouth had been open so she had taken in a significant amount of water which suffocated her lungs.

"breath DAMN YOU..I can't lose another one...I know you can hear me Makumi...open your DAMNED EYES" he yelled at her unmoving body,before attaching his lips to her cold and pale ones, desperately trying to get oxygen into her lungs as he pumped her chest with enough pressure to get the water out...

"Please.....don't do this to me god, you gave me Ava,but you took her from me. You sent me Makumi...please,don't take her from me too...I beg you" tears began roll down his face for the first time in a very long time.

Wrapping his arms around Makumi, Dakota engulfed her in a warm embrace, rocking their bodies back and forth. She had to wake up, she just had too.

"there's a place over the mountains...a place I called home, home is here with me and you, so please don't go.. please don't...go..."

Dakota sang to her, a song he had long forgotten the lyrics too, a song filled with so much pain, loneliness and heartache that had been buried for so long now.

He just sat there on the ground unmoving as he let the tears roll down silently. a single tear drop reached where Makumi, then another.

Asif by some miracle, Makumi drew in a sharp breath as she began to heave uncontrollably, coughing out the water in her lungs, her eyes then flew open as she gasped hungrily for air.

"Makumi!!!" Dakota yelled as he fidgeted with the girl in his arms as though she would break.

slowly the cough subsided as she became a little bit stable.

"Da..Kota?..I'm.... alive??" Her vision started to clear up as she stared up with a dazed expression.

"Damn it Makumi...I thought I lost you.." said Dakota, still shaken as he hugged her close.

"a..are you alright..." He asked as he let go of her and she smiled.

"a little sore...you called me Makumi"

despite almost literally dying, that was the one thing that concerned her and he gave her a quizzical look "isn't that your name??"

"It is, but you've never called me by my name before.." she laughed. after thinking about it, Dakota smiled at her, he let out an airy chuckle and hearing her laugh seemed to put him at ease.she reminded him soo much of Ava. Even after dancing with death,she still had a smile.

"Come...let's go home." Standing to his feet, Dakota picked her up and but her on his back before transforming. "I'll carry you.."

Makumi had a smile on her face as she cuddled closer into his fur, this was the first time he'd let her get this close to him and it warmed her heart.

"your fur....it's so soft and you smell like wild flowers.." Makumi complimented him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"hang on tight....piggie"

The journey back home was quick, but by the time they reached the cottage, the sun had begun to rise and Makumi had already fallen asleep.

cradling her in his arms, Dakota took her to his room, instead of hers since it had been properly wrecked the night before, he would need to fix it up first before she can use it, but for now, she would use his bed.

The girl slept soundly as he carefully changed her out of the wet clothes so she wouldn't catch a cold.

it's not considered peeking if you're just looking after someone, right? Dakota wondered as he tried hard not to think of anything negative as he changed her without looking at her body.

"hm, who could have guessed I'd be needing these again..." He mumbled to himself as he pulled out a trunk underneath his bed.

since most of his clothing would have been too big for her, he thought he'd just let her borrow a few old ones that belonged to someone dear to him. In the trunk sat a set of female clothing and it fit Makumi perfectly.

up until now, Makumi had only two pairs of clothing, the ones he had given her, to which she reshaped and the ones she had been wearing the day she had come home with him.

Letting out a long breath, he closed the trunk. "maybe I should give these to her when she wakes up..." Dakota thought to himself, it wasn't asif he would wear them and they would just keep on collecting dust.

Deciding to let her take her rest, Dakota got up and left. Since the day Makumi found her way into his life, his home had been a little less lonely. Although she was bashful and strong headed, she was still kind and gentle, but even at that, he realised he didn't know her as well as he had thought.

"you have a lot of explaining to do piggie"

while she laid there in his bed with the covers over her, she looked peaceful. Her long lashes dusted her pale cheeks, her lips were full and plump, the way her short brown hair sprawled across the pillow made her look like a delicate flower. She looked so young.

Dakota couldn't explain it, but he suddenly had the intense urge to protect this girl.

After studying her sleeping form some more, he stepped out of the room, shutting the door with a light thud.