Chapter 3

Number 42’s POV

My body felt as though it had been shattered again as I was tossed and turned in the undercurrent. The water was murky, visibility was poor, and my chest burned as I tried to hold my breath.

I was too weak for this. Whatever athletic ability I may have held had vanished a long time ago.

‘Let me take over little one. Rest a while. You have done well.’ The voice insisted as I let myself be pushed backwards and let the darkness carry me a while.

When I came round again, I was curled up in a small cave. The entrance was blocked by what I assume was a waterfall, as a sheet of water fell continuously just out of reach.

‘It was tricky to get here. The water will distort any scent trails, but so far, no one has come looking.’ The voice said gently.

The gnawing hunger that so often plagued me was noticeably absent as I stood and walked to the entrance.

The areas where the bitch had removed my flesh seemed to have healed a little, which took me by surprise. It usually took me longer than this to see any improvements in the injuries they caused.

‘We ate. I do not think you were aware of the transformation. When it happens again, it will not be as painful as the first time, but it will still hurt.’

“Transformation? What transformation? What are you talking about?”

‘I know you are not aware of our true nature and have been disbelieving when I have tried to explain.’ The voice spoke cautiously, pausing briefly before continuing.

‘I am your wolf.’

I must have finally lost the plot. There was no way that I had a wolf living inside of me.

Considering everything that I had been through, it wouldn’t surprise me if I had gone a little crazy. I’m fairly sure having bits cut out of various parts of my body must cause some sort of irrational response.

‘I promise you I am deadly serious. Take a look out of the cave and tell me if an unconscious human would be able to navigate these rock faces.’

As I peered over the ledge, at the sheer drop and fragile looking ledge that I must have navigated, I had to hand it to the voice inside me. It had a pretty good point.

“So what now, voice?” I asked curiously. “We have our freedom. What do we do now?”

‘I think… I think we should roam. Roam and hunt and explore and leave this place far behind us.’

“I think I may need a little time to recover. I do not have a lot of strength, I am tired. So very VERY tired.” I sighed as I sank to the floor and sat, looking over the riverbank below us.

‘Understandably so. We will get through this. You can sleep in your human form and we will hunt and run free in my wolf form. We are a team.’ The voice soothed.

I smiled in response. The warmth spreading as it began to sink in.

We had done it.

We were free.

When the sun set that night, I ventured down to the pool that the waterfall ran into.

Peering at my reflection in the water, illuminated by the moonlight, I stripped free of my stained and bloodied rags and entered the chilly waters naked.

The touch of the water on my skin was exhilarating. A feeling of utter bliss that I will always treasure.

It felt as if my soul was reborn and I was being cleansed of the evil done to me.

I laid, floating in the waters of the river for a time and let myself be carried by the current. The sight of the stars and the clouds scuttling overhead in the night sky filled my heart with joy and a childlike wonder.

Eventually, I made my way to the shoreline and spent a little time attempting to clean the blood and grime out of my hair, but some stains remained. It would come out eventually.

‘Will you let me come forward?’ The voice asked tentatively.

‘Of course!’ I agreed without hesitation.

I had been warned it would be painful, but the pain did not scare me anymore. I had the scars I wore like a shield as testament to my resilience.

As my bones cracked and reformed, writhing in agony upon the ground, the voice reassured me that it would only be momentary. That it would be worth the pain.

The more we ‘shifted’, the less painful it would become. My body had to memorize the motions, like a torturous dance, before it would become as easy as breathing.

So I gritted my teeth and silently undertook the transformation.

I was still in control, the owner of the voice at my side as we stared out of the same two eyes. A shared consciousness within one body that held two forms.

We padded to the river, and I stared in wonder at the beautiful reflection before me. Golden eyes stared back, set amongst sandy red fur and a golden muzzle.

As I turned to admire my reflection, I saw the underbelly of white that blended seamlessly into the gold before the main coat of sandy red hue ran along my body and almost to the tip of my tail.

I felt the voice preen. We were indeed beautiful. I had never seen a wolf the same.

“Well, it looks like you were telling the truth, after all. I guess I shouldn’t have given you such a hard time,” I told the voice apologetically.

‘It’s ok. I understand it must have been difficult to believe. But this is the reason they tortured you so. Our blood is exceedingly rare and will lend power to the dark spells they work. She would gloat about the uses for the parts of our body that she harvested whilst I locked you away. It would have been hard for you to manage the torment in your weakened state.’ The voice explained sadly.

“I don’t think I ever thanked you properly for all that you did for us, for me, while we were there. So… thank you.” I communicated seriously from my heart.