Swiftfire = Ember
Owlstorm = Finley

Summary: After being found and healed by a human named Finley, Ember decides to return the favor...

~

Stupid hunters... why do they gotta ruin-..SHIT

She had accidentally stepped with her injured leg, causing the she-wolf to stagger forward with a yelp.

Managing to stay upright, she leaned against a tree, teeth clenched as black dots swam in her vision.

I really need a doctor....but I can't risk Shifting......

She glanced around the forest, her golden eyes scanning for any danger. She sighed.

I'm nowhere near a doctor anyways...

The she-wolf turned her dark head, licking at the blood trickling from the bullet wound in her shoulder.

I might as well be crow-food....

A twig snapped, causing her ears to perk, eyes widened in alarm. She stood up fully, gritting her teeth.

The woods around her seemed silent as she listened intently, waiting.

Several more twigs snapped, closer this time, and underbrush rustled.

Ember whirled around, painfully, facing the direction of the noise. She limped a step backwards, hissing in pain.

My blood trail..... Something's following it!

Suddenly, the bushes in front of her trembled and Ember took off, crying out in fear and pain.

Her paws thundered against the ground, adrenaline filling her veins, numbing the pain slightly. Underbrush slapped her in the face as the forest passed by in a blur of green and brown.

Looking back, she saw something step out of the bushes, looking her direction. The she-wolf couldn't tell what it was as she ran further and further away.

Take that suck-..! Ember cried out as her injured leg caught a root, sending her tumbling down a steep sudden incline she had failed to notice.

Her head slammed against a tree, stopping her fall. The she-wolf gasped in pain and laid limp, her shoulder searing in agony.

The she-wolf, breathing ragged and body aching, ignored the sound of leaves crunching coming closer and closer.

Only when a figure appeared at the top of the steep slope did Ember glance upwards, vision blurry. She couldn't tell what it was, but she knew it was coming towards her.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes, accepting her fate. Battered and bruised, Ember surrendered to the darkness, only one thought crossed her mind:

Let my death be swift...

~

"Not a single feather." Finley muttered. He paused, looking around, shading his eyes from the sun with a hand.

I always find feathers when I don't need to. All of a sudden I need one and it's like they disappeared from the face of the Earth.

He scanned the trees around him, searching for a bird, or a feather. He'd take anything at this point.

He hesitated, hearing a distant gunshot as it echoed through the forest, too far away for him to worry about.

The 23-year-old sighed and sat down on a log. He set his backpack on the ground, pulling out a waterbottle and taking a sip.

I didn't think it was hunting season already...

Hearing movement, Finley glanced upwards, only to see a squirrel scurrying across the branch of a tree nearby.

He smiled to himself, and pulled out a bag of trail mix. Hearing the bag crinkle, the squirrel perked its ears, stopping in its tracks and looked down at Finley.

Popping a handful of the trail mix in his mouth, Finley scattered some peanuts on the ground in front the tree.

The squirrel chattered happily, scurrying down the tree and over to the peanuts.

I might as well be Snow White.

Opening the backpack once more, Finley pulled out a sketchbook and pencil, flipped to a fresh page and started sketching.

Glancing upwards, he watched the squirrel eat, its bushy tail twitching. It flicked an ear as it bit into a peanut, chewing frantically.

The squirrel paused, ears perked, tail still.

Finley noticed this and paused, confused.

I wonder what-... A cry pierced the silence, sending the squirrel scurrying off.

"What in the world?" Finley said.

He gathered his sketchbook, pencil, water bottle and trail mix, throwing them into his backpack and stood up.

That sounded like an animal in pain...

He started walking towards the direction of the sound, pushing through bushes and ducking under branches.

He walked for awhile, determined to find the injured...whatever it was. Unless it was a bear. If it was a bear he was gonna make a run for it.

Finley cringed at the mental imagine of a bear eating him for lunch. He shook his head, brushed some leaves out of his hair and pressed on.

Underbrush pulled at his clothing, and branches snagged on his backpack, causing him to stumble forward.

Using a tree to help stand back up, he froze as his nose caught a metallic scent.

Blood.

Looking around, Finley spotted a boulder with what looked like fresh blood smeared on it.

Glancing downward, he realized there was a trail of blood droplets at his feet.

He crouched down.

Definitely fresh...

His eyes followed the trail as he stood up, noticing more blood smears up ahead.

He walked along the trail some more, pausing when he heard more movement.

Finley spotted a dark shape beyond some bushes, but it was obscured by underbrush, so he couldn't tell what it was.

Slowly creeping towards the bushes, he stuck a hand out to part them.

However, as soon as his hand touched the bush, the creature let out a cry and took off again, causing Finley to jump.

Ow!

Rubbing his head from where he hit it on a branch, he stepped through the bushes, finally catching sight of the animal as it ran off.

It was a wolf, with a dark gray, almost black pelt.

I've never seen a wolf around here before... normally they're deeper in the forest and keep to themselves...

As soon as the wolf had been swallowed by the forest once more, Finley hesitated.

Was this the result of that gunshot earlier?

Shaking his head, he followed the direction the wolf took off in, wincing when he heard another cry of pain.

Worried, Finley started to run, skidding to a stop before a steep slope.

He spotted the wolf immediately, crumpled at the base of a tree.

It must've fell down the slope...poor thing

He climbed down, half walking and half sliding his way towards the injured wolf.

Getting closer, his breath hitched when he caught sight of the wolf's blood soaked shoulder.

Stumbling to a stop, Finley cautiously approached the wolf, observing it carefully.

It was a she-wolf. Her dark colored pelt was littered with the occasional leaf or twig, and, besides her shoulder, looked pretty healthy overall.

Her shoulder had a gunshot wound, the fur around it wet with blood.

Finley crouched down, reaching a hand out in front of the wolf's muzzle, checking for breath. He sighed in relief, seeing the she-wolf's flank move up and down, breathing ragged against his hand.

Let's get you fixed up...

~

Ugh...

Ember opened her eyes, blinking sleepily.

She yawned, flicking an ear, whimpering when she felt the dull ache of her shoulder return.

Wait...

She lifted her head looking at her shoulder. The blood had been cleaned from her fur, and her wound had been wrapped in bandages.

The she-wolf observed her surroundings.

Where......am I?

She appeared to be a in bedroom of some sorts, laying on a rather comfy bed.

A window, with curtains drawn, was on the wall to the left of her.

The room didn't have much decor, so Ember assumed it was a guest room of sorts.

She sat up shakily, wincing slightly. Turning her head, she sniffed at the bandages, catching the sharp scent of medicine.

One thing's for sure.... I'm better then I was earlier.... but who did this?

The door knob rattled, causing Ember to jump, sending a jolt of pain in her shoulder.

Gritting her teeth, she stood up on the bed, backing away as the door slowly opened.

A human!

He was about 5'6" with short, wavy, brown hair and light brown eyes.

"You're awake! I was getting worried..."

Ember growled, baring her teeth and hackles raised.

The human raised his hands, in a submissive non-threatening way.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

Ember faltered for a second, then shook her head, baring her teeth again.

Try me asshole!

The human took a step forward, and Ember stepped back, now snarling.

With a sigh, the guy shook his head,  then cautiously walked over to the window, keeping his distance from she-wolf, and opened the curtains.

Blinking in the sudden sunlight, Ember watched as the human walked away from the window and back to the door, standing nervously in the doorway.

"Uh...er....listen, I know you're scared.. (Ember snorted and rolled her eyes at this statement) but I promise I'm not gonna hurt you."

The human scratched the back of his neck.

The she-wolf looked him up and down,  her golden eyes narrowed as she settled into a sitting position.

"Well, uh, my name's Finley. I'll leave the door open, but you need to rest. It wasn't easy getting that bullet out of your shoulder, so you need all the rest you can get."

Ember's ears perked in surprise.

He fixed up my shoulder?

The huma- er, Finley, turned to leave, but paused.

"I'll be in the kitchen if you need me. "

He gave a small smile, then left.

Flopping on the bed, clenching her jaw in pain, Ember processed her thoughts.

So... that's not the hunter who shot me?

She glanced at the doorway.

He seemed.....nice...I guess....

The she-wolf shook her head, her ears flopping and growled at herself.

What am I saying?! He's a human! I can't trust him...

...

Can I?