Michelle knelt next to him and looked him over. “What happened to you?” She asked, her voice full of concern.

  Hysminai couldn’t respond to her with his voice, all he could manage was a whine and hard glance at the open door.

  Michelle ripped open one of the jars of food and laid the fish out on the floor in front of the wolf. Hysminai wasted no time in licking up the fish and eating them quickly. Michelle grimaced as the wolf eat the fish whole, “How can you eat those things like that?” Hysminai tilted his head to the side in a questioning glance as he ate the fish hungrily.

  Michelle resisted the urge to pet the injured wolf. She knew they hated to be treated in any way like dogs, but she felt so bad for him. His legs looked like they had been broken in several places. The thought that that man, their captor, not only wanted her and probably Keva as brood mothers to stay here with him was one thing, but why hurt the wolves? She was glad that they were alive, at least there was that. More than what she could say for poor Erato. Michelle knew the she-wolf was dead but there was always a small sliver of hope that she was alive, wasn’t there?

  Hysminai looked up at her and shook his head. Michelle wondered if he was gesturing to her unspoken fears, or something else. “Do you want more?” she asked pulling up another jar, the male wolf nodded but snorted four times. Michelle shrugged nodding in understanding. “You only want four this time?” she asked with a smile. Hysminai nodded. Michelle opened another jar and hooked four fish with her claw and dropped them on the floor in front of the wolf.

  She felt her skin claw as the fish juice ran down her claws. She wanted nothing more than to clean herself, but she didn’t want that disgusting stuff anywhere near her tongue or mouth or lips. She wiped her claws as best she could on the earthen floor, the front side, and then the back. It wasn’t ideal, and the dirt wasn’t really cleaning her hands, but dirt was better than that slimy nasty fish juice.

  Hysminai finished the four fish quickly and laid down, stretching himself out. Michelle looked back towards the open door, “Hysminai,” she said, “we don’t exactly have time for you to rest. We have to get the others out of here before that guy comes back.”

  Hysminai looked up sharply at the mention of ‘that guy.’ He pushed his body forward painfully and he whined low in his throat. He pushed his neck forward, showing a collar that Michelle hadn’t take the time to notice. It was attached to a thick chain, much like the one that had been around her wrists just a short time ago. Michelle leaned down and ripped the collar off the wolf with her claws in a single clean jerk.

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  Hysminai breathed deeply and pushed up on his forelegs. He rolled over which caused a loud grunt of pain from the wolf. He bent down and bit one of his legs, and then the other.

  Michelle watched as the wolf doubled over in pain, soft whines filled the room. The wolfs body spasmed and Michelle was afraid that he would hurt himself even more. The wolf thrashed around in convulsions of pain and agony. Michelle watched helplessly as the wolf’s body shuddered and finally went limp and still.

  Michelle leaned forward and started checking him for wounds. Hysminai was deathly still but Michelle could hear him breathing and she knew he was alive. Smiling in relief she got to her feet and went to the door. She stepped outside into the storm and checked around the hill. The snow was still coming down in considerable amounts, but it wasn’t blizzard conditions. Her werewolf sight let her see deep into the surrounding woods. She saw no hint of anyone there, she couldn’t smell anything in the air, and her ears didn’t detect any sounds that signaled anyone approaching. Satisfied that she and Hysminai were still alone she ducked back into the root cellar.

  A six-and-a-half-foot tall werewolf met her there. His sharp ears stood tall on the top of his head. His brown fur had black stripes throughout his body. The fur was matted with sweat and dried blood that she hadn’t noticed before was apparent up and down his legs. Other than that, though, their pack healer looked almost completely unharmed.

  “Are you alright?” Michelle asked, “you look like crap.”

  The brown werewolf’s brow furrowed as he replied with a shake of his head, “I know I’ve looked better, but I do not look like droppings.”

  Michelle scoffed as she rolled her eyes, “What happened to you? What did he do?”

  “I’d of thought that was fairly obvious, he broke mine and Soter’s hind legs. Then, as we were tied up outside, he murdered Erato in front of us, by cutting off her head. Then he clubbed us both till we fell unconscious. Next thing I know I was here chained to the floor.”

  Michelle closed her eyes and tried to keep herself from crying. Tears slowly slid down her snout anyway. “Why? Why did he do something like that?” She asked through her silent sobs.

  “I think he had some idea of breaking and training Soter and I to be, hunting dogs? Attack animals? Maybe both? I can’t say. He obviously wanted us alive, but he didn’t want us to get away either.”

  Michelle nodded, “He said something about breaking me as well, with hunger and darkness.”

  Hysminai nodded slowly, “That would be consistent with his treatment of me. Before you gave me those fish, the last time I ate was with you, in the woods.”

  Michelle nodded; she wanted to cry for their lost pack mate. Even though she had known that Erato was probably dead, she had held on to the faintest hope that she might be alive. Having it revealed to her that she was in fact murdered, and in such a casual way made her hurt. But it also made her angry.

  “Come on, we have to go free the others,” Michelle said as she swiftly picked up the jars with food remaining in them and moved back to the door.

  “Wait!” Hysminai said, turning back and moving deeper into the cellar. Michelle turned back and watched him. He grabbed a few jars from a shelf that she hadn’t noticed before. The jars held more fish. Michelle nodded, stepping through the door back out into the open.