{REUPLOADED}

Concept: {Lumine AU} Cal and Harry's final twenty four hours.

[6490 words approx.]

//

My name is Harry Lewis.

The world I live in is a dangerous one. There's four types of people. Humans, weredogs, witches, and finally, the rarest and strongest of all. Werewolves.

I am a werewolf, in a city full of hunters.

My kind have been hunted to near extinction, forced to hide our true selves from everyone.

And this was my last twenty four hours.

//

12:03am

"Hey, Harry?" Slurs Cal, from where he's sat on the carpet next to me, a can of beer in his hand.

"Yeah Cal?" I respond, my voice sounding foreign in my own head. I'm honestly not sure how we ended up here, drunk on my bedroom floor, but that's in the past now.

"What's your biggest secret?" He asks, tipping his head to the side to examine me better. I hum in thought.

"I'm not sure if I can tell you. It'd be dangerous for both of us if I did," I respond, and he pouts.

"It can't be as bad as mine," he says.

"Well, let's see then. I'll tell if you will," I challenge. He smirks at me, in his usual cocky way, and I see the tip of his tail twitch.

"Alright, deal," Cal says, holding his hand out for me to shake. I take it for a moment, before letting go. "On three, yeah?" He adds, looking at me sternly.

I nod. "On three. One, two, three."

"I'm a werewolf." We both say at the exact same time, before looking at each other, utterly dumbfounded.

"You're not," Cal says, staring at me intently. "I've seen your weredog form, and it's way too scrawny for that."

"I have two forms, weredog and werewolf," I explain, still feeling a little confused about the situation. Although, Cal being a werewolf would explain some things. He never transforms. Ever. I just assumed it was because he doesn't like it. But this makes much more sense.

"Lucky," he says bitterly, taking a sip from his can. "I'm stuck never being able to transform, and having people grow more and more suspicious of me for why I won't."

"What do you look like? In wolf form?" I ask, and he shakes his head.

"I can't show you. It's dangerous enough to talk about it. We don't know who might be listening," Cal says, seeming to sober up a little. He's right. Hunters have eyes and ears everywhere. For all we know, Lux could be one. It's all a risk.

"What if we went away?" I ask, and he furrows his eyebrows. "Out of the city. We could live out in the fields. Nobody would bother us."

Cal laughs drily. "Nice dream babe, but you know we can't do that."

"Why couldn't we?" I say defiantly. "We could be free."

"I'm too tired, and drunk to have this conversation with you properly," Cal says, standing up and throwing his empty can in the bin beside my desk. "Let's just go to bed, and see if we remember any of this in the morning."

I let out a sigh, but also stand up. "Fine," I say. He strips quickly down to his underwear, and climbs into my bed. I walk over to switch off the light, and take off my shirt, before getting into bed with my back to him. He sighs, and wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me closer.

"C'mon babe, don't be mad. I'm just trying to be realistic," Cal says, his breath tickling the back of my neck. I pull my tail out from between us, and wrap if over my hip. "I'd love to do that, but we can't run forever. And we're safe here for the moment."

"Yeah, I know," I huff, grabbing onto one of his hands, and allowing myself to relax back into his chest. "It was just a thought."

"Get some sleep. I love you," he whispers, pressing a kiss to the nape of my neck.

"Love you too Cal."

//

4:16am

"Come on you lazy arses, time to get up!" Shouts Lux, coming loudly into my bedroom. My head already hurts from drinking too much last night, and this is not improving the situation. I hear Cal groan, and he presses his face between my shoulder blades.

"Fuck off Lux," grumbles Freezy, his grip on my waist tightening. Suddenly the duvet is ripped from on top of us.

"No, get up. You told me to wake you guys up when I was starting work, so here I am," Lux says smugly. I crack open my eye, and catch sight of the clock on the bedside table. It's literally twenty past four. I look at Lux, who's stood at the end of the bed, his bright green eyes glowing as the duvet hovers in the air above us.

"Alright, we're up," I say, propping myself up on one elbow. "Why're you're working at twenty past fucking four in the morning?"

"It's twenty past four?" Shouts Freezy, finally lifting his head up, and seeming outraged.

"I'm working on potions today, and wanted an early start," shrugs Lux, and Cal flips him off, settling back down. Lux promptly drops the duvet back on top of us, and then exits the room.

"Prick," mutters Cal under his breath, glaring in the direction of the door. I can feel his tail twitching furiously under the blankets. He lets out a loud yawn, and rubs a hand over his face. "Woke us up at four, and I've got a bloody hangover too."

"Maybe we shouldn't randomly stay up drinking until midnight when we both have work the next day?" I suggest, and Cal makes a noise of agreement. "But, on the plus side, we have a few hours to do what we like before work."

"Whatever could we get up to?" Cal murmurs, tracing his hands up and down my bare stomach. I shiver slightly at the sensation, and turn over. Gently, I push him onto his back, and straddle his waist, my palms planted firmly on his chest. His large hands rest lightly on my hips.

"You two better not be thinking about having sex!" Calls Lux, and Cal growls.

"We've got at least five hours before we need to leave for work, so we'll do what the fuck we like, thank you!" Shouts Freezy.

"Whatever," Lux shouts back. I smile down at Cal, who's quietly seething beneath me.

"Hey, relax," I say, cupping his cheeks and leaning down. Cal closes his eyes and sighs. I take this as an opportunity to press a gentle kiss to the tip of his nose. "You're fine, we're fine. Just calm down. We can stay here for a bit, if you like."

"Yeah, I'd like that," he mumbles, tracing his thumbs over my hipbones.

//

5:09am

After two rounds of lazy sex - one in bed and the second in the shower, we both head into the kitchen to make food. Lux is leaning against one of the counters, stirring his coffee with magic. His eyes glow brighter as he watches the spoon move of its own accord around the mug.

"You're so lazy, you know that?" Huffs Freezy. Lux just smirks at him.

"And you're salty because you can't use magic," he retorts. I laugh at this.

"You're right, he definitely is," I say, and Freezy glares at me lightheartedly as he puts some bread in the toaster. "I remember him telling me once, that he wishes he was a witch, not a weredog."

"I never said that," protests Freezy.

"Being a witch is pretty great," Lux says, sipping his coffee. "I love learning new spells, and how to make new potions and stuff like that."

"And finding out all the illegal spells you can do," mutters Freezy, and Cal glares at him.

"Illegal spells are bullshit. There's no reason people shouldn't know them. The only reason they're illegal is because-"

"They're dangerous to try and perform if you're not powerful enough," I finish his sentence. "I know. And of course, a smug bastard like you ends up being powerful enough." Freezy sniggers at this.

"Well, Cal, you won't be laughing when I tell you about a powerful illegal spell I found the other day," Lux says, trying his best to sound impressive.

"What've you found now?" I ask.

"Well, you know how I found a spell that will allow me to transform into a weredog?" He says, and I nod. "Well, I found a spell that allows you to transform into a werewolf." I notice Freezy tense slightly at the mention of the word.

"The catch is, I need blood from one to do it. And that'd require some deep level black market scavenging," Lux says. "Do you reckon it'd be worth it?"

"No," snaps Freezy. "Do you think werewolf blood grows on trees? You want to be the cause that more of them die?" Lux raises his hands defensively.

"Alright man, jeez. I didn't realise you felt so strongly about it," Lux says, noticing Cal's flattened ears, and tail that's swishing angrily. Cal forces himself to relax.

"Sorry Lux, don't mind him. He's just tired and hungover," I say, sparing a glance at Freezy. He makes a vague noise of agreement.

"It's fine bro, I shouldn't of asked you guys something like that. I guess it's a bit of a touchy subject, since werewolves are kind of like your brothers," Lux says. Freezy stiffens slightly at this, but then realises what Cal meant.

"Yeah, I suppose," I reply, walking over to Freezy. I wrap my arms around his waist, and he leans down to rest his chin on my shoulder.

"You need to relax babe," I soothe, rubbing his back gently. "You're so tense this morning."

"I know. I'm sorry. I've just got a feeling that something bad is about to happen," he murmurs, wrapping his arms around my neck.

"It's probably nothing."

//

10:47am

Cal left for work a couple of hours ago, leaving me alone in the flat with nothing to do. But now, it's time for me to go to work too.

Cal works as a hired bodyguard for people, which means his hours vary. But mine are always the same. Eleven until five. It might not seem like much, but my job pays well.

I'm walking towards the local weredog fighting arena. I enter fights for cash, since it's an easy money source, and I win nearly all the time.

Despite the scrawny, small appearance of my weredog form, some of the traits from my werewolf form have carried over. The main ones being my strength, stamina, agility and the ability to heal quicker than normal. These all come in use during the fights, for obvious reasons.

Cal and Cal don't know what I do for a living. I like to keep it a secret, because I know they'd worry.

I've got an odd feeling about today. When Cal said earlier about having a bad feeling, I wanted to deny it. But I feel the same thing. And werewolf instinct is a force to be reckoned with.

Just as I'm thinking this, something in the corner of my eye catches my attention. A man, dressed in a black trenchcoat and sunglasses, with a fedora on his head. And he's following about twenty metres behind me.

Now that I think about it, he's been going the same way as me for some time now. It makes me feel a little on edge. Is he following me?

//

5:18pm

When I get out of the fighting arena, the man in the trenchcoat is still there. Waiting for me. I ignore him, and start walking in a random direction. He follows.

I start to feel panic rising in my throat. This guy is actually tailing me. Why? Does he know? Does this mean the hunters know?

Quickly, I decide that going back to my own apartment is a bad idea. I realise that JJ and Simon's flat is close by. Neither of them should be home, and I have a key. I'll go there. And then, I'll call Cal.

I try to keep my pace casual, not letting on that I know the guy is following me. It only takes a couple of minutes to reach Simon and JJ's apartment block. When I go in, the man in the trenchcoat doesn't try to follow.

Once inside their flat, I let myself panic a little. My hands shake as I switch on my phone, and dial Cal. He picks up after the third ring.

"Hey baby, what's up?" He asks, casually.

"Cal, I need you to come to Simon and JJ's, like right now," I tell him, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible, while pacing restlessly up and down.

"What's happened?" He says, his voice instantly worried. I take a shaky breath.

"There's was a guy following me. I came here because I thought it would be safer," I explain.

"Okay. Stay nice and calm for me Harry, I'll be there in five minutes."

//

Cal

5:36pm

"Harry!" I call, cautiously letting myself into JJ and Simon's flat. I hear some movement from the front room.

"Thank fuck you're here," says Harry as I enter the room. He rushes over to me immediately, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist, and pushing his face into my chest. I can feel his heart beating quickly, as if it's about to burst out of his chest. Slowly, I return the embrace, holding him close.

"I swear I'm not going crazy," he says, his voice wavering. "I've been followed all day. We've been found out Cal." He's started shivering. I've never seen him so shaken up before.

"Hey, you're alright," I soothe. "There's no way anyone could have found out about us." He holds me tighter, his fingers digging into my back.

"They have," he insists. He sounds like he's on the verge of tears, trembling violently in my arms. "We need to get out of here Cal. It's not safe any more." As soon as he's said this, he breaks down completely, sobbing into my chest.

I rest my chin on top of his head, and let him cry, just rubbing his back, and whispering soothing words. He calms down after a couple of minutes, and pulls back to look at me with red-rimmed eyes.

"If you think we aren't safe here, I trust your judgement. We can go," I tell him. "I didn't bring my car to work this morning, so we'll have to walk to our flat to pick up some stuff, and get the car." I press a kiss to the top of his head. "We're gonna be fine, I promise."

//

7:54pm

"Cal!" I can hear Harry's cries close by, but still can't work out exactly where he is.

"Harry!" I shout, racing through the undergrowth, not caring if the hunters may be able to hear me. "Where are you?"

"Help me," I hear him say, quieter than before. I'm losing him.

I finally find him, lying on the floor of the clearing in his weredog form. Blood is matted into his thick fur, seeping from his shoulder. One of his hind legs is twisted at an odd angle, and also covered in blood. His eyes are closed, and his chest heaves as he tries to breathe.

"Fuck," I mutter, running to kneel by his side. "Harry, can you hear me?" His ears twitch, and one of his eyes opens slightly.

"Cal? Thank God," he says, trying to lift up his head. I can see blood seeping into his other eye, leaving it unable to open. He whines quietly, seeming to be in a lot of pain.

"We need to get back to Lux," I say, thinking quickly. "He can heal you."

"How am I going to get back? There's no way I can walk," he says. My mind races, trying to think of some way we can get back.

"Can you turn back?" I ask. He looks at me with a pained expression, but manages to shift into his human form after a moment of concentration. He looks even worse like this.

"What now?" He questions, leaning his head back onto the ground. He looks absolutely exhausted. I take a deep breath, and transform, before lying down on my stomach right next to him.

"Get on. I'll carry you back," I say, and he gives me a worried look.

"People will see you," he says seriously.

"I don't care. You're going to die from blood loss if we stay here. Let me carry you, please," I practically beg, and he sighs. I feel him grip onto my fur, and use it to haul himself onto my back. Once he's settled, he holds tightly onto the thick fur at the back of my neck.

"Let's go," he says. I stand up carefully, and hear him make a small pained noise as he slides forwards slightly.

"You're going to need to hold on tight," I warn, and he wraps his arms around my neck. I start running, slowly at first, but soon end up going flat out. The sooner I get back, the better chance Harry has. I just pray that Lux hasn't gone out.

We get back to out flat late, meaning thankfully not too many people saw me.

"Holy shit! What the actual fuck!" Lux shouts, jumping out of his chair when I stagger into the front room. I lay Harry gently onto the floor, and look at him. He's gone really pale, breathing shallowly, and his shirt is drenched in his blood.

"What happened to you?" Lux says, dropping to his knees beside Harry, and patting his cheek gently. I quickly transform back, and Cal looks at me, astonished. "You're a fucking werewolf?"

"That's not important right now," I say. "He was attacked. Can you heal him?"

"Not fully," he explains, looking over Harry's wounds. "None of my potions are strong enough for that. Come on, let's move him into my room. I need to clean him up and asses the injuries first."

His eyes glow slightly, as he uses some sort of spell to lift Harry into the air. I follow him into his room, and watch as he sweeps everything from his huge desk, and lays Harry down on top of it.

"Are you hurt too?" He asks, eyeing the blood on my shirt.

"No, it's his," I say. "What do we need to do?"

"Clean him up first," Lux says confidently, taking a huge pair of scissors and using them to cut off Harry's already ruined shirt. "Go and get some damp towels from my bathroom."

I race to comply, taking less than a minute to bring Cal what he needs. When I come back, he's also cut off the leg of Harry's jeans, where his shin is just as mangled and bloody as his shoulder. The sight makes me feel slightly sick.

"I'll do the worst of it, can you just get some of the blood off his face and out of his eyes?" Says Lux, having probably noticed my queasy expression. I nod to him gratefully, and hand him a towel.

I carefully wipe some of the drying blood from his face, trying to get it out of his eye. I notice a long, deep cut going through his right eyebrow, and down his cheek, stopping just above the corner of his mouth. But thankfully, the eye itself seems alright. There's some other tiny cuts littering his face, but he's mostly undamaged there.

"Alright, Cal, can you go over to that shelf, and get the second bottle from the right, and the one behind it please?" Lux asks, still focusing on Harry's shoulder. The flow of blood has slowed down significantly, but the obvious bite mark looks even more harsh when not hidden by the crimson liquid.

I don't really want to leave Harry's side, but cross the room to fetch Cal's potions for him. The two he requested are both green in colour, perhaps a herbal formula.

"Thanks," Lux says, taking one from me and opening the lid. I expected it to be liquid, but it's more like a cream, or a balm. He gets some onto his fingers, and starts putting it directly into the puncture marks in our flatmates shoulder. Harry starts to squirm slightly, but Cal holds him down firmly.

"This should heal him almost instantly, but it will leave scarring," he explains. "The one you're holding is the same, but a weaker formula. You can use it on any smaller cuts, and it shouldn't scar. He needs this one over his eye though, that cut looks too deep."

I work my way down his body, rubbing the cream into any smaller gashes. Just as I'm massaging it into Harry's bloody knuckles, his eyes open slightly.

"Cal?" He says, looking up at me.

"What's up Harry?" I ask softly. He grips my hand tightly.

"Thank you. Both of you," he says, and hisses lowly when Cal puts some more cream into his wound.

"Don't thank me yet mate," says Lux, still focusing on what he's doing. "You're going to be left with some scarring."

"I don't care. As long as it stops hurting," he says, his grip on my hand tightening.

"What even happened?" Asks Lux, and Harry and I exchange a look.

"Hunters," he says. I sigh gently.

"What do you mean 'Hunters'?" He asks, confused.

"Werewolf hunters," Harry says with a grimace.

"Wait, why would they attack you then? Cal must have been who they were after," Lux says, growing more confused by the minute.

"I'm a werewolf too," he admits. I squeeze his hand gently.

"Okay. I've got questions, but they can wait," Lux says. "Your shoulder is done. I'm not sure how much I can do for your leg though, it looks like it could be broken. I can't heal breaks. No witch can."

"Well what do we do then?" I say, looking towards him.

"We pray it isn't broken," he says, which isn't exactly reassuring. "Put some of this on his face," he adds, handing his pot of cream to me, and moving to clean and examine Harry's leg. I put some on my finger, and rub it gently into the gash on his face, watching as it closes up under my finger, forming a slightly raised white scar.

"It doesn't look too bad, does it?" Harry asks, not really seeming that bothered.

"You still look beautiful," I say, a playful smile on my lips. He gives a halfhearted grin back at me.

"Good news Harry," says Cal suddenly, looking up from Harry's leg. "I don't know how the hell you've managed it, but your leg isn't broken. But the scarring from this bite is gonna be pretty major."

"I might have fractured it, but breaks and stuff heal really quickly for werewolves. I guarantee that it looks better than it did before already," Harry replies.

"It does. I was almost certain you were going to die from that shoulder wound," I say.

"Well, that's reassuring at least," Cal says. "Gimme that potion Cal, and I'll finish this. He's still gonna need to rest up though. And we're talking about everything in the morning," he adds sternly, looking at both Harry and I.

"Alright," I say, and feel Harry squeeze my hand tightly as Cal begins applying the balm. He lets out a hiss, closing his eyes again.

"Sorry," says Cal. "I'll be done soon, I promise."

//

Harry

8:47pm

Lux doesn't take long to finish healing my leg. When he's done, he tells Cal to let me get some rest, and we can talk about it tomorrow. A part of me wonders if Cal and I will get a tomorrow. We still need to leave, but I'm too exhausted, so Cal insists that I rest, and we can go tomorrow.

I stand now, looking in the mirror at myself while Cal takes a shower. I lift my finger, and trace the scar that cuts through my eyebrow and down my cheek. It looks unfamiliar, and feels strange to touch. The rest of my body looks worse though. Small, circular white scars are across my left shoulder, on both sides in the shape of a bite mark. I suppose it looks cleaner than the other scars that I now have though.

My leg looks awful. It wasn't a clean bite, like the one on my shoulder, and left the flesh there mangled. The scars are jagged, and ugly.

"Harry?" I whip around to see Cal behind me, with a worried look on his face. He must have noticed my upset expression, as he comes forwards and pulls me into a hug. I wrap my arms around him, breathing in his familiar scent and running my hands over his warm, smooth skin.

"Are you alright?" Cal murmurs, burying his nose into my hair.

"No," I respond honestly. Cal sighs gently.

"Me neither. Come and lie down for a bit," he coaxes, leading me towards his bed. I comply to his touch as he sits me down on the bed, and then pulls me under the covers with him. He lies on his back, with me curled into his side.

"I'm so scared," I whisper after a while. His grip on me tightens somewhat.

"I know," he says simply. I know he feels the same. I feel a sudden surge of sadness, hot tears streaming down my cheeks.

"It's all being taken away from us," I whimper. "You were going to propose to me, and we would have got married, and adopted some beautiful children. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Even in the dark room, I can see him tear up as well.

"Don't talk like that," Cal says firmly. "We're going to be okay, I promise. I'll protect you. We'll get to grow old together, and leave this earth in our own time."

"I love you so much," I breathe, bringing myself closer to him, if at all possible. He presses a kiss to the top of my head, and brushes my tears away with his thumb.

"I love you too Harry," he assures me, kissing my head again. "Get some sleep. We leave early tomorrow."

//

11:03pm

Cal and I are both jolted from an uneasy sleep by the sound of screaming in the flat. I get off him quickly, and throw on some clothes, going to investigate. It sounds like it's coming from the front room. Cal follows close behind me. Suddenly, gunshots ring out, and I hear Lux yell in pain.

"Cal!" I shout, running down the corridor now, and into the front room. I find him alone in the room, lay on the carpet by the sofa. I rush to his side, and scan over his body for injuries. He's holding onto his waist on the right side, and when I gently nudge his hands aside, I find a bullet wound in his side.

"What the hell happened?" Demands Freezy, having checked that the room is clear, and coming to kneel beside me. Lux opens his eyes, and carefully lifts himself up onto his elbows, his face contorting with pain as he does.

"Hunters, looking for you. I fought them off with some illegal spells that they definitely did not see coming. They'll be back though. Both of you need to go, now," he says. I shake my head at him.

"We can't go anywhere, you're injured," I say. He moves his hands back to the wound, applying pressure.

"You're both shit doctors, I'm not gonna lie," Lux says, a half smile creeping onto his lips. "It's just a flesh wound, I'll be fine on my own, trust me. Now go," he says sternly. I rush forwards to wrap my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"I know we've been shit flatmates sometimes Cal, but thank you for putting up with us. You're one of the most brilliant, clever people I've ever met," I say, my voice slightly muffled. "Look after yourself."

"I wouldn't of wanted to live with anyone else," Lux assures me, and I allow myself a small grin. He gently pushes my shoulder. "Get out of here." Freezy grabs my arm, dragging me to my feet.

"Goodbye, brother," he says to Lux, nodding solemnly. And with that, Cal and I exit the flat for what's going to be the last time. I grip his hand tightly.

"Where do we go?" I ask quietly as we race down the many flights of stairs.

"The woods," Cal says confidently. "We can lay low there for a couple of days and then move on to the next city." I'm a little skeptical about the idea, because of what happened only a few hours ago, but we haven't got time to argue. We just need to move. We get out onto the street, and there's hunters in black trenchcoats everywhere.

"Keep your head low, move quick, and don't act suspicious," Cal instructs lowly, squeezing my hand reassuringly. I follow his commands, but we get spotted, and start being followed only a couple of streets away from our flat.

"Okay, and now we run," he murmurs, breaking out into a sprint. I can hear the footsteps not far behind us, but I know they'll keep their distance until we're out of the public eye. They're not stupid enough to try and catch us where people could see. They'll wait until we're in the woods again for that.

"Are you sure the woods is the best idea?" I pant, trying my best to keep up with his long strides.

"No. But it's the only idea I've got."

//

11:49pm

"Cal, they're getting closer," I whisper urgently, watching the torch lights grow brighter, and hearing voices getting louder. "We need to move now, or we'll get found." Cal sighs, and I can feel him trembling slightly as he presses against me. He's scared. We both are.

"Alright," he says, and I can hear him trying to fill himself with confidence. "But first," he says seriously, taking both of my hands and looking me in the eye. "No matter what happens here tonight, know that I love you. And if I get captured, I want you to promise that you will escape if you can." My stomach drops, and I shake my head.

"I can't promise that, no way," I insist, pushing back the tears that threaten to fall. "If you get caught, I'm staying, and getting you out." I pull my hands out of his grip, and cup his cheeks gently.

"I need you to live Harry," Cal says, his voice breaking slightly towards the end. I lean in, and press a slow, loving kiss to his lips before pulling away.

"I love you Cal," I murmur, not about to let him debate the issue further. He takes my right hand firmly in his left, checking the surroundings.

"Okay, lets do this," he says. "Get ready to run in... three, two, one, now!" We both get out from our hiding spot in the ferns, and run quickly in the opposite direction to the hunters. I can hear shouting, and torches turning in our direction as we race through the trees and undergrowth, hearts beating fast, holding onto each other's hands for dear life.

"I see them!" I hear a shout to the right of us, and then gunshots. Bullets ricochet off trees, whizzing noisily past us. The sound scares me, and encourages me to run faster. We keep low, but the bullets sail by closer each time. Until finally, one lands.

My legs are swept from under me as a bullet hits me square in the ankle. I let out a cry of agony, crumpling to the floor, and feeling Cal also get pulled to a stop. I grasp my ankle, feeling warm blood seeping onto my fingers, and pain engulfing my body. Cal kneels down beside me, muttering curses.

"Come on, Harry, we have to keep going," Cal says, trying to get me to stand up again. "Get up, we can still make it." He grabs my arms roughly, pulling me to my feet, and I let out a whimper as searing pain shoots up my leg.

"Cal, I can't," I whine, gripping his forearms tightly, trying to keep my balance.

"Please, you can Harry," he begs. He sounds so desperate for me to be okay, willing us to be able to carry on. But in reality, I can't.

"Listen to me," I say firmly, trying to ignore the pain, and the sound of people closing in on us. "I can't walk."

"I'll carry you, or something," he cries. "I just need you to be okay. Please."

"I might be able to run if we transform," I pant, the pain really starting to get to me. The bullet has definitely shattered my ankle completely.

"Transform then, we need to move," Cal says urgently. I use what little energy I have left to shift into my werewolf form. Beside me, he does the same, before leading me through the trees again, slightly slower than before. It's difficult to run with only three good legs, but more manageable than even trying to stand in human form.

We make it a little way into a large clearing, and are just about to race through when I see torches advancing towards us on the other side. We both skid to a halt, and look for a way out. But it's become the worst possible outcome. We're surrounded. I feel him press up against me, and I know right then that he's just as scared as I am. We both know that we're trapped. Our fate is sealed.

Soon we're sealed off, stood together in the middle of the clearing, waiting for them to make a move.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here," drawls a smooth, female voice from behind us. I turn to see a woman standing alone in front of the others, her hands on her hips. The confident way she holds herself tells me that attacking her, no matter how vulnerable she may look, is a very bad idea. Beside me, I think Cal has got the same idea.

"Such handsome pelts," she says, twisting a lock of long, sliver hair around her finger. "You'll both sell for a lot." Cal growls, baring his teeth at the strange woman, but makes no advance. I notice that he's stepped slightly in front of me, trying to shield me.

"I've never seen such defeated looking werewolves," she sighs, taking a step back. "It's so much more fun when they put up a fight. Oh well, never mind. Tie them both up. They'll sell better alive." A couple of huge weredogs advance towards us, and Cal gives a warning growl. They ignore him.

"Touch him, and I won't hesitate to rip you all to shreds," Cal snarls, stepping further in front of me. Instead of looking scared, they just look amused.

"You think you'll get that chance?" One of them says, and I could of sworn I saw him smile. A sick, twisted canine smile. Suddenly, people advance from either side, brandishing thick, steel cables. Before I even know what's happening, I'm being tied down, and beside me, they're attempting to bind Cal as well. He thrashes violently, trying to get closer to me again.

"Get the fuck off him!" He screeches, as someone manages to secure a cable around my neck, and another ties my paws together. I'm not even bothering to resist. It's pointless now.

"Oh shut up, you overgrown mutt!" The woman from before shouts, seeming irritated. She holds a pistol level, aims, and shoots Cal in the shoulder. He grunts in pain, but doesn't stop trying to get to me. She levels it again, and shoots him in the side this time.

"Cal, stop fighting, I'm fine," I call out to him. He doesn't stop. I can see blood seeping into his fur from the two bullet wounds. "You're going to get yourself killed!" I'm starting to feel even more helpless than I did before. It's like he can't even hear me, so focused on trying to protect me that he can't see anything real around him.

"Harry, please, try and get away!" Cal shouts frantically, oblivious to the fact that I can't go anywhere. The cables are tight around my body, not allowing me to move an inch.

"I can't," I call back miserably. "Just stop resisting them." Someone has manages to secure cables around his legs, pulling him to the ground. He lies on his side, staring at me with a pleading look on his face.

"That one's irritating me," shouts the woman, pointing at Cal. "Just kill him now." I feel a wave of panic rush over me.

"No, no!" I scream, fighting against my restraints. "Don't kill him, please. Cal!" I'm forced to watch as they secure a cable around his muzzle, and force his head back, exposing his throat. I feel utterly helpless watching, unable to do anything.

"I love you," I call to him, feeling tears flow quickly down my face. He looks at me, and his eyes are full of fear. He know's he's about to die. One of the larger weredogs leans his face down to Cal's neck, and sinks his teeth roughly into the soft flesh. Blood begins to pour instantly, and I can hear Cal choking, and spluttering for breath.

"I love you Harry," he wheezes, refusing to stop looking at me. "I love you."

"I love you so much Cal," I cry, and he gives me a half smile. I have to watch as the light leaves his eyes, and he finally goes limp underneath the weredog's grip. My brain shuts down, and I feel a raw howl of despair leave my throat. My vision clouds over with tears. There's no hope left for me. I close my eyes, resigned to my fate. Whatever happens to me now, will never hurt as much as having to watch that.

"Alright," says the woman, coming to kneel by my head. "Always so messy when emotions get involved, don't you think? I'm sorry I ruined your friend's pelt like that, it would of sold for hundreds of thousands, if it were in tact."

"You on the other hand, I can still make money from," she says, giving me a cold smile, and pressing the barrel of her gun right between my eyes. "Any final words?"

"Nothing you'd like to hear," I say. She raises an eyebrow.

"If you insist. See you in hell, mutt."

//

11:58pm

The last thing I hear is a gunshot. And then, there's nothing.

Just a white light.

And then, a voice.

"Didn't take you very long to get here, Harold. Glad you decided not to keep me waiting."

//