CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Omega:
The dog ran through the rain, paws striking pavement, then dirt, and then finally river water. He was swimming. Across a steady slow-moving current, then up a shallow bank. Away. He was running away.
The woman was running beside him at first, talking to him, her hand on his head. At one point she knelt beside him, buried her face in his thick black coat. He thought he heard something in her voice, a choking sound.
He paused, laid his head in her lap.
She ran her fingers through the thick mane of golden-tipped fur around his neck. She understood. She always did. That was why she was sad. Why she was crying.
He glanced backward. Lifted his head and sniffed. She seemed to sense the danger too, began to run again, leading him deeper into the bayou.
a€?Come on,a€? she said. a€?Run, hurry! You cana€?t stop. You can never stop, do you hear me?a€?
He looked up at her.
a€?Theya€?ll come after you. You have to hide.a€?
They continued to run, but her pace was slowing.
a€?Keep going! Never come back, never. Do you hear me? Never!a€?
Then she wasna€?t running with him anymore. He was alone in the thick, dark morning, swimming through brackish water, paws scraping against stone and bark and earth. Running. Faster. In between trees and black sky. Above him the dull heavens growled and sharp white fangs shot down; they splintered the ground with hot light.
But Omega kept running.
He wouldna€?t stop. And he wouldna€?t go back.
?
The rain stopped. Daylight teased the bayou with narrow beams of light. Steam rose in puffs from the river, a haze that hung between shifting shadows. Day and night merged, neither one strong enough to own this place. Omega crouched beneath a low bush. Hiding. Listening.
He burrowed his nose in the moss, closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, a sigh.
The woman was gone now. The woman who smelled like sunshine. He would never see her again.
He heard the Others in the distance, had heard them for a long time. Sniffing. Hunting. Howling. They had come to him before, when he lived in the cage, when life was divided into those who are trapped and those who are free. They sniffed around the edges of his world at night when no one else was there. He could hear their claws scratching on the other side of the wall, he could smell them. He knew when their females were in heat and when they had just killed a rabbit; he knew the deep growl of their leader.
Sometimes they howled just outside the door. Like they were waiting for him. Calling him.
And they were here now. The wild dogs. He sniffed the black air. Two females. Four males. The Others knew he was here, somewhere. He could tell they were looking for him.
And they were hungry.
?
Five dogs made a circle around him. The leader lowered her head, pulled her lips back to show massive canines, then let out a long, snarling growl.
She tried to get him to back up. Run away. Roll over and submit.
Omega refused.
She took a step closer, eyes reflecting the dark afternoon light. She had a wild look, long bushy tail, silver fur. Wolf blood. Her muzzle opened wide, then snapped shut. Another long growl, another step nearer. The rest of the pack followed her lead, each one taking another step closer, the circle grew smaller.
Omega lowered his head. He wouldna€?t run.
She charged forward, in that instant when he bared his teeth. She latched onto his throat, dug her teeth in. The entire pack erupted in a low wolf-lion growl, a rumbling roar. They all attacked at the same time. Fur ripped. Bones crunched.
Omega squealed, a high-pitched whine, a death cry.
The female leader lifted her head and snapped at the air.
The Others backed away. It was her kill. It was her right.
Omega cried, took a last breath, blood flowing. He trembled.
Then he was still.
Dead.
The female stood guard over her kill, turned and snapped at the submissive female behind her. The other female backed up, lowered her head. Whimpered. The rest of the pack pulled away. Moved over by the edge of the river. Watching.
The female lowered her muzzle, pushed it against Omegaa€?s chest. Cold. Lifeless. She sniffed. Then she opened her jaws, ready to rip flesh, ready to eat.
?
Darkness flowed over him like a river, all light disappeared. Black ice. Cold. Silent and numb. His blooda€”the dark, cold river was his blood. He couldna€?t see.
Omega fell backward into the arms of Death, those familiar arms that tried to hold him down.
For one brief second he could smell sunshine. And he remembered an eternal moment when he was loved. Once. A forever long time ago.
Then the earth cracked beneath him. The sky changed color. The air turned to smoke.
And he shocked back to life. Again.
His bones mended, his wounds closed. Lifeblood flowed through his veins.
He opened his eyes, saw the female lunge for his soft belly, for his entrails.
He grabbed her by the throat, a vise-like grip, his teeth pressing against the vein that held her life. In that instant, she was his. To kill or not kill.
He jumped to his feet, twisted his body, pinned her to the ground.
She bellowed, whimpered, a loud, high, whining yelp.
The Others could have helped her. But they didna€?t. This was the battle for leadership.
To kill or not kill.
She looked away, the whites of her eyes showing. She couldna€?t look him in the eye, didna€?t dare. She rolled on her back. Submissive. Tucked her tail between her legs. The Others crouched low, afraid.
Omega growled. Held her down. Held her life in his mouth. He could taste her death. Sweet and warm.
She whined again. Twisted her head to lick one of his healing wounds. Then she laid her head back on the ground. Waiting.
He opened his jaws, slowly. A low, rumbling snarl. He lifted his head. Looked at the Others. None of them would look him in the eye. The female was the only one who dared to move.
She licked his wound again.
His decision came easier than he expected.
Not kill.