Fight By My Side

After the challenge, I limped off the infirmary, the white walls making my headache pound faster. As soon as I shut the door, it reopened. Austin came in. His presence was quickly followed by Vic and Mike. My shirt was already blood soaked from multiple wounds. Alan wandered in and shut the door quickly. Vic grabbed the supplies we needed and walked out. I limped behind him. Jack pushed past us with Alex in his arms. The door slammed behind him.

Everyone else wandered around the room, stunned at what had just happened. Alan went to go sit down on the couch again. Vic just shook his head and set the bandages, disinfectant, and needles on the bar.

“What?” I snapped at him. Vic shook his head again and didn’t say anything. Mike stood by his brother nervously. The blood was starting to stick to my skin and irritate me. It was too bad I had to toss a nice shirt like this. Jack owed me one.

“Jack tore you up pretty bad.” Alan noted from the couch. I shot him a look and went back to Austin, who looked fairly sad. I started to take off my shirt and he looked away out of modesty.

“Oh, I walk around in my sports bra and shorts all the time. Don’t be so modest.” I teased him. It was true that on hot days I would just hang around in my shorts and black athletic bra. The guys usually stripped to shorts, no shirt.

Austin helped me take the black shirt off. I winced as I moved my broken hand. It hurt, like there was a fire engulfing the bones. He mumbled an apology. Wobbling over to the trash can, I opened it with my good hand and threw the torn shirt down the bag. Alan whistled as I passed by him. Austin took his turn to shoot him a deadly glare.

“Don’t push it, Ashby.” I mumbled. Vic led me over to his area on the counter and proceeded to patch me up. Austin wrapped an arm around my waist to steady my wobbly legs. The cuts on my stomach were deep and painful. The shoulder bites matched in agony. Other than that and the broken bone, the rest should heal up by tomorrow. Mike, the neat freak of us all, went to clean up the stains on the carpet.

When Vic was done wrapping the bandages around my arm, torso, and shoulder, he patted me on the head and went off to put the extra bottles in the infirmary cabinets. I had collected six stitches and a bundle of bandages on my body. The white fabric was already slightly stained from red dots protruding through the fabric. It covered my left arm and shoulder, but also surrounded my torso. It was like I was wearing an extra shirt.

“They should come off either tomorrow or the day after.” Vic told me. I answered with a nod. Not only my wounds were hurting, but my pride as well. I lost a challenge and now was shamed. I gave my friend a small thanks and started to walk away, going back to the stairs. Austin tried to help me but I shook him off. I needed a little time alone. By the time I reached the base, I was already out of breath.

“Vic, make sure Alex doesn’t leave. I’m going on watch.” I commanded him. Vic nodded as I started my ascent up the stairs. After shutting the trap door, I had to take a moment and remember how to breathe. Hobbling through the empty rooms, I walked out the front door. A feeling of remorse crawled through my throat and choked me.

I hated myself so much right now. I despised how I let myself be beat out so easily. I loathed how I let a GUARDIAN, of all people, into the sanctuary. But, no matter how much I hated him, I couldn’t speak to badly. I cursed myself for being so weak and stupid. But right now, I disliked myself the most for my mixed up emotions.

First I was happy, then I was raging furious. I was joyful one day meeting Austin and then that afternoon I was screaming at Vic and Jack. Even later that night, I was happier. My brain wondered off, trying to find reasons why Vic, Jack, and Mike didn’t hate me already.

Alex started to crawl into my thoughts as I stretched out on the deck. The bandages didn’t let me sit and hunch over. That boy, the one with the windswept brown bangs, was trouble. He was a Guardian and he would turn us in as soon as he was out of here. Alex would just use our kindness and then turn us in.

But if he was a Guardian, why was he injured? Jack must’ve found him somewhere secluded, so why was the Guardian singled out and attacked? This, I wanted to learn more about.

If it really was true, what Jack had said about Alex Shifting, then I think we had another longtime resident on our hands. If Alex truly had the Gift, there would be no doubt that he was a mountain lion, and that meant that Jack and Alex already had the Sempiternal Continuum forming. I couldn’t help but sigh at the thought.

The Sempiternal Continuum, the bonding between two fellow Shifters. It was rare, but everlasting, as the name implied. See, when one Shifter finds another Shifter of the same form, there is a chance that the bond will form. It’s kind of like true love, but for those with the Gift. The thing is, since Shifters aren’t the majority of the population and finding another Shifter of the same form is super slim, it doesn’t happen often. Plus, there’s a fifty-fifty chance that something will go wrong and one will attack the other.

Sometimes, when two Shifters of the same form meet, something else happens. It’s called the Sempiternal Division, and it happens when the two Shifters attack and fight, often to the death. The surviving one often goes Rogue, insane with the bloodlust.

To make it a little easier to understand, here’s an example. A coyote Shifter meets another coyote Shifter. If the two bond, then the Sempiternal Continuum forms. Nothing can separate them from each other and it doesn’t even break by the force of death. If one dies, the other will perish from heartbreak or may continue on as a hollow shell of their former selves. Although the Sempiternal Continuum between the two Shifters enhances their fighting ability together and forms a deep connection, it does come with a price.

If these two coyote Shifters were to meet and that fifty-fifty chance doesn’t go in their favor, they will attack until one dies. The other will probably go Rogue with the Sempiternal Division lingering with their form.

It basically boils to true love or bitter enemies. We still don’t know why they turn to enemies, but I guess nature is full of mysterious secrets.

With Jack and Alex, if it was true, it looked to be the Sempiternal Continuum.

Notes