Chapter 5 : Friends or Foe

A scream broke the silence as a body lay on the ground, a shadow approaching from the side. However, a barrier was soon in place that stopped the approach of the blonde she-wolf. Both of the opponents were back on their feet, and Karen ducked down into the middle of the barrier. Her hand pressed flat against the ground, sending a shockwave of force in a fifteen-foot radius around the shield. The red-haired she-wolf was faster than her partner and managed to dodge the attack.

Another scream ripped through the still air as the blonde woman was struck by the sacred moonstone light that emanated from Karen's body. She fell again and lay motionless, lifeless. Then Karen lowered her barrier as she ran out of energy, trying to conserve her remaining strength. But a sudden attack came from behind. She tried to dodge, but her body was injured as a small moan escaped her lips.

Pain pierced her back. She could barely turn around in time to see the red wolf licking the blood from her claws. The she-wolf smiled cruelly at Karen with her sharp canines before leaping again for her next attack. She grabbed hold of the fallen arrow and rolled backwards as the she-wolf fell on top of her.

The she-wolf collapsed in her death, her body pierced by the glowing arrow. The weight added to the pain in Karen's back. She struggled to push herself up and finally managed to roll over the body of the she-wolf and let go of it. Standing up with difficulty, it felt like an accomplishment when she realized that Maya was nowhere to be seen.

She immediately realized that Maya was gone. In her confusion, she called out her name, but only silence answered. "Maya! Where are you?" A soft voice from behind her made her turn around, ready for a fight, but what she encountered was a calm Maya walking over.

With a relieved smile, the pain began to show on Karen's tiny face as she stopped trying to stand, realizing that she wasn't going to be attacked.

She knelt with one foot in front of Karen, her clawed hands wrapped around Karen's uninjured shoulders. "You're hurt. Let me help you."

When she saw the concerned look in Maya's eyes, she felt like she was being bathed in a gentle, loving light. Maya's hand on her shoulder was a warm support, and she felt relieved that she no longer had to fight the world alone. In that warmth, she felt a new bond growing between them, a bond that would likely be the key to overcoming all the obstacles that lay ahead.

She grimaced and allowed Maya to examine her shoulder again as blood began to flow from the wound, as well as from her recently injured back. After a thorough examination, Maya assured her that the wound on her back was not too serious, but the wound on her shoulder was getting worse and needed serious attention. Carefully, Karen rose to her feet and removed her outer clothing, exposing her arms and back. She felt a little embarrassed to be in this state in the middle of the forest, especially at a time like this, not knowing when the next attack would come.

Maya saw her start to worry and quickly calmed her down. "Don't worry, Karen. I'll take care of this quickly." Firmly, Maya continued, "The most important thing right now is to stop the bleeding. The smell of your blood might attract the enemy."

She sighed, realizing the truth in Maya's words. Her wounds were not deep, but the blood was still flowing. Although she felt that she had not lost too much blood, as a living being, the blood flowing in her body was important. Her body was getting tired. At times like this, Karen felt jealous of the she-wolf's endurance and ability, which she had matured by having trained extensively.

Suddenly, Karen froze as she remembered the fourth aura, the mysterious leader of her attackers. However, the aura of the she-wolf had disappeared. Did she run away when her limbs were paralyzed? she doubted it. Then she remembered that Maya had come from the direction where she had last felt the presence of the mysterious female wolf. The tension slowly left her body as she watched Maya undress and grab her.

"Let me help you get undressed. And don't forget to take off your weapons, Karen," Maya said as she unbuckled Karen's crossbow.

She nodded her head, giving Maya permission to help her release her arrows, and then asked, "Hey, Maya? Have you taken care of the hidden leader of this group? I can't sense her anymore."

Maya paused for a moment as she put down her weapon, then smiled. "You don't have to worry, Karen. She's no longer a threat to you."

Karen began to relax as the adrenaline from the previous fight faded from her bruised body. Quickly, Maya helped her remove her tattered clothes, including her short green skirt, now stained with her own blood. Karen sat with only her bra and white panties stained with blood, her cheeks flushed.

Maya smiled at the obvious embarrassment of her undressing, although her remaining clothes were also slightly exposed.

"What a strange and contradictory girl," she thought.

Of course, anyone who would show that much of her skin would probably come across as a bit of a slut. However, this young girl clearly exudes chastity and acts out of character in the clothes she wears. Her unique looking underwear also makes Maya curious.

The sensation of a tongue touching her skin suddenly startled Karen and she turned to see Maya gently licking the blood from her lips.

"What are you doing?" squealed Karen, her cheeks turning red.

"Karen, we have no water to clean your wound. I can clean it with my saliva if you let me," she replied in a calm voice, her face expressionless, just bright eyes that Karen found hard to understand.

She nodded in understanding and turned her head to a tree not too far away, trying to ignore the awkward situation.

But she felt Maya's hand on her uninjured shoulder, then the warm, soft sensation as Maya's tongue cleaned blood and dirt from her back. The feel of Maya's breath on her skin sent shivers down her spine. The process took only ten minutes, but to Karen it felt like hours. She didn't feel any sexual element in this act, but in today's society she was worried about what people would say if they saw her in this situation. No, she was not aroused by what Maya was doing, but she would be embarrassed if anyone found out.

Maya was finally standing in front of her, almost on her knees so that she could feel her breath on her cheeks. She smelled the blood on Maya's breath, which added to the chaotic feeling in her head.

"This may be painful. Be patient," she whispered as she tried to keep a serious expression on her face, then suddenly grabbed her uninjured shoulder. Her body leaned down and Maya's copper hair touched her cheek. Slowly, Maya's tongue licked the injured shoulder.

Karen was shocked as she continued to lick her shoulder. She was barely aware that Maya's other hand was moving down her bare left thigh as she tried to stifle the pain the action was causing.

Eventually, Maya lifted her head from her shoulder, her tongue now red with blood licking her lips. Karen turned her face away from the sight and looked over her shoulder. The bleeding had slowed and she could see four wounds, each one inch long and a quarter of an inch wide.

Karen grimaced at the sight of the wounds, realizing that she was about to add a new scar to the collection of wounds that had been there since she arrived at Moonlit Grove. She never thought her back would be as scarred as Maya said it was, but it was painful every time she moved.

The sound of tearing drew her attention back to Maya, who was ripping off her damaged clothes to make bandages. In a short time, Maya managed to wrap the pieces of cloth around her body, although there was a moment when she accidentally touched her chest with her fingertips while wrapping the bandages around her body.

"That's enough, Karen," she said after tying the last knot on the bandage.

Maya took her own clothes, but when Karen reached for them and thanked her, she withdrew her hand and brought the clothes to herself.

"I'd rather help you put this on," she explained, moving behind Karen.

Karen nodded sincerely and allowed herself to be helped into the green robe with the tree branch motif, trying to ignore her feelings as Maya's hands remained on her body. Karen tried to tell herself that maybe she was imagining things. Then Maya moved in front of her and removed her outer garment so that Karen could put it on and cover her body. The garment was long, almost to the length of her skirt.

Karen was relieved to finally be fully clothed again.

"We should rest and let your body recover," Maya suggested.

She shook her head and answered as she picked up her bow and checked her arrows. "I need to find Xavier and finish this. Obviously I shouldn't be here."

Maya decided not to try to argue with her. "Well, if that's your decision, let me carry you."

Seeing that she was about to say something, perhaps to argue, Maya immediately raised her hand to stop her. "If you still want to find Alpha Xavier, then I will carry you. Your body is very weak and you need to rest or you might pass out from exhaustion."

Sighing, she finally agreed, but when Maya approached to pick her up, she stepped back. "Wait, I think it's better if I stay behind you, just in case we get attacked." Just saying that made her heart ache as she remembered the hundreds of times she had ridden on Rylan's back.

Maya did not understand her change of mind, but she hesitantly shrugged and offered her back, kneeling slightly to make it easier.

Karen climbed onto her back, trying not to add to the wounds on the she-wolf's body. Unintentionally, she pulled a wound on her own back, but she didn't complain, and soon Maya was running through the forest. Despite their search, neither of them knew where to find the Alpha of Westwood.