Ander - Chapter 1, Subchapter 28
#28 of Ander
28
... my brother!"
Banno could see the hand reaching out to him. He could even understand who it belonged to, but he was no longer capable of understanding what it meant. His mind, his being, his very perception of the world itself had narrowed down to include only what his most primal instincts would allow.
He knew his anger. He knew his hatred. He knew his enemies.
His prey.
He knew of the pain around his ankle, but that was distant and unimportant. All that mattered was the smell of his prey's blood in the air. Even better, he could still taste it on his tongue. It was the taste of life.
"Banno, please! Take my hand!"
These words meant nothing to him through the red haze. It was just noise, no different from the roaring all around him, but he did take Ander's hand. He did.
He took the hand of his prey.
*
Much to Ander's relief, Banno's hand finally closed over his own. For a second there the big Wolf had looked a bit... off. As if he was somewhere else entirely.
"I've got you, Banno! Just hold on!" Ander started to pull his brother back up to safety, but then the unthinkable happened.
Banno rose up and bit down on Ander's arm, digging into his flesh with his teeth like a wild animal.