slightly as he slept. I wondered if he was having a dream about chasing bunnies. He was a wolf after all. I
could only imagine him prancing through a meadow as a Werewolf, picking up bunnies, and bopping them on the head.
The monitors and tubes in the room that first night had already been removed. The mess of wires, tubes, and sensors they had on him then looked worse than the mess he was attached to in the cloning pod. Still draped in the pale green gown all patients wore, he had two pillows stuffed behind his head and the sheets pulled tightly across his chest. It was a far cry from the cell the doctors had placed him in last time. Of course, he had been an injured Werewolf at the time. Within a twelve hour period, they had upgraded his status from “serious” to “please-take-puppy-home” due to his Werewolf physiology, and because he was being a pain to the nursing staff.
Watching the curtain shut, I turned to see Karl dangling from the pull string. Shaking my head, the Goblin let go and dropped down into the cushy seat of a nearby chair. Vaulting out, he skittered across the floor and up the side of Toby's bed. Carefully avoiding the few remaining slices of sunlight the curtains let through, I did the same. Standing at the foot of his bed, I reached down and gently shook Toby's exposed foot.
"Nurse Nancy?” he asked, still half-asleep. "Guess again, dirt bag.” I laughed.
One of Toby's eyes popped open and settled on me. With a crooked smile, he slowly rolled onto his back and stretched his arms. “Morning, Rosy." Karl rushed up to the bed and perched on Toby's chest. “Hi, puppy!" "Hi, Karl.” Toby laughed. “Get off me." Snatching the Goblin, I placed him at the foot of the bed. I turned my gaze back to my partner. “How are you feeling, T?"
"Good,” Toby said as he stretched again. “Really rested. How are the others?" "Recovering,” I answered. “You were one of the lucky ones. Because of your enhanced metabolism and the short amount of time you spent in the pod, you recovered quickly. Several of the other Seekers, including Elena, are still in serious condition. There were a few who didn't make it,” I stated solemnly. "There wasn't enough left to save,” Karl added. Toby furrowed his brow, probably realizing for the first time the danger he had actually been in. "The goo in those pods was bonding with the Seekers,” I explained. “And in doing so, changed their body chemistry. If left inside long enough, the body begins to break down.” I looked into Toby's eyes. “Well, you get the idea. I'm just glad you're all right." Toby nodded. “I had the strangest dreams inside of that thing. I had the overwhelming sensation of being made into stew. Really odd."
"I bet,” I agreed.
The Brimstone Betrayal
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