A loud, animalistic growl reverberated throughout the surrounding area. Fala had his hand on my back, pushing me down as he leaned over in a protective manner. As soon as things became quiet, we stayed close to the ground and moved closer to the stone wall. Fala stood taking a look around, then faster than I would have liked, yanked me up and tossed me over. I know the sound I made had to be heard but I was hoping I hadn’t sounded any different than the rest of the high pitched birds that had sang out when one of the fleshers gave its yell.
I was wrong; I could hear the crazed beast running in our direction. I heard Fala say ‘stay down’ right before I heard bones popping and his voice go from that of a man to a very big animal. “Run, Renee!” Fala growled as he took off running toward the three that were as horrible as any that we had seen. I rushed to the wall and jumped, grabbed the top and tried to pull myself up. I had to help Fala. The silence was broken with the yells from both flesher and wolf. I dropped down and ran to the gate and began climbing it, only to be yanked backwards.
“What the hell?”
“Sorry, My Lady, but I will go,” Monroe said, and then was gone.
“You okay?” Derek asked, and was over the gate before I could respond.
I felt something grab my arm and I screamed.
“Renee, it’s just me, Sydney.”
He and I reached for the gate at the same time that Fala and the flesher crashed into it. Fala spun himself and the flesher around, and put the death smelling beast up against the wrought iron gate. Fala then grabbed its head and smashed it into the iron ribs of the gate. Blood and bits of bone sprayed Sydney and I from face to knees. Sydney started swatting at his face like a mad man, took his jacket off, and tried to clean off the flesher's remains.
Monroe, Derek, and Fala made their way over the gate, explaining that any predator close to the area, with more fleshers being high on the list, would soon smell the death of the flesher. Monroe said they were probably seeing if there had been any recent burials that they could grave-rob; eating the corpse and taking anything the dead may have, from clothing to jewelry to make trade with. But would more than likely stop where they found the stench of death and consume the fallen.
“Somebody’s coming,” Derek whispered, waving his hand for all of us to get down.
We hurried to get in the shadow of the trees and headstones on the first row of graves on the right side of the enormous cemetery. The footsteps sounded heavy the closer they got, and my thoughts were it was more fleshers coming to the aid of their friends. I was feeling around for a branch when I saw Garvin squatted down by a cross shaped headstone on an above the ground grave, with a branch as big as Sydney’s club in his hands. He put his finger to his mouth and then leveled the branch at his shoulder. The being got closer, Garvin swung and I looked up in time to see Tammy’s face over the side of the headstone that I was hiding behind.
“Garvin…” It was too late. Tammy went sprawling face first.
“Oh shit!” Derek added as we all rushed to her side.
Tammy rolled to her back, curling up, grabbing her lower right leg immediately. Garvin handed Sydney the branch, but Sydney just shook his head. Garvin dropped it and knelt down beside Tammy. “I am so very sorry. We had no way of knowing that it was you and not a flesher.”
“Why the hell would you think I was a flesher? Do I look like a flesher to you, Garvin?” Tammy was trying not to yell but the pain was making it hard.
Garvin looked up at me. “They just killed three nasty fleshers, Tammy. We really didn’t know who or what was running this way.” I tried to explain but I wasn’t sure she was hearing much as she sat up, grimacing in pain. “Why were you running like that anyway? Is everyone alright?”
“Yes,” she replied through clenched teeth. “Jacob found the monument of Martin’s father just beside the mausoleum. They were looking for a way in, while I was to come find you.”
“And you ran for all to hear?” Fala asked.
“Since when did you start sounding like one of them?” Tammy turned and looked up at him, pointing at me. “Well, don’t just stand there with your mouth open. If you don’t have an answer, the least you can do is help a lady to her feet.”
“Of course,” Fala replied, bending his now nude human form down and lifting her by way of putting his arms under hers. “I was merely stating that you ran without care for things around here to hear you. Do you know that there is nothing inside these walls? Have the other masters told you that we are safe here?”
“Okay, enough,” Tammy limped over and leaned up against the bark of a weeping willow that had no leaves left due to the coming winter. “They told me to be as quiet as I could be, but I heard something and all I could think about was those Specter things.”
“That’s what they’re called. I don’t blame you, after seeing what came out of Fala’s face. I do not want one of those things touching me.” I shivered at the mere thought.
“Not to mention, how they suck your soul out,” Derek added.
“If you think you’re ready, we need to move.” I was anxious and nervous to find out what happened to Martin and scared to death about our Tanda. Though, I did know that she was in good hands. If anyone could get her to a safe place, it was Martin.
We moved to the center of the cemetery with haste. Tammy was in between Fala and Monroe while the rest of us kept an eye on our surroundings. We found the others by sound before sight. Cates was cursing loudly, then the sound of two stones crashing together followed. We moved faster and came around the mausoleum to find Cates throwing a small headstone at what Tammy had called Martin’s father’s monument. It was a smaller version of the mausoleum only it had no door.
“There is no latch, no opening that we can find and the big man cannot move the statue,” Jacob said as the smaller headstone broke in half on the side of the base of the kneeling angel that was perched on a large, square pedestal.
“If I had both of my hands, this thing would not defeat me,” Cates claimed as he used his knee to lift another small stone.
“Let me help you and perhaps together we will be able to move it,” Fala suggested.
“Yeah Cates, you put your shoulder into the side of that angel while Fala pushes on the base and rest of us will line up beside him and give it our all,” Derek added, setting his weapons on the ground.
“Jacob and I could push on the front right side as you all push on the side. Surely it cannot withstand the strength of us all,” Monroe suggested.
“Sounds good to me. Renee and I will protect you guys,” Tammy winked at me and sat down on the closest grave. “If someone hadn’t tried to break my leg, I would have been more than happy to help move that huge thing.”
“Excuse me?” Cates stepped back and looked around the angel’s massive wings.
“I’ll explain everything later, my sweet man. It was an accident.” I could see the sparkle in Tammy’s eyes as she spoke and it made me want to find our people even more.
“Let’s move this thing and go find the rest of our family.” Garvin took the words right out of my mouth; I was thinking the very same thing.
Everyone pushed and shoved until the top of the monument started to give way. Once the connection between the statue and the large, square monument where Martin’s father’s remains were supposed to be, broke free of its hold it was much easier to slide. Sure enough, the statue hid a secret stairway and not a coffin that would have to have been filled with ash. What other reason would a breeder have to place their dead in a cemetery? Martin, or whoever had placed this here, had been very wise to do so. I have seen many things that I wished to forget in my short life as a breeder, but this is one that I would remember for future needs. In the event that I survived to see the elders go down, and then can enjoy a safe home where we could live in peace.