Edge Part 60: All Things Die

"I don't understand," Elliot said as he glared at Cirrus.
   "What's not to understand?" He asked, paying more attention to the slivers of blood under his nails than Elliot. "You can't control your pack. They run around wherever they want with whoever they want, even with other packs." He gave a slight chuckle at that, a crooked, toothy smile crossing his face as he glanced up.
   "Don't touch my family," Elliot growled through his teeth, his grip on me tightening uncomfortably.
   "What if they don't want to be your family anymore? What if they get pushed away by their families when they need them?" Cirrus said, his expression darkening.
   "That isn't what's happening! Angel knows that we only want to help her- She's lying to you!"
   "And why would she do that?"
  Elliot had no real answer for that. And, if not that, he simply didn't feel like speaking to Cirrus anymore. He took a step back, me going with him as he let me go, his hand moving to my shoulder.
   "We're leaving," he said, but I wasn't sure exactly which person in the lit, empty circle carved into the forest he was talking to. Relief took me as soon as I realized that we were leaving unharmed. The tension in the air seemed to lessen as I remembered the treaty between Cirrus' pack and Elliot's family. He couldn't touch Elliot and that, in a sense, meant he couldn't touch me.
  We turned to leave, Elliot's footsteps rapid. But before we could get down the path, Cirrus appeared in front of us, his fangs flashing.
   "I was talking to you," he hissed, his back straightening.
   "I'm done with you- Move," Elliot ordered, his fingers tightening on my shoulders as his face contorted into a snarl. My hair stood on end as they eyed each other, their gaze unwavering.
   "Don't tell me what to do," Cirrus said, his head lowering as he took a step towards us. Elliot pushed me behind him, making me half stumble.
   "Elliot, don't," I gasped quickly, my heart frantic as I searched for his wrist with sweating palms.
"The treaty, Cirrus," I herd Rafael remind from somewhere behind me. I didn't dare look back at him, though. "He can't hurt you and you can't hurt him."
   "You think I give a damn about some treaty?" Cirrus said loudly, his yellow gaze catching at Rafael's. "My father made the treaty. If I want I can just tell him that Elliot tried to kill me first. Don't be an idiot, Raff."
  I felt my body go even colder as I realized what that meant. I tried to see Elliot's expression, but it was impossible. I was behind him, now, and all I could see was the back of his head and his tense shoulders as he stood in silence.
   "And besides," Cirrus added, his eyes falling on me as a small smile slid across his lips, "there's no treaty saying I can't hurt that one."
  The sound that Elliot made after that gave no sign that it was coming out of anything even close to being human; the sick, animalistic growling noise that made my heart turn to stone and sink into my stomach. He pushed me back even further in the same instant, moving even closer to Cirrus. But Cirrus didn't seem at all frightened- Moving in step with Elliot's motions as I faded into the background. I curled my hands in front of me as I stumbled back, Cirrus' gaze still on me.
   Despite that, he still managed to keep up with Elliot as he circled him, the two of them wandering even further from me as I walked back until I was nearly in the center of the clearing. I didn't know what to do but stand there uselessly. I tried to take deep, even breaths, but as Cirrus and Elliot hissed and snarled at each other, even the air seemed thick with a lust for control. The muscles in my body tensed and un-tensed with every move Cirrus and Elliot made. I wanted to stop them so badly, but what could I do but watch? Watch Elliot fight... Watch him killing or dying...
   "Raff, get him!" Cirrus suddenly said, his loud voice making my whole body tense as I tried to register what he had said. Elliot's head jerked back towards me, his eyes widening as he realized how far I had strayed. Before he could move, I felt an arm snap around my waist, Rafael pulling me tightly against him. I gasped as he caught my neck in the crook of his other arm, my hands shooting up immediately to grasp at it.
   I herd Cirrus laugh in his same choking tone as I rolled my eyes up to look at Rafael. The disconnected composure he had before was slowly starting to fade from his face as he bit nervously at his bottom lip. Cirrus didn't seem to notice his distress, though. And why would he? As far as he knew, Rafael and I were practically strangers. I looked back at Elliot, Cirrus still chuckling behind him.
   "What are you gonna' do now?" Cirrus said to him, his eyes still squinted with his smile. Elliot reared around to face him again, all the fear he had for me turning to rage as he dug into his pocket and lunged at him. Cirrus' own amassment faded as he jumped back a second too late. The blade that I didn't know Elliot still carried sliced over the brim of his nose, leaving streaks of crimson to run down his cheeks. Cirrus blundered back from him, touching at his face. His eyes whitened with fury and surprise as he looked at the red stains on his finger tips.
   His expression darkened as all fun he was having melted into rage. Elliot growled, his stance strong as he held his knife at his side, the silver gleaming.
   "Elliot!" I tried to scream at as he sprang forward, but I could only manage the first syllable. Rafael's arm wastight around my throat. I managed to pull my eyes away from Elliot and Cirrus in all their rabid growling and snarls long enough to look up at him. He watched even more nervously than I did, his eyes wide with fear.
   "Raff, let me go," I muttered as loud as I could, digging my nails into his arm. He cringed, but didn't look down at me. "Please," I begged my arms shaking as it seemed like he wasn't going to release me.
   "I can't," he said quietly, his voice almost drowned out by the sound of Elliot's scream. My head immediately turned back  to he and Cirrus, my stomach wrenching as Cirrus twisted his wrist. I tried to call out to him, my eyes tearing at his agony, but again I couldn't. He slipped away from Cirrus without my voice, though, his knife falling to the ground as he leapt back. He grinned with pain as he clutched at the bloodied wounds where Cirrus' nails had sunken deep into his exposed skin.
   "Please!" I pleaded with Rafael louder, struggling in his grip as I looked back up at him. "Let me go! Do something!"
   "Stop," he said, clenching his teeth as he tightened his grip on my neck. "I can't do anything. Even if I let you go, you'll just be in the way."
  I would have tried to fight with him, but my voice had been all but completely silenced. I had to watch Elliot dodge another blow from Cirrus without saying a word. He still clutched at his arm, only able to defend himself from Cirrus' now razor-sharp claws by ducking and running, never turning his back on him.
   I struggled in Rafael's grip violently. I had to get away... But it did no good. I might as well have been wrapped in steel bars.
   "Stop," he said again, shaking me slightly. Even though his move was only slight, his arm pressed too far into my neck, making me choke and gag. Cirrus only glanced up at me for an instant, but in that spilt second, Elliot's nails sliced across his chest. Cirrus gasped, leaning down to cover the wound and Elliot didn't waste it. His knuckles met with the back of his skull, knocking Cirrus to the ground. Elliot raised his hand up over Cirrus' bent head, his nails ready to dig into the back of his neck. I felt Rafael's body tense as if he would let me go. Cirrus' head shot up suddenly, his eyes on me.
   "Kill him Raff!" He ordered, freezing Elliot in place. His hand rested, suspend in air as his wide, white eyes stared at mine in horror.
   There was silence as everyone stilled. I could feel the vain in my neck pumping in  rhythm with trembling heart as I looked wearily up at Rafael, his expression torn as his eyes darted between Cirrus and I.
   "Do it now!" Cirrus cried, breaking the silence, "What are you waiting for?"
  Rafael's eyes finally settled on mine, their wide, terrified look relaxing slightly. I swallowed deeply as he watched me.
   "I'm sorry I-," he muttered, tilting his head.
   "Don't," I choked desperately, not letting him finish.
   "I'm sorry," he continued, repeating himself, "I just can't do it." He glanced up at Cirrus as his grip on me loosened and he freed me.
  I coughed, stumbling forward as I touched at my throat. Before I had even noticed he was moving, Elliot was at my side. He grabbed me by the arm, pulling me as far away from Rafael and Cirrus as he could until we were standing near the path. Elliot gripped at me tightly, his hands running through my hair over and over. I held his arms as he clutched me as if he had never done so before that moment.
   I was more distracted by Cirrus and Rafael, though, as they stood opposite each other in the clearing. Cirrus glared at the dejected Rafael, his face a squinting mix of confusion.
   "Come here," He growled. Without hesitation, Rafael went to him, his head bent low. Cirrus snatched him by the collar of his shirt, bringing Rafael's face to his snarling.
   "What the hell!" he spat, Rafael trying to lean away from him. "You've killed people before, but the one time I actually need you to kill someone you pull this!"
   "You ask me to kill strangers, not my friends," Rafael said, his eyes falling to the ground.
   "I'm your only friend," Cirrus muttered through his teeth, bringing Rafael's face so close to his that they nearly touched. Weather because of the full moon or because he simply couldn't take it anymore, Rafael's arms shot up, shoving Cirrus away from him roughly. The two stumbled back, Rafael flashing his teeth and giving a low snarl. Cirrus watched with wide eyes for an instant before his face, too, fell into a more feral continence.
   "I can't kill Abel because he's my friend! More than you ever were!" Rafael said, his inhibitions melting away.
   "You don't have any other friends," Cirrus said, shaking his head. "I'm your only friend! You don't even have time to make friends! You belong to me and you are always with me and only me! You ignorant, selfish bastard!"
   "You're the ignorant one!" Rafael screamed even louder than Cirrus, their fighting making my skin crawl. "You don't see anything... Not what I do or where I go or what your father does to me- What he does to you!"
  It wasn't until Elliot started pulling me slowly backwards that I realized what Rafael was doing. He motioned with his hand half hidden behind his back. He waved his wrist for us to leave and Elliot was doing just that.
   "And what exactly is my father doing?" Cirrus asked angrily, but by that point I was hardly paying attention. I was focused on escaping as Elliot pulled me into the shadow of the trail, the drying blood from his wrist sticking to my clothes. I closed my eyes, trying to breath quietly with the paranoia that Cirrus could somehow hear my sickly, pounding heartbeat.
   I could feel the change in temperature on my skin as we slipped out of the lit clearing and into the shadows, the sound of Cirrus and Rafael's quarrel loud in my ears. And then I herd the cracking sound of bone against bone. My eyes snapped open just in time to see Rafael crumble to the ground. And Cirrus was nowhere to be found.
   I looked around frantically for a second before I felt Elliot's arms tighten around me, moving to pull me back. We had moved into the darkness of the path now, and I felt blind.
   "Abel just run!" Elliot spat, shoving me in the opposite direction of the light and deeper into the darkness as another inhumane noise spilt the air. I tried to do as he said, but I felt fingers wrap around my hair, tugging me back so violently I thought my scalp would simply peal away from my skull. My arms flexed to grab at the hand just as it slammed me back in the darkness. My brain bounced as I collided with the tree, the light from the end of the path mingling with the darkness and flashes of pale skin as I fell to the ground.

"Wake up, please," the voice begged. I flinched under his touch as he shook my shoulders. Before I was even fully awake, I could hear the sound of wolves fighting and instantly remembered where I was. I opened my eyes quickly, fear and realization stiffening my muscles. Rafael looked desperately down at me, his white hair glowing against the light of the clearing. Blood stained his face in a stream, but nowhere else.
   "Abel, do you understand me? Can you hear me?" He said slowly, his eyes searching me expression.
   "I'm fine," I said, my voice slurred to my surprise. I sat up as quickly as I could as I seen a glimpse of Cirrus and Elliot out the corner of my eye. My head spun for a second, forcing me to lean against Rafael for support. I couldn't help but feel the warm wetness of blood muddied into my hair and running down the back of my neck.
   "Make them stop," I begged Rafael as I seen the look on Elliot's face as he locked his hands with Cirrus'; His teeth, so long and pointed, looked completely out of place in a mouth that seemed to have become too wide. Even his eyes seemed even more lost as they starred with a lust I didn't understand. I couldn't help but wonder how long Rafael had been trying to wake me when I seen that there was more blood on Elliot and Cirrus' clothing and rips that weren't there before.
   "I've been trying to stop them," Rafael said, looking back, "but I just can't right now. They've gone blood drunk or something! We just have to bide our time and wait for them to wear themselves out before I can even try to take Cirrus out long enough for you to get Elliot... If you can get Elliot."
   "But we can't just wait around! They're going to kill each other!" I said, trying to stand, but I only fell to my knees, vertigo almost taking me out again. Rafael just shook his head and I gave up, looking past him to where Cirrus and Elliot still stood with their hands locked, each others' nails making blood run like seams down the backs of their palms and arms.
   Elliot skidded back slightly, his stance dropping as he stumbled. Cirrus used the slight slip up as an opportunity to wrap his hands around Eliot's wrists, swinging him around violently. Elliot screamed out as his body struck the trunk of a nearby tree, bone, bark, or maybe both crunching under the impact as he fell, gasping to the ground.
   "Elliot get up!" I screamed out as he sat, hunched over and clutching at his ribs. Cirrus chuckled weakly as he watched Elliot struggling at his feet.
   "Cirrus don't!" Rafael called out to him desperately. Cirrus glanced up at him slightly, giving another exhausted laugh as blood dripped down from his chin. He turned back to Elliot where he sat balled in front of him, shoulders quivering.
   "Cirrus!" Rafael screamed, stumbling to his feet as Cirrus raised his foot and set it down on the back of Elliot head. But as Cirrus raised his foot again, ready to stomp down on Elliot's skull, I knew Rafael wouldn't get there in time.
   As he went to slam his foot down, Elliot's hands shot up from beneath him, wrapping around Cirrus' ankle and the side of his foot. the pleased look Cirrus had faded instantly into shock as Elliot smiled up at him. In the same motion, his hands jerked to either side, Cirrus' bones making a sickly crunching noise against his screams and stopping Rafael in his tracks as he shuttered.
   Elliot was up and behind Cirrus as soon as he fell to the ground. He grabbed at Cirrus' wrists, pulling them behind his back. In the same swift motion, he took both wrists in one hand, knotting his newly freed hand into Cirrus' hair and tugging his head back.
   "Please don't do it!" Rafael yelled, his body propelled into motion again. I didn't even know what Elliot was doing until it was too late. His toothy mouth seemed to slit much further than any mouth ever should until it was twisted into the most sickly, wicked smile I had ever seen. He leaned over Cirrus, his teeth crunching into the front of his neck. Cirrus gasped, his eyes widening as blood dribbled down his neck.
   The scene made my blood curtle as Elliot, though all too human, became someone- something I didn't recognize. Rafael was behind him now, grasping at his shoulders and trying to pull him away. I wanted to help him- To make Elliot stop, but I couldn't will my body to move. I just sat in the dirt, my legs completely numb as I stared at the person I didn't recognize trying to choke the life out of Cirrus.
   "You've scared him! He won't bother you anymore! Just leave him be!" Rafael pleaded, trying to fit his hands around Elliot's neck enough to pull him away, but he couldn't. He was locked tight in place, Rafael's attempts only making Elliot's teeth crunch even further into the delicate flesh. Cirrus sat helplessly, blood running from his mouth and nose as he choked, trying to force words through his clamped throat.
  I watched as Rafael bacame despate, pulling away from Elliot and running his fingers through his hair nervously, looking for a solution. He stopped insantly as his eyes caught the shining glint of Elliot's blade, lying half submerged in dirt. he dove for it quickly, clenching it tightly with both hands as he held it over Elliot.
   "Raff you can't!" I screamed out, suddenly finding my voice again. Rafael looked up at me and then back down at Elliot with shaking hands again and again. "Please," I said, so quietly I didn't think he herd. But he answered my plea, letting the knife fall to the ground beside Elliot with a groan.
   "Help me! He's dying!" Rafael pleaded with me desperately as he wrapped his hands around Elliot's waist, trying to pull him away once again. I managed to get to my feet, but I wasn't able to tear my eyes away from Elliot. He let his hand slide out of Cirrus' hair and, for an instant, it rested at his side. But just as quickly it slide over to the blade near him, his crimson-tinted fingers sliding over the surface and grasping at it.
   "Raff the knife! Ell-" I tried to warn him, but Elliot's hand moved faster than I could speak. To my surprise, he twisted his hand back, plunging the long sharp edge into Rafael's side. As he gasped in pain, Elliot slid the knife down his chest and ribs until he released him, stumbling back to grip at his side. The wound was long and deep, making blood run down his side in a deep black pool. His body shook as he teetered, walking back until he fell against a tree.
   "Raff!" I tried to cry, but my voice was caught in my throat as I ran to his side, bending next to him. His jaw shook as he cringed in the dirt, bubbles of frothy blood forming on the sides of his mouth as he held his hands over the pulsing hole in his side.
   "Don't let him die," he said through his teeth, his eyes begging me. I wanted to help him, so I tried to do as he asked.
   I turned my attention back to Elliot as he still kneeled behind Cirrus like some sort of animal. He frightened me. I locked my hands around his waist anyway, still weary of the knife that he had let fall to his side again. Why he simply didn't kill Cirrus with the knife was beyond me and, for some reason, I thought it might have even been beyond him too.
   "Elliot please don't kill him! Not like this! Not now!" I cried, tears suddenly coming as I pressed my head between his shoulder blades. I sobbed into his back, knowing that there would be no way for me to pull him off when Rafael couldn't. My only chance was begging... "Please, please, Elliot. You aren't like this! You can't kill people this way! You aren't an animal!" I let my shaking hands tighten as much as I could possibly manage.
   And then I felt Elliot's tense muscles loosen. He leaned away from Cirrus, taking a deep breath. I smiled slightly, feeling that Elliot was still Elliot- he knew what I was saying and he did what I asked despite how badly he wanted Cirrus dead. He was letting him go. I let myself pull away from him. He turned his head back slightly, his appearance making my skin crawl. Though his mouth seemed nearly human again, his eyes were empty and blood stained his chin and neck to the point where it looked like someone had spilled a bucket of paint on him.
   It wasn't until I was desperate to look away from him that I noticed he still had a hand on Cirrus' shoulder. I watched as he let it slide away. In the same instant, Cirrus fell to one side, blood spattering in a pool beneath him as he landed. Elliot stood up to look down at him as he laid quietly at his feet. Blurry yellow eyes stared blankly up at the sky, a drop of blood switching direction and running towards the earth.
   "Elliot," I choked as Cirrus continued to lay unmoving, "he isn't... you didn't..."
   "He's dead," Elliot said, his voice nearly emotionless other than the slightest hint of pride as he announced it.
   "Oh, Elliot," I murmured, unable to keep my vision from blurring as I looked at Cirrus' body... Knowing that the only reason Elliot ever let him go wasn't because of my pleading. It was because he was dead.
   I finally managed to look up at Elliot, my jaw still hanging. If he weren't covered in blood, you would have never known he had just killed someone. His expression was nearly blank. He  just looked at me like that for a while before his eyes flashed up. He leaned down quickly, tugging up by the arm. I cringed as he pulled me into his chest, the still-warm blood soaking into the back of my shirt. As he pulled me back, I realized he was getting me away from Rafael who had finally staggered to his feet.
   He looked down at Cirrus, still gripping his side with one hand. His expression was dazed as he wobbled, falling down to his knees. He tilted his head, his face that of a confused child as he reached down and touched at Cirrus' face.
   "Cirrus, get up," he said, moving his hand down to shake at his limp shoulder. He repeated himself again, shaking him even more. At first, it seemed like he thought it was a given that Cirrus was going to get up, but as time passed, he became more desperate. He shook him with both hands, his face seeming to become more conscious.
   "Get up," he said loudly, shaking him so hard that his head hit against the ground slightly before falling lifelessly to the side.
   "Raff, he's dead," I said quietly. He looked up at me, his eyes glazed before he turned his head slowly back down to Cirrus. He made an odd sound as he pressed his hands through his hair, bending his head into his chest. His shoulders shook as he craned his head so low that it nearly touched the ground. He sucked in air through his teeth, his shaking more violent as he whimpered.
I tried to go over to him, the guilt in me overwhelming, but Elliot pulled me back roughly.
   "Stop!" I spat, slapping his hands away.
   "We have to go," he said quickly, reaching for me shoulders. I stepped away from him, shaking my head.
   "No."
   "You don't understand! We have to go now!"
   "Why?! Why do I have to go! You go! I'm staying with Raff."
   "You can't!"
   "And why no-" before I could finish, Elliot reached out for me, grabbing me by the wrist and tugging me towards the trail. I dug my heels into the dirt, trying to fight him. I was about to scream at him when I herd a strange cracking noise from behind me, a ripping, tearing sound with it.
   "Shit! It's too late!" Elliot said, his eyes widening as he brought my head into his chest, his hand holding me there. "Don't look," he muttered. The smell of blood on him was nearly as overpowering as my curiosity.
   "Let me go!" I mumbled, trying to push away from him. "What's going on?"
   "He lost control," Elliot said as he slowly eased his grip on me. "Slowly, and don't move," he whispered as he let me turn around.
   Beside Cirrus' body, Rafael stood, his wolf form seeming larger and more feral than he had when I had last seen him. His eyes were white and menacing, his lips pulled back into a snarl. His bloodied hair stood on end as he glared at us, his head low as deep, hideous noises rumbled from his chest. Looking at him like that made me nauseous, the fear in me overwhelming.
   "He's going to go for the first thing that moves," Elliot whispered, "so I want you to run. I'll keep him here."
   "What!" I gasped too loud, and Rafael's attention was drawn to me, pin point pupils locking with mine and rendering me nearlyspeechless.
   "On three," Elliot said, not looking at me.
   "But Elliot what about-"
   "One."
   "But what if you-"
   "Two."
   "Elliot! Please don't make me-"
   "Three!"
And on three he ran forwards, pushing me towards the trail. The vicious barking was so loud that, even though my mind protested, my body ran. My heart pounded against my ribs as my muscles tensed and un-tensed and I disappeared into the darkness, the sounds of fighting becoming more and more distant to me...