We Wanna Be Free- ch. 13- The Many Names of Beloved

Timmy grabbed us both before we could take off. Beloved unvolentarily attempted to pull away, an instinct I knew I had installed in him when he had first shown up. More or less esential for an activist these days, but Beloved, unlike myself, had not learned to control it.
The dog threw itself at him, the only moving thing it could catch. Beloved backed up, agrivating the animal farther and causing it to leap up on him. Snarling, the dog violently shook his arm, throwing him down. Beloved gave a sharp yelp of pain. He stuggled in pain and fear.
I glanced around quickly. My eyes passed over a chain. I grabbed it, looking at Timmy. He met my eyes, nodding miserably.
I jumped towards the dog, belting it in the shoulder with the heavy chain. It let go of Beloved and turned on me, snarling viciously. I looked at it for a split second. It had intellegent eyes, and even as it bared it's slobbery fangs, I knew it didn't want to be a killer. It was an R.A.P.O dog.
Caught up in my own thoughts, I was almost bitten in the face. I pulled back quickly, wincing as I threw the chain at the dog's face.
It screamed, loudly enough I was sure the passing R.A.P.Os had heard it. To my relif, the yelping dog turned and darted back into the woods.
I stood sliently for a moment. Timmy didn't blink, and I knew he was stressed out over what had been done to the dog, and more so what had happened to his best friend.
I knelt down beside Beloved. His eyes were tightly closed as he lay wincing and clinging to his arm. I spoke as soothingly as I could as I pryed his fingers away.
His forearm had been chewed up pretty badly. I counted about ten small bite marks, along with three slash wounds. One was about five inches long and ran down the middle of his forearm. It was bleeding quite alot; already it had covered his arm up to his tee shirt sleve in blood.
I pulled the white bandana out of my pocket and rapped it around the wound.
Timmy was suddenly beside me. "It's alright, kid, we're here," he said quietly, wiping the blood off Beloved's arm.
I lifted Beloved into a sitting position. He had opened his eyes and he stared into the distence, breathing heavily. He suddenly wimpered pitifully and trembled. Timmy put his arm around him. "Your okay, Kid," he said. Beloved closed his eyes, trying to control the sudden panic attack.
He calmed down and held his arm at his chest. "Is it bad?" he asked, looking at both of us.
"It's not gunna kill you right away, if that's what your asking," I said.
"Right away?!?" Beloved said.
"Don't let it get infected," I said quietly, scanning the distance.
There was a sudden noise behind us. "Hey, kids," a voise said.
I jumped and turned around. Ex was standing there.
I grinned. "Hey, Ex! Don't scare us like that, man!"
Ex smiled and sat down beside us. "I almost got caught, man, but Trey saved my butt by takin' off into the woods. Fast child, that one."
"Yeah, he is," Beloved muttered. I knew he hated Trey with a burning passion.
"What happened to you, KidFreak?" Ex asked Beloved. I'm the only one who ever called him Beloved.
"Dog bite," he muttered, pushing himself up with his good arm. "It's not hurting too bad now. Let's get walking, it'll take a couple hours to get to Washington. Is the rest of the gang on their way?"
We all got up. "Yeah," Ex said. "Me, Sheana, and Trey all same at the same time. Trey's running through the woods, no dought, and Sheana fallowed him to make sure he's okay."
We started walking, fallowing the road. It was tence and silent as we walked because Ex and Timmy didn't get along well and Beloved was in no mood to talk to anyone. I didn't even bother to try to make conversation.
There was a sudden rustling from the bushes. Trey and Sheana came crashing towards us.
"We lost 'em," Trey said loudly. He started to list off every dirty word he could think of to describe the R.A.P.Os they had gotten away from.
Ex chuckled slightly and Timmy found amusment in it too. Sheana walked beside me and Beloved. She turned her attention to him.
"What happened, Will?" she asked. I suddenly relized how odd it was to hear his real name.
"Dog bite," he said. He told her the story queitly, I guess because he didn't want Trey to hear.
She smiled sympatheticly. "You okay?" she asked kindly.
He nodded. "Yeah, it isn't too bad. I dunno how I'm gunna keep the infection out, though."
She looked at him with a worried look. The expression in her dark eyes reminded me of myself, contantly worrying about everyone else. I think she noticed it in me, too. She could read people well. She knew exactly what bothered each of us, and I swear she knew enough to turn anyone violent and angry, even Beloved. But she never would.
We had walked for hours by the time we reached the bus station that would take us downtown. The rest of the gang caught up with us there, and we all sat around the same general area as the bus sped towards our destination.