It was like déjà vu of the worst kind, stuck in an old den with a busted leg, waiting for someone to come to his rescue. Except this time no one knew where he was, or what had happened to him. He was going to die here, all alone, and his family wouldn’t know where he’d gone or why he never came home; Is this what happened to everyone else…? Lynx, Oksana, Feyre, Star, Diantha, the list went on and on; Kateri… Stella. All gone without a word, lost forever, reduced to bones somewhere out there. And he would join them.

He hadn’t been able to get far from the creek before the blood loss forced him to stop, the world spinning around him and his legs trembling. If the ghost had been following him, he wouldn’t have been able to defend himself, pain swiftly overwhelming him as the adrenaline wore off. In truth, he probably wouldn’t even have noticed, as the nausea finally won out and he emptied his stomach into the grass, dry heaving for several minutes afterwards, shivering with cold sweat.

But he wasn’t being followed, at least not yet, and after a short rest, he’d forced himself to go on, limping as far as the Sacred Grove, before he had to give up and seek shelter. He’d intended to stay awake, to watch for any pursuers, but he’d collapsed almost immediately from sheer exhaustion, getting a few hours of blissful rest before the pain woke him up.

Since then, he’d been constantly in and out of consciousness, feverish and in so much pain that he’d barely been self-aware, let alone aware of the world around him. Curled up in the very back of what might have once been a wolf den, hidden as well as he was able, he could do nothing but wait and hope his body was able to heal. Now, as the sun rose on the third day, he seemed to have shaken the fever, but that only left him awake to feel the pain even more, and worry about the situation he’d landed himself in – and worry he did.

Thoughts ”Speech”

Leo had never felt this scared in his life, even during the fight adrenaline had mostly drowned it out, and he’d had to focus on his opponent and his own attacks. But now there was nothing to distract him, no planning to keep his mind from spiraling through more and more horrible scenarios; Dying would be a blessing…! He might be found, but too late for his leg to be fixed, ending up a cribble for the rest of his life. Or he might lose his leg entirely, just like Magg.

Descending further and further into despair, Leo was blind and deaf to the world outside his hiding place – it hardly mattered anyway, if someone was to find him, he wouldn’t be able to get away, let alone put up a fight. Still, when a stranger actually broke into his feeble sanctuary, he was drawn from his internal panic with a jolt.

He couldn’t help the snarl that escaped him, neither could he stop it from turning into a whimper as he attempted to cringe further into the wall at his back, lighting both his stomach and leg on fire with pain. Tears clouded his eyes, making it even harder to see the other wolf in the near darkness, but her voice, though unfamiliar, seemed kind. Still, Leo was on edge in his very vulnerable position, feeling like everyone was a threat and he hesitated for several moments before answering in as strong and level a voice as he could manage: “Why do you care?” It came out more defeatist than challenging, but at least he kept his voice from trembling, steady eyes watching her every move.

Thoughts ”Speech”

So far, she wasn’t advancing any further and Leo was able to relax ever so slightly, taking deep breaths through his nose as he continued to study her. Laying down now, a bit of light was able to slip by her, shining through pale tawny fur and somewhat illuminating an elegant face with large golden-brown eyes. Her expression was still mostly in shadow, making it very hard for him to guess her intentions and the blank tone in her voice didn’t help.

The words themselves spoke volumes though, making Leo’s ears rise a little, brows furrowing as he turned the question over in his head; Would I…? If she’d asked a year ago, his answer would have been immediate, but now; Magg was just trying to help too… In the end, his only answer was a bleak: “Not a lot of normal wolves left around here.” There was a small spark of gallows humor in his eyes, despite the gloomy tone, though he was still hesitant to trust the stranger, she could have taken the chance to attack him already, if that had been her intention. She appeared honest in her concern.

And then she asked the one question that could shatter his growing ease, ears instantly flattening back down as his teeth flashed in a low briefly, before he got himself under control. An icy lump of fear weighed heavily in his belly, eyes wide as he simply watched her for several breaths. The panic was creeping back in, scattering his thoughts in all directions, surely visible on his face even in the dimness. He was sure his reaction had already given the answer away, but he still tried to be nonchalant in his answer: “What would you do if I was?” Once again, his voice was hopeless, with the slightest hint of a tremble that he couldn’t quite hold in.

Thoughts ”Speech”

Her smile was nice, the joke certainly lightening the mood for that brief moment, but Leo couldn’t shake his paranoia. Even with her seeming genuineness and kind tone, he couldn’t help but hear a double meaning behind everything she said. She would take him back home, huh? Dead or alive? Everyone was worried; Just how you want it, right?

And then she introduced herself, and it took every ounce of his remaining self-control to keep from bursting into tears. Fear and pain had worn him down to shreds already, not to mention the spiraling thoughts of what might become of him, stuck here all alone. Never in a million years could he have dreamed of being found so soon, by a friend; By family!

“N-Nori?” He croaked, voice rife with emotion, relief making the tremble even worse, but he didn’t even care. It was a name he had heard before, mentioned by Nash and Chan in passing, their sister’s daughter; “When did you… Do they…” He didn’t even know what to say, a strange buzz filling his ears and making him feel tinkly all over, as he finally gave fully in to the realization; They found me…!

“I’m Leo Vuesain,” he finally breathed, hoping she recognized the last name at least, as he didn’t have the energy to explain; “I… I don’t think I can walk anywhere.”

Thoughts ”Speech”

Her smile was infectious - or maybe it was just the relief of being found, by someone other than the monster - either way, Leo felt his own mouth curl slightly. His mouth had gone dry with fear and he had to swallow several times before he could answer her, voice still hoarse but earnest; “You too.”

At any other moment, he might have found her forced cheer condescending, but in his current state it was actually comforting. The very tip of his tail gave a small flick, all he could manage without pain, but his smile grew a little steadier. “That would be… Nice,” he said, weakly, feeling the exhaustion starting to tug at him, now that there was someone else here to stand guard; “Aquene’s our shaman, she’ll know how to help.” At least he hoped so; the image of Magg’s missing leg flashed briefly in his mind, but he shook it off; It’ll be fine, I’ll be fine!

Nori’s question pulled him back to reality, a grimace crossing his face; Don’t know anything about herbs… But he should have, he’d promised himself after last time, only so much else had happened. It didn’t matter now anyway, Nori would be all the help he needed, although a trail of ice ran down his back at the mention of her leaving. “No,” he said hastily, trying to shake his head and wincing at the stab of pain in his shoulder; “I’m good I…” He didn’t want her to go, for her own sake as much as his, or so he told himself anyway. Of course she would have to leave at some point, to go up the mountain; But not right now… Right?

He felt truly pathetic, wishing for her to stay just so he wouldn’t be afraid all alone, but there was nothing he could do about that. Really, she should be off as soon as possible, she’d be much safer at the Cove, it wasn’t like he could protect her; Clearly I can’t protect anyone… All he could do was warn them, and so he did: “You gotta be careful! There’s a monster out there, who knows who he’ll attack next!” It sounded like mad ramblings, but it was the best he could muster through the exhaustion clouding his thoughts; “Please, I don’t want you to get hurt too!”

Thoughts ”Speech”