Page 102 of The Orc Outcast's Miracle

A deadly growl left his lips. His eyes spat venom. “Never again. Don’t ever do that again.”

“But you almost... you were...” Tears coursed down her cheeks. Govek’s thumbs came down to wipe them away.

The sticky feel of the boar’s blood on her face barely registered as Govek’s eyes widened and he snapped away from her, backed up. She felt his warmth leave her like an eclipse. Her body shook almost violently.

He was completely covered in blood—chest and face coated, arms bright red all the way to his biceps. His fangs dripped, sharp rows of points disappearing into his still gaping maw.

“Oh god, fuck, Govek, are you okay? I mean... I mean—holy shit.” Miranda staggered toward him, but he backed up again. “Is... is your mouth...? Oh god your teeth...?” He’d just torn out the creature’s throat with his fangs. That couldn’t have been good for them. And the damn pig was rotting. Had he been poisoned? Would he get sick?

His eyes widened, and he spun around. He shuddered and curled in on himself slightly. He tried to wipe at the blood as if it mattered.

“Govek, look at me. Are you okay? It got you in the side. Let me see!” She rushed around to face him and thankfully—for his sake—he didn’t try to hide again. “Let me see your side. Is your mouth okay? Your jaw?”

She pulled up his drenched shirt and looked at the dark mark on his green hide. There was no break in the skin, barely the start of a bruise. She wanted to collapse with relief, but instead turned to his mouth. “Open up. Let me see.”

His eyes widened, but she pinched his chin until his skin went almost white under the pressure and he helplessly obeyed. None of his teeth appeared to be missing, and he was able to open it just fine.

“Okay,” she breathed, panic coming down. Her body shuddered and her eyes flooded, and her throat choked up. “You’re okay. You’re okay. Right? Nothing hurts?”

He remained frozen.

“Govek, talk to me. You’re covered in blood and I can’t tell if any of it is yours.” She scrambled her hands back over his chest. “Is it? It’s not, right?”

“I’m... fine,” he said slowly. “It’s the Fades Spring.”

“What? It’s the...” Oh fuck, she was so stupid. She forgot the spring healed orcs. Relief made tears sting her eyes.

He stepped back.

“Don’t you dare!” She closed the gap again.

She started to tremble as the adrenaline faded. God, that boar had been so close to skewering him through the stomach, and even if the spring could heal, there would be no coming back from that. He’d have been dead instantly.

“W-we should go to the doctor anyway.” Her eyes burned. She wanted to hold him, to wrap him up, to run her hands over his chest and prove it really was undamaged. “M-make sure-sure you’re all right?—”

“I’m all right, Miranda.” She was sobbing now and couldn’t hear him very well.

She ripped at the tie of her cloak, fumbling with the stupid knots like she always did.It was soaking wet, only making the task more difficult.

“What are you doing?” His tone was tinged with bafflement.

She couldn’t get the words out. She ripped off her cloak, turned the leather side toward him and pressed tight into his chest, covering up the blood. Like not seeing it would help calm her down. What the fuck was wrong with her?

“Miranda.” He watched her struggle. She couldn’t get the damn cloak to stay up and stopped trying. Just let it fall to the rocky ground.

“N-no more fishing.”

He was silent a long moment and it let her gather herself before he muttered, “What?”

“You aren’t allowed to go fishing ever again!” She wailed, far too loud. Her voice echoed in the woods. “Or hunting! Do you hear me?”

“Miranda—”

“You almost died.” She sobbed harder, tucking her face into his chest, uncaring that she was now getting covered in sticky blood. “Don’t ever, ever do that again, Govek.”

“Okay,” he whispered. Still hovering around her when she wanted him to hold her, squeeze her tight. “Okay, Miranda.”

She reached up around his neck and pulled him down, forced him to rest his head against hers. He muttered something about getting her bloody and she snapped. “I don’t fucking care. You better hug me right now or I’m gonna turn myself into a backpack and force you to carry me around everywhere for the next month.” She might do that anyway.

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