Page 30 of Tharn's Hunt
Her consciousness brushes against mine, weak but present. She doesn't respond with words, just a confused tangle of emotions and fragments of memory. Images flash between us—a world I cannot comprehend, full of strange structures and machines. People with faces like hers. And pain. So much pain.
"You are with me," I tell her, my thought gentle. "Tharn is here.”
I reach for my medicinal pouch, retrieving firebloom leaves. My stash is dwindling quickly. There are only a few left. I crush them between my palms; the scent rising as I apply the fresh poultice to the wound on her calf.
I work carefully, spreading the medicine over the inflamed skin. When I finish with her leg, I turn my attention to her wrist—the woundIinflicted. It is smaller, less severe, but guilt claws at me, nonetheless.
I made her bleed.
I, who have sworn to protect her, hurt her with my own hands.
I spread the paste over the cut, my touch feather-light. The glow follows my fingers, sinking into her skin like liquid. I do not understand it, but I welcome it now. Perhaps it helps her somehow. Perhaps it fights the fire consuming her from within.
When I finish tending her wounds, I settle beside her, my back against the stone wall. I position myself between her and the entrance, a living shield against anything that might try to enter.
Outside, the shadowmaws continue to circle, their clicks a constant reminder of the danger. But they do not approach the entrance. Not yet. Perhaps they sense my presence. Perhaps they have heard of the fate of their brother in the cave.
Jah-kee whimpers again, her small body trembling. Without thinking, I gather her into my arms, cradling her against my chest. Her head fits perfectly beneath my chin, her weight barely noticeable against my frame.
So small. So fragile. So utterly precious.
"Rest," I murmur as I press my face into her head-fur, the fine strands tickling my chin. "I will keep watch."
She sighs, her body relaxing fractionally against mine. Her mind, when it brushes mine, is calmer now. Less frantic.
This small, injured female trusts me.
The realization settles in my chest like a weight, both heavy and somehow precious. I have never been trusted like this before. Relied upon, yes. Respected for my skills as a hunter and tracker. But this...this is different.
This feels like responsibility. Like duty. Like...something I have no word for.
Outside, a shadowmaw screeches, the sound echoing across the stone. Others answer, their calls forming a discordant chorus that sets my fangs on edge. They are coordinating. Planning.
Hunting.
I tighten my hold on Jah-kee, my claws extending slightly in response to the threat. They will not have her. I will tear apart any creature that tries.
"Goldilocks..."
Her voice in the mindspace is so faint I almost miss it. It takes me a moment to realize she is referring to me. She has named me.
"I am here," I respond immediately, searching for her consciousness in the swirling storm of fire and pain.
"Don't leave me," she pleads, the thought achingly vulnerable.
"Never," I promise, and mean it with every fiber of my being.
I feel her relax against me, her consciousness slipping away once more. But this time, it doesn't feel like she's fading. Just resting. Gathering strength.
Fighting.
Hesitantly, I press my face to her head fur again, inhaling her scent. Even through the fire and fear, her scent is vivid. It calls to me in ways I cannot explain. Calls to me in ways that make me want to hunt the stars themselves if it would keep her safe.
I do not understand what is happening. Do not know why this female affects me so. Why her presence in my arms feels likecoming home after a long hunt. Why her pain feels like my own, tearing at my dra-kir with each labored breath she takes.
I only know that I must save her.
Whatever the cost.
