Page 40 of Tharn's Hunt
I help him to his feet. He’s heavy, a dead weight of exhausted muscle, and he leans on me for a moment to find his balance. When he's steady, I gesture to the medical pouch where he's stored the fresh blooms.
"You should use those," I tell him, pointing to his wounded shoulder. "That's why I went for them."
He hesitates, eyes flicking between the pouch and my injured hands. Before I can protest, he's taking my palms in his, turning them up to examine the countless tiny punctures from the firebloom thorns.
"I'm fine," I insist, trying to pull away. "They're just scratches. You're the one who?—"
He silences me with a single look. A flat, unblinking stare that couldn’t say“shut up and let me help you” any clearer. Opening the pouch, he selects one of the freshest blooms, carefully removing the thorns before crushing it between his fingers.
"Seriously," I begin, but he's already applying the medicine to my palms, his touch impossibly gentle for someone with claws that just tore through a sand creature's spine. "I didn't get these for me. I got them for you."
He ignores my protests, focused entirely on tending to my wounds. When he's satisfied with my hands, he produces another bloom, removing the thorns and crushing it into a different consistency before offering it to me.
"I don’t need it." I shake my head. "I made that trip foryou, not me. I'm fine. You're the one who's been half-dead all day."
Another look, this one somehow both pleading and commanding at once. His fingers press the paste closer to my lips, insistent.
I sigh, defeated. "Fine. But you're taking some too. Right after me."
I accept the medicine, grimacing at the bitter taste as it spreads across my tongue.
Only when I've swallowed does Goldi finally prepare some for himself. He applies a generous portion to his wounded shoulder, his face tightening briefly in pain before relaxing as the medicine takes effect. Then he consumes a healthy dose, his eyes never leaving mine as if making sure I witness him fulfilling his end of the bargain.
The change is almost immediate. Color returns to his skin, the golden glow beneath it strengthening, pulsing more steadily. His breathing eases, the tension in his shoulders loosening.
“Now—oh!”
Without warning, he gathers me into his arms again, this time with renewed strength. The other arm grabs the narrow tail of the desert ray. Before I can protest, he's moving. Not the careful trudge of an injured male, but an explosive, powerful run, his legs eating up the sand.
I clutch at his chest, startled by the sudden speed.
He’s showing off. The big, golden idiot is showing off for me.
"Show-off," I mutter into his neck, thegrin I can't stop from spreading muffled against his skin.
Chapter 13
THE GLOW ISN’T THE ONLY THING THAT’S RISING
THARN
The firebloom works its magic quickly.
My wound still throbs, the shadowmaw's poison not entirely purged, but the burning has subsided. The dark tendrils creeping toward my dra-kir have retreated, leaving only a dull ache where fangs tore flesh. I am healing. Not fully restored, but strong enough to hunt. Strong enough to protect.
Strong enough to continue our journey to Jah-kee’s sister-female and Rok.
… If that is what I truly want.
I sit at the cave entrance, watching Ain's light fade from the sky. The stars emerge, burning cold and bright against the endless dark. In the clan tales, thepatterns are the great hunters of old, their spirits forever tracking their legendary prey across the sky. We trace their hunts, telling the stories of their strength so young Drakav learn the ways of the clan.
This dark, their light feels heavy. A judgment on my own hunt. On my... hesitation.
Behind me, Jah-kee rests. Her breathing is even now, her small body curled on the soft sand I gathered for her. Rest came quickly for her after taking the firebloom paste.
I shift, adjusting my position to see both her and the cave entrance better. My duty is clear: guard her through the dark, then continue our journey at first light. Where Rok and her sister-female wait lies three sols to the northwest. It will be a curving path from here.
And all because I diverted.
