she removes her paw from his wound, but the other holds his face firm a second longer. eyes of ice scold him in silence for his foolishness, if only to conceal her worry. then she turns to the pile of leaves, nosing them gently to decipher which is which. after some consideration, she pushes a few toward him, confident in her choice, and a growl catches in her throat as he squirms away.

you are not fine. eat. and gods, she doesn't envy him. they smell awful, and she will pry his jaws open if she must. only when he acknowledges the medicine does she let go, allowing him the space he so desperately requests from her. his wounds are deep, grave, and there is no doubt they will scar. whoever did this to him— and in her heart, she knows only sun eater could have done so— they meant to maim. to punish.

you have lost a lot of blood. rest now, and i will keep watch.