At first, the silence had jarred awake. I was sure that sothing ridiculous was happening again. But now, the blizzard had been hushed for about thirty hours... a full three days from that divine encounter.
I’d been on constant alert for more unwanted interventions - or opportunistic werewolves that may have followed any scent the goddess left behind. I also worried about the door in particular, because my glances outside told she left another ’blessing’.
> Stupid snow won’t pile back up and make things look undisturbed. Who asked for a perfectly cleared entryway in perpetuity?! <
Every now and then, I’d hear faint sounds that made tense. Like I had to get used to my enhanced hearing all over again, now that the background noise was over with. But I assu they were just small wildlife.
I’d thought about going outside two other tis now, always directly after feeding the child. Just taking a look around the surroundings for fresh at for myself.
Rodents were surely active in their tunnels underneath the snow, and I have not been ’mousing’ since I was in my world. The human side of will need to do this in wolf form.
> I can’t say it is ’pretty’ as a fox, but it definitely won’t be pleasant. No, not only because those leaps will be silly as a naked woman, but because there is a minor aversion to the idea of eating that species without a beast body... <
But as I readied so things to make a short excursion - and worried over the basket’s integrity and where to hide it... a faint scraping noise, as weak as the sounds of a hesitant rat, began against the door.
Too deliberate. But too small to be a threat? Unless this is another fresh trick...
A weightier thud made the claws co out. It sounded like sothing large leaning against the door. I closed the cabinet with my son inside it carefully before I inhaled deeply.
Nothing stood out. No scent was pushing through the solid surfaces. Just the sll of snow that has been present for weeks.
> Bear? That cave with one is not so far away. But would it have stopped hibernating early just because of this lull in the storm? Doubtful. What then? Why is it not making more sound? <
One clawed hand grabbed for the silver knife without looking or any discomfort. Now that the tal is no longer antithetical to my regeneration, it becos an even more important tool to protect us.
"Identify yourself."
Nothing responded to my demand. No extra noise, like a large creature sliding away. Just silence that made feel paranoid as my hand touched the locks.
Calling myself stupid repeatedly, I unlatched and yanked the door open. All because I weakly slled her, my arms widened to catch the body instead of attack.
Barely avoiding the stab toward the collapsing, snow-encrusted fur by dropping the knife before my arms wrapped tight. The wolf was larger than natural with a white coat matted with frozen dirt and old blood.
For a few seconds I tried to convince myself. That it wasn’t her. Because the sll was too weak, snow was everywhere outside despite not being fresh... and despite dried blood not slling *recent* like she always did.
"Kyrie?"
Her breathing ca in extrely shallow pants. Her massive body trembled with exhaustion. Worst of all she was unresponsive, eyes not even focusing on when I pried them open.
I dragged her further inside, kicking the door shut for now. It can be locked again later. I started to sit her close to the heating vent, but a vague mory of survival-craft research told that wasn’t the answer.
Instead, I gathered every blanket I had not ripped apart to bury her in them. My hands weakly struck the padding, over and over, as I dropped it beside her.
"Stubborn, stupid wolf. What were you thinking? Why did you get like this? Nineteen hells, what do I do? Rember, damnit..."
Brushing her off as best as I could, removing any source of frost, I find several deep gashes around that old blood. Her flank was not healing properly... and it makes think she got into a fight while in this weakened state.
Getting the dical supplies, I try to clean them like I read about, though I’m not sure it will help. She needs rest and food... and warmth.
> Yes, I’m doing it. Don’t rush . <
Locking the door before retrieving the basket and placing it where I can hear his wls, I start dragging all the blankets over her. Over the both of us. I hug myself to her core, avoiding her limbs because I also recall sothing about ’afterdrop’.
And I resolve myself to spend the ti I’m not feeding-
"Saving your silly life again. You could have died out there. All for what?"
The emotional words poured out unveiled after two weeks of speaking to no one but my son, a goddess, and a spirit in my own mindscape. Probably only because she is basically unconscious.
"I left for a reason, Kyrie. I left so you wouldn’t have to deal with this. With . You had other things to protect. I know. I *know* you are willing, but I... do you have any idea what it was like? That foul creature calling my son, the child that just ca out of ** an abomination while I was still covered in my own blood? Not being able to do anything but run away to protect it..."
I’m not sure I stopped speaking for more than a minute for the whole first hour. Before her shivering finally started up again as a tremor. I said so much. So much I’m not sure I could say again.
Telling myself that I’d never expected her to try and find would be a lie. But I thought... or I didn’t think. I refused to. And I do again, as I hold her down.
Because into the second hour, she beca violent. Teeth clattered, convulsing bodily. Trying to push away but not having the strength. I bury my head under her chin so that she can’t twist her neck to bite .
Groans, whimpers, the sound of my voice telling her she was okay for ten whole minutes didn’t help. Because she didn’t understand what was going on. I could see that the one ti I looked into her brown, unglowing eyes.
The connection to her wolf was partly sealed on instinct, again. I’d call her a silly woman, but I haven’t exactly been the best partner with my own.
When she ran out of fight, she just continued shivering. Just continued being miserable while I hold onto her. I try not to take that personally, knowing it’s just all part of the process.
> I can’t help but think it. That I’ve brought her nothing but troubles. That I’m the one making her miserable. <
Sighing and rubbing the sides of Vrika’s neck, I smile for a bit at the ergency affected wolf. Trying to raise its mood like it has done so much in my soul space before I go back to reality fully for a while.
When I begin to roll out from under the covers, because I need to do sothing else still to help her through this, she turns with - and her teeth weakly latch on my wrist. She looks in deep pain, but she looks *there*.
Like she understands what is going on. And it takes many, many cowardly seconds to find my voice, now that I know that she can definitely hear .
"It’s okay. I’m not leaving you. But you need liquid. You need sugar. Otherwise all that shivering helping you get warm is going to stop."
My other palm touches her nose softly and she lets go, only to lick once with a whimper far more pitiful than my son. As I crawl out and toward the container, looking for a bowl, water, honey and an electric kettle...
I shiver myself. Nothing to do with the cold, since I cannot feel anything. I’m a perfect heater, after all.
Just a mont of relief - and things I don’t want to think about catching up to all at once.
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