Rind.

"Well, he's dead."
Kellan growled.
"He is not dead. He's just sleeping."
the Layer scoffed.
"That's what they tell cubs who are scared of meat. Naive wolfe. He's dead."
Adotre reached one paw out to prod at Gustin's chin. Kuskellanar slapped it away.
"Don't touch him. He's sleeping."
"Sleeping like the dead."
Kellan ignored this and focused his attention on Gustin.
"Wake up, Human. Your mate is commanding you to wake up."
Gustin had never been so offended while still partially unconscious. He squeezed his eyes shut, shoved one arm blindly out to swing at Kuskellanar, and rolled over onto his stomach, which promptly made him aware of the fact that he desperately had to pee.
Kellan was nudging him. Gustin swung again and made contact. Kellan yelped a little, then cleared his throat and growled.
"Human, if you do not wake, I will assume you are injured."
"Or dead!" Adotre interjected.
Gustin exhaled in frustration.
"Human is fine. Human is not dead. Human is tired. Human would like to continue to lay here and not think about what has recently happened."
Kuskellanar snorted.
"The consequences of our mating must be discussed."
There was a silence between them, and suddenly, impulsively, Kellan felt the urge to touch his mate, to soothe him. He reached out a hand to stroke Gustin's hair, smoothing it back where it had been mussed by the bed.
"Little mate, bearer of my lit, please wake up."
Gustin pouted in his head. How was he supposed to ignore a request like that? With Kellan asking so nicely? Might as well reward good behavior. Gustin rolled over and opened his eyes.
"Human! You're not dead!" Adotre wagged his tail. "Old Thing said you might be, but I didn't believe him."
"Layer. Back off. Now."
Kellan's voice was low enough that Adotre read the threat and retreated to the far side of the room, by the carving table. Kellan turned again to his mate. His eyes raked down his body, lingering on his face.
"How do you feel?"
Gustin swallowed.
"Terrified."
Kellan gave him a look of pure sympathy and adoration.
"Everything will be fine, human. I am your mate. I will see to that."
Gustin nodded.
"I know you will." he propped himself up on his elbows and the room spun a little bit. "Water, Kellan, please?"
Kellan turned to go, but Adotre appeared at his elbow, looking hopeful and already bearing a bowl of water. Kellan took it with an appreciative grunt and helped Gus to sit up and drink.

Gus let himself into the bathing room, then came back to bed and dozed off to sleep again. When he woke, the sun was down, Kellan was watching him, and the Layer was asleep in animal form on top of a cloth by the fire. Gustin blinked and began to sit up. Kellan was at his side instantaneously, helping to lift him, carrying a bowl of warm stew.
"Human. You wake."
Gus nodded.
"I wake."
he licked his dry lips and took the stew from Kellan, realizing in the process that he was absolutely starving. After half the bowl had been downed, he paused long enough to ask about Adotre.
"He's still here?"
Kellan nodded shortly.
"His fatigue is such that I am unsure he would be able to safely return to his home." Kellan glanced over his shoulder for a moment at the sleeping Layer, then turned a stern gaze back onto Gus. "He and I have discussed the caravan. Rumours from the South say that it will pass us in two moons."
There was a pause while the unasked question hung heavy in the air. Kellan looked directly into his eyes.
"They will be seeking you."
Gustin took at few more swallows of his soup.
"OK."
Suddenly, out of nowhere, he felt the urge to run biting at him; little tiny nips at his back, his ankles, his legs telling him to run, run far away and never ever look back. He struggled against it for a few seconds, then reached out for Kellan.
"Kellan, we have to get out of here."
Kellan shook his head.
"No, mate. The den is safe. You stay here."
Gustin felt something akin to panic begin chipping at his calm.
"No...no, Kellan, we have to leave." Gustin began looking around himself, trying to plan in his head what they would need to pack. "Believe me, I can do it. Kellan, I can! I can get us back to good territory again! We can...we can go south, take refuge in a friendly pack's land. The freeze is not so thick now, it's not so cold; we could make it, Kellan, really we could!"
Gustin suddenly realized his breath was heaving. Kellan cocked his head and put a quelling hand on his mate's shoulder.
"Gustin, if we go into Pack land, you cannot take me."
Gus's stomach dropped. He hadn't even thought of that.
"But - "
Kellan shook his head.
"An exile from one Pack is an exile from all."
By the fire, Adotre stirred. Gustin looked over at him.
"But - "
Kellan shook his head firmly.
"No, Gustin. We stay."
Gustin calmed his breathing to even and swung his legs over the side of the bed so that he was sitting up.
"OK. OK."
Gus shifted; his parts still felt a bit sore, but it was nothing unbearable, and much better than before. Kellan watched him carefully.
"Are you alright?"
Gus nodded.
"Besides the fact that I can't wrap my head around what you're telling me, yes."
he rolled out of bed and went over to pour himself some more soup, tiptoeing over Adotre, then focusing intently on holding the bowl steady.
"So we stay here."
Kellan grunted accord.
"And we hide."
There was no response.
"And they won't even know we're around."
Again, no answer.
Gustin straightened up, looking directly at Kellan.
"Wolfe, give me an answer here."
"They know I am about. They know that I live here."
Gustin waited.
"They will sense the change in my scent."
Gustin made a suspicious face.
"What change?"
Kellan turned a little to the side.
"Your scent will be on me. They will wonder about it."
Gustin shrugged.
"So just don't go see them. Don't let them scent you. What's their worry? They're looking for me. They're not searching for you. They won't care."
Kellan glanced uneasily at Adotre. Gustin put it together.
"Unless they are searching for you. Because they suspect - or maybe they know - that you were the one who made the raid that stole me."
Kellan had the good grace to look as if he felt bad about this. Gustin calmly took another swallow of soup, and sighed.
"I really wish that you had mentioned this earlier."

~:~