Fear. Pain. Struggle. Fight! but all the fight in the world couldn't change the size difference between fox and wolf, nor could a swift intellect outpace the grinding pressure of entrapping jaws that tore and bruised and tried to break the little body caught in them. His consciousness faded to a red haze of panic and fierce determination to leave his mark on his captor before the red faded to black and the black faded to silence and he, who had killed would-be gods, fell to the hunger of a simple animal.
It was Vai who saved him, though he did not know it at first. The huntress's arrow stole breath and life alike from the fierce predator crouched over him, its heavy jaws tensing a finally time before suddenly loosening in the relaxation of death. Jigano twisted free as it collapsed, limping a few steps before also stumbling and falling into the snow, panting and wild-eyed with pain and confusion. He didn't notice the other wolves leaving, nor even the great, frozen lion a few yards away. He was shivering in reaction and shock, his shoulder and leg awash in red, and he flinched as a shadow threw itself over his vision before Rory dropped to his knees at his side.
He didn't even recognize Rory, at first. He whimpered as the scarf was pressed against his shredded skin and torn muscle, turning to snap at the renewed pressure against his wounds--
But the scent that filled his nose was not wolf or threat. It was safety, and warmth, and trust. His sharp white teeth woulddn't even break the surface of Rory's skin, if they had even closed on his friend's hand at all. Instead he licked at the wrist and hand pressing the cloth against him - trying to stop the bleeding, he realized belatedly, as he tried to reassure his worried friend as best he could while staining the snow around him crimson.
For a wild animal, the injury might have eventually killed him. But did Vervain say something about healing magic? Gods most fortunate, he hoped so. He didn't think he'd die from this, but it was hard to think through the pain when all he wanted was to curl into a ball in Rory's arms and pass out until the hurting went away.
It was Vai who saved him, though he did not know it at first. The huntress's arrow stole breath and life alike from the fierce predator crouched over him, its heavy jaws tensing a finally time before suddenly loosening in the relaxation of death. Jigano twisted free as it collapsed, limping a few steps before also stumbling and falling into the snow, panting and wild-eyed with pain and confusion. He didn't notice the other wolves leaving, nor even the great, frozen lion a few yards away. He was shivering in reaction and shock, his shoulder and leg awash in red, and he flinched as a shadow threw itself over his vision before Rory dropped to his knees at his side.
He didn't even recognize Rory, at first. He whimpered as the scarf was pressed against his shredded skin and torn muscle, turning to snap at the renewed pressure against his wounds--
But the scent that filled his nose was not wolf or threat. It was safety, and warmth, and trust. His sharp white teeth woulddn't even break the surface of Rory's skin, if they had even closed on his friend's hand at all. Instead he licked at the wrist and hand pressing the cloth against him - trying to stop the bleeding, he realized belatedly, as he tried to reassure his worried friend as best he could while staining the snow around him crimson.
For a wild animal, the injury might have eventually killed him. But did Vervain say something about healing magic? Gods most fortunate, he hoped so. He didn't think he'd die from this, but it was hard to think through the pain when all he wanted was to curl into a ball in Rory's arms and pass out until the hurting went away.
