Boreal's panic had subsided when Tal's had - once the air bubble had allowed him to breathe again and he was no longer drowning - but she was still flying tight, anxious circles just barely above the water until the men came out. She splashed down into the shallows and paced against the strong current until they were close enough for her to get her horned head under Tal's hand, crooning nonstop as he shifted from leaning on Sah to leaning on her.
Tal just wanted out of the water, and he waded to the shore and up onto dry land and kept going a little farther just to be safe before he collapsed to lean against the base of a tree and focus on breathing. Sah's fear sent a contrary prickle of defensiveness and warmth through the courier, melting a little of the numb shock that still cocooned his mind from the reality of how close he'd come to death.
Again.
"Ludo quest," he murmured, realizing with a bit of surprise that he was shaking even though he didn't feel cold. "Was tryin' t'lure a glotter out o'the water. 'Cept it came from behind an' knocked me in." He grimaced, wrapping his arms around Boreal and burying his face in her neck.
"Yeah," His gruff words in response to the sentence Sah couldn't finish were muffled but he didn't let go of the dragon as he reached out a hand, groping for Lilly's presence to try and hug her too.
It would be too weird to hug Sah again. But he could at least hug the hunter's companion.
"Fuckin' hail. Never want t'go through that again." A third time, he meant, though he'd never told Sah about the first.
Tal just wanted out of the water, and he waded to the shore and up onto dry land and kept going a little farther just to be safe before he collapsed to lean against the base of a tree and focus on breathing. Sah's fear sent a contrary prickle of defensiveness and warmth through the courier, melting a little of the numb shock that still cocooned his mind from the reality of how close he'd come to death.
Again.
"Ludo quest," he murmured, realizing with a bit of surprise that he was shaking even though he didn't feel cold. "Was tryin' t'lure a glotter out o'the water. 'Cept it came from behind an' knocked me in." He grimaced, wrapping his arms around Boreal and burying his face in her neck.
"Yeah," His gruff words in response to the sentence Sah couldn't finish were muffled but he didn't let go of the dragon as he reached out a hand, groping for Lilly's presence to try and hug her too.
It would be too weird to hug Sah again. But he could at least hug the hunter's companion.
"Fuckin' hail. Never want t'go through that again." A third time, he meant, though he'd never told Sah about the first.
