Eivind was gone a long time again, and Blue took to lying down on his injured side while he waited for his lover to return. It was painful, but it was the only way he could manage to take deep breaths, as the shallow gasping wasn't enough to keep him comfortable. After a while of this, the pressure on his body became an almost welcome sensation. He lifted his arm and stretched it above his head in order to give himself even more space to breathe. How much longer was he going to have to deal with this? Blue had no idea how long it took rib injuries to heal, and Alaric hadn't given him any kind of estimate as to when he could expect to be feeling better. He was functioning at a higher level than he had been when Eivind had first discovered him, that was something. He could stand, walk around, have sex . . . Blue sighed as he thought about last night, and this morning, how wonderful it felt to finally have Eivind inside of him. Chances weren't likely that Eivind would want to fuck him again, not while he was like this. He could hardly even convince himself that it would be a good idea. All that time and effort to get somewhere where the pack couldn't sniff out their every move, where they two males could appreciate one another's bodies on their own terms and not feel constricted by the arbitrary rules of one grumpy, paranoid wolf, and Blue was done after just two (fantastic) sessions. He cursed the irony and shifted his legs, feeling the dried crust of Eivind's semen on his thighs from where it had leaked out of him.<br/><br/>"I'm disgusting," he mumbled to himself, bringing his hand down to graze his stomach, where dried ejaculate still stained his skin. "I'm fucking covered. I need a bath." Perhaps when Eivind returned he could convince him to take him back to the river for a quick rinse. He certainly didn't regret the reasons why he was covered in dried, flaky semen, but that didn't necessarily mean he was happy about it, either.<br/><br/>When his lover returned, Blue slowly sat up and looked at him curiously. Eivind had a full sack with him, but certainly it couldn't all have just been herbs and leaves needed for the tea? He smiled when he dropped the pack down onto the ground, allowing Blue the opportunity to sift through it and see the other items Eivind had collected for him. He felt his heart swell up in his chest as he dumped out the various leaves, berries, acorns, nuts. Anything Blue might be able to use. "You're precious, you know that?" Blue replied playfully, reaching up and grabbing Eivind's hand, pulling it to his lips so he could plant a long, sweet kiss to the back of his lover's skin. "Thank you. You're very sweet for thinking of me. I've never used aloe as a binding agent . . . I have no idea if it'll work." Blue looked down at his supplies and bit his lower lip. To create simple paints, all he would need to do was simmer the ground down ingredients with water, but he doubted the colors would be strong enough to show up on the rock walls without something to thicken the paint. "Well, it's worth a try. If it doesn't work, I'd just need some animal fat, which I'm sure won't be a problem for you."<br/><br/>The two men settled next to one another, each one setting his focus on his specific task. Eivind went about weaving together a cot they could sleep on while Blue used a small rock to crush and mash his paint ingredients, taking sips from the canteen every few minutes. The tea was bitter and not particularly pleasing, but it was<i>something</i>, and it helped make him slightly more comfortable, although it only alleviated maybe 40% of the pain. Every once in a while Blue would experience a sharp intake of breath and grimace, trying to fight off the aches and pangs of discomfort. They munched on moose jerky as they worked, passing the day mostly in silence but giving small interjections every now and then, checking in with one another and reestablishing their new connection. There was something different between them now, something unspoken, and although Blue couldn't describe it, he could feel it. He wondered if Eivind could feel it, too, perhaps even more acutely than him.<br/><br/>After grinding down and mixing a variety of colors, folding them with the clear aloe to thicken the the pigments, Blue had a few different pastes ready to experiment with, but the effort had left him feeling exhausted. Eivind had been back and forth, finishing up the cot and tending to the fire. Blue called him over and bid him to sit down next to him again, leaning against him as he did so.<br/><br/>"It hurts, a lot," Blue groaned. "The tea helps a bit. So thanks for that. Really." He sighed and pressed himself into Eivind's neck, dragging his lips along the bruise he had left on Eivind's skin the night before. "You were so good last night," he whispered, smiling against his lover's throat. "And this morning. Why didn't you tell me you were so good in bed? Or . . . in a cave." He chuckled, but the laugh was cut short as the pain took hold of him again., forcing him to whine into his wolf's skin.