<span style="color: #FF0000">Things were about to change…again and Eidhin was not sure what to do about it. Two days had passed since her grandfather had been there and he had opted to give her some space. It just felt right especially given all that they had learned. Things were going to get…weird, but he wanted for it to be their version of normal for as long as possible. So, the first day he spent taping a tarp over the hole in their wall and then going into town to get what they needed to fix it. Today, he would be going into town to replenish their supplies. The plan was still to go out into the world, at least he thought it was and if they were going to do that they would need supplies. <br/><br/>First things first, the hole in their wall. <br/><br/>Right now he was shirtless and on a ladder hammering a section of wall into place, or at least that had been the idea until he dropped the hammer. Fortunately, Eilidh caught the hammer and handed it back up to him.<br/><br/>“Hey…” Eidhin said after he removed the couple of nails he had stuck in his mouth for easy reach. “Sorry, I was trying to be as quiet as possible…didn’t want to disturb you and stuff…”</span><br/><br/>If there was one thing that Eilidh hated more than what she was now, and what it’d done to her family...it was change. Change, Eilidh had never been able to handle well, and no amount of changing as a faoladh would change her mindset on it. Everything was changing, shifting, becoming something entirely new and she didn’t want any part of it. Not one part.<br/><br/>Especially when there was talk of her becoming the town slut with an insatiable sex drive and a lacking in anything that made her...her. So, while Eidhin was giving her space, she was contemplating what she’d have to do to try and stop what was going to happen. She considered chaining herself up in a room and having her rations beside her so that Eidhin wouldn’t have to be exposed to it. She considered running off for the duration and hiding out in some cave.<br/><br/>She’d even considered running off and not coming back...but she knew she’d not have the heart to stay away from him. A week would be hard enough let alone indefinitely.<br/><br/>The sound of a hammer caught her attention, waking her up and causing her to roll out of bed. With an almost practiced grace, she silently dropped over the edge in one of his oversized sweatshirts and sweatpants (taking to wearing more over less of late) and padded out to see him. As it would appear, fate had timed his lack of grip on a hammer perfectly with her entrance, the hard handle caught in her soft hand and held up to him with a tired look in her eyes.<br/><br/>“You didn’t disturb me,” E replied, hand dropping to her side as her arms crossed in front of her, shifting her weight from foot to foot. It went without saying that he knew just how well she’d slept the last couple of days. “You should have asked for help...It’ll get done faster that way, you know.” Glancing around, she tried to figure just where she could help him with specifically. “What do you need me to do?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“I was the one to make the hole….figured I should be the one to fix it,” he said with a small shrug of his shoulder. At a look at her appearance he just smirked, “Should I just never expect to get some of my clothes back? I mean really, do you even bother going shopping anymore?” he asked as he leaned against the ladder. <br/><br/>“But, if you really want to help you can hand me another board so that I can nail it up in place. Later I plan on going back into the city to get some more supplies. Even if we plan on staying here…until…later, we are going to need food to last during that time. Right?” it was his small attempt at small talk and he hoped that it did not cross any line with her. Things were weird enough as it was and he would hate to somehow push them even further into the world of weird.</span><br/><br/>She looked down at her clothes--his clothes, but clothes that she’d rightfully commandeered--and shrugged. He’d not been wearing them and seemed to have an affinity for cut off shorts and nothing else. If he wasn’t going to wear the sweatshirts and other shirts, she’d make use. Besides...in light of what was about to happen, she figured it was more prudent to wear clothes of a looser fitting nature; Even her “hippie” clothes could be construed to show too much.<br/><br/>His next thought process had her frowning a bit, but nodding. Honestly, she’d not been thinking about trying to leave, planning on hunkering down indefinitely, even if that wasn’t possible. Eilidh was perfectly content not leaving the cabin again until absolutely necessary.<br/><br/>Bending over to pick up another board, she held it up to him, keeping one hand on it until it was completely out of her reach. “Will you be alright to go in town by yourself?” she asked. “I mean, I don’t want you to have to carry all of the supplies by yourself, but I think it’d be better if I stayed here. I could keep up with the wall mending, and general cleaning? That way I’m not slacking off and all.” The last was added with what she hoped was a genuine enough smile, even if it was small, tired. “You never were good at the cleaning up thing...even when it came to yourself; Speak of which…” Her nose wrinkled. “You smell a bit ripe, Eidhin. We<span style="font-style: italic">do</span>still have a shower you didn’t wreck, remember?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Hey…I kind of bathed this morning…” he lied but smiled all the same as he jumped down from the ladder. “Alright. You stay here and hold down the fort, try to not hammer yourself to the wall or whatever,” he teased her and messed up her hair. “I’ll go and shower again just to make sure I don’t offend you,” his voice sarcastic. <br/><br/>----<br/><br/>“Let’s see here,” the casher said. “Two bags of apples, some oranges, twenty pounds of jerky, canned goods and some toiletries,” buttons subsequently pushed on the register while she listed off the items. “That will be, forty bucks even,” she flashed Eidhin a playful smile, though it went largely unnoticed as he was more focused on getting back to Eilidh than anything else. <br/><br/>“Thank you,” he said as he fished out the money and placed it on the counter. His haul hefted up to his shoulders and he gave a final nod to the young woman before he went to exit the store. As his luck would have it, someone was entering at the same time and they collided, rather hard, which was not much of an issue for him. The other guy however, did nearly fall. Only thing that happened to Eidhin, were a few apples escaped their confines and ended up on the ground. “Ah man, I’m sorry,” he began, the bags in his hands were shifted about so that he could offer a hand to the man on the ground.</span><br/><br/>True to his word, Coilin had stopped by every morning to try and talk to Eilidh. Though she’d never come out, and he’d never technically gone all the way to the door, he’d continued to hope that she’d come out, that he could call her over, that they could talk. One night really wasn’t much to ask, was it? One night to talk, to try and reconnect with how they’d been before he’d stupidly called her obsessed and bashed Eidhin. And, while knocking might help, he didn’t want to press his luck with how her brother had been acting, either; Clearly, they both had very different ideas for what Eilidh wanted.<br/><br/>That day, he’d already gone to see her, chickening out as soon as he caught sight of the roof from within the trees, leaving without so much as attempting to see closer. Instead, he tried to get himself to man-up. What did he need for that? A new outfit, more flowers, and something to entice her to talk to him just a little longer than she had before. How did he get her alone? With Eidhin always there, it’d be hard to get her to talk. It was like she was worried about saying the wrong thing to upset him which made having a normal conversation next to impossible.<br/><br/>As he’d entered the store, intent on his mission to try again and brave the pair in hopes of seeing Eilidh and getting a definitive answer to his question, he was run into...by a wall? That’s what it felt like, anyway. A sturdy, steadfast wall that seemingly came out of nowhere and knocked him clear on his ass. Without looking up, he started rounding up the apples, lifting a hand to accept that of the offered wall in question…<br/><br/>Only to momentarily gawk.<br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Of course, because that’s my luck,</span>he thought, shrugging it off.<span style="font-style: italic">Maybe it’ll be better this time around?</span>Hoisting himself up, he held out the apples for Eidhin to take. “No harm done,” Coilin replied, this time physically shrugging. After an awkward pause, he tried for some small talk. “So, how’re you?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000"><span style="font-style: italic"> For the love of…</span> he swore to himself as he helped the last person on Earth that he wanted to see. Days and days, this guy had come around and each time he had to send him away. All he had wanted to do was come into town; get the supplies and head back. Now, it looked like he was going to have to play nice at least for a bit before he could get away.  <br/><br/>“Fine and you?”</span><br/><br/>“Oh, I’m fine, thank you,” he replied, rocking back and forth on his heels as he struggled for the best way to ask about Eilidh. How was she? Where was she? Why wasn’t she speaking to him? There was really no easy way to lead into such a talk, as it was going to be plain as day that was the only reason they were even continuing to talk…<br/><br/>“So, uh…” A pause as he took a breath and plunged in, headlong. “...How is Eilidh doing? Is she alright?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">There it was, the only reason why he even bothered to play nice with Eidhin. “She is good, being her usual self,” he managed though he did not bother to elaborate. Instead, he took the returned apples and loaded them back up into his bags, “I should get going. She is waiting for me.” A step was taken to move past him so that he could get going back to the cabin before Eilidh worried.</span><br/><br/>“Her usual self is good.” Only looking crestfallen for a moment as he stepped around him, he instantly turned on heel and fell into step beside him. “I’ll keep you company, then!” His disposition was oddly cheery, as though the thought of spending time with Eidhin was amusing, though the real reason was known. “I was just on my way to go see her, anyway.” Then, because the silence was (once again) uncomfortable, he added, “All those applies for Eilidh? I’m going to guess she’s still as vegetarian as ever, right?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Eidhin sighed and slowed down his steps a bit, “Yeah. You know her, always trying to eat better and stuff.” <br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Ugh..I really am not in the mood to play nice with him</span><br/><br/>“Look, I hate to do this to you, but we are busy in the middle of some remodeling, so today is not really the day for a visit,” he tried to remain nice and polite, even if he did not want to.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">No, I won’t be shaken off that easily,</span>Coilin thought with determination.<br/><br/>“Oh, that’s fine! I’d be more than happy to help out with that if you wanted? I mean, I’m a bit taller, handy with a hammer,” he listed, trying to remain optimistic despite the cock-blocking that Eidhin was<span style="font-style: italic">trying</span>to do. “What part of the cabin are you remodeling?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“We have a ladder and it is really just a two person job,” he stately simply. “You know the saying, twos company and three’s a crowd,” he said with as pleasant a tone as possible. “But, I will tell her that you asked about her,” and picked up his pace a bit.</span><br/><br/>His frown set in as the optimism began to decline rapidly, picking up his own pace to keep up with him. “I’m really not trying to overstep my bounds, here, Eidhin...but I just want to talk to her. Why can’t you just allow me that? Without you there? It’s like you’re...controlling her or something. Talking between her and I is not going to hurt anything, is it?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Look,” he said as he stopped to face the other man. “If she wanted to talk to you, she would. I don’t control her and I don’t tell her who she can and cannot talk to,” he sighed. “When she is ready to talk to you and when she wants to talk to you, she will and that is all that there is to it. The more you press the issue the worst you make it for her and yourself,” he tried to explain. “Why not give her the space and time she wants and needs right now, rather than trying to force something to happen before its time?” <br/><br/>Seriously, Eidhin did not like the guy, that was clear, but he would have happily step aside and allow what would be to be. If that is what she wanted, then he would respect her and give her that space. However, she had not wanted to talk to him and so, Eidhin has had to run interference between the two. <br/><br/>“Please, just leave her be,” now he implored the other man.</span><br/><br/>As he stopped dead, so did Coilin, meeting his gaze with the steady, even one of his own. And, for a moment, he was certain he was going to say something that was douchy...but instead, his words were logical. How could he have expected Eilidh to instantly come back to him after that time had passed? After all, it was his fault that time had passed without talking, and now he was paying for it.<br/><br/>Hands held up in a sign of surrender, he took a few steps back. “...Alright...I’ll leave her be until she approaches me. I’ll give her the time she needs,” he replied, taking a few steps back. “She knows where to find me if she feels like talking…”<br/><br/>And, with that, he turned on heel, hands buried in his pant pockets, disappearing from sight around the corner.<br/><br/>Sadly...Eilidh would have preferred Coilin’s presence to the one that she ended up seeing while Eidhin was in town. She’d been outside, picking up stray nails and trying to work at hammering things in place when she heard a sound. The innocent snapping of twigs wasn’t alarming in and of itself, so she anticipated that it was merely Eidhin coming back, which left her up on the ladder, trying to get the board straight before hammering it in when a scent caught her attention.<br/><br/>It wasn’t Eidhin. This person smelled different. Eidhin was earthy, coppery some of the time. But this one...this one smelled of a different area. The plant life around their cabin and of their part of Rathdrum was very distinct...This one smelled more of the northern side of the mountain, north west if she were to pinpoint it, causing her to glance around and look for the offending scent in question.<br/><br/>A man, not too far off, head tilted to the side as he watched Eilidh’s form up on the ladder. His face was placid, save for the eyes. His eyes were more animalistic, primal, a hint of a grin in their depths. Not to stay there and watch him watching her, she hopped off of the ladder and headed inside, hunkering down in the loft and waiting for Eidhin to come home, praying that he’d be there sooner rather than later.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">For once, Eidhin liked Coilin and had a bit of respect for the guy for not pushing the matter further. Maybe…he will put in a good word with Eilidh for him. <br/><br/>Maybe.<br/><br/>The bags that he carried were adjusted and he double timed it to get back to Eilidh sooner, already feeling as if he had taken far too long. The top of the cabin could be spied through the trees, when he caught wind of an unfamiliar scent. A scent that held intentions caused him to snarl and run toward the cabin now, just in time to spy the male intruder who had advanced to their home. <br/> <br/>It was only when the wind shifted and brought Eidhin’s scent did the other male stop and face him. For several moments there was nothing but just the two of them staring one another down, as if to impose their will upon the other. When it became obvious that neither would be backing down, the air around them began to fill and build with a tension that threatened to fell the trees that surrounded them. There were no words to be said, each knew how this was going to end, each just waiting for the other to make the first move. <br/><br/>Eidhin decided to make the first move. <br/><br/>The bags in his hands were dropped to the ground before he took off at a dead run toward the other male, who was just a half second behind him. Without missing a step they collided, amongst snarls, growls and grapples. Eidhin was the larger, but he could tell the other male was older, more seasoned. Which is likely why, Eidhin found himself slammed against the house, the back of his head making a sickening crack as it collided with the hard wood that splintered from the force of the attack. <br/><br/>Grunting and struggling to find purchase, he finally managed to break the grip of the other male and followed his next attack with forearm across his face. When his aggressor staggered, Eidhin grabbed his head and brought it down meet his knee. Blood gushed from the broken nose and Eidhin only hesitated briefly, before he tackled the other male. Now on the ground both of them fought and struggled, clawing, punching and even biting was done. When the pair finally came to a rest Eidhin was on his back beneath the other male, whom he now had in a full blown choke hold.<br/><br/>“She…does not….BELONG TO YOU!” he practically roared as he held him firmly.</span><br/><br/>There was a moment, when Eidhin’s scent overwhelmed the other, the scent that had plagued her for what felt like hours when it’d been merely a matter of minutes. It’d been a relief to smell him, to know he was close. That relief was tangible in the house around her, was a scent that she, herself, could smell as she climbed down out of loft and prepared to bum rush him, not wanting to be alone anymore...when the scents intermingled, and she stopped dead in her tracks.<br/><br/>The other male hadn’t left. He’d still been there, slowly getting closer by the strength of his scent wafting toward her on the gentle breeze. It now mixed with Eidhin’s, along with the scent of intentions from both sides: Eidhin’s to keep the other away and he to… She wouldn’t let herself finish the thought, waiting for some sort of a sound, a hint that she was needed, knowing that getting in the middle of something when she herself was the cause would do more harm than good.<br/><br/>Their standoff held...and continued to hold until everything was moving fast and loud with no proper way to react. None at all. One minute, they were separated, and the next Eidhin was against the house, and then they were on the ground. The smell of blood was heavy in the air and her eyes were wide as Eidhin’s words rang out loud and angry among the trees, reverberating off of the house, the other male struggling in his grasp, trying to claw his way out of the choke hold he currently found himself in. The snarls that had been loosing were turning into sounds of gasping, choking, his eyes widening as Eilidh just watched in horror, eyes bouncing back and forth between the two until they lingered on Eidhin, tears in her eyes.<br/><br/>If this was an indication of what was to come...how were they going to survive the heat?<br/><br/>With just a nod, she winced turning away and waiting for whatever end he saw fit. Choking him into submission, death...At this point, Eilidh wasn’t sure how things could get any worse, nor how they would go from here on in, but...Eidhin would do what was necessary, she knew that much.<br/><br/>The struggling was ceasing, the stars were in his eyes, but he kept struggling, kept at it, trying to get the one thing that seemed so close yet so far away; The object of his current attentions, despite the arm about his throat. “‘LL...KEE...CO...’NG B...CK!” he managed to yell out, using what seemed to be the last of the air held held in to struggle with.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">That was all he needed to hear to know that this male would not just simply leave and take his sorry ass far from them. He would be back and he would likely bring help the next time around, so there was only one thing that Eidhin could do. <br/><br/>It was surprising not hard. When he thought back on it later in life, to just simply apply a bit more pressure and give a jerk of his arms. Then like any twig he had stepped on countless times before, there was a clean <span style="font-style: italic">SNAP</span> and then the struggling stopped. For a long while he laid there under the dead body of the other male and just breathed. When he finally did manage to push him off of him he noticed just how much he hurt. Already, he could feel the bruised and possibly broken ribs, not to mention his back from when he was slammed against the wall. Then there were the claw marks and bites marks the covered parts of his body. <br/><br/>To sum it up, he hurt and he hurt a lot, but at least he could relax for the moment knowing that Eilidh was safe. <br/><br/>“Eil…Eili…Eilidh,” he managed to get out between his strained breathing. Now on his knees, he noted how the earth was as torn and battered as the dead body that lay just a few feet from him. Seeming to be scared from this one altercation, one that he expected would not be the last.</span><br/><br/>The crack that she heard shook her to her core, goosebumps forming on her skin as she seemingly sunk into herself. That crack was felt as it echoed in her ears, over and over, her mind envisioning what it must’ve looked like, what it must’ve felt like, despite her best efforts to try and tune it out. Her hands had migrated over her ears as she stood there, shrinking into a ball the longer the moment drew on, tears falling freely at what Eidhin had just had to endure for her...He’d been put through that...because of her.<br/><br/>But, a new sound broke through the barrier she was setting up around herself, unwilling to listen to anything more...This sound was worse than any crack, any neck snapping.<br/><br/>It was the sound of Eidhin, broken and hurt.<br/><br/>Rushing over, she dropped to her knees, struggling to see through her tears how badly he was injured. The struggling of the breathing was enough to indicate that it wasn’t only from the strain of what he’d just done, but likely more due to the bruising from the injuries he’d sustained to his core. “Eidhin...Eidhin we n-need to get you...inside…” she got out, preparing to stand as an arm hooked under his shoulders. “W-When you’re ready...We’ll move you…”<span style="font-style: italic">Keep it together,</span>Eilidh scolded herself.<span style="font-style: italic">He didn’t just go through that for you to become a blithering idiot. He needs you to stay calm and help him get better.</span><br/><br/>“Tell me what you need, Eidhin,” she asked again, voice more steady this time as she got her emotions in check, the tears still threatening to fall but a confidence to her voice as the task at hand overrode what she was feeling. “Help me help you…”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The shock of what he had just done still eluded him, which given his current situation was a good thing. The last thing that he would need right now would be would be to go into shock. As it were he was having a hard time focusing on anything at the moment, the world around him felt and sounded like he was underwater. <br/><br/>“Coilin,” he said out of nowhere. “Says hi…” he manages and was instantly grateful to have managed to convince the guy to stay away. Had Coilin actually been there, he would have seen far more than he was meant to ever see and then Eidhin would be left with perhaps another difficult choice. “I think that I just need to lay down for a moment…or two…” he managed with some effort. “Maybe sleep as that should help things…right?” he asked though not sure at the moment if that was the right thing to do. <br/><br/>It was one of these moments that he wished they had more of a support system, rather than just being on their own. There was no one to help, no one to even tell them if what they were doing was right. All they had were one another and that was it. This meant that in situations like this, they were on their own and could make things worse by not knowing any better. Sure, werewolves were hard to kill but they could be killed right? Especially, when they were attacked by one of their own kind and the intent had been to cause harm. <br/><br/>Eidhin has been hurt a lot over his years as werewolf, but never before had it actually hurt like this fight had. This wolf was not only practiced but apparently trained as well. Eidhin is sure the only reason he won was due to the fact that he had more weight to him. That and knowing the lay of the land better, literally, helped him have an advantage while they were on the ground wrestling with one another. <br/><br/>The ground changed from the soft earth to that of wood from their porch. Knowing his weight he tried his best to support as much of his weight as he could while she lowered him down onto the couch. “Could I maybe get some water?” he asked her once he was settled.</span><br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic">Coilin? That’s what you bring up at a time like this?!</span>she thought angrily, the urge to shout it at him nearly winning out. Had he not mentioned sleeping, she’d have actually done so, but the thought was overshadowed by the need to refute exactly what he’d said, emphatically. “You have a concussion and that...if you fell asleep, you could never wake up…” An audible gulp followed as her resolve hardened. “No, no, there will be no sleeping. You won’t be sleeping until tomorrow if I can help it.” And she fully intended on making good on her word. Even if the day was barely beginning, she’d make sure he stayed awake and alert for the entire duration.<br/><br/>As they got into the house, she carefully helped him lay down on the couch before rushing off to get water. The task in and of itself, while not ordinarily difficult, was made all the harder as her hands struggled to keep the glass she meant to fill steady. It was eventually finished, along with an additional bucket of water with a rag. Ice, too, was grabbed with another rag and she was back at his side.<br/><br/>Glass held as she knelt down beside him, she helped him drink it before she set to cleaning him up with the warm water. The rag with ice was placed behind his head for where he’d slammed into the house, adjusted occasionally to make sure it was properly in place as she worked. Gingerly, a hand felt over his ribs, wincing at the bruises peppering his form and the dirt-filled claw marks and snags. “How badly are you hurt? I know you’ve got a concussion...and probably a few cracked ribs...but anything else?” she asked, a hand carefully pressing about his abdomen to make sure nothing else hurt. “Do you feel any pain elsewhere?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He tried his best to not make too much of a fuss as she fussed over him, it was weird to have someone taking care of him after being five years on his own. The ice felt good though, as did the cool water that she helped him to drink. “I think I have some claw marks down my back and maybe some bite marks too…” he offered. The pain in his head began to come back and it made it hard for him to focus for the moment. <br/><br/>“Um…I am not sure what to do. I have never been hurt this much before,” he admitted and sighed. As he tried to relax and not focus on his pain, his mind decided to take him back to the moments just before he snapped that man’s neck. To the moment when he held his life literally in his hands and made the decision to end that life to protect another. He could feel the shock as it started to set in and he was not about to face that demon.<br/><br/>Not yet.<br/><br/>“So…how do you plan on keeping me awake?” he asked to get the conversation started on something else, on anything else.</span><br/><br/>She knew he’d have more on his back, much more that needed cleaning and assistance, but he needed to stay as still as possible for the time being. Until she was certain he wasn’t going to fall over unconscious, he was going to lay on his back with ice on his head and stay there while she fussed; The couch could take the brunt of the cuts and bites for the time being.<br/><br/>What he asked next had her wondering herself. It wasn’t as though they had the usual amenities that he could use, and, even if they had, he’d not be able to use them in his current condition. Anything she did would be exactly that, what<span style="font-style: italic">she</span>did...which meant, if he fell asleep, that it’d be on her if he didn’t wake up. That didn’t sit well with her and had her panicking more than she had prior, the panic in her eyes even as her face remained as calm as she could manage.<br/><br/>“I’m not certain yet,” Eilidh admitted, continuing with cleaning him off. “When you can manage it...We have to keep your wounds from swelling, and we need to numb the pain, so we’ll put you in an ice bath; That way, your blood is moving only where it needs to, the inflammation will slow, and you’ll likely be more apt to stay awake without too much prodding. Then I can clean your back out properly. We’ll bandage you up and go from there…” A nod before glancing up at his face, a hand lightly caressing the side of his cheek before she continued. “But we’ll only do that when you’re able. I don’t want you pushing anything harder for the sake of pushing. Until you’re able to, we’ll talk about anything and everything. Whatever you want to talk about. Heck, we could even play card games if you wanted. Anything to keep you awake.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He had to admit, it was nice to have her so concerned about him. Sure, at first he was a bit put off by it, but he could really tell that she was worried about him. <br/><br/>“A card game could be fun…” he said after a moment of thought. “I think that after a couple of hands I would like to try that ice bath,” he remarked as he moved to try and sit up a bit more. “Coilin actually did try and follow me back from town,” he began. “Took a bit, but I explained to him that you needed some space and needed time. He actually handled it all rather well, so…maybe he is not completely bad or whatever,” he muttered and attempted to laugh, only to stop because it hurt more than it was worth.</span><br/><br/>Once again, he surprised her. That surprise was masked as she helped him to sit up a bit more, wincing as she felt at one of the gashes on his back. But, to want to talk about Coilin?<span style="font-style: italic">Maybe you hit your head harder than I thought you did…</span>she mused, thoughts going quiet as she took in what he said. “He tried to follow you back?”<br/><br/>It was no secret. Coilin had been coming by the cabin daily to try and talk to her since their talk some time before. He’d wanted an answer to his question, and she had made her decision without the heart to tell him what it’d come to. What struck her more about this morning was that he’d tried to follow Eidhin back from his errands. Had he been persistent, he could have been hurt...or there could have been questions. A lot of questions. After he’d seen what happened, there was no doubt he’d not be able to leave without precautions…<span style="font-style: italic">if</span>they dared take that chance.<br/><br/>Once more, her thoughts quieted as his poor attempt at a laugh was cut short, giving him a look before getting up from the floor and finding the deck of cards. Shifting the table closer to the couch for him, she sat near him, shuffling a bit before holding the glass toward him so he could take another sip should he so wish. “What game are you in the mood for? Poker? Go Fish? War? Rummy?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">The water was a welcome refreshment and he had to stop himself from gulping too much of it down every time he was offered the glass. <br/><br/>“How about go fish?” he offered and made the effort to get into a more comfortable position. <br/><br/>A couple of hands were played and he felt the small sensations of flesh being healed. The skin being pulled together and knitted closed at a rate that many would find astonishing. At least the small ones had begun to heal, the deeper more painful ones seemed to still want to linger around a bit more. Every time he shifted he could feel the rough material of the couch snag and pull at his wounds; sometimes even pushing more of the dirt and debris deeper into it.  <br/><br/>“I think it is time for that ice bath,” he said as he put his hand of cards down and sat up more. The action pulled forth a hiss of pain as the now dried blood pulled his flesh that had gotten sort of glued to the couch.</span><br/><br/>Truth be told, Eilidh had a hard time focusing on the game. Each time Eidhin moved, she was taking in how he was moving, whether the action was fluid or jerky, whether or not it seemed he had more injury to one area or another. She was overly cautious and knew it, but this wasn’t an area that she was willing to take lightly and guess with. “Better safe than sorry” was a saying she readily lived by and this was no exception.<br/><br/>After easily losing a few rounds, she was happy to hear he was ready to try taking the bath. That happiness was short-lived however as she’d forgotten to take into account the healing process and how blood needed to clot, generally clotting to whatever is touching it at the time. In this case...it was the couch. Without much regard for the furniture itself, she took hold of the bucket of water still beside her and stood over him. “I...apologize in advance…” was all she said before easily letting the water fall over him, making certain to get a good portion of it behind him, softening those clots and allowing them to, more easily, pull away from the fabric they’d ensnared.<br/><br/>The process was slow, wanting to make sure they were soft enough before she gingerly eased him forward, adding more water as she saw fit before his back was wholly removed from the couch. Arm automatically going about his back, beneath his shoulders, she slowly lifted him to a standing position, remaining steadfast as she made sure his heartrate didn’t drastically drop or shift in a way that would cause him to need to sit once more. When she was certain he wasn’t about to keel over, she walked him to the bathroom, leaning him against one of the walls as she started the water and put the plug in the tub.<br/><br/>“Do you need help getting undressed? Or just help into the tub?” she asked, glancing at the lip of the tub and hoping he didn’t have too much of an issue; Werewolf or not, his mass was a bit larger than her own and wouldn’t be easily stopped if it decided to fall. “I’ll get the ice once you’re in the tub.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">At first he was just focused on the pain and then the pain turned into confusion at her words, because it just did not make any sense to him. Even as she hefted the bucket of water, he was still confused as to what she intended to do. Only when the water was poured down his back, did he realize a bit too late what she had planned. <br/><br/>“Oh crap!” he exclaimed as his back tensed from the sensation of cold water. The process took far longer than he would have liked, but in the end he was off the couch and in the bathroom. <br/><br/>“I can manage,” he mumbled and removed what was left of his torn jeans, his underwear about the only thing that remained whole through the fight. With less clothing on, he noticed just how cold he felt and wondered how that was even possible. Generally, he was warm, or always hot. Now, he was chilled and dreaded the ice bath that was to come. With great care he shuffled over to the tub, the wood floor creaked and moaned under his weight, but held strong and true as he gingerly lifted his leg over the edge of the tub. <br/><br/>“Um…could I use you to…just lower into the tub?”</span><br/><br/>She’d turned around to give him practiced privacy, but the moment she heard him trying to walk, she turned around, ready to aid him should he need it. So, when he asked her to help lower him into the tub, she did so without hesitation. Her hands were at his sides as one of her own feet in the tub to make sure that she was steady enough to take his weight.<br/><br/>Then, lowering him slowly into the rising water, she took her own leg out and got him sorted, waiting a quick moment as she took an assessment of his visible injuries. “I’m going to go get the ice…” she mumbled beneath her breath as she left the room, coming back with a bucket of ice and a bucket of warm water. The ice was for the obvious, but the warm water was for the cleaning as cold water did only so much.<br/><br/>“Do you need a moment to acclimate? Or can I start cleaning you up? I need to see how bad your back is, but can’t see it too much through all the dirt…” Eilidh remarked, voice still mumbled as she looked at him, trying to see how bad off he was. “How are you feeling? Does anything new hurt?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">It burned, the water burned. He never thought in his entire life that he would hate the sensation of water as it washed over his body. The hardness of the tub did not help either, but he was not about to try and get up out of the tub after all the effort that was put into getting into it. <br/><br/>“Just…do it…” he managed to say. Might as well treat this like a bandaid and just rip it fast instead of allowing it to be drawn out and fester.</span><br/><br/>She nodded, starting in and washing at his back as gently as she could manage. Some areas were...harder to clean than others, as some of the couch was still in the wounds as well as dirt, rocks. That she went at extremely carefully, trying to go as fast as possible while remaining as gentle as possible; Not an easy task, but one she did as best as possible.<br/><br/>Once he was clean, she eyed his wounds, watching them slowly closing up before shifting back on her heels. Thoroughly wet from the cleaning, her disposition seemed better than it had been, noting that he was, in fact, getting better. “Alright, I’ve done what I can...You seem...alert, and extremely uncomfortable, but alert. Your back will heal and already has started, which is good...The most I can do now is bandage you up and get you warm. Ready to get out of the tub?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">As she cleaned he lost himself, his mind wanted to escape from the pain and he allowed it. Away from this place his mind wandered and took down the path of old memories. <br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic"> “Hurry up, Eidhin! We’re going to be late!”  Eilidh shouted at him from the door to his bedroom. <br/><br/>“I don’t see why we have to go to the beach! There is nothing but sand and heat…” he grumbled as he packed his bag. <br/><br/>“You promised you would be nice this time and we would go swimming together!” she whined at him and he just sighed. <br/><br/>Down at the beach they were all supposed to be this happy family, but Eidhin just never felt like he belonged. At least not until Eilidh challenged him to a race. Out in the water they swam and swam, further and further from the shore. When he got scared he is not sure, but the panic began to set in when he could no longer make out the umbrella under which their parents rested. <br/><br/>“Eilidh!” he shouted as he tread water. “Eilidh! Where are you!” <br/><br/>“Eidhin! Eidhin! I’m here!” she shouted in answer to him. <br/><br/>Just as he caught sight of her and swam to reach her…</span><br/><br/>Eilidh was done and he nodded, “Yeah. I’m done...” <br/><br/>His hand reached for her own just as it had back when they were kids in the ocean. Once he was out of the tub she helped him into the living room in front of the woodstove. “There is extra wood on the porch to use,” he said through his teeth that chattered.</span><br/><br/>Taking hold of his hand, she helped him out of the tub, toweling him off a bit before walking him out of the bathroom and to the woodstove. Grabbing a plethora of blankets, she started to wrap him up (albeit loosely) so that she could still get at his wounds easily, but he could begin the heating process. Then, jogging outside, she grabbed an arm load of wood and brought it inside, some of it going into the stove right off while the other wood went beside it. Another jaunt outside and she was grabbing more wood, piling it beside him, only to set up shop and get to work covering his wounds with gauze.<br/><br/>He was chatting, freezing. She could hear his heart jumping as it struggled to regulate what blood it could circulate. Another part of survival? Keeping warm. So, without hesitation she stripped off the sweatshirt she’d been wearing, along with the sweatpants, getting under the blankets with him and held him close. Hands rubbed up and down his arms as she sought to warm his blood up without it warming too fast.<br/><br/>“Just tell me when you need something,” Eilidh remarked in offhand fashion, hands still rubbing up his cold arms as her body hugged tightly to his.<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">This whole thing just made him tired, very tired, as all he wanted to do was take a nap, a nice long nap. Of course, this was not something that she would allow, so Eidhin was left to try and not fall asleep. Which had been hard to begin with, but when she crawled into the blankets with him, became even harder. <br/><br/>“Think I could nap?” he asked in jest, though he held in his chuckle as he was not ready to suffer a bit more for just a laugh. “Hey,” he said after a moment. “Do you remember when we were kids and we went to the beach? And we had that race in the ocean?”<br/><br/>If he was going to be forced to stay awake, then he might as well try to get her to talk to him about the random memory that decided to come to mind. Hopefully, it would help distract him from the pain and discomfort he felt which started in his ass from the hardwood floor and then continued to radiate outward.</span><br/><br/>As soon as he mentioned a nap, joking or not, he was met with a glare, but she didn’t pull away. No, she continued to rub her hands up and down his arms trying to impart warmth to his freezing limbs. But that memory, that memory she could focus on and didn’t mind it so much; If that’s what he wanted to talk about to stay awake, she had no problem with that.<br/><br/>“I do…” she replied, nodding into the crook of his neck. “We’d gone out far and you started to panic...Always felt guilty for taking you out too far.” Pausing then, she remembered it a little too vividly; His yells bearing her name, the way he’d begun to freakout and only stopped when they were back together again. After swimming back to shore with him, she’d never taken him that far out again. No, it’d made her think things through before dragging him out to do things with her, to make sure it wouldn’t be anything that made him too uncomfortable.<br/><br/>“...Why<span style="font-style: italic">did</span>you panic that day?” Eilidh asked, pulling back to look at him. “I knew you could swim, so I didn’t think anything of it. If you weren’t drowning, why did you start to panic that day?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He shrugged at first, as if he were ashamed of how to admit the reason for his initial panic.<br/><br/>“I remember that though it was summer, the water was cold and my fingers had begun to go numb, but I refused to give up. You always beat me at everything and for some reason I was mad at you that day,” he said after a moment. “I wanted to beat you and make you cry, I mean I loved you and didn’t want anything bad to happen to you, but I was tired of you,” he looked down at her with a sad smile. “They always seemed to love you more. Even mother at times, I just felt like I was just there and you would always do so well at everything…” his voice trailed off and he looked away. For several moments that followed, the only sound was that of the large old clock that hung on the wall over the sink. Gears and springs moving in time to one another, ticked and tocked without fail to the time it was set to follow. <br/><br/>“Then…I lost sight of you and I panicked. I thought I had done something to you, though that I had somehow caused you to go under the water because of how upset I was at you,” he admitted softly. “I think that was the moment that I realized just how much you meant to me and the thought that I would lose you was not one that I could even begin to stomach,” he looked down at her again and smiled. “So, I got scared and had to reach you,” he stated simply. <br/><br/>All their lives he had felt like he was in constant competition with her and that he had to prove he was just as much their child as she. There were times, as every sibling has, that he wished she would just disappear and then he would not have to live in her shadow. It was until that point that he almost lost her that he realized he had never been more wrong about her. She was his friend and wanted him to just have fun like everyone else. That she was not actively trying to compete against him, but he was the one who made it all into a competition. <br/><br/>“Basically, I love you.”</span><br/><br/>The moment he opened up, she almost regretted asking. For the whole of their childhood, she’d remained, for the most part, oblivious to her father’s obvious feelings about Eidhin and who he was. She’d never asked and always assumed the best in the situation, so it was often written off as little more than a misunderstanding on her part. That he felt he was in constant competition with her made sense, now...but back then, it’d have broken her heart. Had she found out then, she’d have backed off and let him shine, given him more reasons to make their father proud instead of doing things she excelled at. Maybe she’d have taken up gaming so that he’d have something to teach her, to one-up her at.<br/><br/>But, then he continued. Instinctively, she started holding him a little tighter. Sure, the reason he’d started going for her that day had been fueled by guilt, but it’d strengthened their relationship hadn’t it? To some degree, or so she’d like to think.<br/><br/>So, when he smiled, she smiled back albeit sadly. “I’m sorry that it felt like you were always in competition with me…” This time, it was her turn to shrug. “Looking back on it now, I see it, but then? Then I oblivious by choice...I knew you were my brother and thought I was making something big out of something small and always chalked it up to a misunderstanding. Had I let myself see that Dad was doing that...I’d have said something. It wasn’t until you about to leave that it sunk in just how different we’d been treated, raised, despite you being my brother. Even though you aren’t<span style="font-style: italic">really</span>my brother, you’re still my closest friend and always have been...I should have done something and I didn’t. For that...I apologize.<br/><br/>“...Doesn’t change how much I love you, though. And I’ve got five years of lost time to make up for.” Her smile grew a bit more genuine, if only a small fraction before she rested her head back on his shoulder, eyes watching the light of their fire. “You know...I made a scrapbook in your absence. I think Mom might’ve commandeered it, since I know she knows where I kept it. All the pictures you and I had together...the random memories compiled in notes, movie stubs and pieces of posters. Then I started wearing your sweatshirts, but you already knew that… Some of the time, when Dad was away, I’d hang out in your room. I even convinced myself for a bit that it was a nightmare I wasn’t waking up from…”<br/><br/>Another shrug loosed. “But, the past is the past, so no use dwelling on the negative. What’s one of your favorite memories?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">He nuzzled her head with his and smiled. To think that she held such responsibility for a life that she had no control over. Even now, he could picture how she would have stood up to her father. All stern glare, hands on her hips and not taking any excuse for an answer. <br/><br/>“Hmm…happy memories…” he mused aloud.  “Our fifth birthday, when we went to that place that had pizza and an arcade, the one that father hated, but mother talked him into taking us. I think that was the first time that I felt really comfortable and then there was you,” he smiled and looked down at her. “Right beside me and playing games with me and it was like we were in our own world,” he said and gave her a little squeeze. <br/><br/>“What about you?”</span><br/><br/>“I remember that!” she replied with a smile. “You tried to get me to play that hunting game and I flat refused...Instead, I was happy to focus on Ms. Pacman and that dance game.”<br/><br/>Then, she took a moment to come up with her own memory, her own happy recollection. “I think one of my favorites would be...the summer before our thirteenth birthday. You were, as always, opposed to going outside with me, but I managed to get you out of the house and we climbed up that watch tower. All we did was sit up there and talk for hours and hours. Honestly, I think my favorite memories are of us while we’re just talking...Not that I didn’t like playing games with you, but I liked just spending time with you. You were the one I knew understood me and didn’t make fun of whatever my thought was at the time. ...If you did poke fun, it was always in jest and I’d smack you for it, so it worked out either way.”<br/><br/>A laugh followed before shrugging. Then, sitting up, she glanced at him. “How’s your head?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Feeling better,” he remarked honestly. “I think that I could take a nap now. Even if it is just a small one,” he stated with his exhaustion heavy in his tone. “I’m also, really hungry,” he nearly blurted out. “Like I swear I could eat a whole cow on my own right now and still be hungry for more,” the last bit had a bit of a growl in his words as if his hunger might get the better of him. “I wish I could just shift and go for a run to catch something, but I can actually still feel the bones and stuff in my body mending themselves. It is a really slow process…” he grumbled and pulled her closer into a hug while he pouted a bit.</span><br/><br/>“You’ll have to forgive me for being...skeptical that you, even with all the new enhancements, can recover that fast from a head injury...You cracked your skull hard on the siding, Eidhin,” she replied, happy to snuggle into him before pulling away and tucking the blankets into him. “But food, you need food. If this has taught me anything, not eating enough will slow things down all the more…” Her brow furrowed as she glanced outside. “What do you want to eat? I’ll hunt in your stead, so long as you promise me you’ll try to keep awake until I get back. After you eat, I’d be more inclined to allow you to nap.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"You sure you want to do this?" he asked. "I mean you don't do the whole killing thing and I don't want to put you out or anything ..." he felt a bit bad that she would go hunting for him. Given how well the last time went, he would be more inclined to just sit and wait until he felt better to go hunting for himself.</span><br/><br/>She perked a brow at him, before shaking her head. “Stop feeling bad. I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t want to do this for you. You’re not putting me out...You need to eat, and I doubt anything we have here would do you any good. You need something fresh, right?” The question was rhetorical, but she left it out there just the same. “So, tell me what you’re craving and I’ll hunt it down.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"I guess a nice deer..." he said with a shrug. "I mean that should be enough and it would help...I think?" he just gave a slight shrug and rubbed the back of his head gingerly. "But, be careful. I don't like the idea of you being out there on your own..."</span><br/><br/>Bending over, she pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “Don’t worry, I’ll be quick,” Eilidh assured him. “Out and back in no time at all. I won’t linger and I won’t take on any hunts that anyone else is hunting...I’ll be fine, I promise. Alright?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">"Alright. Howl if you run into trouble, ok?" he waited until he had eye contact with her. "Even if I am all banged up I will still come running if you need me, ok?"</span><br/><br/>“It’s like you’ve no faith…” Her tone was in jest, eyes holding a humor she didn’t really feel but she tried, regardless. She wasn’t about to howl for him, not with him in the condition he was. And, truth be told, she was nervous about going out alone after what happened that morning, after the message her grandfather had a few days earlier, but it was necessary. She’d go out and hunt for him, ignoring her extreme distaste for it, if it meant getting him better.<br/><br/>“I’ll be fine...really.” Then, with another look at him and another kiss to the top of his head, she got up and left the cabin, changing once she was outside the door, the usual sounds of extreme discomfort and pain heard and then nothing else, nothing but the sound of her running away into the brush.<br/><br/>----<br/><br/>Hunting was easier said than done. While, yes, she had the instincts to accomplish the task and her wolf was ready and able, her mind was...less than willing.<span style="font-style: italic">Suck it up, Eilidh,</span>was on constant mantra while she forced herself to press on. It was this hesitance that kept her out for nearly two hours. Whether it was her hesitance at attacking a deer, or getting skittish herself with each and every smell she caught wind of, she kept startling herself and reevaluating, finding a new target.<br/><br/>But, eventually, she came padding back, deer over her shoulder until she got to the house, the body dropped on the porch. Then came the painful process of shifting back again, and walking back into the house to check on Eidhin. She was a bit of a sight, bloody though the blood wasn’t her own, and a bit green from the whole of it. Taking in his appearance, the addition of pants and the still strong fire, she had a tired smile on her lips. “Feeling good enough to walk around on your own...definitely an improvement,” she greeted him. “Now, the important question, how do you want your deer?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Left to his own devices he had managed to get some pants on and make sure the fire stayed good and hot. To keep himself occupied he hummed to himself and just sat there to try and not fall asleep. It was her scent that he noticed first before he heard her and now that he was alone he could tell there was something…different about it…<br/><br/>When she entered he stood, a bit slowly but he still managed, “How about you get a hot shower and I will eat? That way you don’t have to watch. Ok?” <br/><br/>Already he could smell the fresh meat and the blood and he knew he would want to have it just like that. Better to have her taking a shower rather than having to watch him eat.</span><br/><br/>“You don’t need to ask me twice,” she replied, wandering into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her quietly. She may have been the one to hunt the deer down, but that didn’t mean she wanted to see her brother tearing into it.<br/><br/>As the water warmed, she stripped off her sullied clothes, having half a mind to throw them out as she didn’t like the smell of copper that hung in the air around them.<span style="font-style: italic">But you can’t afford to do that, so we’ll wash them. really well.</span>Then, that shower she took her time in, using all the warm water she could until there was none left, the lukewarm making its way out for ice cold, with a newfound respect for Eidhin and his ability to stay in the water she’d forced on him hours prior.<br/><br/>Water off, she lingered a little longer in the bathroom, setting up the sink for her clothing to soak in as she wrapped up in a towel and hesitantly left the bathroom, making a beeline for the loft so that she could get dressed. The smell of the deer was making her nauseated, gagging at just how much the smell had permeated the air throughout the cabin, but she refused to let herself vomit. Or think about the blood she’d already ingested. Or think about how Eidhin had been tearing into it.<br/><br/>“Was that enough?” she called down, content to take her time up there. “Do I need to get you anything else?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">Meat. It was still warm when she dropped it off and he could barely control himself, before he dove into it head first and began to devour as much as he could. It was hard though and the moment he heard the shower running, he tore into the kill. It was not as easy as it would have been if he was shifted, but he managed with his elongated fangs and claws.  <br/><br/>When he had ate all that he could manage, he dragged the carcass away to where he usually butchered the meat and then went into the kitchen and washed his face off in the sink. <br/><br/>“Can I have permission to sleep now?” he called back up as he toweled off his face, hands and chest.</span><br/><br/>“You’re pretty one-track minded,” she joked, now feeling safe and secure in her--his--sweats. “But, before you can sleep, I need to check you out.”<br/><br/>Climbing down and ignoring the smell as best as possible, she followed his voice toward the sink. Only when he made eye contact did she lift a finger. “Follow my finger with just your eyes, nothing else. No head movement at all.” Her finger went from left to right, up then down. When he did it with no issue, she made him touch his nose with his right hand, then his left. She made him recite the alphabet, and then sing several children’s songs.<br/><br/>“Now...the first nap will have to be...an hour at the most. I’ll wake you up and make sure you come around. If you do so without issue...you can sleep deeper…” She shrugged before crossing her arms and rocking her weight back and forth on her heels. “I know it seems silly to be this worried, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Agreed?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">At how worried she was for him, he just smiled. “Anything else? Want me to wear like a heart monitor or something, while I sleep?” he teased her. “Are you going to just watch me sleep or something?”</span><br/><br/>“Now that you mention it…” Instead she just nudged him and went past him to get herself a glass of water. “No, I’ll be getting my own food and cleaning up for the next hour. After that...I<span style="font-style: italic">might</span>take a nap. It all depends on how you fair after yours. If you’d prefer, though, I could watch you sleep, staring at you all wide-eyed until you wake up. How’s that sound?”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">His arched a brow and he shook his head, “Yeah…no. Let’s not do that.” He reached over and mussed up her hair, “If I nap well enough for this hour, you going to nap with me then? You know we always get more rest when we sleep together…” he said as if to try and convince her of the idea. “I mean I could even just wait for you to be ready and then we can just sleep all cuddled up together, at least until you hog all of the bed like you do.”</span><br/><br/>Batting his hand away, she shook her head, trying to undo the mussing he’d managed before replying. “If I go to sleep now, I’ll sleep passed the first hour I’ve allotted you, to make sure you’ll wake up. So, you should go sleep and get all the bed hogging in you can now. I’ll nod off on the couch if I need to sleep beforehand, after I eat and clean up.” Gesturing, she tried to get him to go nap. “Now, off to bed with you before I change my mind and make you stay up the entire day just to make sure.”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“Fine,” is all he said before he gave her a hug and left her to go and take a nap. It did not take him long to settle in, being physically exhausted and with his head hurting only some he wanted to try and get some rest. Once he was comfortable it was just a matter of closing his eyes and in no time he was off to sleep. <br/><br/>At first there was nothing, blissfully nothing, just him and the blackness of sleep. However, the longer he slept his mind began to focus on the one thing that had been ignored this whole time. <br/><br/>He had killed someone. <br/><br/>The blackness was suddenly filled with the woods again and the man that had been so intent on Eilidh. <br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic"> *There is an intruder! He is after our female!* the wolf shouted in Eidhin’s mind while they continued to stare one another down. *Get him! Stop him! Kill him!* <br/><br/>Eidhin was not sure what to do, was not sure how he should handle anything. All he knew was that the wolf wanted him to attack the man, to fight him, to kill him. Even as he warred with himself, the wolf drove him forward. It was like he was watching himself on a television screen, like he was not really a part of everything else. He could feel the pain as he was slammed against the wall, the pain as they rolled and fought on the ground. <br/><br/>All of this he felt, but it was still like he was watching another.</span><br/><br/>As this played out through his mind, his body in the waking world reacted. There were some soft groans, moans, growls and even whimpers. The longer the dream continued the more of an influence it had on him in the waking world. To the point where some of his body began to shift in response to what was happening. <br/><br/><span style="font-style: italic"> Now he was back to the final moment, when he was choking the life out of the other male and he hesitated. All he needed was for the man to leave, for him to say he would never come back, instead…the man said he would continue to come back. There was no stopping him; there was nothing that he could say to make him leave and never come back. It was at this moment that he and the wolf were as one in their thoughts. <br/><br/>Without another thought, he applied a bit more pressure and then gave a strong jerk and felt the bone snap.</span><br/><br/>At this moment he sat up in the bed, a snarl on his lips as he looked about the area in a panic. For some reason he thought there was still a threat out there. Thought that there was another male after Eilidh and he had to protect her. Maybe it was the family of the man? He had to have a family, right? A pack? <br/><br/>He killed someone…he killed someone….there was punishment for that right?</span><br/><br/>When he’d hugged her, she gingerly hugged him back, watching him climb up to the loft before setting about making herself food. And, boy, did she make herself food. Generally after a change, she was exhausted and starving. Already lacking in proteins, she was at a disadvantage so she had more to make up for. On one of the last jaunts out into town, she’d squirreled away a fair amount of tofu.<br/><br/>That tofu was gone in the span of fifteen minutes.<br/><br/>One fruit salad, and then another later, and she was still hungry, opting to make herself a vegetable salad with an olive tapenade atop it. Then, when she was still unsatisfied, she put potatoes on to bake and had toast coming out of the toaster, inhaled without so much as any condiments added.<br/><br/>Just as she pulled the potatoes out, going into the drawer for a fork and knife she heard a shift in the loft. Whimpers, growls, groans...Her brow furrowed, glancing up toward the loft where Eidhin slept, frowning. Was he having a nightmare? Was he just dreaming? She didn’t want to wake him up just yet, hoping that it would pass as she tried to tell herself it was just a dream. ...But the sounds got worse, louder, and the shift and pop of bones met her ears.<br/><br/>Potatoes forgotten, she was up in the loft, knelt next to him as her hands tried (as gently as possible) to wake him up, to prevent any further changing. No sooner had she gotten over him did he jolt up, nearly taking her out in the process.<br/><br/>“Eidhin!” she urged, climbing on top of him, legs straddling his as she got directly in his sightline. Her hands held onto his face, staring his eyes down while she waited for awareness, for recognition. “Eidhin, it’s just a dream! You’re fine!” Shifting, she clung to him, hugged him tightly, one hand going up and down his back while she spoke directly into his ear. “Eidhin, come on, wake up for me! We’re the only ones here. Come on, wake up!”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">It took a while for the dream to fall away, for the shock and confusion of the moment to leave. When it did his arms wrapped about her and hugged her close. <br/><br/>“Eilidh…what if his family comes? His pack?” he asked, still visibly shaken. “I killed him…I took his life…but…but…I could not let him come back. I could not let him hurt you…” he whispered as he hugged her a bit tighter. “I’m sorry Eilidh…” he continued. “I should not be…so…” he lost the words in trying to explain how he felt. Could not figure out how he felt foolish and weak for even talking to her about this and worrying her more because of his dreams. <br/><br/>What kind of an Alpha does that?</span><br/><br/>Soothing coos were given as he started to ramble at her in broken whispers. Her hand continued to trail up and down his back as she shook her head against him.<br/><br/>There were no words to describe how sorry she was that he’d had to do that for her, that he’d been put in that position. It was bad enough to have to take a life, but to have to pick and choose between the worse of the evils, to play God...she couldn’t imagine how it felt to be in his shoes… As such, she had no idea how to make him feel better. How did someone say, “you chose right; don’t worry so much,” when they, too, were worrying?<br/><br/>Pulling back, she forced him to look at her, holding his gaze quietly for a moment before pressing her forehead to his. “Stop apologizing…” Eilidh pleaded quietly. “Just...stop apologizing…” A soft kiss was pressed to his cheek before she pulled back, hand caressing the side of his cheek. “I can’t...thank you enough for what you did for me today. I know it’s...not easy taking a life, and even worse under the circumstances...but I’ll do whatever I can to make this as easy on you as possible. I...I know I can’t say anything to make it better, but I’ll be right here. I’ll hold you while you sleep, try to ease the nightmares...and, next time...I won’t make you make that choice. I’ll take whatever comes so that you don’t have to…”<br/><br/>With that, she leaned in and hugged him tightly, burying her face into the side of his neck. “I don’t like seeing you like this…”<br/><br/><span style="color: #FF0000">“No!” it came out with more force than he intended, and so he cleared his throat before he continued. “I won’t let you face that alone and I can’t let you face whatever it is that male had in mind for you…” he kissed her forehead and then hugged her tightly. “We are family. We are a pack and we will get through this together. But this burden that I have you will not have it too,” he rubbed his hands up and down her back. “I am the one who is a killer already and there is no reason for you to soil your hands as well. So, long as you are there for me I should be able to get through this together. Ok?” he said with determination.</span><br/><br/>She jumped at his suddenly exclamation, eyes wide and staring in shock at Eidhin, unsure of what she’d said wrong. But as he continued, she relaxed, hugging him back like she had been before the outburst, hands returning to their trails up and down his back. She hadn’t meant that she’d deal with it all on her own...but if it meant that he’d not have to kill another and wouldn’t have to feel this way again, she’d do it. Even if it meant going around him to do it...she’d do it.<br/><br/>A discussion for another time, she merely nodded, his determination renewing a sort of hope that he’d not be haunted by this forever. Then, pulling back, she glanced at the bed. “Do you want to try and sleep again?”