Chapter 6
Six
R ath was right. Moving slowly helped a lot. The male let me care for him as long as I moved slowly. I fed him and helped him drink, and sat beside him while he slept to make sure he didn’t wake scared and alone. I may have dozed off at one point, but I was used to sleeping in odd positions while on long hunts. Sleeping sitting up wasn’t difficult for me. I stretched out the kinks from the position as I woke, letting out a contented sigh when the muscles relaxed. When I opened my eyes, I checked on the male, but he was still asleep. Zoya had put some herbs in his food to help with the pain and help him to sleep. She said he needed lots of rest to heal.
Since he seemed quite hungry the night before, I figured getting him food was best. I carefully snuck out of the healer’s tent, bumping into Zoya as she tried to come in. I caught her arms to prevent her from tripping, checking her over once she was stable on her feet.
“Are you well?” I whispered.
She looked amused, resting her hand on her belly absentmindedly. “Yes, I’m fine. Why are you whispering?”
I pointed behind me and kept my voice low. “The male is still asleep. I am going to get him breakfast. Is there anything he needs?”
She looked thoughtful, her head tipped in that sweet way it always did when she was thinking. I loved Zoya like a sister. She cared for a lot of my injuries after hunting. Including the scratches from the shadowstalker, which were wrapped still but no longer tender.
“Meat is good. And a variety of fruits and vegetables. Nothing too special.”
“Have you eaten? I can bring you some too,” I offered, since she was pregnant and needed to eat.
She smiled at me. “I ate, but I’m always hungry now. Some bread and fruit would be nice. Thank you, Verus.”
Nodding, I hurried off to grab their food, making a detour along the way to relieve myself and splash cool water from the river on my face. I liked to wake myself up in such a way, as did many of my brothers. I got a few greetings from brothers who were awake, but most were still asleep so early. There was only one who was guaranteed to be awake at this hour. Ducking into the cooking tent, I gave Yamileth a bright smile.
“Good morning, sweet Yamileth. How are you?”
She scowled at me, as was her nature. She was growing older, and needed more help to feed the village, but she trusted no one to assist her. All who volunteered felt her wrath as she barked orders at them all day. It had become a challenge throughout the clan to see who could get her to smile. It only counted if she did so at a clan meeting or ceremony where all could see her, otherwise I would have won already. She liked me more than the rest, because while I was hunting, I picked herbs along the way and brought them back without her having to wait for another to get around to it.
“Did you get me hyath like I asked?” she demanded, hand already outstretched. I had managed to find a little and gave her what I had, but when she frowned at me, I hurried to explain why it wasn’t more.
“I found a male in the forest on my last hunt. He was being attacked by a shadowstalker. He was injured and needed to see Zoya quickly, so my hunt was cut short before I could find more.”
Yamileth was a surly woman by nature, but she cared deeply for the injured and took great care with their meals. They were always served first, along with mothers with new babes. None in the clan minded the arrangement.
“What does Zoya recommend for him?”
I knew she’d ask, which was why I’d asked Zoya before I left. “Meat. And a variety of fruits and vegetables for his health, she said. I also am grabbing her some bread and fruit, since her babe makes her hungry.”
Yamileth huffed, puttering over to the pot she already had over the fire. “Of course, she’s hungry. She’s growing one of you. Only the strongest can do such things. You would not be able to handle it.”
Yamileth had three sons. All warriors for our clan. All as large as Rath. She was truly a brave woman. I kissed the top of her head when she handed me a platter with what I needed, grinning when she blushed and scowled. She might be older, but she still blushed with male attention. Before he died, her bondmate would tease her constantly to make her cheeks turn that color. He said it brought out her eyes.
“I am grateful to you, dearest Yamileth. You are a treasure to our clan.”
“Oh, stop that. I put in enough for you as well. Now get moving. I have a clan to feed.”
She truly was the greatest. She could have easily made me wait until the rest of the clan was awake and ready to eat. She spoiled me because she said I reminded her of her bondmate.
When I came back to the healing tent, the male was awake and propped up with some cushions. He was sipping water, his hands much steadier than they had been the night prior. I only admitted to myself that I was disappointed. I liked the excuse of holding his hands while helping him.
“You’ve returned unscathed,” Zoya said with a smile as she ground some healing herbs in a bowl. “Is Yamileth in a good mood today?”
I lifted a shoulder. “She has a new charge to feed. She will no doubt be visiting after the meal is through to make sure he is full and happy.”
She hummed, smiling at me, before turning to repeat what we said to the male. I sat down next to him because I could not resist, and when he flashed me a small smile, I felt as though I could triumph in all things. I settled the platter between us, beckoning Zoya to join us so she could feed her babe.
The male asked a question, pointing at the food, and she answered him readily before looking at me. “You want to be his protector so bad, you should start teaching him the language. He will feel better once he can understand everyone’s words.”
I nodded in agreement before frowning. “How… do I do that exactly?”
She pursed her lips as though she was fighting back a laugh. I did my best not to scowl at her. She only teased. I just wished caring for the male came as easily for me as it did for Rath.
It took over a week before the male could leave the healing tent. He was in too much pain to move before that, and Zoya worried about his leg not healing well if he was moved too soon. I technically wasn’t his protector yet, since Orthorr hadn’t agreed to let me officially take on the role, so I couldn’t stay with him the whole time. I had to return to the hunt. I no longer challenged Rath for biggest kill. I got what I could as quickly as I could so I could return to the male’s side as soon as possible.
Patrick.
Zoya told me his name after the second day of me calling him ‘the male’, but I didn’t start using it until he told it to me himself. I wanted to hear it from his own mouth to make sure I said it correctly. When I told him my name, he blushed prettily while repeating it, making the spots on his face stand out.
Ducking into the healing tent, I came up short to find Patrick on his feet, wooden supports under his arms so he could better balance on one leg. He still couldn’t move the other, and Zoya said it would take weeks before he was able to bear any weight upon it, but it looked as though they were attempting to get him to move on his own.
“What are you doing?”
“They’re called crutches,” Zoya said, standing worriedly beside Patrick as though she would try to catch him if he fell. That was unsafe. She was pregnant, and he was bigger than her. I moved to take her place, following as he carefully hopped the length of the tent.
“They seem unstable,” I grumbled, lunging forward and pulling up short when Patrick wobbled but managed to stay upright.
“Mm. It will take some practice, I think,” Zoya murmured, watching Patrick’s progress. “I had Ithrir make them from what I could remember of them, but it's been a while.”
When Patrick wobbled a little harder this time, I caught his waist to steady him, frowning at Zoya. “This is not safe. Why can I not just carry him where he needs to go?”
That was what we’d done thus far. Only ever to the trench to relieve himself, but it was not like it was a hardship for me. He wasn’t heavy.
“Because you are not his protector, and he needs to be able to move around when you aren’t here,” Zoya chided, frowning at me.
Straightening, I frowned back. “I am his protector. I found him. I watch out for him. I will keep him safe.”