“Luv, really, I’m fine.”
“Y-You’re bleeding s-still—should I go g-get a healer…? I… I
don’t know where a-any are and I shouldn’t leave you—”
“Luv, would you stop fussin’ and come over here where I can
reach you already?”
Arshtat paused, the floorboards creaking under her weight as
she collected things from around their room. Her arms were full of towels and
bandages, and anything that might have been of use. Perhaps she was overreacting,
Madoc certainly thought she was.
But he was the one who had returned home late at night,
bleeding. It was not the first time, much to Arshtat’s dismay, but rarely it
was this bad. Or this bloody.
The wound itself was not that bad, Madoc had tried to tell
her. Arshtat admittedly had not gotten a close look before she had panicked and
hurried around to collect what they had to tend it. It had bled, quite a bit,
but it was only a singular bite wound around his lower leg where something had
latched on.
The little Xaela was no doctor, but she could patch up a
wound well enough. She had gotten quite a bit of practice since meeting Madoc.
She knew he didn’t like the worried doting, but she often gave him no choice.
It helped ease her own mind.
Shaking her head once, ignoring his sad almost-whine, when
she refused his offer, Arshtat finished collecting her supplies and only then did
she move closer. But she gracefully dodged a reaching arm, and instead kneeled
on the floor by his wounded leg.
Madoc sighed, amused, but dropped his head back on the couch
and let her work. Some time later, it was cleaned, stitched and bandaged. He
had tried to get up once, but the fiery glare he had received when he tried had
him sinking back in the cushions pretty fast.
After the wound was taken care of, she had frantically
cleaned up the blood, and hurried off to the kitchen to make him something to
eat. Khuu had taken a spot next to him on the couch, curiously tilting his head
this way and that, unsure what the commotion was about.
Madoc inclined his head toward the cub, the corner of his
lips twitching up, “Aye, best not ask her for the ale now.”
Khuu merely tilted his head again.
When Arshtat finally returned, he humored her by finishing
the meal. It was hard to turn down anything when she gave him eyes like that.
He could tell she was still worried. But it really hadn’t been anything to
worry about.
She fussed a little more, gathering extra pillows and a
blanket so he could elevate the leg. She started a fire in the hearth. And only
after all of that, did she finally give in and let him take her into his lap.
Madoc glanced down, fingers brushing through her long hair.
He smirked. She was out like a light. It wasn’t a surprise, with all the
scurrying about she’d done. Arshtat was curled against his chest, arms loosely wrapped
about his middle. Khuu had also claimed part of his lap, head resting on his thigh
as he slept.
He let out a long breath, shaking his head. He guessed he didn’t mind being doted on every now and again if it all ended up like this.
Featuring @locke-rinannis‘s Madoc Parnell
Hithren 