It had been arduous work getting Indigo back to the castle he had directed her toward from his position on the travois. The sloped and rocky terrain of the ridgelands made for difficult traveling with a heavy and wounded companion. But Emersyn had made a mental pact to make sure he was tended to, no matter the cost, no matter the strain, struggle, or pain. Indigo would not die for her.

Passing across the plains with the tiny healer at their side keeping an eye on Indigo to make sure he was still breathing, Em had howled for the alpha, a large dire wolf that had given no resistance to her bringing an injured packmate back home. With the dire brute’s help, Emersyn had slid Indigo the rest of the way into the sanctuary of the castle walls here the healers could tend to him and bring him inside. The alpha, whose name she couldn’t quite remember, had invited her to stay and have her wounds tended to as well, and despite her mental protests, her body could do nothing but accept.

That had been a couple of days ago. Indigo was tended to around the clock by the tiny healer and the other medics in the Hallows. There were so many wolves living in this castle! Em had felt like an outsider, like she didn’t belong here amongst all these other wolves that had their lives together. Poor things. They had no idea the danger they put themselves in by keeping her around. Despite her worries, she knew she couldn’t leave yet—not until Indigo had healed.

So that was how Emersyn found herself sitting against the far wall of Indigo’s chambers beside the door, still as a statue, her right paw and other wounded parts bandaged up, watching as he rested, slept, and recovered. She had barely said two words to anyone in the pack, eating only when her stomach roared, and never far from Indigo’s room when she did venture out. She hadn’t even spoken much to the other wolves that existed in Indigo’s little clique, keeping to herself and existing only on the fringes of everything like a ghost. It was an accurate representation of how she felt: barely existing in this place she didn’t belong. This had been all her fault. Guilt crushed her heart, and although she put on a hard facade, inside she was destroying herself. It was the penance she deserved for her mistakes. So long as Indigo got better, nothing else mattered.

"Emersyn"

Sleep, days and days of sleep. The journey had not been some bed of dreams for him to rest up during. Every small jolt and bump shook him to the core and by the time they finally returned to the Hallows he was barely conscious. Maybe it would have been better for him to have passed out at the beginning of the trip but he held on stubbornly. He vaguely remembered seeing Ulric and then there was just nothing. Not for a long while.

There weren’t many dreams but when they did wave and ebb they were mostly full of pain. Flashes of the battle and Emersyn interrupted him. It was odd, despite everything he felt like her presence was always there. Eventually he had to open his eyes, and when he did Indigo wasn’t surprised to see the subdued violet tones of Emersyn’s form. He breathed deeply, subduing the ache from his belly. He didn’t want to move. His whole body throbbed, not just the wounds that were slowly beginning to heal. Indigo wasn’t going to die, but he could still mess himself up if he did something wrong. Not that he truly comprehended the potential consequences, he hadn’t when he’d jumped right into a fight.

Indigo blinked back his sleep, head on his paws and his gaze angled towards Emersyn. The sight of her brought everything back, the sudden sight of her, the wolf following her. The fight. The massive maned man heaved a sigh, further trying to ignore the stitched flesh at his belly. ”Emersyn,” his voice was soft but held a bit of relief. Mostly that she had made it back, and was recovering after everything. ”You’re… here.” He blinked back his sleep and lifted his head carefully. ”I mean… Thank you.” He knew it wasn’t Iolaire that carried him back here, and Indigo wasn’t walking back himself. Not with the massive gash.

The Fatalis didn’t know where she might have intended to go after all of this, but he didn’t know that she would survive the onslaught before her. Indigo had almost fallen to the hunter and he was in full health at the time, he hated to think about what would have happened to the intricately marked woman if he wasn’t there. Were he given the chance Indigo would have done the same thing again. He couldn’t have left her for dead, it wasn’t in his nature. He was it as an injustice and wouldn’t allow it to stand, at any cost to himself.

Duo-toned eyes had been transfixed on the divots between each stone brick on the floor while she stood guard, waiting, waiting for Indigo to wake up and need something or for someone else to come check on him. She had been doing her best to learn the frequent faces that came to him: Iolaire the tiny healer, Gwynevere the Hallows’ healer, they had been the most common, along with three others that rarely left Indigo’s side. An extremely tiny girl, blind and frail, a smaller purple brute who was always hanging close by and had tried to talk to her a couple times, and a smaller still purple fae that was practically throwing herself at the dire wolf since the moment he’d been carted back. Pathetic creature…

She didn’t notice Indigo beginning to stir until she heard the heavy sigh followed by her own name whispered on a tired voice. Her head snapped up, meeting Indigo’s rich sapphire gaze with a breath of relief. ”Indigo, thank the gods…” she spoke, rising to her paws to close the distance between them in a few graceful strides. Even though Iolaire had told them he would live, Em didn’t dare consider them out of the woods until he was back on his feet. She gave him a strained smile, still unable to look at him without feeling the guilt hit her in the gut.

”Of course I’m here,” she replied taking a seat beside the bed he lay in. ”I had to make sure I wasn’t responsible for killing you.” A light chuckle escaped under her breath while she looked over his massive form, eyes following the defined lines of muscle beneath his coat and his deadly looking saber fangs. ”I should’ve known it’d take more than a ragtag bounty hunter to take down a wolf like you.” Deep down, she actually realized just how close the fight had been. One on one, Indigo looked like he was more than capable of handling himself. But the hunters pursuing her did not fight fair; they took their victories by any means necessary, and that underhandedness had almost cost Indigo his life.

With a wry smirk, Emerysn lifted her right paw to show the bandages wrapped around it to her savior. ”Besides, I can’t get very far on this. Doctors say it’ll take a couple of weeks for the claws to grow back and the wounds to heal, so I guess I’m immobile for now.” Her eyes searched his for any signs of discomfort or pain, anything she could do to help fix her fuck up. ”How are you feeling?” Dumb question. Try again, Em. ”Is there anything I can get for you? Food, water, pillows, something to entertain yourself with...?”

"Emersyn"

He was mostly upright but perhaps a little tilted as he tried to prop himself up to actually face Emersyn appropriately. He wasn’t expecting the look of relief on her features as she thanked the gods for his wakefulness and closed the distance between them. He wasn’t expecting her to still be hanging around, not when she had been chased so hard before. Indigo couldn’t deny his relief that she had accepted an invitation to heal here in the Hallows. Indy knew that he would do the exact same thing if Emersyn was threatened here in the Hallows, he’d also have back up from the rest of the pack.

She lowered herself beside him, and Indigo was struck by how similar they were in size, he wasn’t sure why his mind had remembered her much smaller, but then again she had hardly been able to even stand at the time. With her closer Indigo lowered his head back to his arm and looked up at her as he fought off a spell of dizziness. He focused on her good natured words, again surprised at her attachment after he’d fought and killed the monster after her. He tried not to dwell on his actions, Indigo was still disturbed by what he had done. There was no other choice so he tried not to dwell, but he felt different after taking another wolf’s life.

”I don’t know, he took me down pretty efficiently.” Indigo groaned lightly, but that wasn’t the point of this conversation anyway. No matter what happened he was the victor, even if he had to suffer through this recovery. What really mattered was that Emersyn was still here, and still lingering in the Hallows and his presence. Sense of duty or not she had injuries that needed seen to and recovery before she could continue onwards. Wherever that might be.

He chuckled lightly, but started coughing at the pain when she asked him how he was but followed up with a quick curiosity about his needs. ”I could be worse.” He offered honestly to her first question, but he couldn’t help the look of darkness that overtook him. Indigo’s bright blue gaze shifted from Emersyn as he spoke again. ”I just…” He started poorly. ”I don’t like to be alone,” he admitted to her quietly, a small confession from his inky black lips. Did he feel ashamed? Maybe. She’d seen what he could do but now she was allowed the inverse. Huge physical strength, itty bitty baby emotional power.

It was easier to relax when Indigo was conscious and talking. Conscious and talking meant he was still squarely in the land of the living, despite the obvious pain and discomfort he felt. But given how her life had been, Em would take any small victories where she could get them. Indigo was alive. That would be enough for now. Even as they sat close together, Emersyn’s walls were still up. Her guilt had compelled her to stay and guard the healing dire wolf, but she still knew nothing of him, of the wolves in this castle, of this strange place. She felt very much like a fish out of water, like a shadow on a wall that didn’t quite belong. As soon as she could, she’d be out of their hair for good. She’d caused him enough trouble.

She could see the darkness swirling in those sapphire eyes, a look she had seen before in the eyes of fresh gladiators. He was struggling with the reality that he had taken a life. Even if it had been justified and even admirable, it was a traumatic experience to the male. He admitted to her that he didn’t like being alone, avoiding eye contact as the words slipped past his lips. Emersyn nodded her head slowly; if he didn’t want to be alone, then he wouldn’t be. The dusty violet fae tensed with anxiousness, reaching a slow, trepidatious paw up until she felt the fur on his crown, gently petting Indigo between his ears and running delicate claws through the thick mane of his scruff. She didn’t know if this was comforting or not, but he had seemed to like it when she’d done this down on the riverbank.

“You won’t be alone then,” she replied, her gaze lifting from him to the door and wondering where the rest of his posse was. “You’ve had your… ‘friends’ hanging around you since we brought you back. They’ve barely left your side, especially this one little fae that was all but throwing herself over you while you slept.” She didn’t know any of their names yet, so she couldn’t say who, nor did she exactly care to know. Hopefully he could tell. They were all far too preoccupied with Indigo, and she wouldn’t be overstaying her welcome anyway.  

A wry smirk pulled at her lips and she commented, “You definitely have a type, I noticed…” Smaller. Purple. Damaged. Had he just protected her because he wanted her to be part of his collection? She didn’t know what sort of arrangement they all had, but the pattern was obvious to anyone with eyes. What were Indigo’s intentions with protecting her and helping her? Every wolf had an angle, an ulterior motive. She just had to figure out what that was…

"Emersyn"

He closed his eyes as she began to run her paws through his mane after he’d admitted what he needed. Company. To not have to be here alone, awake with his own thoughts of ineptitude and dismay. He could ignore all of that when he was trying to help someone else, when he could focus on the challenges someone else faced instead of his own. He was glad she could allow herself so close, even as she reminded him of the other wolves that dedicated themselves to him and the cause. He appreciated what she didn’t say, and listened to what she did. Duchess and Segin both were likely not so far, he couldn’t imagine either would have taken the sight of him being rolled in here very well.

They hadn’t hardly left his side she said, he wondered if Gypsy was included, she didn’t often go anywhere unless invited. He knew the she wolf was Duchess, not only because it didn’t sound like Gypsy but Duch was the mother hen of the group. He thought of her fondly, but then in completely different ways as Emersyn went on and mentioned him having a type. Indigo choked on the words and started coughing even as he’d been trying to laugh. The strangled sounds turned to a groan as he disturbed his wounds too much. He had to remain perfectly still and even then he ached. The wounds were not kind.

”Maybe, but I would help anyone regardless of what they looked like.” He told her as he tried to hold the bandaged at his belly while he spoke. It was an odd coincidence all of the wolves that followed him were all of similar traits. ”Gypsy is the only one that I’ve found. She was tied to a tree, facing certain death if she wasn’t taken somewhere warm to sleep. Duchess and Segin both found me. Or fate brought us together.” Indigo slowed his speech, feeling himself get out of breath. ”If you believe in that sort of thing.” Indigo didn’t know how to explain his skill of finding the wolves that needed him most but he had never questioned it. Only acted as he saw fit when the challenge arose.

He hadn’t opened his eyes, and he hoped she was still absently stroking the long fur down his neck and shoulders. It was soothing and helped distract him from both physical and emotional pain. She let his mind touch on what might have happened that day had Indigo not been at the river. He wouldn’t have ever found Emersyn and she would have been floating down the river instead of the hunter right now. Maybe it was fate.

Emersyn cringed a little when Indigo began to cough and sputter to her mention of him having a type; she hadn't intended to irritate his wound, but she couldn't keep the smirk off her face from poking at his buttons. The reaction had been enough to make it worth it. "Sorry, didn't mean to hurt you," she apologized, trying her best to keep her eyes off of his torn belly that she had been the cause of. She didn't need the constant reminder of how she'd almost gotten this kind stranger killed. It did also serve as a reminder as to why she needed to get the hell out of here as soon as she could walk. She couldn't put these other wolves in danger.

Indigo glanced over the circumstances that had brought his motley crew together in the first place. Gypsy he had found tied to a tree and left for dead. Duchess and Begin had found him by happenstance. So those were their names... Gypsy was the tiny blind wolf, she deduced, given that the other two had sight and the capacity to free themselves if they'd been tied to a tree. Duchess must have been the dramatic girl and Segin the flamboyant boy. Okay, so at least she had names to go along with the faces now. Indigo mentioned fate bringing them together, and Emersyn wrinkled her nose up at the notion just out of his view. Fate. Had fate also been the one to decide her life was worthless the moment she had been born? Had fate decided she would be sold to a pit fighter at the age of six months? Had fate forced her to run for her life now? Fuck fate...

Throughout their conversation, Em's paw never stopped running through Indy's mane, partially out of idle motion and partially because she wanted to do something to help ease the pain he was in. She liked the way his fur felt between her digits, her claws being ever so delicate to rake against the back of his neck through that dense fur. "I don't know what I believe in," she admitted under her muttered breath. "I've just taken every day as they come. Never put the effort into considering anything outside of that." And why would she? When every day was a literal fight between life and death, why waste the time considering what higher power might have put her in this situation? It was useless and brought her nothing but anger and misery.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Indigo..." she said after a moment, unable to look at the man in the eye while she struggled to get the confidence up to apologize properly. "I shouldn't have let you get hurt for me. I shouldn't be here now. This shouldn't have happened to you." I should've been the one who was attacked. I should be dead. She didn't say the words, but the grim thoughts hung around in her brain like a wraith plaguing her conscience. The weight of that guilt darkened her eyes, and she did her best to keep them averted so he wouldn't see them. He was in enough pain as it was.

"Emersyn"

Emersyn muttered a short apology for causing him distress, but it wasn’t like she hadn’t said anything that wasn’t true. The coughing was painful, but maybe he deserved it anyway. Did he have a type? If he was honest to himself yes, he found all of the wolves that came to him attractive. They were beautiful but beyond that underneath they were broken, they needed someone to help lift them from the dregs they were pulled down in. Indigo had much more desire to help and heal than he did to love and… other things. Duchess needed his physical affection more than Segin or Gypsy, she had asked him for help there.

His own shortcomings were harder to think about when he had Emersyn caressing the thick fur of his mane, her gentle rhythmic motions lulled him into a sense of relaxation. His belly ached, the wounds were intense and he had a lot of recovery to go, but he could mostly ignore his wounds with the dusty lavender woman’s innocent affection. If she didn’t speak again Indigo might have fallen back asleep, as it was his eyes remained closed and his body was still. Even as she spoke and stroked his man Indigo did not stir, he could hear the tumult in her voice. Indy didn’t have to make many guesses in connecting the dots to know that Emersyn had endured a rough life. Unable to think much past the present moment, hunters chasing her, fighting to the death to retrieve her. Indigo didn’t know anything about her past but he knew she needed more than her paws healed.

She apologized then, for the state he’d wound up in for her. That was when he finally stirred, lifting himself to his elbows and trying to force her gaze. ”Don't apologize. You couldn’t do anything to stop me.” He told her plainly. ”We both did all that we could. We’re both alive, I’d pay the price again if I had to.” And more. Much like Emersyn he didn’t vocally express the willing sacrifice of his life in his pursuit. Then the effort was too much and his head fell back to his paws again. His mind didn’t quiet though. ”What are you going to do next?” Indigo rumbled softly as his blue eyes softened and returned to her hardened features.

It did help soothe the guilt ripping through her heart like a twister to see that something as simple as running her claws through his thick fur was relaxing him and easing the pain. She was not a healer; she knew next to nothing about healing physical injuries, only able to create them. But in this moment, she could have fooled even herself. Indigo almost seemed like he was falling asleep from the gentle ministrations of her paw on the back of his neck. Em hadn't even been sure he was still conscious or listening to her speak until he was suddenly sitting up with a start, catching her by surprise when his intense blue eyes pulled hers to his. He explained that she couldn't have stopped him and shouldn't be apologetic. Her ears flattened to her head; she realized there was nothing she could have done to stop him, but she could have prevented this situation entirely by dying sooner, or choosing not to stop at the river when she had. All of the what-ifs and variables that had led to this outcome, that was what she blamed herself for. Everything bad that happened was because of her. Why couldn't he understand that?

Rather than try to explain it further to the pained brute, she simply said nothing, letting him say the words on his mind before he lay his head back down on his paws. She swallowed back the tightness in her throat, resisting the urge to snap back that he knew nothing about what she could have done or being so stupid he'd get himself hurt over her again. He asked what her plans were after they had healed, and Emersyn responded with a shrug of her shoulders. "I don't know. Guess I'll keep running," she responded equally as plainly. "My master isn't going to stop sending hunters after me just because a few of them were killed. He'll just send more. And more. And more, until he gets what he wants."

That was just the kind of monster he was, and that was just how life was for her. She'd be running for the rest of her life until the day she died. Anyone who got close to her would be in danger of ending up like Indy—or worse. She had been so absorbed in her melancholy that she hadn't even realized this was her first mention of her past to him. The words just spilled out, like speaking them had been natural when in his presence.

"Emersyn"

He almost wished they could have just remained there as they were for the rest of the day. He was still feeling weak and could have fallen asleep to her gentle touch. She was soothing and sweet, but even then he couldn’t stand for her ot take the blame for this. It wasn’t her fault. It was the hunter’s, the man who sent the hunter… there were other wolves to take the blame. He didn’t know her past but anyone chasing her couldn’t be considered innocent. So eager to take her life, or give their own in exchange. Emersyn didn’t seem satisfied, but Indigo was too tired to press the issue and let it rest as she did.

Silence lingered between them for a short minute before she answered him, almost hesitantly. Once she started the words tumbled out and she spoke with little filter over her words. Someone owned her, and they wanted her back at the cost of untold amounts of men. Indigo grumbled deep in his chest, unamused by the sound of what she was facing. Hunted until she could no longer run, driven to the end of her wits and her life. Indigo had only prolonged the inevitable, that was why she was so upset at him having done this. There was no escape from her fate. Not alone like she was.

”You don’t have to run.” He told her softly, his eyes closed as he pooled his strength to open his eyes and look into hers once again. ”I would stand beside you and fight.” He offered even more quietly. He knew it wasn’t what she wanted to hear but it didn’t make it any less true. Two on one was better odds anyway. If she had been in fighting order the hunter wouldn’t have stood a chance in hell against the two of them. ”If you run, you’ll just be where you were when I found you again.” She knew it, he knew she knew it. He wanted to tell her how all of this would have been a waste is she just let herself go and get killed, but he held his tongue to see her reception.

Em supposed she shouldn't have been surprised by the giant purple wolf's declaration that she didn't have to run and that he would stand and fight by her, especially not after the stunt he'd pulled down by the river a few days ago, yet somehow it still caught her off guard. Her paw stopped in his scruff, her body paralyzed by the intensity of his commitment to someone he didn't even know. Just from a quick glance into his eyes, she knew he was serious. He was also very foolhardy and stupid if he was. "I don't want you to stand and fight with me. Don't you get that?" she retorted, her voice turning harder, but there was an underlying softness of pleading for him. Just let me go and save yourself. "Wolves around me always end up dead. I don't want anyone else to die because of me. I'm not worth the trouble, I'm really not."

But then Indigo pointed out that if she kept running, she'd just wind up in the same situation she had been in down at the river. Emersyn turned her gaze down to the floor—and by proxy, her bandaged paw. She knew. She was painfully aware of how far she could get and what the only outcome of her situation was. But if she didn't run, then she put everyone near her at risk. Indy, Duchess, Segin, Gypsy... She didn't know any of them, but that didn't mean she didn't give a damn about their lives. They were innocent agents in her chaos. A weak chuckle shook Emersyn's body, her head shaking in disbelief. "How can you say all these things like you know me?" she asked, fixing him with duo-toned eyes. "You found me dying on the riverbank, you saved my life. But that doesn't make you responsible for me. You don't know anything about who I am or what I've done to be here. How can you act like you're sure I'm even worth all this?"

Did she want to run? No, of course not! Emersyn wanted to be free. She wanted to be able to wake up in the mornings and not have to start running right away, to be able to lie down to sleep and not dread being woken up by someone else's fangs in her throat. She didn't want to have to spend all her time worrying about if she'd be able to have enough time to eat a meal or which direction might buy her a little more time. But what was the alternative? Gamble with the lives of the wolves that had shown her the only shred of kindness she'd ever gotten in her life? How would she ever be able to look at her reflection if one of them was hurt or killed? No, it would be far better to take her chances on her own. She'd be stuck here for a few weeks until her paw was healed, and then she'd repay their kindness by keeping them safe from herself.

"Emersyn"

She was surprised by his words, he could tell by the way she froze, but she didn’t hesitate to tell him either. Emersyn didn’t want to be the cause of anymore harm. She didn’t want him to end up dead because of her and everything that followed. He made her take pause when he told her what he did realize about her. Maybe they were strangers, but Indigo knew when someone needed held. Emersyn didn’t deserve to die on that riverbank, and not to someone who would so quickly take advantage and her life. She was selfless in he thoughts too, giving herself so they might not be harmed by what was after her. That was exactly why Indigo thought she was worth protecting no matter how much she continued to protest at him.

Emersyn doubted her own worth like she doubted his ability to see it. Indigo tilted his features so he could catch her with one sapphire like eye. He could already feel how tired he was and knew he wouldn’t be able to try and persuade her forever. ”Because I know what suffering looks like.” Indigo said softly, his gaze shifting to the stone block walls as his words rumbled from deep in his chest. ”My vow might not be to you personally but I do whatever I can when I see it. No matter who.” He confessed. Had it been her, some other wolf, or the roles reversed, Indigo would have protected the one who was hunted so ruthlessly.

”You’re worth it, I’m certain of it.” Indigo offered with conviction as his eyes blinked closed, like he couldn't hold his eyelids open any longer. Maybe he’d gotten a little too passionate earlier for the condition he was in. Indigo quieted and his body began to relax, he drifted closer to sleep with every moment. He forced his gaze open to offer one more glance, meaning every word he’d said, before brilliant blue eyes closed again.

By the gods, Indigo was persistent! The big purple wolf stated he knew what suffering looked like, and that he would have helped anyone, whether it be her or someone else. Emersyn didn't want to admit that she was suffering. That would mean showing weakness, and showing weakness meant death. Other wolves preyed on weaknesses and took advantage of every opportunity to control you when they could. But Indigo... he didn't know her at all and yet he wasn't giving up on her. Here he was in incredible amounts of pain, having narrowly avoided death, and still he was trying to convince her to stay so he could help her. It perplexed Emersyn and didn't fit into her views of the world or of men, especially bigger men. Indy was a conundrum and she couldn't figure him out.

He gave one final adamant statement that she was worth it, staunch conviction in his declaration, and then his eyes closed as he drifted off to sleep again. Emersyn glanced down at Indy's face, eyes tracing the distinctly masculine features, caught between peaceful rest and trying to stay awake. A wry smirk pulled at her lips as Em decided to give him the final push he needed to fall asleep, running her claws through his mane again over and over and over again, knowing how much he liked that. There was quiet in the bedroom for a while, Em just listening to the steady rhythm of Indy's breathing, watching him while he relaxed and rested. Such a stupid boy... going and risking his life for her like that.

Leaning down to him, Em ran her muzzle against his forehead in a gentle nuzzle, whispering a quiet, "Thank you..." She hadn't said it before, but she felt it. Indigo had been the only wolf to ever stand up for her, defend her, risk his life for her. She didn't know how she would ever repay the sacrifice and kindness he'd shown her, but somehow, she'd find a way.

"Emersyn"