Unsettled. Out of sorts. Something hasn't been sitting well with Jael lately, and she doesn't really know how to articulate that. Restless. Like something was gnawing on her insides, keeping her chest heavy, living in her throat in the worst way. Jael is sorry that she aches like she does.

A wound in the shape of a girl... a girl. Still grappling with herself, still grappling with the things she felt. The things she felt about the world, the things she felt about him, the things she felt... about her, too. What was it supposed to mean, and how had she gotten here?

If she stays busy, then she stays useful. If she stays useful, she can stay here. Modesty liked her... she's pretty sure? She liked Modesty. Liked her... Jael was afraid of her, but she so desperately wanted to be like her. Confident and poised, graceful, she always knows what to say.

Do you want to fuck her or be her?

Jael wouldn't admit to either thought existing in her mind, let alone both. There's an ache that lives in her chest, and it's one that's damn near overtaken her head. It's that ache that she needs to replace with the ache of her muscles, the ache of her back. She could replace her feelings with hard work, as long as she worked hard enough. That's how it works, right?

Not like she could bury the things she thought, felt, dreamt (fuck, she's still dreaming about him?), about him. She'd been good. She'd kept her distance, she'd followed orders. For the most part. Slipping around the resort like a ghost, lighting fires to stave off the autumn chill, keeping things tidy. Tending the goats. Checking the rabbit traps. Helping the kids.

And there was the task of surveying the Archipelago, an assignment she was eager to start. It's high noon when Jael arrives on Inu Island, admittedly her first visit all the way out here. Moving just up the beach, away from the tide line, the wolfdog drags a large branch out to the sand. It's heavy, and she strips away two branches from the bottom. Leaving them standing upright, staked deep enough that they should withstand any breeze. Right. A starting point.

Filled with grim determination, Jael takes off down the beach. A crisp jog, head low to the ground. Careful to scent the world around her, searching for any scent of prey or stock on the wind. She's not hunting today, just surveying.

Normalcy isn't a word that Gilgamesh has ever known. Was there supposed to be a pattern? A routine? A schedule to follow throughout his day to day life? Or was winging it ever good enough? He figured living life one day at a time was the best way to get by because honestly, he and his pack were an unruly bunch. Not knowing what any one of them were ever up to was sure to bring trouble to his doorstep at any given moment.

It was those exhausting days that led him out to the archipelago that calm morning. A gentle breeze to guide him through the islands until he reached Inu. Stepping ashore, shaking off his coat, he is met with a large log and two sticks sticking up in the sand. His brow furrows a moment as he looks around. Who had put those there? Taking a few steps forward, he looks down at the packed sand. Small, familiar paw prints lead him to look further ahead until he spies the brown wolfdog. Gil's pulse picks up, his breath catching in his throat. They hadn't been alone since he had told her they couldn't be anymore...

Looking back behind him, out toward the ocean, he sees the isle, but no one else. His nose can't pick up anyone elses scents either, but with how varied the wind was and how effective the saltwater is, it would be easy to be snuck up on, spied on. But could he take a chance? Was it worth the risk? He wouldn't know unless he tried, right? The swim back to the isle would cleanse his coat anyway, whatever ended up happening.

Taking a deep breath, Gil picks up his pace and heads toward Jael. His long stride covers ground easily until he's a foot or so away. "Jael," he calls out, soft, quiet, tender. "Care for some company?" Gil asks, his expression hesitant, cautious, curious. Would she accept?

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Gaze long, intent on the island inward. Thick jungle plants carpeted the landscape before her, and she could only wonder how long it would take to truly get a grasp on the island. Jael wouldn't know until she actually gave it a shot, but it was daunting all the same. It's going to be worth it.

It's not long after departing that he catches up to her, Jael's step nearly hitching in place as she turns. His tone is soft, enough to make her heart catch in her chest for a split second. Gaze moving to his face with the barest hint of a smile, something hopeful here too. He was... offering.

"Please," tone gracious, a wag of her tail. Looking up at him from where she stands, in earnest. "I'm starting to survey the islands for feral stock." Jael gives her light explanation, weight shifting over her paws. Trying not to look like she's on high alert-- unwilling to look any time spent with Gilgamesh in the mouth.

“Speech.”

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His own heart hitches for a second as she turns to face him. Looking into those eyes as if it were the first night they had met. Except she isn't terrified or sopping wet to the bone. He can't help but be tender around her, careful, cautious. She is... fragile. Her words though almost cause him to sigh in relief, but he holds it back, instead giving her a gentle smile before stepping forward to the side of her.

When he's close enough, he reaches down to touch his nose to the top of her head between her ears. "I have a feeling we'll find more than what you're looking for," Gil jokes, leaving it up to her imagination on what he means. Eyes crinkling slightly at the corners before he starts their journey deeper into the island. "Have you explored this one much?" He asks, chin tilting down for a moment to make sure she's keeping up with him.

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More fragile than Jael would admit to being, but still, her head is on a swivel. An undercurrent of paranoia that's only truly settled when she's by his side. Jael wouldn't bring attention to it, that's too dangerous. Everything about them has been dangerous from the start, but they don't need to dwell on it. Little dog in a world that was perhaps not meant for her. Meant for her or not, Jael has managed to grab hold of it well enough.

A little shudder at the thought, they'd get more than they bargained for out here. Her mind moving too quickly, though she latches onto the question instead. "Not yet, this is the first time," a light in her opalescent gaze, caught from the sun and distilled. Though it seemed like she was taking two steps of her own to keep up with Gil's, she doesn't falter.

Not until she hears the snap of a twig in the underbrush to their left. It's the only warning they get before the jaguar slinks from the shadows and jumps the little dog, and it's warning too late. More than what she was looking for had come to play.

“Speech.”

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Gil is content to patrol the idea, basically being Jael's bodyguard while she explored. Not that she was in any particular danger or that she couldn't keep herself safe, but still he would stand his ground. Jael was precious, both now to him and Modesty, so no harm would come her way if he had a say.

As he moves, he thinks he hears a rustle in the undergrowth, but pays it no mind for the moment. Lots of animals of all kinds lived throughout the island and it was of no use to be paranoid. That is until the jaguar slunk from the shadows. Its paws against the dirt and snarl in its throat alerted him to its presence. Eyes only for Jael, Gil moves without thinking. Putting himself between Jael and the jaguar, he meets the feline with fangs extended and shoulder braced to stop the cat. Teeth dig into the cat's neck, pushing back against the powerful force of the predator.

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Several things happen at once. Claws catch Jael's hip before she can dodge them, sinking into the tender flesh. Gilgamesh is quick, quicker than Jael can even process. For a creature typically so paranoid, her fears have come to play. Her hackles lift along her spine, eyes going wide. Gil-- her savior, her protector, coming between the girl and the predator once again.

A yelp that fades to a whimper, teeth flashing, but Jael is scared. Fuck, she's scared, heart pounding in her chest. Stomach lurching, darting forward, tucking herself well behind Gilgamesh. He has control of the jaguar, he has the situation under control. Jael's eyes wide-- her reliance on the man isn't something she likes to advertise, but without him? The girl would be disconsolate. Coppery scent of her blood in the air mixing with her fear, the foul stench of the predator, all of it. Head spinning with the pain that bloomed in her hip, the pet staggers to the sand.

The only thing that remains in focus is Gilgamesh.

“Speech.”

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The scent of her blood in the air creates a fury in him only the jaguar will feel. A snarl from him so loud it sends birds darting off into the sky. Its claw dig into him, a loud yowl sounding off. Desperate and regretful, Gil knows he's in control. Unfortunately for the cat, it won't live to see another day. It would pay for harming her. For thinking it could dare touch her without repercussions.

Forceful, Gil drives the jaguar backward. Paws slipping through the dense underbrush, tripping over roots and vines. Gil is on top of it, fangs sinking in everywhere they can until blood covers both of them. Soon the jaguar isn't even trying to fight anymore, but escape. More screeching yowls from it drive Gil forward. There's no stopping him. Not until its heart stops beating.

Grabbing around its shoulders, hunched over the feline, he clamps down on its neck. Shaking violently back and forth until its spinal cord is snapped, Gil still refuses to let go as it sinks to the ground. Its lungs slow to a stop, its heart fluttering for a few moments, and then nothing. Breathless and full of adrenaline, Gil spits the jaguar from his mouth, tongue licking up the blood and gore covering his lips. Turning to face the shore, back where Jael cowers in the sand, a switch is flipped in him the moment he lays eyes on her.

It was that first night all over again. Helpless and injured, she needed him. Rushing back to the shore, he collapses to the sand beside her, curling around her form even if they both were bleeding. Nothing as bad as that first night, right? Placing his muzzle near her thigh, he licks her wound a few times, a worried grumble resounding within him. "Are you okay?" His voice shakes, unable to hide the nerves that are far too frazzled.

Speech

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Watching Gilgamesh take the cat on-- it's like a car crash. Jael doesn't want to look, but she can't look away. Gruesome as it is, but he has things under control. He always has things under control-- she relies on him for it. Fuck, she depends on him in more ways than he can know. Still, watching him bleed on her behalf? Her stomach lurches and churns, heart pounding in her chest.

Even as the cat tries to break from him, Gilgamesh doesn't let it go. Doesn't let it go, not until it's dead, a ragdoll cast into the sand. Jael tries to stagger to her feet, tipping over once more. The cat outweighed her by a large margin, her hip sprained in the process. Nowhere near as bad as the first night. No, the girl isn't on death's door this time.

His body wrapped around hers, and Jael is quick to yield to his touch. Concern shining in her opal eyes, her head lifts. Her muzzle against his face, and then into his neck. "I'm okay, I'm okay," words soft, hushed. She wouldn't give heed to her aching muscles and rended flesh, not yet. "You're bleeding-- you're hurt too, let me see," Jael's voice is shaky, the girl is on the verge of tears. Pressing close to him, still trembling, clinging for all she can. Both of them are a raw nerve. With all that's been going on, it's hard not to feel so raw.

Certainty is a hot commodity around here. All Jael can be certain of, in this moment, is that she can't and won't be ripped from him. She needs Gilgamesh, more than she can find the words to say.

“Speech.”

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Her hushed words do little to calm him. More licks to her slashed thigh, his own hips twisting so she doesn't notice his injuries. The jaguar had gotten him in multiple areas, but he doesn't notice. Numb to his own pain, only focused on the girl settled within his grasp. A low growl, a slight shake of his head. "Sakana will get it later," he urges her, eyes flicking to her, the edges more white than he cared to admit.

"I-," Gil falters, hesitating to speak, but his heart aches. For as much as he's tried to avoid her, he can't anymore. Not after the night the three of them had shared together. Surely Modesty couldn't be upset anymore. Not when it's unintentional. Two raw nerves so frayed that words had to appear or tragedy would surely strike.

"I can't lose you," he whispers finally, tongue still easing the blood from her wound until it stops completely. "I-," another pause, consideration of what is truly on his mind. "I love Modesty, I do. She is my heart, but there is room for you too." Well, fuck, can't stop him now. "I see it in her eyes too. That need, the want to protect you, to keep you safe. You're ours and I will do everything to keep you safe," there is an edge to Gil's voice that he doesn't use very often. He needs to her to know he's serious.

His tongue moves from her wound, smoothing out her fur, removing the debris and dirt until it reaches her cheek. "I will tear every animal on this planet limb from limb if it means keeping you alive," the words are hushed, but they are serious as he continues to groom her fur. Unable to stop, unable to tell his worries to go away.

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Gilgamesh stills her concerns, and the girl is careful as she tucks back against his shoulder. The throbbing in the wounds, the pulled muscles, is eased by his careful touch. A dog in pain is a dog that bites, but for him? It's different. Jael is different, too, for him and for Modesty. They're different, well different, and here to take care of her.

As he speaks, she stills. Entirely stills, as if she's waiting to be woken back up. The cat surely knocked her out, it's her own overactive brain that's putting words in his mouth. A cruel dream, showing her the things she's longed for. As he speaks, as he gently clears the dirt and sand from the wound, as the adrenaline fades and she's left raw and hurting but whole in his grasp... no, it can't be a dream. Just as real as he's ever been, Gilgamesh is here. Relief flooding her system, though it has to contend with a million other things.

"I'm yours, both of yours," spoken like an oath. Jael's voice doesn't tremble, this time. "I don't want to be without you," she's gone a bit quieter than she means to. Wrapped up, close to them, it's the only place she's been safe. It's the only place she's been whole. To the two of them, she'll remain loyal. Loyal like a dog. Tone solemn, though she yields to his touch.

Her teeth are careful, grooming at a spot along his neck, an effort to self-sooth her trembling nerves. Before she can stop herself, the words come quietly. "I love you."

“Speech.”

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She finally stills and he feels his heart begin to settle. The more on edge she is, the more on edge he is. But he doesn't stop cleaning her fur until every grain of sand is clear from the hairs. It's the only thing he can think to do in the moment. Her life had flashed before his eyes. He couldn't help it. Couldn't risk losing her again and again and again.

As she speaks, he begins to still. The grooming licks turning into gentler touches along her cheeks. Barely hearing her words as she curls into his shoulder, he lets out a sigh. His, theirs, ours. He would gladly share with Modesty. Anything to make her happy, both of them happy. Gil doesn't care as long as everyone is right again. He can play the role for both of them, he has to.

His mind is reeling until she whispers the three words he wasn't expecting. Steeling, he's silent. Heart hammering in his chest, eyes staring down at Jael as his brain attempts to register. Does he respond? Can he? Was he allowed to say it? Had Modesty already beaten him to the punch? It didn't matter, not anymore. "I love you too," he whispers gently, quietly into her ear, breath washing over her as he moves back to grooming her. His brain on auto pilot because he's still in shock from it all.

Speech

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