She didn't know such pain could exist. There was nothing she could compare it to. Everything she did just made it so much worse and all she could really do was stand there and cry. After a few more attempts to get rid of the quills, even standing became too much and Rhys flopped down in a hopeless heap while she waited for help to arrive. Never once did the tears stop.
At last the sound of a hurried approach reached her ears. One puffy, watery eye cracked open. "Mom!" The quills in her mouth made it hard to speak so the word was mangled. While the sight of Rhythm was immensely relieving it did nothing to slow the waterworks. Instead it made it worse. With her mother within reach Rhys couldn't help but cry harder. She cried so hard and so much that her tears washed off most of the dirt on her cheeks.
Without a word of protest Rhys allowed herself to be led to the barn. Her cries lost their volume but the tears still flowed freely amid a mix of hiccups and whimpers. All she'd wanted to do was a good thing. She'd just wanted to keep everyone safe. "I'll get you something for the pain and I can start getting those quills out." Her swollen eyes grew huge and her breath caught. Get them...out? She wanted them gone but the idea of them being pulled out was absolutely terrifying. It was going to hurt so much worse!
