This loss feels like a welcome home

He shed a few silent, exhausted tears into her coat as she curled up against him. He needed, craved, the closeness. He had always been a physical wolf to those he called friends. He had grown accustomed to a full den of bodies to curl up against. It had been one of those gifts in life that he had no idea he was missing until it was suddenly filling a hole. Now, in the rough days since he had come crashing into the Hallows to see Resin. Sleeping in the dungeons near her, and then his Wife's death. Wolves were pack creatures, they needed each other.

So he curled up against his dear friend, felt the rise and fall of her chest. He grunted slightly when she brushed up against one of his wounds, but he otherwise ignored them. He hurt so much he could barely pinpoint any one ache, anyway.

He needed her, and she was here. It was like this that he drifted slowly into sleep, breathing in the familiar and comforting scent of. It told him home and pack.

---

Burning
He awoke, and they were on fire. The med bay was on fire, the bed was smouldering. He could feel the smoke in his lungs, and the heavy weight of Tamsyn beside him. She wasn’t moving.
No, no, no, no
Pain clenched his heart. He needed to get them out of here, he needed to move why wasn’t he moving? It was like his body was made of stone. He could not get it to budge. Had his muscles cramped into uselessness overnight? He couldn’t move. He opened his mouth to howl, but he could not make a sound. He tried to pull free of the weights holding down his body. His mouth opened in a soundless cry as the fire crawled closer, and closer.

And then suddenly he was free, and it was morning, and there was no fire.

He was on the floor, and in his thrashing he had pulled Tamsyn down on top of him. His eyes showed almost entirely white, and his breath was painful gasps. Terrors. Terrors. Had he hurt her?

He frantically started to pat down her body. “Tammy, Tammy, did I hurt you?” he gasped desperately.

"Speech"