Tis But A Scratch

He did truly try his best to not worry about Eska. She was her own woman, he trusted her skills and her ability to stand on her own. He never questioned when she said she was going to go out to hunt down something or check on something on her own. She'd done it time and time again and she had traveled all over on her own before he met her. Despite his inclination to worry about everyone and everything in his life he did try to give Eska her freedom. It was something that kept her happy and made him feel like he was giving her that equal partnership she had wanted.

However, when a storm struck while she was out he did begin to worry. He assured himself that she was smart and that she was sure to find cover, but as the hours drug on his worry deepened. She didn't return home that night, which was understandable given the weather that probably delayed her, but when she didn't return the next... Then it was harder to deny his concern. He paced the borders for a while on and off throughout the day, watching and waiting for her. Whenever he did manage to pull himself away from the border he asked Ezra to have his eagle circle and watch for her. He was out by the alpacas mending a section of fence to keep himself busy to try and keep the panic at bay when Aquila came to find him.

He immediately dropped what he was doing and went racing back into the castle with heavy, hurried steps, his paws slipping on the stone floor as he followed her scent to the infirmary, pushing past the door and skidding to a halt when his silver gaze finally landed on her. Gwynevere glanced up at him but didn't say anything as she continued her work, mending and stitching the obvious bites and tears across her neck and shoulder. Ulric's heart dropped into his stomach when he saw her, that panic and concern quickly getting swallowed up by rage as he immediately began to wonder who had done this to her.

He moved to her side, keeping out of the way of Gwynevere so she could finish tending to Eska's wounds, sighing heavily as he pressed his cheek into Eska's. He didn't need to tell her how worried he had been, she would already know. In the grand scheme of things he was simply happy that she was here and mostly in one piece, but that didn't help settle his anger at the fact that someone had hurt her. With his nose pressed into her fur the scent of a stranger was obvious. Past the sent of this brute and past the scent of blood was something else, something that made his blood boil even hotter than it already was. The placement of her wounds only cemented the thought in his mind.

Ulric held himself together, but only just barely for Eska's sake and because Gwynevere was still in the room. He didn't say anything yet, simply seething and nuzzling into her neck while he waited, tense and relieved all at once. While Gwyn finished stitching together her wounds and applying herbs to them he held his emotions back, coiled tight like a spring just waiting to be let loose. A few minutes later Gwynevere was done and he gave her a small grateful nod and the healer left the room, leaving him alone with his partner.

"What did he look like?" he asked the moment the door closed behind their Seneshal and they were left alone in the infirmary. His voice was low and hard, his jaw tense as he tried to keep from flying out of the castle to track down this bastard right this moment. "Was it someone you recognized? Where did this happen?" He couldn't just let whoever this was get away with this. Anyone that touched a hair on Eska's head deserved ten fold returned to them and this... this deserved nothing short of death.

Ulric Adravendi