The Worst Outcome

What little of his heart that might have still been intact by this point was shattered when Syanna's only request from him was to not hate her when this was all over. His ears folded back and he gave her a gentle squeeze, nuzzling against her cheek. He wanted to reassure her that he could never hate her, that nothing was ever going to waver the way he felt about her, but he knew that she probably wouldn't believe him. He could only stay here with her and be whatever kind of support he could possibly offer to her while she continued to suffer and it tore at his chest in a way he couldn't really describe. It was just silence and waiting for a while and he would just stroke his paw over her forehead and back or give her gentle reassurances and affections. He had no idea what to expect, but he wasn't going anywhere. He was going to see this through to the end for her.

Then, all at once, everything seemed to hit her. The obvious pain she was in made him wince, his ears pinned back against his head as he tried to just hold her and support her while he could until she leaned over the bed to throw up violently a couple of times. His paw rubbed between her shoulders while she wretched and he helped her with the water skin so she could get a drink, but in the end he still felt useless and helpless against the forces that were tearing her apart from the inside out. He began to wonder if this was really better than having her go through the pregnancy and bearing the pups from all of this, but at least they had the small solace of knowing that once this was over it would really be over. Whether or not she would be able to have kids after this was the farthest thing from his mind. He could only think about the love of his life that was writhing and struggling through this as her body rejected what it was attempting to grow thanks to the deadly concoction she drank.

Throughout the two hours that this went on seemingly without end Ezra tried and failed to soothe her, to find her any kind of comfort, and eventually he just settled for being with her and at least making sure that she didn't wind up sliding off the bed in her throws of pain. It wasn't until she finally fell still with just the short, shallow breaths and the shivers of her worn out, aching muscles that he could gently slip his forelegs around her again, pulling her ever so gently against him while he peppered her face and neck with tender kisses. He kissed away the tears that started to form in her eyes, his chest tight with his own emotion that he couldn't even begin to address. "You are the strongest woman I've ever known and will ever know," he told her quietly against her ear in the silence and aftermath of it all. "I swear to you, no matter what happens, I am always going to love you. I know you won't believe me right now, but I'm going to prove it to you. I promise." He held her to his chest, letting her rest and recover for as long as she needed, only caring about what she needed and nothing else.

"Syanna & Ezra"