Close Your Eyes. Try to Breathe.

Cold. The blood was still wet, slick and weighing his fur down. The weight of the events that just transpired pressed down on him heavily as his name was called. The void inside him yawned wider at the voice he did not recognize, so he clung to the numbness, his only shield against the wave of emotions threatening to drown him. But footsteps approached still, so the brute halted his heavy steps.

He turned slowly, his gaze blank, struggling to focus on Kaino's form as she approached. His breathing came in rough white wintry puffs before his face, her voice, soft and reassuring, was an extreme contrast to the chaos that consumed his mind.

When she wrapped him in a loving embrace, Caedes stood rigid for a moment, his mind a storm. The conflicting thoughts and memories screaming in his ears, of a childhood long since repressed. Slowly, he allowed himself to lean into her warmth, the familiar scent of his sister offering a small comfort amidst the horror. He felt her purr, a promise of safety that he desperately wanted to believe. He was so much bigger, and yet he felt like a child within her embrace.

‘I'm here,’ Kaino said. ‘I'll keep you safe.’

Caedes took a shuddering breath, the numbness beginning to crack. “I froze.” He murmured, his voice hollow as the words tumbled from his inky maw. “Useless. Unable to act. Unable to even breathe.” The words felt distant, as if someone else were speaking them. The tears he had been holding back began to spill, and he buried his face in her fur, letting the grief and pain flow freely. “It hurts, Kai.” He whispered, his voice breaking. “The scars hurt… so much.” Every part of his carved hide felt like it was on fire, being sliced open again and again.