What could go wrong?

A little surprised sound, ironically a good sign, and so was the splatter of blood as Triss finally seemed to clear her throat. One breath, another and Crux found he'd been holding his own breath. Triss twisted in his grasp and threw herself at his chest and Crux leaned back, resting his spine on the wall of the tunnel as he lifted his forelegs to hold her gently, wanting desperately to squeeze her close but knowing she needed to continue to breath.

Crux breathed a sigh of relief, gently rubbing a paw along her back as she sobbed. He knew he ought to be trying to get her to take less shaky breathes but he also knew what she needed was comfort, was to let it out. Crux would provide her the space to do that, and give her what comfort he could. He didn't even mind the blood. "Shh, shh." He shushed softly, less trying to actually quiet her and more seeking to just reassure her.

Crux hadn't seen an attack that bad before, even when they'd first met which hadn't exactly been mild. He couldn't imagine what it felt like, to struggle so hard to breath and just not be able too, the fear that would course through you. He'd thought he'd been about to die once, but it had been a flash for him. A moment of panic, of boiling hot red rushing to meet him and a second of skin melting pain and then... Black. And then he'd woken up, panicked still sure but less certain of his own death so much as driven by pure animal instinct to run from the danger. And she'd found him, burned by lava that didn't exist and able to help soothe both his mind and his body. Crux would do his best to do that for her now. He craned his neck forward, gently tucking her under his chin.

"I'm here." He cooed softly as the adrenaline started to wane and he felt the throbbing in his leg, in his ankle really, and it started to slowly really sink in what had just happened. "I'm here, I've got you." He tried to keep the waver from his voice as the delayed panic started to settle in, dulled by the passing of the crisis but still alive.

"Speech"