HUSH, DON'T SPEAK

She would relax against his answer - even though it was the wrong one. Even though he shouldn't be here, even though he shouldn't. She would relax against his answer and because of his smile - and accept the tender touch for what it was - he was tending to the wounds that she had acquired. Still, there were others that could use his assistance as well, she was not the main concern, and she never would be in her own mind. "Thank you." She would respond simply, sweetly, it was hard not to depend on the man when he was a constant for her - win or lose, whether she was victorious or had failed miserably he was there all the same. It was calming and consoling, and slowly her churning more miserable feelings deflated enough for her to appreciate the kindness that Themisto seemed to have an endless amount of.

It felt like she was being incredibly selfish when she enjoyed his company. But she was running out of excuses to distance herself from him. No pack boundaries, an m-i-a husband, a scattered family, why not let herself indulge just a bit? Why not depend on someone that wanted to be there for her? She would peer at his stern gaze, her tail curling slightly as a spark of doubt lit fiercely at his narrowed expression. Had she finally let him down too? Perhaps she was jumping to conclusions, maybe he was here for medical reasons alone and he wanted to be elsewhere - anywhere that he didn't have to hear her complains, her concerns, her fears.

But he would gently sweet that aside as he spoke, saying that her family, that Valhalla would have to pick up the pieces this time. It was her job as their alpha to keep them together, but now that she wasn't... who would carry the banner instead? Her half mangled gaze would flutter shut as he pressed his nose into her cheek, a small sigh escaping her lips as he placed a kiss where his mouth just barely touched. To him she had not failed - to him, she was still a fighter, someone worth the title she once held. To Themisto she still mattered - the thought was heavy - important - and made her feel lighter all the same. His timid laughter would bring a tiny upward quirk to her lips and she would touch her nose to his own.

She had lost everything, but her life was far from over. "And I'd do it again for you." The words slipped as he pulled back, and then the woman would fall quiet, letting his gaze drift over her wounded frame. It was quite the statement, but a true one - she would fight a loosing battle and barter with the devil if it meant keeping him safe. It never occurred to her that she shouldn't feel so strongly about him - he was supposedly a friend and not family - but that wasn't enough to change her opinion in the least.

As the conversation shifted back to her recently acquired loss - she was just piling them on wasn't she? - she would hold back the urge to pout, instead glancing away from the medic as her ears twitched and then pulled back in discontent. Considering the battle she had just been in, she could have been much worse off... but she would take those wounds as many times over as she could live through if it meant getting her home back. "It feels like she gave it a shot." That final blow had been what she couldn't recover from and win the fight - the yearling had taken a risk and gone for a blow near her spine. A little higher and she could be paralyzed, but she had gotten considerably lucky.

"Am I going to live, doctor?" She would ask after a moment of silence - it was a bit of a strange one. Themisto had gotten quiet a bit suddenly, and Chrysanthe would drop all half hearted joking aside and lean toward the brute. "Themisto? Is everything alright?" She didn't know what was bothering him, what was on his mind that seemed somewhat heavy. But perhaps he would tell her. "I can't thank you enough for this." 'For everything' For tending to her, for always being there - he was a better friend than anyone had ever been to her, perhaps even her own husband.