Walking back into the emergency aid tent, Em'brel was already exhausted. She and Jack had been working for more than two days beside the healers of the hill people and any villagers who knew even a little more than basic first aid. The argu'n had to take breaks every couple of hours and sleep during the night, but Jack just worked on as if driven by some feverish obsession.

Right now, the human who'd always been so strong and supportive looked ready to collapse as he looked up from his latest patient. There was a brief pause as if he wasn't aware of where he was or what he was doing before he asked, "Who's next?"

It was Em'brel who answered. "No one at the moment. All the worst cases have been dealt with. Everyone is stable and being watched over by the healers and villagers now."

Jack turned to look at her, and for a moment, it seemed as though his eyes were having trouble focusing. Em'brel also noticed he swayed slightly on his feet. When he spoke, his speech was somewhat slurred, as though he'd been drinking, though she knew he hadn't eaten or drunk anything other than the minimal amounts of water or dried meat that Sare'en could talk him into now and then. "Well, I guess I better start checking some of their bindings then. It's probably time to change some of them...and make sure there's no infections starting..."

Em'brel put a steading hand on his chest as she answered. "No, the healers can see to that. You need rest."

Grabbing her hand, Jack firmly but clumsily pushed her to the side. "No! I might see something a healer could miss! Me being there might mean the difference between life...and death!"

Em'brel frowned and turned to Sare'en, who was hovering nearby and spoke softly but urgently. "Go get S'haar!" Then turned back to Jack and grabbed his arm. "You need to eat and rest. You can't help anyone in your condition."

Jack tried to pull his arm away, upsetting his balance and nearly falling over as Em'brel turned her restraining grip into a supportive hold as she spoke in a calming tone. "You've done more than anyone, but you must take care of yourself too!"

Jack simply shook his head, though judging by how he shifted back and forth in her grip, even that slight motion was too much for his current state. "No, I'm fine. I'm a human, remember? I can push myself for far longer. I'll be fine."

Looking at his latest patient, Em'brel shook her head. "You're not fine right now. I'm going to have to redo the bandages for the last several argu'n you worked on, at the very least. You're too tired. You need rest. And I'm demanding you take it for the good of your patients if not your own!"

Finally, S'haar parted the flaps on the tent they'd coopted to treat the injured and walked in. "Sare'en said you needed me. Is something the matter?"

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Em'brel looked at S'haar over Jack's shoulder. "Yes. Jack is no longer in any shape to be helping out here, so I'm taking over. My first order is for you to take him back to your tent and make sure he gets some rest!"

S'haar raised an eye ridge as if questioning Em'brel giving her orders, but one look at Jack changed the focus of her attention. At some point, while Em'brel had been holding him, something inside the human had broken, and he was crying while mumbling mostly incoherent thoughts to himself, though Em'brel caught at least the question, "How could you leave me?"

It only took a moment for S'haar's expression to go from the stern and commanding look she frequently wore these days to one of concern as she reached out and took Jack's other arm, shifting his center of weight into her own control as she did so.

Releasing Jack to the one person in this camp who might be more concerned for his welfare than herself, Em'brel sighed and shook her head. Seeing Jack like this made her think back to when he'd woken up from his coma, and he'd been so helpless. At first, she'd actually resented his vulnerability, but now she realized how much strength it took to be vulnerable rather than hide from the truth. She hoped he'd find that strength again.

As S'haar half carried Jack out of the tent, Em'brel turned back to the patient Jack had last seen and started to undo his bindings so they could be properly wrapped.

-

Chal'ac was on guard duty. Not like there was all that much that needed guarding against. Any of the villagers or hill people who might have posed any kind of threat were back at camp, and not even a mated pair of wolgen would be stupid enough to pick a fight with this many argu'n, so she was mostly taking it easy, simply keeping an eye out for anything unusual while plotting what she would do once she got To'brel alone in their tent tonight.

The huntress hadn't quite decided to make that guileless male hers yet, the hunt had been far too much fun, but even she knew she couldn't dangle him in her snare forever. The question was how to flush her query out into the open...

Chal'ac laughed at herself. Those two examples didn't quite work when put together. How do you flush someone currently in a snare? Although...that did bring up some interesting thoughts...

That was when a sound caught her attention. It almost sounded like someone stumbling through the dark ahead. As she crept closer, Chal'ac grumbled under her breath that if this was another warrior drunk after celebrating victory or trying to forget their loss, she would make them wish they'd gotten drunk back at camp rather than out in her section of the woods. She was tired of finding so-called "warriors" passed out in their own vomit!

However, what stumbled through the trees surprised the huntress so much she didn't even bother trying to conceal herself. Standing before her, clutching his side to cover up an obvious wound, was B'arthon. The noble was definitely in bad shape. He'd lost so much color he looked almost as pale as Jack, and looked like he'd been wandering for days.

Chal'ac couldn't help herself. She laughed. "It looks like you should have stayed with me, 'Lord B'arthon!'"

The noble narrowed his eyes. "You're more right than you know... Now, before I pass out and die, is Jack available? I need a word..."

Chal'ac shrugged. "No idea, but I'll take you to S'haar, and we'll see." Then with a wicked gleam in her eye, she added, "Can you walk, or do you need me to carry you?"

B'arthon didn't seem amused. "I'll walk."