I love your writing so much Rinnie!!
thank you, i'm glad you enjoy!! i did realize the star emoji looks different on mobile only AFTER i wrote this, but just to note, on computer it looks like those little spinny stars that cartoon characters get after they're hit in the head hdjfhjsh,,,,,
It's not uncommon for Lohen to be injured during combat.
You could scarcely begin to number the times he had stumbled back into the city with cuts and bruises over various parts of his body— but that was more often than not where the extent of his injuries stopped. So when he had failed to show up for lunch at his normal time, you hadn't initially been concerned and simply set out to drag him back from whatever hilichurl camp he had wandered into.
You hadn't expected to find him slumped over against a tree in the middle of Wolvendom, blood leisurely seeping from a frighteningly sizable gash across his forehead. He doesn't acknowledge you at first, eyes staring blankly up at the canopy of leaves until you're rushing over to his aid.
"Lohen! Gods, what happened?"
Lohen shoots you a cheap little half-smile, his fist raising up to tap at the side of his head.
"Mitachurl club," He says simply, his movements rather sluggish. "Right to the head. Guess I was too slow, huh?"
As you kneel down beside him, the smile slips off his face and his expression settles right back into something unsettlingly empty. Even as you frantically pour a bit of water from a flask onto the cleanest part of your sleeve to wipe the blood away and assess the damage, he barely moves an inch.
"I should have seen it," Lohen finally slurs, his head tilting back to thump against the tree.
"Lohen…" You gently raise your hand to cup the back of his head, preventing him from bumping against anything more than he already has. "It's okay. Getting hurt is a normal part of battle, right?"
Lohen's eyes finally flutter to you, more focused than they have been since you first found him.
He only repeats his statement, a little more firmly this time. Then, so suddenly that he tilts forward at first, he is attempting to pull himself upright. It's all you can do to catch him as he inevitably topples, and he immediately goes to bury his face into the crook of your neck like he belongs there.
Without his usual bravado, Lohen feels small in your arms. You tighten your hold on him minutely, squeezing him against your form as if that alone could repair whatever vile thoughts were floating in his head that he refused to voice.
"…Come on. Let's get you back to the city for a check-up, okay?"
Lohen makes a noise of dissent, only pressing his face further into your throat.
"…Okay. Just a bit longer."
