Moonspear and all the people in a dream wait for the machine

it does not occur to drogon that he might get reprimanded for not chasing after iliksis — the coywolf was gone and his next immediate thought is of vela. he will not leave her alone. drogon keeps distance from her, unsure the extent of what had happened but comes to learn that his hesitation is moot. she drifts closer and explains what had happened though he had not asked. there is a miasma of feelings that rush through him; namely some bizarre mix of relief and unbridled wrath. Ire that he had tried to take her and relief that he hadn't gotten to do anything to her before drogon intercepted. "i —" drogon breathes in deeply, unsure what to tell her. she'd been in a bad predicament; one that would have turned probably horrible if he hadn't came along. he doesn't want to admit that he doesn't know, especially as she closes the distance between them and snuggles against his chest. the cogs in his brain stop as he tries to cleverly maneuver his way around being unable to walk her through the different things she could have used to attempt to free herself. a low noise rumbles in his throat and he draws his tongue against the wispy tendrils at her nape, tasting the copper of her blood from where iliksis' teeth had broken flesh. "you're safe vela," he promises in a quite, albeit forceful murmur; as if he says the words with as much conviction as he can that he can will it to be so. "i won't let anyone hurt you, ruhtinatar." perhaps it's a promise he can't actually fulfill — drogon knows he can't realistically protect her from everything ...but he can damn well try.