Heron Lake Plateau shadow, my sweet shadow

Once Raven had settled down and dozed off, Quixote had thought the worst had passed.  He ran a few errands -- dug a bird of some kind out of the cache for when she woke, found what he was pretty sure were more of the plants she'd had him use -- then came back to her side.  While she was passed out, he took the time to very carefully finish grooming the rest of the blood out of her fur that he could reach, doing his best not to disturb her.  But she was pretty zonked out, so he applied a bit more of the medicinal plants where he could.  She didn't even stir.  Maybe it was a good thing.  She'd wake up rested, right?

Really, it left him with nothing left to do but to lay there with his head on his paws and worry, watching her breathing, alone with his own thoughts.  That was the dangerous thing.  Why couldn't he have been there?  He could have just killed Screech before he'd even touched her.  Why was fate trying so hard to destroy him when for once it had just let things go his way?  Why?

That was about when he noticed something was kind of wrong.  The pattern had changed.  Raven looked like she was doing worse.  Maybe he was imagining it.  He reached out with a paw to nudge her from where he lay, Ray.  He repeated this a few times before realizing that he really wasn't going to get a response.  He felt like the floor had been yanked out from under him.  Quixote got up and scooted closer, curling up around her as best as he could since there was little else he could provide but warmth as day shifted to night.  Raven, come on, you better not be giving up.  'I don't know if I'd be able to take it.'  When it seemed like she was slipping he did what he could, poking her, saying variations of what he already did.  He didn't know if it helped.

At some point in the early hours of the morning, she finally seemed to turn the corner.  Though he dared not sleep, some of the terror that had been his companion through the literal darkest hours was waning.  Quixote was mentally and physically exhausted and he felt much like Screech had looked.  Dawn would be here soon enough.  At least it would bring some good news, as Raven finally started to stir. As her eyes started to flicker, he kissed the crown of her head, as it was well away from her wounds, and whispered, I thought I was going to lose you.  He hadn't broken down in all the time his mate was almost literally dead to the world, but now that it looked like the worst was past, it might actually happen.