Shadow Mountain [NaWoWriMo] house of cards

An anxious, keening whine began to rise in his throat, but Driftwood worked to swallow it back. His jaw worked wordlessly open and shut as he goggled up at Maegi from where he crouched, saw her eyes blazing as she rounded on him with another furious scream of Fuck you!, and Driftwood wondered suddenly if he was going to die today for his foolish attempt to interfere.

Like the letting of blood from a wound however his fear and tension started to drizzle away as her eyes snapped back into focus and she seemed to recognize him at last. It had worked, after all! Thank goodness. He had no idea what he would have done if it hadn't... except that the fragile dawning smile and feeble wag of his revived tail both died aborning along with the happy words dancing on his tongue, as Maegi immediately found other nonsense to breathe at him instead. It was, he supposed, better than being screeched at, but the furrow in his brow and the fearful worry in his own eyes deepened as she went on.

They got you, too?! 'They'...wait, what, who? Driftwood managed, mostly without stammering, which he thought was rather to his credit in this bizarro situation in particular. I...no, n-n-no, they didn't, I'm not...cut open?! Or anything. They didn't... who is 'they'?! he tried again desperately. He wondered just what sort of terrible things must have happened to poor Maegi to have her so maddened out of her wits now. Some terrible thing must be loose in the Teekons and threatening its wolves! It couldn't all have been in Maegi's head after all...right? Right?! Surely no wolf would reach such a state for no good reason... and Maegi certainly hadn't seemed insane, from what he could recall having met her before. Though he couldn't help but feel with a terrible sinking sensation that maybe if she had just stayed with Undersea, somehow, that maybe none of whatever terrible thing had so obviously occurred would have happened to her. What sort of horrible circumstances had she found that would let such horror be visited upon a wolf, any wolf, much less sweet young Maegi? Goodness!