Bearclaw Valley gardenia and king protea

There was always an underlying uncomfortableness when he was talking to Taylor. For a moment, Evien had forgotten the blond boy was being chased. Hunted, perhaps. I'll fix you if he does come, he wanted to say. I'll take care of you. But he didn't know if it was true, and he'd far surpassed his ability to be impulsive for the day. 

           "I've never done anything like that before," he admitted, and if he were a human, he'd be picking at his sleeves. "I'm really not meant to be hurting anyone. Healers don't do that." But he had gotten so angry, and it had been fun to tussle with Merrick. It did make him feel a bit better that he wasn't the only one who had ended up bloody when they first got there. 

           He laughed then, genuine and relaxed, forgetting the shame he'd experienced before. "You can have all the fighting if you want it," he announced, shaking out his fur. "I'll just fix all of you up afterward. Think I'm done on the fighting front." It was a one-time thing, driven by anger and another wolf coming at him. Still, Evien thought, if he were to fight anyone, it'd probably be the one after Fields. Protecting someone else didn't seem so bad, and he was beginning to care for the boy in front of him. 

          Evien took a deep breath before he spoke again. Something genuine, not just surface-level. "I am glad you're here, Fields," the brown wolf murmured, tail swaying slowly. "I'm sorry I didn't join right away."