Bearclaw Valley bear with me

Taylor out!

With the stranger gone (half-dead, he reckons) they will soon end up as files in the drawers of Evien's office. His file would read—

Fields, Taylor: Trauma to outer ear, possible inner ear damage, bruised, generally troubled, chronically self-destructive, insomniac.

All in all, a pretty shit state to be in.
He watches Astara chase the stranger like some street racing participant gone rogue, and he wants to join her, wants to get the job done. He grinds his heels into the dirt and grits his teeth. Who walked into a bear den and didn't expect a world of pain?
What's worrying him is that he still can't hear a thing from the torn ear. It's possible that Santiago had bitten deeper than he'd realised. Another wave of nausea rolls over him. He's just able to understand Evien, too tired to respond, limping after the doctor after a prefunctory nod to Ico and Merrick.