Mount Apikuni I went through hell to get to high water

He knew he should take the hint. He assumed, wrongly, that Zephyr was both traumatized by the accident and, partially correctly, that she was pissed at him for trying to blame her. At this point, he was getting used to people being pissed off at him all the time, even when he was just trying to do the right thing as much as he could.
Taikon continued to clutch Taki beneath him as though she might disappear. He was scared that at any moment, the life would leave her fierce eyes and no longer would he feel her chest rising and falling. The lion. Of course. He drew in a long, heavy, quaking sigh. He didn't take the hint, and kept talking because talking distracted him. You brought her back, he said slowly. You saved her, he concluded, still refusing to look at her. She, like Taki, could be pissed off all she wanted. Her act of heroism was nothing short of wonderful, in his eyes.