Mount Apikuni 'cause loving and hating are one and the same

As Taikon slowly began to clean her freshly opened wounds, she spoke. She apologized, and went on. He listened, quietly, tenderly licking at the area on her chest, hoping that she would settle and be okay. Clearly, terrible things had happened to Zephyr. Her mother was gone, and her head was too busted up for her to grieve properly. He swallowed, leaning back again once he had removed the dirt and fresh leakage from the scratches.
I'll survive, he said, after some thought, offering her a small, weak smile. I think we'll all be a little more normal when we're away from this place. But... he paused, looking at the ground. Normally, he would have told her she shouldn't bottle things. Normally, he would have offered to listen. He wanted to. But they needed to get the fuck out of here and over the mountains. If someone from Sagtannet were to find them here, or if that cat was to come back, and Zephyr was indisposed from grief... Once we're.. away from here, I'm still going to care, he said finally. Taikon didn't know her very well, this was true. He didn't have a strong bond to her the way he did with Takiyok. But he saw a woman in pain, and he wanted to do everything in his limited power to help heal her in the only way he knew how.