Rising Sun Valley Ears ring and teeth click and

weee!! <3 <3 <3

She sobbed, she shook, she trembled like he had the morning after Evander had found him scared and crumbled beneath the seer's tree.  If only Evander were here with them now.  Sunlight where Everett was ice, passion where he was stoic, strong where he was frail.

Evander would know what to do.

Everett just staggered forward with that longing to help that always came up just a little bit too short, a little bit too late.

It's okay, it's okay, he would try to soothe her, even though his own voice shook, we don't have to. Just let me help you, she loathes your help, something whispered in his heart, but he crawled forward anyway and sought to reach her in her frenzied panic to cleanse the blood from her fur.

That was when Tybault shouted her name.

Tybault, stop! but his brother had already called for her, already shoved by him to reach her, and Everett staggered and lost his balance enough to fall against a nearby tree.  Oof!  His shoulder met the scrape of bark, and hot pain seared beneath his fur.  Not that name, he wheezed, but he knew his warning would only come too late; Tybault had already called for her, her name now forbidden:

Ophelia.