Hushed Willows [m] Test a nerve, baby, you know what the price is

sorry for this text wall, i wanted to get all of this in one post

this time, boone did not panic.
he was tired. tired of this. tired of — was he angry? angry at her? he didn't know. hearthwood could not afford this. already, things had begun to crumble at his feet. already, so soon after they had —
her. his wife. his children that, if he had to guess, were growing at her hearth. reina. the milky eyes of the intruder that had begun to haunt him in his sleep.
it was too much.
with jagged breaths, he follows the scent of the blood, the spatters that now painted the marshland; and not long after came kyrell's call. as soon as his gaze lands upon the scene, he fights the vomit that begins to rise in his throat.
he knew this was a risk, he knew, and he had laid with her anyway.
he was living a nightmare.
but there was kyrell! oh, concerned kyrell; if he had the bandwidth for such, boone would have glowed with pride as soon as he saw him. for now, his gaze is empty. his ears sit flat against his skull. as if it were routine, some sort of autopilot, he scoops his wife by the scruff as gently as he can to get her on her feet.
we'll go to moonglow, he declares, seeking his wife's approval only in a pained glance toward her. but they could not handle this alone. not with — their leader is, um, a healer and a midwife. she'll-- she'll know how to help her. there was nothing else he could think to do. kyrell, take her southwest, out by the hills. as far as you can get. i'll meet you there. i gotta-- i gotta get some stuff.
someone else would need to stay with her while she was there. hearthwood could not go without a leader, as much as it made his heart drop to his stomach to think of it. he did not yet mention it. he couldn't.
breathless, choking; silent saltwater begins to tear a dark line down his cheek. he begins the trek toward the den he shared with reverie on trembling limbs. he would grab whatever herbs he knew she stored there, whatever the hell could keep her stable on the trip.
in his wake as he prepares to leave is a soft note for his people: i will be back.
he, truthfully, did not know if reverie would. he decides not to think about how soul-wrenching the mere idea was.