Bonesplinter Ravine Dead Voxel

Machiavelli hadn’t fully grasped how his words could have been misinterpreted until the harshness of Eira's response struck him like a bolt of lightning. Any attempt at correction was swallowed by the searing pain in his thigh, a fiery agony that ripped through his body with merciless intensity. His mouth clamped shut, sharp teeth biting into the inside of his cheek to stifle a cry. His forepaw slammed against the ground, trembling as hot tears sprang to his eyes, turning his usually cold gaze into watery pools of pain.

He forced in a ragged breath, the air catching in his throat as his wide, opal eyes—now clouded with both agony and regret—lifted toward Eira. Her own gaze was relentless, hard as iron, and twice as uncompromising.

That was deserved, Machiavelli hissed through gritted teeth, his voice strained as he fought to breathe through the agony. He sucked in another slow breath, his composure wavering but holding. However, I assure you, the situation is not as it seems. I was traveling with her because her father entrusted me with her safety. I was meant to escort her to Akashingo.

He paused, sucking in another shallow breath, his body trembling as the burn in his thigh refused to subside, its intensity now a throb that traveled through the entirety of his leg. But still, he pressed on, trying to appeal to the part of her that had always valued protecting the vulnerable, even if that part no longer extended to him.

I’m not asking for my own sake. Please believe me when I say, I only wish to know if she made it safely. That is all.

He searched her hardened gaze for any trace of compassion, any flicker of the woman who had once cared for him as if he were her own. She might not believe him, she might never forgive him, but he also knew Eira—knew that despite her fury, she would never allow harm to come to another if she could prevent it. Especially not to a child.

If she made it to Akashingo safely, he said carefully, his voice dipping low, almost a whisper, then you don’t even need to tell me. I’ll accept that silence as an answer. But if she didn’t— he paused, letting the words settle heavily in the air between them, if the wolves that attacked us managed to get her... I might be the only one who can identify them, Eira. She could still be in danger.

She is innocent in all of this. All I ask is that you consider it, please, for her sake.