Rushing blood of all things

Shooting this out real quick before class. Feel free to PP him leaving to find Tuwawi, if you'd like (:

He moved to approach, wanting to inspect the wound and pick apart the lingering scents beyond the pungent stench of pus. But the Alpha took no more than two steps toward Adlartok before the boy moved to cover the distance between them himself. Malachi felt his fur bristle and he hustled back to avoid the child's fangs, Adlartok's intent to harm clear despite his inhibition.

"You... you!" Like Scarlett, his first thought was the fever: Adlartok was mistaking him for someone else. But as the boy continued in his half-conscious drawl, it became clear to Malachi the child knew just who he was talking about - and the man felt his blood run cold when he realized he knew, too.

He never got a name, but Malachi did not need one. There were only two wolves here with fur as red as fire, and only one who could be called a queen.

Tuwawi.

Her name made his thoughts crash to a numbing halt. In his periphery he caught the silver blur of Adlartok crashing to the ground, the movement of white against the canvas of the forest that signaled Scarlett's advance, but Malachi stood frozen, stricken by denial and confusion deeper than anything he'd felt since he'd found his brother dead at the base of the cliff. It was Scarlett's voice that broke his trance, and suddenly the world crashed around him with colors and noise more vibrant than anything he'd ever known.

His ears twitched to catch her words, but they only served to deepen the pit of ice that had begun to grow within. "She wouldn't." He rasped, but he didn't need to turn his eyes to Adlartok's crumpled form to hear the child's blood crying from the ground. Unable to think beyond his disbelief, Malachi turned to face Scarlett, who attended feverishly to the lacerated child. Tuwawi wouldn't have done this. His eyes took in what he could see beneath the dressing, exposed muscle and wounds deep enough to kill. His stomach tightened, the gentle touch of her snout against his neck lingering still. She couldn't have. "Stay with Adlartok. Keep his fever down, and keep him protected. I'll find Tuwawi." The man turned his face to the center of the Glacial pack, toward its frozen heart, where he would begin his search for the fire-kissed queen. Concern lit his face, uncertainty his heart. He didn't know what he would do, but still he uttered his parting words: "She'll listen to me."