A Fallen HomeKin

PART XXXV

"Zander? Zander!"

Words bumped up against him, shaking off some of the fog clinging to his thoughts. Fralith groaned, cracking his eyes open. What...? Hands rolled him onto his side and a blurred blob appeared in front of him. He squinted, but his vision didn't clear.

"Matthew! Call Tim! Zander, can you hear me?"

He groaned again and closed his eyes, curling into himself. Everything...hurt, as if a hinchila had stepped on him. And his chest—oh, his chest—throbbed horribly, PainBird's talons digging in with each breath. What...happened?

Through the pounding in his head, familiar voices filtered through, meaning to him lost in a jumble of syllables.

"Ruth, what happened?"

"I don't know. I found him on the floor like this, and he won't respond to me."

"Calling Tim."

What...was happening? BlueShirt and...RuthMom were close by and they...sounded worried. Why? Why did he... Davith, gone. Drao, gone. Him, completely alone. A sliver of agony stabbed his lungs, drawing a whimper from his lips.

Pressure passed over his face and forehead, gentle and soothing. Gradually, he realized it was a hand and the soft hissing were words. Gathering as much energy as he could pull out of the fog in his head, he attempted to translate.

"Shh, shhh," RuthMom whispered from somewhere above him. "It's okay. You're okay. Just hang in there."

Hang... what did hang mean? Was it... the thought jumped out of his hands and scampered into the fog. Maybe it was best if he sank back into the fog. He— he was too— everything— right now. But...he didn't want to. Going into the fog meant he would be alone and— a shudder ran through him, followed by another whimper.

It just hurt. Everything just hurt. I want...Davith Before and— and Drao and—Mother, when she was nice, and— and— the Lion. They would know what to do right now. They would make it all better.

But they weren't here. They were somewhere far, far, away, in an entirely different world. Strong wind hit him straight in the chest, knocking all the air out of his lungs. Alone, alone, alone!

"Shh, shh." The hand brushed back hair from his face. "We're here. It's okay."

Something quivered in his heart, a little light and warmth, for the wounds oozing and bleeding. A warm breath washed over him, bringing the scent of the Lion's musky, warm fur. Not alone, it seemed to say. I am here.

Not..alone? Maybe he...wasn't completely alone. He still had BlueShirt, Tim, RuthMom, and the Lion. The pressure squeezing his lungs and making his heart scream eased. Not completely alone. It was— okay.

Time passed like a rushing river, slipping through his fingers in an ever-steady flow and slowly, gradually, lifting the fog clinging to his thoughts. Soon, he settled into his body, more aware of those huddled around him.

He still ached fiercely and the wolf left bloody footprints behind as she walked, but at least he could think and feel. At least he could feel the people at his side. At least he wasn't so alone anymore.

Something muffled slammed and a few seconds later a loud rap, rap! rang out. Someone left his side, leaving cool air at his back. Moments passed, quiet murmur of voices growing louder. He cracked his eyes open, stirring. Was that...Tim?

A shadow fell over him, quickly turning into Tim's warm brown eyes and flame-colored hair. "Hey Brave Bud," he said, a small smile curving his mouth. "Been fighting monsters, eh? You've given all of us quite a scare."