rain in your heart - patpran

11.

It takes five days for Pran's heat to entirely wear off.

It takes only one day for Pran to recover from the aftermath, a speed that surprises even Pat.

Pat is busy talking to the engineers about the water supply, when he spots Pran walking out of the kitchens. He waves at Pran, a brow raised in mild surprise. He hadn't expected Pran to be out and about this soon, when his heat has just gotten over.

But here he is, walking towards them, looking composed as ever. He joins the conversation seamlessly, charming and with ease. He listens to the updates on the irrigation system, asks pointed questions, and assesses the current setup like it's second nature.

Pat only watches with admiration when Pran raises a brow, looking at him. "I can think of two ways to rework this, Pat." he gestures to the schematics that the engineers are showing him, "You can also use the rainwater that way."

Pat feels a pang of admiration, silently chiding himself for not having thought of it sooner. His own plan had been focused on extracting water from the river nearby, but rainwater? It was such an obvious solution in hindsight.

He lets Pran take the lead and steps back, watches him deftly draw a plan onto a roll of paper that the engineers hand him. He's skilled, incredibly so, and speaks with an air of confidence. Pat can only watch him with admiration.

Once the engineers leave, Pat turns to him with a grin, "You're a genius for that, Pran."

Pran only ducks his head, a pink blush on his cheeks and a soft thank you whispered into the breeze.

"Oh, didn't your heat only end yesterday?" he asks, "Are you feeling well enough now?"

"Yeah," Pran replies, smiling as he reassures Pat, "Wai took great care of me. That made it much easier to recover."

Pat nods, relieved but still a little concerned for his health, "I'll have to go meet my father now, Pran. Don't strain yourself too much hm?"

Pran smiles, eyes softening, "I'm just going to talk to Paa for a while, don't worry."

Pat gives him one final nod before Pran walks towards the archery range, carrying himself with a grace even after the strain of his heat. Pat finds himself in awe when he turns to walk towards the heart of the pack.

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Pran is walking alongside Paa and Ink, laughing as the girls flirt with each other obliviously, a little close to the outskirts of the pack. The air is warm, and the trees rustle in the breeze. Ink picks a flower up, places it in Paa's hair and smiles. It's so disgustingly sweet that Pran wants to puke.

That's when they hear it, a sharp and shrill squeal that echoes among the trees.

A wild boar.

Its fur shines under the sun, and Pran's heart skips a beat when he sees it. It's close, way too close to the pack. He isn't sure how the guards have let it get this far in, but there's no time to dwell on that now.

He lets his instinct take over, body stiffening with adrenaline as he grabs Paa and Ink by their arms and tugging them towards the trees. "Get up!" he yells, voice tight with urgency as his ears ring, "Climb! Now!"

Ink pulls away from his hold, eyes wide with hesitation as she shakes her head. "But Pran!" she protests, "You should climb the tree too! Don't try to fight it alone!"

Pran doesn't listen. His gaze flickers to the archery range behind them, the daycare that's not too far behind. If the boar gets past them, it would be a risk to so many people, to the kids. He can't have that.

He practically growls, nudging them again, "I'll be fine, just go!"

He waits till Paa and Ink have safely clamoured up the branches of the trees nearby, and then shifts. His wolf, though smaller than most of the alphas at the pack, is swift and agile with years of training. Confidently, he lets out a snarl, baring his teeth at the boar as he stares it down. Its tusk sparkles under the sun, and it's massive, wild eyes meeting his own with rage.

It's a hard fight, a clear disadvantage for Pran, fresh out of heat and whose wolf is much smaller than the size of the boar. But he has no choice. He can't risk the pack's safety.

The boar charges, and Pran leaps at it, claws outstretched. The impact is rough on both him and the boar, which falls to ground under him and squeals as it thrashes around, trying to escape his grip. It's hard to keep it held down underneath him, its strength greater than Pran had anticipated. The smell of blood fills his nose as he claws into its sides.

Its legs swing wildly, claws digging into Pran's legs viciously as its tusk scratches his forehead. He aims, jaws snapping as he lunges at its neck, adrenaline rushing through him and masking the pain that he feels when blood oozes out his calf.

He refuses to let go of its neck, trying to stay above the boar, and waits.

The boar flips them over with one last squeak, its enormous weight crushing Pran. He's trapped, unable to move, every inch of him screaming in pain.

He doesn't know what happens after that, all he hears is Ink's screams. Paa shouts something and then there's howls of a few other wolves filling the air.

Reinforcements.

He lets his eyes flutter shut, strength finally going out and only hoping that the boar won't hurt anyone else they reach.

The world fades to black.

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Yes, Pran has always wanted to be in the healer's hut, but he hadn't expected his first time in the place to be like this.

He squints as his eyes flutter open, trying to adjust to the sunlight seeping through the blinds of the hut. There's a dull but constant throb in his left leg, and he feels thoroughly beat up.

"Oh, you're up." comes Korn's familiar voice. He walks closer to Pran, hovers over him as he holds his wrist and checks up on him.

"You've been out for the past day." Korn states, probably checking his pulse, "I'm the assigned healer taking care of you."

Pran nods, tries to open his mouth and talk, but his throat feels too dry.

Korn kindly hands him a glass of water and continues, "I'll call Pat to come visit you"

The water feels like salvation when it runs down his throat, and he looks at Korn gratefully.

"The head alpha wants to talk to you, as well."

'Fuck.' He thinks, 'I'm so in trouble."

Korn laughs softly, reading the panic on his face, "I'm pretty sure you aren't in trouble, Pran."

He lets himself relax at that, eyes falling close again. The ache in his leg remains, a constant reminder.