Whiskers

Positive Consequences

My head is killing me. 

"Hey bro, are you with me?" 

Jared? 

Jamie felt a gentle touch against the side of his face, the hand softly rubbing a thumb over his cheek carried the scent of his brother.  

"Jamie?" Jared asked, his voice finally becoming clear as the ringing in Jamie's ears began to dissipate. 

Turning his head slightly on the pillow, Jamie gave a faint smile and whispered. "That's... me." 

When he heard nothing else, but felt another hand press against his other cheek, Jamie forced his tired eyes to open. Jared stared down at him from his right side, a sad smile on his face. 

"Hey there, bro. How ya feeling?" Jared asked, finally removing his hands. 

Taking a few moments, Jamie tested his aching body, then slowly got himself sitting up. "Like crap, but not terrible. I'll live. What happened, Jared?" 

He could feel the throbbing of what could only be small puncture wounds along his left arm and side, but they wouldn't keep him from moving. 

"Palace caught Knight. Then we both ran in to try and save him..." 

The look on Jared's face twisted Jamie's heart. He was missing a piece of the puzzle. 

"What happened after that? Is Knight okay?" He asked quickly, worried. The shifter might not have been the nicest guy, but he definitely hadn't deserved to get hurt, and especially not by his brother. 

Jared nodded his head a little. "He'll be okay. Got stitched up and has a few fractures in his left arm, but nothing too bad." 

Relief drew a sigh from Jamie's lips. "Thank god. But if he's okay, and so are we, why do you look so upset? Did one of our workers get hurt? Did Palace?" He asked, worry starting to seep into his voice when he asked about the shifter. He might have lost control of himself, but it hadn't been his fault. 

"No... but I, Jamie I." Jared ground out, cutting himself off as he ran his hands through his hair and tugged at the strands. 

Jammie quickly slid from the stretcher-bed he'd been lying on and reached up, grabbing his brother's wrists so that he'd stop pulling his hair. 

"It's okay, Jared. Whatever happened, we're all okay." 

You don't get it. If Palace hadn't stopped, you wouldn't have been. Jamie, I, I couldn't get my lion to move! My paws were frozen in the doorway after you'd rescued me! Jared yelled into his mind, startling Jamie for a moment before he was able to go over what he'd just thought to him. 

"You couldn't control it? How can that happen?" He asked, shocked that Jared's own lion would somehow be able to keep him from reacting. 

"I don't know. I kept trying to move but it would only allow me to back away. I felt like such a worthless piece of crap right then!" Jared growled in frustration, clearly remembering what had happened. 

The anger pulsed through his mind and made Jamie step forward and wrap his arms around his brother. "It's alright, Jared. We're all fine and Palace did the right thing in the end and didn't hurt me further." He said as he nuzzled against his brother's hair, trying to calm him down. 

He felt Jared's growls rumbling through where their chests pressed together, but thankfully he seemed to be calming down. 

"It's okay. I'm glad you weren't hurt worse, and I'm okay. I've taken more damage just wrestling with you growing up." Jamie said, speaking the honest truth. They hadn't always gotten along, and lions had quite sharp claws and teeth.