Chasing Fate (Sentinel & Guide)

Chapter 46

[Unedited, hastily written but we're getting to some good stuff so I had to post or id die]

[[Typed on my phone, not edited. Sorry for any mistakes. Thank you for reading. Comments and votes are greatly appreciated]]

It took every fiber of Jack's being to restrain himself from just carrying Fate back up the path to the ATV's. Her body temperature had dropped and she was in a cold sweat. Her hands still shook constantly against his bicep as they walked back, clammy and cold. 

Fate was silent as usual, but now that he was officially off duty, she'd closed off their link again. It didn't stop Jack from trying his best to keep his mind open. It wasn't an innate skill he had as a sentinel. His mother had made a point of teaching him how to do it so that his future guide could more easily get support. 

Bonds were a two way street, no matter what common thought dictated. Sentinels were meant to protect their guides as well as get support with their senses. It was supposed to symbiotic, not parasitic. Guides who did not get enough support from their sentinels would eventually burn out. It was rarely as dramatic as Finchausen's causing heart attacks in the street. But the result was a similar vegetative state. 

The stronger a sentinel was increased the risk of burning out a guide, especially a sensitive one. Bonding was supposed to mitigate that risk by allowing the guide to seek refuge with someone they could completely trust. For sensitive guides like Fate this was extremely important. 

The dampeners she'd been on for years had reduced her exposure to rogue emotions but didn't turn them off. She'd been shouldering the burden of her abilities alone for several years at least. Jack still clearly remembered how excruciating it was to try and ground her back in the forest. 

Come to think of it, they hadn't bonded at all since then. There had been absolutely no downtime in the two week period that was supposed to be all bonding. It wasn't a one-and-done situation. It needed to be maintained, reaffirmed and worked on like any relationship. Just like calibration. 

In fact, the bond they had wasn't even fully complete. The connection was strong but he had yet to fully imprint. It wouldn't go well if she didn't even trust him enough to share her burden with him. He really only had a surface level awareness, when it came down to it. It was why he couldn't tell how she was feeling unless she let a slip in her control. 

The drive home was quiet as Jack was lost in thought on what he could possibly do to get closer to his own guide. 

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Fate hadn't dozed off  per-se but she didn't remember getting off the ATV or into the car. She was losing time. It was a pre-burnout symptom that had once been caused by missing a dampener dose. She supposed this one had been caused by not reaffirming the bond with Jack. 

He was being particularly antsy, and she supposed after the day they'd just experienced there was really no avoiding it any longer. 

However, any thoughts of resignation quickly rushed away when she stepped out of the car. Immediately a hundred pounds of white fur zoomed in her direction. 

Beau was careful not to knock her over but he whined and paced like a baby until Fate knelt and gave him the hug he wanted. He'd stayed back in Bent Valley so that everything could calm down. It had been very stressful for him too. 

Karen had sent him along through a trusted pet moving company and he had apparently just arrived with all of his belongings. He also appeared to have a new item, a child's superhero cape velcroed on. Fate's mind cleared up and she noticed the young sentinels with their hands full of tennis balls, ready to play with the new clan pet. 
  
Jack smiled. He wasn't above admitting he was jealous of how seeing her dog made Fate's mind explode with endorphins, but anything was better than nothing. He'd received the text from his mother while they were driving back, but Fate hadn't even responded when it read over the hands-free system. Now she was a bit more lively, but not by much.