Chapter Seventeen

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When you wake up your head feels like a cracked coconut.

That's not the only thing you notice.

You try to rub your hand over your face and fail. You can't move your arms.

"I'm afraid not, human," comes a voice from your left. It sounds confident, masculine, and final.

Panic flickers in your chest. "Wh-"

Your eyes flit to the cave's barren walls, to the entrance behind the owner of the voice, to the owner of the voice himself. He's tall, taller than anyone you've ever known, and his hair is a stark black against the light coming from outside. He holds your arms against your stomach in one hand and your left thigh in his other. His face is scarred and bearded, and when you meet his forest-green gaze, you break into hysteria.

He's gonna fuckin' KILL ME FUCK I HAVE TO MOVE-

You thrash in his grasp, your bare right foot finding grip on the dirt floor. The stranger frowns and fear closes cold fingers around your heart. You bend off of the ground, your spine popping as it warps suddenly. The man's hands loosen in alarm and you kick out, ignoring his warning tone of, "Hey, wait-" and shoving yourself to your feet before you sprint for the exit.

"HEY!"

You throw yourself out of the cave - and into open air. Your legs pedal wildly, like you'll get purchase if you just keep trying, but time slows to nearly stopping and you find yourself looking down at a drop of at least a hundred feet. You open your mouth to scream, to say something along the lines of, "Oh, SHIT-" but the only thing to come out is the last thing that you expected to hear.

"Koga!"

Your hands clutch at open air. Tears gather at the corners of your eyes and you yell expletives again, but it's corrupted by terror and turns into screaming.

"Oh God no please, please-!" You hit something solid and your voice pitches upward in shock, but your arms wrap around a solid body.

"Arinaga!" Koga's voice is as clear as a bell and you sob into his collarbone, ignoring the way his arms come around you almost reflexively as he manages to get the ground with you giving hysterics in his hold.

When the two of you set down he grabs you by your shaking shoulders. You look around wildly, wondering how the hell the two of you got to the ground without a harsh impact. Your hands tremble when they come back into your line of sight and you stare at them, not responding when Koga asks if you're okay. You're afraid that your voice will break if you try to speak.

"Arinaga, answer me. Are you hurt?"

You shake your head.
"Are you afraid?"

You go to shake your head but think better of it. You nod.

You hear him sigh before he gathers you into his arms and presses you into his chest, where you press your face into his warmth and let tears fall.

Koga's chest hitches and you're confused until you realize that he's laughing. Your fright morphs into embarrassment and you allow yourself to take comfort in the solidity of his chest. You press your face into his neck after throwing your arms around him.

His laugh sputters out, sounding flustered suddenly.
"A-Arinaga?"

You sniffle. "What."

"You... How did you end up over there?"

You lay your cheek against his heartbeat, thankful that he hasn't mentioned your overwillingness for physical contact. You frown at his question, not moving your head from where it lies.

"What do you mean?" Your confusion quickly turns into apprehension. "I wasn't supposed to be in there?"

Koga huffs.

"We're not even on the mountain anymore. Went to the next one over. I had to cross the valley to get here and it's been a little over half a day since I last saw you." He takes your face in his soft hands and inspects it. You avoid his gaze as he looks you over. "Are you hurt?"

You duck your head. "You already asked me that."

"'Cause you're bein' all weird about it! What happened in there? Why were you falling?"

You catch his eye and he frowns.
You tell him about the huge dude and look back up the cliff, trying to see the mouth of the cave. Koga follows your line of sight and the two of you catch a glimpse of dark hair before the man ducks back behind the cliff and disappears. Koga starts after him and only stops because of the sound that comes out of the back of your throat.

You think, Pathetic, and when he looks down at you again, your eyes are watering.

He says, "Oh," in a small voice. You clear your throat.

"I'm okay," you say, right before he pulls you in for another hug, and you don't protest when he lifts you in his arms easily like a small child. You link your ankles at the base of his spine and he doesn't mention it when you heave a shaking sigh into the skin at the side of his neck.

"You're, uh," he starts, and you wonder at what he could possibly want to say. "You're okay. I'm sorry."

You can't help but laugh at the ridiculousness an awkward Koga.

"Nothing to be sorry for," you say easily.
"I let you out of my sight," he chuckles, "Never doing that again."

When the two of you return to the mountain a crowd greets you.

Chihiro shoves her way to the front. "Arinaga! Are you alright?" She lays a hand on your arm. "You're ill. Come, lie down."

Koga lets you down and the two of them lead you by the arms to a secluded cave above the main pack cavern.

You frown. "Where are we going?"

Koga's hands are warm on your arm and back. "My place. It's quieter there. Nobody to bother you."

The two of them lead you up to Koga's cave with small spurts of conversation popping up here and there.

Koga pulls a leaf-curtain back to reveal something much more human-like than the other cave.
You say, "Is that a couch?"

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