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Thinking about the events of three days prior still made Koren's hands shake abominably. In the end, he had no idea how many of those people- living, breathing, thinking people- he had killed. Verity had tried to tell him, twice, until Galena silenced her.

Now, in the early candlemarks before sunrise, the majority of his... what did he even call them? A fair? A pack? A run? Still, they were all asleep but two: Galena, who was off somewhere regulating her territory, and Renie, who hadn't spoken since the incident, but who seemed nonetheless to approve of Koren's 'hunter's instincts'. At least he had stopped providing mortally injured tunnel snakes and attempting to give him lessons on the killing of them.

The little winged feline, as if called by Koren's sleepless thoughts, padded silently through the edged open door to pounce and flutter onto the bed. But it was not Koren whom he attempted to climb all over and rouse from slumber- why would he?

No, he was far more interested in the thing which had so raggedly torn up his bondmate's mental state. He was not, like the others, a creature of hot blooded passion. Three days of silent analyses had led him to a conclusion, and before Koren managed to bat him away, Renie had buried a single needle sharp claw in Yorikal's thigh. It probably wouldn't even bleed, but it should be enough to wake him.

Now make him talk. Renie commanded with typical feline superiority, before retreating to the foot of the bed. In his opinion, it was Yorikal's instant, shell-shocked silence that was causing all these problems, and it was very hard to hunt or sun himself when the other half of his mind was in such outstanding turmoil over something as mundane as defending one's mate.

Koren, however, did not take the felines advice, already whispering half panicked apologies. "I'm sorry, I didn't stop and he's stupid and young and he didn't know, but it's okay, you're okay Yorikal, we're safe here."

Yorikal had not spoken in days and had reveled in being free, spending every moment with his Run or near the Basilisk when needed. But mostly he stayed near Koren and treasured the moments with him and loved having him there. He was still sleeping and really peacefully to boot, he was sleeping soundly.

The man lay sleeping with Koren he was sure he was going to sleep through the days, he didn't want to talk or be anywhere near a woman at the moment. He was sleeping soundly and the dreams were peaceful and calm, it was of the days of freedom and healing after his first escape. The days he had treasured most with his Run and Fair, the family he had.

Yorikal's peaceful dream was interrupted by the pain of a claw in his leg he woke and screamed as he tried to get whatever had woken him to get away from him. He then calmed down a little as he felt the warmth of sleep emanating from his Run and Fair, he sighed and reassured in their bond. He looked around to see what had the claws with which to wake him and he glared at the Drat.

Saul, Livia, Maea were all curled up near him and the three felines hissed in irritation at the drat as their sleeping spot moved a bit. Yorikal smiled at them and petted them all back into calmness, they had woken up and so had Albus. The Canine jumped up on the bed and barked at the drat, Yorikal patted him on the head to silence him again. Yorikal looked at Koren with a curious expression, he was sure this man wasn't happy about the wake up call.

Why in the name of Faranth's shell did you wake up Yorikal! All four whers and both of the Hevrens yelled at the drat in anger. The Six creatures were very angry and irritated at the Drat now, he had been sleeping so very peacefully.

Yorikal looked at Koren and kissed him lightly shaking his head, letting Koren know that he was fine. He wasn't hurt or to upset, he was sure that he was fine and it hadn't upset him to much. Yorikal fine. Yorikask said to Koren, by way of translation the Wher had taken up translating his bondeds words.

Yorikal's scream was heart breaking, and Koren's guilt redoubled as he shoved the winged kitten off his bed with one foot. Renie had shown a remarkable ability for falling off things and then acting as if he had inteded to do so, which he put into use, spreading his wings- too small to fly still but enough to slow his descent- and landing silently on the ground. The drat kept his eyes pinned on the nearest of the yelling whers, as he slowly stalked to hide- but it wasn't hiding, obviously, because that would be ridiculous- behind Verity, who could almost be trusted to keep him shielded.

Then again, the snarl on her expression did not bode well for Renie either.

Yes, that. Verity added, her voice heavy and slow with sleep. But she didn't need to be fast to hurt him, only large and heavy.

Because. Renie replied primly, lapping at one paw as if he was not staring down certain death from six angles at once. He hid his terror well. Verity growled, her bared teeth looming dangerously close to his much smaller head, and he was a little too quick to add. He has to talk.

Perhaps he should have hidden under Matty. Everything liked Matty.

Koren managed to wrap his arms around Yorikal, pulling him tightly into his side, and if the headboard was pinning Koren's aching shoulder and exacerbating still healing cuts, well, the could ignore it just this once.

Yorikal fine. Yorikask said, and even though the words were projected rather than felt, Koren still managed to flinch at them, a reflex ingrained by the burdens of having carried the bonds of Yorikal's whers for even so brief a time. But, Yorikal's warmth on his chest was proof enough that he need not worry about the painful headaches, the inability to sleep, or the growing sense that he was losing himself beneath the wash of strange voices any longer, all of which had p[aled in comparison to the idea that, after all this time and all those fights, after his own brother's death and his ridiculous, spoiled niece's insults, Yorikal would be taken-

But it was over now.

"That's not true, though." Koren sighed softly, running his free hand over what skin he could find on Yorikal. "You're not fine at all." He wanted to say something else, add some phrase or another that would make this all better, that would fix everything. Instead, he only closed his eyes and let his head fall back onto the headboard with a muffled thud. "Is this how it was, when I was in the infirmary? Were you constantly afraid that every little thing would break me? That you'd ruin me somehow, through something as stupid as letting a baby feline wander around?"

Yorikal looked at Koren and knew the man was feeling badly about what had just happened, he knew that Koren loved him and he loved Koren with all of his being. The only creatures that came close to having the love he felt for Koren were his Fair and Run. The group that had come to be known as his family, he watched as his creatures bore down on the Drat. The man knew that the little creature would face death if it wasn't careful or treading with caution. The Whers of Yorikal's looked at the Drat and growled in anger, but Yorikal bore down on them. It's fine. Do not be angry at him, he was trying to help in his own way. He said to the creatures as he kept them from attacking the drat.

The two Hevren growled low and angrily under their breath as they looked at the Drat, You have hurt Yorikal. You shall be taught a lesson. Then Solider growled low in his throat, You might make a good lunch. He snarled then he heard Yorikal's command and backed down, however Althea did not listen at first. Yes lunch or rather breakfast sounds like a great idea. Althea said as the whers curled up to go back to sleep, the two Hevren had things well in paw.

Yorikal held onto Koren in return, wanting more than anything to be with the man to teach him that he still loved him. But he did not wish to be intimate with anyone just yet, however having Koren so close and holding him so close was a blessing. The man was broken and shattered, he wanted more than anything to know that Koren loved him. At the moment Yorikal was still recovering from his own physical injuries then he had the mental ones that he need to recover from more than the physical injuries. Though those would take many, many long turns to recover from.

Yorikal knew that Koren was flinching from his whers and he looked at the man with an apologetic glance. Trying to convey that he was sorry for his inability to wish to form words, he wanted to show him that he loved him more than anything in the whole of the universe. But he couldn't quite get his mind to connect the words with his tongue and it was a failed thing to attempt it. Yorikal had fallen easily back into the beaten and submissive male that the Harem women had needed, but he knew that harem had been killed. Staren exterminated them and made sure that SHE was dead, he had been happy to see Koren and he still was. But his mind was not ready to heal, it wanted to retreat and become one with his firelizards and whers.

Yorikal listened to Koren and knew the man was trying to be gentle and kind, he was attempting to help him. Yorikal looked at the man and smiled slightly then listened to him his words were reassuring and calming but he wasn't sure how to speak. His voice was going to crack he knew it, when next he spoke. He may even stutter but Yorikal didn't care, he loved Koren to much not to try for his sake. "Y-y-ye-yes." He stuttered out as he looked at Koren and knew that his voice needed to be used or else he may lose it. Or at least he believed he would lose it.

"F-f-f-f-fe-fe-fea-fear-feared, l-l-l-lose-lose-losing.....y-y-y-you. V-v-v-veri-verity, Ga-ga-ga-le-le-n-n-na h-h-he-hel-help-helped." Yorikal stuttered the sentence and he wishe dhis voice would get back in gear with his head. He hated stuttering and he hated having to do so with Koren just to speak to him to convey what he needed to say. It angered and frustrated him to no end that he would be back to this mess, he looked at Yorikask helplessly. The Bronze crooned and looked at his bonded with happily whirling eyes.

Renie held firm, in as much as hiding behind Verity could be considered firm, though since she was also glaring at him, it hardly counted as a safe location. Still, he acted as though he had not heard the looming hevrens, focusing rather intently on the cleaning of his paw.

When he felt a sufficiently 'I am not afraid of you' amount of time have passed, though, he was quickly to stalk off to the not-quite closed door and slip out, They were right, after all: breakfast would probably be lovely.

And anyway, Koren's mate was talking again, so his goal had been achieved in its entirety. One had to know when to retire.

Yorikal gave Koren a distantly sympathetic glance, and it tore into him viciously that the other man was so inherently good and kind that even in such pain he could still find empathy for the trouble of others somewhere in his heart.

When Yorikal spoke, though, it soothed the powerless ache in Koren's heart, and he was quick to bury his nose in Yorikal's hair, scattering pointless kisses over the top of his scalp.

"I should have known." He huffed softly. He wasn't sure what he should have known, really. Perhaps that Yorikal's empathy would always outweigh his fear. Or, perhaps, that those awful women were in his hold, attacking his Gather. Maybe he would simply assume from here on that every Turnover in Yeskith was destined to be a resounding disaster.

Yorikask seemed pleased, at least, and the bronze's judgement could generally be trusted where Yorikal was concerned. All fears Koren might once have had about the run's over-protective habits had been wiped clean the moment they had been bound to his mind instead, Yorikal taken too far away to be even sensed as alive.

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to," Koren added, when Yorikal's half garbled speech finally finished. "It's okay. Yorikask can tell me whatever you need." He felt a smile on his face, though it seemed perhaps the wrong time for it. "I promise I won't even jump again."

Solider and Althea both glanced at each other then at the elder Hevren with confused creels. They didn't get why the tiny little Feline wasn't afraid of three large Hevren, they could easily eat him if they so desired. But they knew that to do so would be to disobey Yorikal and none dared try that they knew better than to disobey the man.

Then he left and the pair of Hevren attached to Yorikal creeled even more confused than before. Shhh..It's ok dear ones, he did a helpful thing just realize that we'll be ok. Renie is fine. Just don't worr about him. Yorikal said as he looked at then pair then back to Koren.

Yorikal smiled at the man trying to show that he loved him and that he really didn't care about anything other than his well being. Yorikal wanted to tell this man many things, things that would be life altering for him but he didn't. He simply knew that Koren needed him and that he needed Koren, it was as simple as that.

"I-i-i-it's o-o-ka-ka-kay." He stuttered out and felt even more frustrated than before but he still wanted to reassure Koren that all was well and nothing would cause harm to him. He smiled at Koren and knew that he'd need to find time away from the man to check on his grandson Vidian. For now though he could spend time with his mate and treasure every moment they were given. "N-n-n-n-no w-w-w-wa-wa-way of kn-kn-kn-ow-know-knowing." He managed to string a couple words almost fully together. That was progress, sort of it made Yorikal feel accomplished to know that he could say short words occassionally without stuttering.

"M-m-m-mus-must t-t-t-try g-g-g-get b-b-b-bett-better. On-on-on-only w-w-w-wa-wa-way." He stuttered out as he looked at the man with a smile then he kissed him lightly on the cheek and smiled at Koren knowing the man needed reassurance as much as he did. He kissed him lightly on the cheek and smiled as the Run, Fair and Pack all howled, purred or crooned their happiness.