Chapter Text
Wild shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, hoping beyond hope that they had the right combination for the puzzle before them.
They had been in this dungeon for nearly a week now, slowly making progress through its apparently endless puzzles and minibosses. They had finally reached the end - Wild himself had struck the killing blow on the boss - and were trying to leave, only to find that there was one more puzzle to solve to unlock the door out.
Because of course there was.
It was an incredibly tedious puzzle, solvable only by the Chain going back through the entire damn dungeon to find the clues painted into increasingly cryptic murals on each floor.
It was long winded. It was annoying. It felt like lazy dungeon design.
And Wild really, really wanted to get outside.
The past few weeks had been hard on all of them. After a visit to a busy marketplace, Sky had fallen ill with what they at first thought was a cold and what had quickly devolved into a vicious vomiting bug. They had all hoped that only the Chosen Hero would be affected; after all, he had come from a much smaller community than the rest of them and did tend to get sick easier than most.
But then Four and Legend had fallen ill. Then Time, Wind, and Spirit. The sickness slowly began to creep its way through the Chain, another getting sick every time one began to recover. Hyrule was run ragged trying to keep up.
And Wild had tried to help out. He honestly had - it was clear that as skilled of a healer as Rulie was, caring for so many people at once was hard on him. And Wild - well. He already wore a mask and he often wore gloves, so he already had an advantage when it came to avoiding infection. And even at that, he did his utmost to try and stay safe. The idea of getting sick while on the road, while surrounded by his brothers whose opinions he valued so much, was simply unacceptable to him. He couldn’t let it happen. He wouldn’t.
But then Hyrule had fallen sick. Hyrule, who Wild had been working with so very closely. Hyrule, who Wild trusted to see his unmasked face, who had been sitting with him as he nibbled at his dinner the day before the traveller’s fever began to skyrocket and he started violently throwing up.
Wild had known then that there would be no escaping this. That he was going to get sick no matter what he did.
The thought of it was… horrible. He had seen how ill his brothers had been. Had seen them, a group of strong warriors who only a few days previous had been laughing and fighting and cheering each other on, now brought low by illness. Shivering while they turned red with fever, unable to eat more than a few bites before they were throwing up again.
Wild hated being sick. Being ill on the road was unthinkable. He survived being around so many people for so long by making sure that he always had opportunities for privacy. That if he ever needed to take off his mask or slip out of his thick, baggy clothes, he could do so without worrying about anyone seeing the scars that ate into his skin.
He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to do that if he was feverish. He knew that he'd need to take his mask off if he started throwing up, and he so desperately didn’t want his brothers to see that.
If Hyrule had fallen ill then there was no doubt that Wild was also infected, but the fact was that there was nothing that he could do now but… wait. So he’d just carried on. Helped those who were sick - although by that point most of them were well on their way to recovery - and looked out for Hyrule.
And now here he was. His brothers had all bounced back and had been happy to explore the dungeon that they had found nearby, and Wild had smiled and gone along with it. He didn’t tell them that he was already starting to feel like a furnace. He didn’t mention that his throat was dry and his head was pounding. He didn’t want to worry them.
And yes, also, he was living under the vain hope that if he pretended he wasn’t sick then the problem would just disappear. Which probably wasn’t the wisest decision, but none of the Chain could ever have been accused of wisdom.
In front of him, Time slid the final lock into place with a loud CLANK. Wild felt his stomach twist in anticipation- or maybe that was just the nausea. After days spent in this dank, stuffy dungeon he wanted nothing more than to get outside into the fresh, open air. He was so unbelievably warm. His head was spinning and the thought of breathing in fresh air was just intoxicating.
The puzzle clicked and a grinding sound rattled across the doorway. Wild clenched his fists, half with nerves and half to hide how his hands were shaking.
Then the massive stone doors began to slide open and the Chain burst into cheers. The novelty of the dungeon had worn off pretty fast and none of them particularly wanted to have to try and do the puzzle again.
“Thank Lolia’s Blessed Butt Tattoo.” Legend groaned, starting forwards. “I thought we’d never get out of this shithole.”
“Fuckin right.” Wind agreed, and Legend immediately cuffed him around the ear.
“Fuckin language, kid, you’re too young to be saying that shit.”
The face that Wind made at this particular retort was a sight to be reckoned with, his eyes flying wide and his mouth screwing up in outrage. Wild, even hot and dizzy as he was feeling, couldn’t help but laugh.
But the doors were now open, and behind them a set of steps led up to bright, glorious sunlight. They all looked changed hungry glances and no one needed to say anything before they were all racing up and out into the blessed fresh air.
Wild heaved a sigh of relief as he emerged out of the ground and into the warm, humid air of a rainforest. Yes, he would have preferred somewhere with a cooler breeze, but even this heat was a blessing in comparison to the still, rotten air of the dungeon.
He stumbled forwards, inhaling deeply. He must have secured his mask on tighter than usual, it seemed like drawing a breath was taking so much more effort than it should have, like the breathing slit had somehow shrunk in size.
“All in favour of just damn well settin’ up camp here?” Twilight called.
They all looked around - they were standing on the ruins of an ancient plaza, the entrance to the temple cut into a massive cliff face behind them. Normally camping right outside the entrance to a dungeon was a one way ticket to death-town, but the Chain could all say with confidence that this particular dungeon was now empty.
“Seconded.” Sky said, wandering over to where ancient, gnarled trees that had grown over the ruins and provided some shade from the burning sun. He sat against the crumbling plaza wall with a sigh, “I am sitting here. I am not moving. You all may join me if you wish.”
The Chain all murmured in agreement and sprawled out in the shade. It wasn’t long after midday, but they were all exhausted and the idea of just being able to lie down for a while without having to worry about monsters or traps or danger was too much to resist. Wild glanced around as he followed them over and wondered vaguely if he should bring out some food. They’d all eaten a fairly substantial breakfast before heading to the boss chamber and had snacked as they figured out the puzzle, but he’d hate to leave his brothers waiting until dinner time if they were hungry.
He perched at the edge of the group, trying to ignore how his head was hammering in his skull. Hmm… no one looked particularly hungry. Everyone had just flopped down and seemed to be resting, and that was good enough for Wild. Despite the heat of the rainforest, despite his typical layers and layers of clothes, all of a sudden he felt freezing. His back and scars ached. The idea of cooking right now did not sound fun.
He hummed, and sure, maybe it came out as more of a groan, he wasn’t sure. He was just so tired. He’d hoped that coming out of the dungeon and into the fresh air would help, but if anything it had just driven home how bone weary he was feeling.
He… really wanted to lie down. Sure it would be nice to have a look at the loot they had all picked up - there had been some interesting looking artefacts in the boss chamber, from big, rough cut jewels to a metal disk with what looked like a poem inscribed on it, but right now he just didn’t have the energy. He wanted to rest. To just take a nap.
Actually, what he really wanted was a hot bath, but as he was fairly certain that that wouldn’t be happening any time soon, a nap would have to do.
Wild flopped down on the overgrown flagstones, not bothering with a bedroll or even a pillow. It would be fine. He was just resting his eyes for a moment. He’d move in a minute or two, get a proper pillow out or something.
Nearby, someone chuckled. Hnnng, so loud. Wild squeezed his eyes closed and curled up against the noise. His head ached and every sound was suddenly like a bolt of lighting behind his temples.
“Y’okay there, Wild?” someone asked, maybe Twilight? Wild wasn’t sure.
He couldn’t bring himself to reply properly. Instead he just curled up tighter and groaned, hoping that whoever it was would leave him alone. He was only taking a little nap, after all. It was hardly news-worthy.
“Wild?” The voice asked again, but it seemed somehow smaller now. Subdued. More distant.
Well thank Hylia for that. He might actually get some rest. Wild hummed and curled tighter, feeling his exhaustion wash over him in waves,
"Hey-hey something’s wrong with Wild…”
“Oh, shit!”
-
Sky sat with his head in his hands, his eyes closed tight. It was dark, well after sundown, and the night was quiet, but the Chosen Hero was not trying to sleep.
Instead, he was doing the best he could to calm his whirling thoughts, because right now his mind was full with so many worries that he wasn’t sure if he could actually be useful. And he needed to be useful. There was no other choice.
The portal had taken them all by surprise. One minute they had all been turning to where Twilight was raising the alarm about Wild, and the next they had all been falling, weightless, into the darkness of the portal that had opened up beneath them.
Of course, it would have been too easy for them all to land in the same place. They were Links, after all, and if there was any bad luck about then they were going to get it.
Sky had landed with a thud on densely packed earth, having fallen through a canopy of pine trees and hit every single branch on the way down. His left foot crunched as he hit the ground and a burst of pain flared up through his body. Well that wasn’t good.
Wincing and doing his best to push the pain away, he’d looked around for help - but there had been no one else anywhere in sight, only an endless stretch of thick, shadowy forest. It was significantly cooler here than it had been in the jungle, a mist reaching its fingers through the trees and a dampness in the air. Sky was just glad that it wasn’t raining. Much as the canopy seemed to keep sunlight from filtering too far into the forest floor, he hadn’t trusted his luck enough to think that this protection would stretch to rain.
Okay. Being alone in the forest was not the worst thing that could have happened to him. Sky could deal with this. He took a deep breath and drew the Master Sword, holding her for a moment to his brow as he cleared his mind. He wasn’t praying - not quite, at least. But he was thinking of Fi. Of her guidance. Asking her to help find his brothers.
And then he held her out. The blade twitched and then swung in his hand, finding first one source, then another, then another. Sky breathed a sigh of relief as he found the signal that felt closest to him. Okay, that wasn’t too hard! He could- ow!
He crumpled as he made to step forwards, pain as sharp as the lightning he knew so well shooting up his leg.
Damn. Right. His foot. That was… definitely broken.
Gritting his teeth, Sky stood once again, and using the Master Sword as a crutch (sorry, Fi), he hobbled forwards.
One. Step. At. A. Time.
It felt like an eternity when, red in the face and sweating with pain, Sky finally saw them. There, over a small ridge, twin flashes of blue. Warriors’ scarf and Wild’s tunic. They’d sat down and lit a fire, and with the quickly dying sunlight Sky wanted nothing more than to flop down beside them.
“Wars!” He cried, trying to hobble faster and wincing as the pain shot up his leg. “Wild!”
Warriors looked up at his voice, blue eyes flying wide. Sky must have looked worse than he thought, because the Captain immediately leapt to his feet and raced over to him, slipping an arm under his shoulder and supporting him over to the fire.
Sitting down really was sweet relief.
Wild did not move from where he lay.
-
According to Warriors, Wild had been basically catatonic since they arrived here. He’d landed beside him on a blessedly soft bank of moss and it hadn’t taken long for the Captain to realise that he was running a fever hotter than Eldin.
“We didn’t notice.” Warriors whispered to Sky, doing his best to dab a cold cloth to Wild’s forehead, but with the mask in the way he could only really reach his hairline and neck. “It’s the same sickness we all had, I’m sure of it. He must have been feeling off for days and we didn’t notice.”
By the fireside, Wild shivered, what little of his skin they could see flushed and clammy through his scars. He seemed to be fluttering between consciousness and unconsciousness, his eyes glazed and bright with fever whenever he managed to wake.
He needed help. And fast.
Sky wanted nothing more than to use his sword to dowse for the others, but with his broken foot there wasn’t far that he could go. Yes, Warriors had a few potions, but not knowing whether or not the bone would need set was only setting themselves up for disaster if it then healed wrong.
Sky would have to stay with Wild, by the fire. He suggested that he point Wars in the right direction so that he could search, but the captain was reluctant to leave the two of them alone, and secretly, Sky was glad. If their little campsite was ambushed, he wasn’t sure if he could properly protect both himself and Wild. Not like this.
They would have to wait. Maybe in the morning, Wars could run a little in a direction Sky suggested, maybe climb a tree and look for their brothers. But here and now in the dark, they would have to stay put.
Beside them, Wild shivered, even though his skin was hot to the touch.
“We can’t even get him to take a potion.” Wars whispered. “He keeps his straws in the slate and we can’t take the mask off. The clasps at the back are enchanted, only he can use them.”
Sky felt his eyes widen, even though he had been thinking the same thing. They had to bring this fever down. Sky could remember his own illness only a few weeks ago, could remember how it affected everyone else. Only liberal doses of healing potions and cold compresses to their faces had kept their fevers down, neither of which they could do for Wild with his mask in the way.
And then- well. It had run the same course for them all.
After the fever came the vomiting.
Sky wished that he knew what to do. Even if the clasps would have worked for them, it wouldn’t have been right to take their brother’s mask off without permission. But he was so very ill, and they couldn’t just leave him shivering alone like that.
Why did it have to be him stuck with Wild? Why the Captain? Why not someone that the champion trusted more? No one had said anything, but Sky was pretty sure that Hyrule and Legend had seen his face, Spirit too. Any one of them might have been more helpful than he was, sitting here and trying to stop panicking.
And now it was his turn on watch, Warriors trying to steal a few hours’ sleep before he went out in search of the others the next day. Sky stretched and looked around.
No sense sitting here worrying when he could do something about it. He may not have been in a state to do a proper patrol but he could probably shuffle to the fire and make some tea.
“…Sky?”
Sky nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of the whispered, rough voice. He turned to look at the lump in a bedroll that was Wild and saw two eyes glittering out from behind the mask.
He immediately scooted over to his brother, trying to smile encouragingly.
“Hey, Wild.” He said, his voice soft. “How are you feeling?”
Wild hummed, eyes fluttering shut. For a moment Sky thought that he had drifted off to sleep again, but then his eyes opened. He took in a shuddering breath, his thin, shaking hands slipping out of his bedroll.
“Where-where are we?” He signed, eyes darting around but finding very little in the darkness that was familiar.
“Fell through a portal.” Sky explained. “Wars is behind you, getting some sleep. We’ll find the others tomorrow.”
Wild whimpered, shifting a little to tug his blanket closer.
“Mmm’cold.” He said aloud.
Sky sighed. “I know, Wild.” He replied. “But you’ve got a fever a mile high. We’ve got to bring it down.” And he paused, looking at him. “Wild, I want put a cold cloth on your head. To try and help. Will you let me?”
It was one thing to try and apply a cold compress while Wild was unconscious, after all, but now he was awake. Sky wasn’t going to force contact on him if he didn’t want it.
Wild’s eyes flew wide under his mask and he wriggled in his bedroll, trying to scoot away.
“N-no!” He said, perhaps more forcefully than he’d meant to. “P-please-“
“Okay!” Sky held up his hands, showing that they were empty, showing that he wasn’t going to touch Wild without his permission. His little brother was trembling, his eyes bright with more than just fever, tears standing to attention.
Hylia, this was awful. All he wanted was to help him and he didn’t know how.
Wild seemed at least a little comforted by his immediate backing down and relaxed a fraction. He propped himself up, watching Sky carefully as he took shuddering breaths through his mask, a hand coming around to hold his stomach.
“I-if you.” His voice was small. Nervous. Rough with more than just the normal strain on his scarred vocal cords, the sickness making him hoarse. “If you pass me the-the cloth-“
“Can do.” Sky smiled, glad to have at least a little compromise. He reached over, passing the sodden cloth to his brother’s trembling hand.
Wild carefully began to dab it around the edges of his mask, his neck, his forehead. It must have provided some relief, but from the slump of his shoulders, it was clear the Wild knew it wasn’t enough. His expression wasn’t exactly easy to read through the mask, but his eyes looked haunted. Distant.
Over in the other bedroll Wars groaned and rolled over, blinking blearily.
“Wild?” He whispered. “You ’wake?”
Wild hummed miserably, still trying to dampen his hairline.
Warriors yawned and stood, walking over to sit by Sky. “How’s your foot?” He asked quietly.
Sky gave him a tight smile. “Been better. Been worse.” It was the best answer he could think to give.
Wild looked over at him, shaking hand lowering the cloth.
“You’re hurt?” He asked.
Wars laughed and ruffled Sky’s hair. “Broke his foot going through the portal. Like some sort of newbie Hero. We don’t want to heal it till Hyrule takes a look, ’case anything needs set.”
Wild hummed and set the cloth down, hands instead fluttering to the slate at his side. He fiddled with it a moment before pulling out a handful of glittering silver jelly.
“Ice chu jelly.” He whispered. “For the swelling.”
Sky genuinely grinned as he took it from him. He’d had to take his boot off a few hours ago and his foot had swollen up like a pregnant octorok. Spreading the jelly over the wound soothed it immediately and he sighed in relief.
“Thanks, Wild.”
Wild nodded, drawing into himself, still shivering. His eyes were wide behind the mask and he looked more present than he had done in hours.
“Wild?” Warriors asked softly. “Do- do you think you could sip a potion? It might make you feel a little better.”
Wild looked at him for a long moment before slowly shaking his head. “...I-” he signed, and his signs were small. Nervous. “I think I’d throw it up. I’m sorry.”
Sky nodded, shuffling where he sat. He was no fool - he’d known Wild for long enough to know that it was a lot for him to admit that, that he would never have said it if he wasn’t already feeling truly terrible. Wild had curled up into a ball when he finished speaking, his arms wrapped around his stomach as he stared at the ground, trembling. He was so, so clearly unwell.
And at some point, one of them was going to have to say it.
But why did it have to be him?
“Wild?” Sky began, keeping his voice as calm and soft as he could manage. “Do… do you want a bucket? Or a bowl?”
Wild whimpered, drawing even further in on himself. But then, slowly, he nodded, shakily lifting his slate and tapping it until a small bucket appeared beside him. He stared at it, his hands shaking.
“You-” he began to sign and then shuddered, taking a deep, whistling breath through his mask as he steadied himself. “You’re going to see. Aren’t you?”
It wasn’t a question. Not really. Wild clearly knew that he was going to be sick, and if he was sick then his mask would need to come off, and stuck as they were out here, in a world that they didn’t know, he couldn’t exactly get much privacy.
Still…
“We’ll do our best.” Sky promised. Maybe they could move Wild behind a tree? No, but then he wouldn’t be by the fire! Or they could turn him around? But what about when they had to move? Or would they move at all? “I- I’ll try to give you privacy-”
“We could maybe hang my scarf up?” Warriors suggested, looking over to Sky for confirmation. “Maybe a from a branch? Or- or we could make a frame? Or-”
Wild shook his head, shrinking in on himself even further. His hands, when he raised them to sign, were shaking in a way that had nothing to do with his fever.
“I can’t talk.” He stumbled out. “Without my mask. My mouth, it-“ he shivered, looking up at them, his eyes wide and frightened.
He was going to take off his mask. That’s what this was. He knew that they would see his face again if he was sick and was preempting it.
Sky felt ill. It shouldn't happen like this, Wild shouldn’t be forced into showing them out of fear. But there was nothing they could do, this was what was happening.
Sky swallowed heavily.
“We’ll make sure you can sign.” He promised. “You- you don’t have to sho-“
“Yes I do.” Wild cut him off. He closed his eyes and then slowly inhaled, then exhaled. He tried to steady his hands. “I trust you.”
It was clear that he was saying it to himself, reminding himself of this fact more than the two of them. He took a deep breath and then nodded to himself. Then he lifted his trembling hands up and slowly began to undo the clasps at the back of his head.
Sky felt his breath catch in his throat as he watched his brother nervously lower his mask.
Oh
Right.
That… explained a lot.
Wild’s face was - for lack of a better word - destroyed. Scarcely a single inch was free from scarring: slash marks and gouges and rippling, smooth, distorted burns. His left eye had always seemed like it did not open as much as his right, but only now could Sky see the true extent of the damage. How his left brow was melted and fused into an unnatural position. How his left cheek was gone entirely and instead a vast, gaping hole extended from his mouth, showing his tongue and jaw and his neat, white, frighteningly new looking teeth.
For some reason the teeth were what disturbed him the most. Wild had said that the Shrine he was placed in when he - when he died - had put him back together but had not bothered with anything not strictly necessary. Aesthetic healing had been left by the wayside and Sky was fairly certain that Wild was missing a few ribs because of this.
So… exactly how badly must his jaw have been damaged that he got what was clearly a new set of teeth?
But he couldn’t think about that now. Reacting to what he saw wouldn’t do any good when his brother was so clearly terrified of what they might say. Beside him, he could see Wars quietly, discreetly, balling his hands into fists, but otherwise kept his expression calm
Sky took a deep breath and made to smile, but no sooner had Wild set the mask down than he shuddered, lurching. Oh Hylia, they really had been just in the nick of time!
Broken foot or no, Sky lunged forwards towards where Wild had curled over his bucket, and without thinking began to pull his brother’s long blond hair out of the way. The champion was feverish under his hands and it was only a moment later as Wild came up for air that Sky realised he was touching him. Not only that, he had his hands in Wilds hair, had brushed against the scars of his face, hadn’t even checked if this was okay first.
Inwardly Sky cursed himself as he made to apologise -
But Wild let out a weak sob and collapsed into his chest, feebly holding up a fevered hand to try and hide the gaping maw of his face.
“It’s okay, Wild.” Sky soothed, holding him softly the way he might one of the smaller students back at the academy. “We’ve got you. It’s alright, just get it all out.”
Right on cue, Wild doubled over and began to hurl again, and Sky just kept combing his hair back, keeping it out of the way.
Finally, the champion slumped back once more, breathing heavily. His skin was covered in pinpricks of sweat and his eyes were bleary.
“Here’s some water.” Warriors murmured, crouching down beside them.
Wild jolted, eyes flying wide as he remembered where he was, what was happening. But Warriors had the same patient look on his face that he’d had with the rest of his brothers when they were sick, and Sky just continued as he’d been doing, holding him close and gently brushing back his hair. Wild took a breath and then, slowly, nodded.
“Th-thahnk…” he stumbled out, his voice trembling and breathy now that he had no mask to help him close his mouth. Hylia, no wonder he’d said he couldn’t speak without it.
Shakily, he reached out to take the waterskin, but he had worn himself out with the force of his sickness and his hands faltered. Sky reached forwards and steadied them in time, catching the flask.
“Do-” he began, glancing up at Warriors and then clearing his throat. “Do you want some help?”
Wild whimpered and clutched at Sky’s tunic. There were already tears tracking down his fevered cheeks, and this only made them well up again. But, sniffling, he nodded, refusing to meet either of their eyes.
Sky nodded and helped him lift the bottle to his ruined lips, pouring a little water into his mouth. On instinct Wild tilted his head a little to the right. To stop it from running out of his left cheek, Sky realised.
When he finally slumped back, Sky lowered him down to rest on his knees. He bit his lip, thinking. Wild’s skin was still hot to the touch. The fever was burning him up and they had to get it down. And - well. Sky was already cradling his head. Had already brushed against his face when feeding him the water.
“Hey Wild?” He began, his voice soft. “Will you let me wash your face? It’ll help bring your fever down and might make you feel better.”
Wild’s eyes flickered open for a moment, fighting through the fever to search Sky’s expression. Then he closed them again with a sigh and nodded softly.
It was weird, seeing Wild’s face like this. Wiping it clean from sweat and grime and vomit. Not because of his scars - Sky had long since accepted that whatever was under Wild’s mask must have been terrible. But because in the months that he had gotten to know his brother, Sky realised, he had come to think of the mask as his face.
It wasn’t meant as an insult by any means. It was just what Sky was used to. He had accepted long ago that Wild may never choose to take the mask off around him and while he hated that his brother had been made to feel so afraid, he respected those boundaries.
And now here he was, unmasked and shivering in Sky’s arms.
Warriors looked up at the sky.
“It’s still a few hours till sunrise.” he murmured and then walked over, pulling a blanket up over them. “Try and get some rest, you two.”
Sky nodded, lowering himself down, and to his surprise, Wild curled into him, burrowing his face into the chosen hero’s shirt. After taking a moment to get over his shock, Sky relaxed, shifting to curl up with him more comfortably.
“You’re lucky I’ve already been sick.” he murmured, carefully wrapping his arms around his brother. “I wouldn’t be able to cuddle with you like this otherwise.”
Off to the side, Warriors snorted. “Like that would stop you.” he teased. “How you grew up in an academy for knights and never learned proper quarantine procedure is beyond me.”
Sky laughed and twisted around to stick his tongue out at the Captain.
“Oh, give over, you’re just as much of a soft touch as I am.” he teased right back, and then settled down with Wild, yawning. “Let’s get some sleep, champion. Tomorrow we’ll figure out where we are and find the others. Hyrule has loads of medicine, I’m sure you’ll be feeling better in no time, okay?”
Wild hummed softly but it was clear that with his round of vomiting over with, he was fading fast back towards unconsciousness. Sky sighed, adjusting the blanket around them. Wild was still warm and feverish to the touch, but he seemed to be more settled than he had been before and more present in his own mind.
Tomorrow, they would find the others. They would get Wild medicine and nurse him back to health. But for now, he was here. He was with them, and he was dozing off to sleep in Sky’s arms, his hands curled loosely into his tunic, his breathing soft.
For now, he had trusted Sky and Warriors with his health, his face, his secrets. And, Sky swore, he would never give him cause to regret that.