Pale green eyes watch me as I work the dried blood out of the fur. Mud and iron, thick in my nose. The fur's matted worse than I thought—going to take a while to get this done. Did I bank the fire under the stew? Yeah. Okay, focus.
"Got you good, didn't they?" I tell it, keeping my voice steady. "Teeth, from the look of it. Another wolf, probably. You need to stop making enemies."
The wolf makes a low sound that's neither whine nor growl.
"I know. I'm sure it wasn't your fault." I work carefully around the torn edges as warm water runs pink down my wrists. "Hold still—this part's not fun. Almost done, then we get to the paste, which you're going to hate. Fair warning."
I glance back at Kestria. Still by the table. Still rigid. Hereyes haven't left the wolf once.
"You talk to them the whole time?" she asks. Flat. Watching.
"Helps me focus. And they get the tone, even if they don't get the words." I rinse the cloth—water's already going pink, need to change it soon. "Calm voice means calm treatment. They relax."
"This one doesn't look relaxed."
Hm. Actually—she's right. The wolf's holding still for me, but its ears keep flicking toward Kestria. Muscles tense under my hands.
"You're making it nervous."
"Good."
"Kestria."
"What? I'm just standing here."
"You're standing there aggressively." I turn back to the wolf. "You're doing great, wolf. Best patient I've had all week. Ignore her."
"You said you had three this week."
"And this one's not bleeding on my floor, so it wins."
The wound's clear now—ugly but not deep, no bone showing, no sign of the gray infection that means real trouble.
I reach for the moonbright paste. "Here comes the part you hate. Hold still."
"Shh—there we go." I apply the paste and the wolf twitches, muscles bunching under my hands, but it doesn't pull away. Warm fur and the sharp-sweet smell of moonbright fill my nose.
"I know. It stings. You're fine." I work quickly, spreading the paste into the wound, and my fingers are going to be purple again. Just got them clean. "Almost done. Ten more seconds. Five more. There."
The wolf exhales, but it doesn't settle. Not with Kestria still standing there, rigid and watchful.
"Now I'm going to wrap this, and you're going to leave it alone. No chewing. No licking. If you mess with it, you're justgoing to make it worse."
I wrap the leg—snug but not tight—and tie it off. My knees are stiff now, aching from the hard floor.Ow. Okay.I should put padding down here for next time. Add that to the list.
"Done."
The wolf looks at its leg, then at me. Those pale green eyes—light and sharp, unsettling in a wolf face.
"Don't give me that look. It's going to heal fine." I stand, brushing off my knees. "Now go. And stay out of fights."
It stands, tests its weight on the injured leg, and limps toward the door. I open it and the wolf pauses on the threshold, glances back once—not at me this time, at Kestria—and disappears into the trees.
I close the door.
Kestria lets out a long breath, her shoulders dropping.
"What was that about?"
