Words: 1023 Lakshmi was tired.
The day had been long so far, aiding Apokreis with the aftermath of an awful vision was hard, his stomach always twisted in knots seeing the young dog writhe and sob in pain. It was times like this where he felt like he couldn’t be a healer - that perhaps his days would be better spent tending to the flowers or hunting.
He sucked in a small breath, a fine tremor racing down his spine and then refusing to let up. He wondered if it was something physical or something in his mind. He trembled and shook, but clenched his teenth together in an effort to still his body. And effort that his body completely ignored.
He wondered if he could find his brothers, or one of the other healers. Perhaps he was sick. He shook his head though, suddenly gasping for breath. He stumbled in his steps, and he stopped so he wouldn’t fall. Instead he say near a small bed of flowers, looking down at the green gras beneath his feet. He felt like sobbing, but the feeling wouldn’t quite well over and allow him.
He wasn’t sure how long he was sitting there, but obviously it was long enough to draw the attention of one of the pack’s guard - a Kiambaza, as they were called here. He’d seen her around, very briefly. The other Kiambaza was the sister of Apokreis, who he had spent nearly the entire day with today.
He sucked in a sharp breath.
“--kay?” Lakshmi snapped his attetion back to the other dog, flinching back when he realized how close she was. His breathing stuttered and he gasped for breath. It felt like a lions paw was pressing harshly into his throat and he couldn’t catch his breath. The darkly colored dog stepped back, hesitant.
“You’re alright, I didn’t mean to startle you,” the dark dog said calmly, unwilling to startle the silver boy again. Lakshmi shook his head, gasping again. He coughed as his lungs tried to fill again with air. It hurt.
Kiana gave a soft hum. “Is it alright if I step closer?” She asked, her voice still guarded and gentle. Lakshmi eyed her warily before nodding. Kiana stepped closer. She was large, for a female, her chest deep and muscles strong. Lakshmi was small compared to her. He wasn’t the smallest of his siblings, of course, but that didn’t mean Kiana wasn’t a daunting presence before him.
He’d be terrified if he ever had to fight her.
But the soft, silver dog wasn’t a fighter. He was a healer, and would never raise a paw to hurt another in battle. It was just how he was. It took another coughing gasp for him to focus his attention back on the dog in front of him.
“Can you try to match your breathing to mine?” She asked. He wouldn’t expect for such a large and imposing figure to be so soft and gentle with him. He briefly wondered if she’d ever killed, but he listened and found her breathing pattern.
He tried to breathe with her, taking in a sharp breath with she started inhaling, and blowing it out far too quickly. But she stepped closer, breathing more slowly. Keeping herself calm.
Lakshmi felt his breathing start to match hers, he felt the tension start to leave his shoulders, but not enough to stop the stress from remaining across his back.
But he was no longer clenching his jaw, and he could breathe like any other dog living in the pride. She told him more gentle praises, telling him what a good job he was doing for breathing with her. It took a long moment for Lakshmi to speak again once his heart rate felt like it returned to a normal rate.
Kiana remained a silent presence near him all the while, concern in her furrowed brow.
She stepped a bit closer to him, but not enough to quite invade his personal space. “Are you okay now?” She asked softly, red eyes staring intensely into his own blue ones. It took him a moment, but he gave a shakey nod, his shoulders hunching again with the tension of the situation.
Kiana’s tongue clicked softly and he turned his attention back to her.
“I saw you from my post,” The dark dog explained. “Koka came to relieve me of my duties and said you left looking a little distressed.” His ears flicked up towards Kiana. Lakshmi swallowed, feeling like all the water was sucked from his mouth. He gave her a nod, trying to stand on shaky paws.
“She told me to tell you that Apokreis was doing better, and appreciates your help.” The silver dog nodded again, a jerky, shaky motion. Maybe the situation was making the female dog feel a bit awkward, he wasn’t sure, but she nearly stepped back away from her. He wondered if she would just walk away now that he was fine.
Well, not fine but he could probably manage on his own.
Expect he couldn’t, and as soon as he took a step back towards her, he tripped, nearly bashing his muzzle into the ground beneath his feet. She gave him a lopsided smile.
“Come on, I’ll take you to the river so you can drink. Perhaps the motion of the water can calm you even more,” She hummed. She asked if she could touch him again, aligning her body next to his as she led him to the water. He made a grateful sound as he drank and smiled at her once his throat was finally soothed.
“Thank you,” Lakshmi told Kiana, the sincerity shining through. He gave her a grateful smile, and she smiled back at him.
She took a step back, laughing a bit. “You should be able to make your way home from here, but I’ve got to return to my post,” She looked a little sad at the thought. The expression didn’t last long, because she grinned again. “But I’d like to see you again very soon.”
Lakshmi flushed, but a shy smile gave him away.
“I’d like that...”