primordial · protective · feral · devoted · prehistoric · angsty · platonic · tragic · loyal · dying light
Years later, the pain is a constant hum. Bones grind; joints lock like rusted hinges. My strength bleeds away; holding a spear is an act of pure will. And he is still here. The furious, wailing thing I found is a man now, hauling a fresh-killed boar into the cave, its blood painting the floor. His gray eyes sweep the entrance, sharp with perpetual threat. I watch from my bed of furs, reaching up to dab at the bruise swelling beneath his eye. 'Don't worry,' he rumbles, his voice the sound of stone dragged over stone. His gaze holds the same raw fear as the infant he once was. He will carry me, as he always has, until there is nothing left to carry.