No demon had ever managed to break his pack's defenses before. They were getting soft. The demons in this area would need to be dealt with, otherwise blunders like this attack would happen again. For now, however, his mate needed attending to. She grasped at his fur while clutching her side. His ears flattened upon seeing her in pain again. He wrapped his arms around her and gently laid her back down on the pelts. He eyed the broken ribs, wishing he could do something more to help her accelerate her healing process. He would need something...something to keep her torso from moving around too much.
"Try not to move," he muttered, temporarily ignoring her questions. "It'll just aggravate your ribs. As for me and my pack, we'll be okay. A few injuries, but we'll live. The beetles are dead, but there are still more out there, along with countless other demons." He knew this would make her uneasy, but he needed to be sure and remind her of the dangers. "We are all going to be on high alert, so I can't send too many out for food and such, but I will do what I can for what you need. For now, I don't know if I can leave you behind just yet. My wolves seem to be treating you appropriately, but I want to be sure they don't do anything stupid."
Ulrick didn't turn his back to her. He didn't want her to see the large bite mark one of the beetles managed to plant on him. It stung like hell, but he kept his composure. He leaned down and was about to give her lips a lick as his way of kissing her, when he paused. Instead, he tried to kiss Crystal the way she was more likely to be used to, by pressing his lips against hers. He definitely wasn't used to it, but he knew he'd have to make some adjustments. He then pulled away and turned to his wolf comrades. A few had shallow gashes in their sides and limbs but the others simply appeared slightly tousled. The meals for the day would be significantly less...
"Alright wolves. We have some injured, so they will have to stay behind. I want seven of you out hunting for meat, fruit, and water. Ursu, you alone will be going into the wasteland cities. I need you to find something that will hold Crystal's ribs in place. Also, if you can manage, find some of those...clothing things for her," And with that, his wolves dispersed, the injured few remaining behind along with several other guard wolves standing at the mouth of the den. Ulrick turned to Crystal, again eyeing her ribs. "Don't worry about them. By the time we go to sleep tonight, they'll be healed. Starting tomorrow, we're going to start clearing out the surrounding demons. They shouldn't be a problem after that."
---
A few hours later, the wolves finally returned, carrying a moderate amount of food for all of them and, in addition, a wide array of fruits and vegetables for Crystal to choose from: apples, berries, grapes, carrots, tomatoes, you name it. Ursu was the last to arrive, hauling a massive bag that was stuffed with clothing and carrying a large role of bandages and a large splint. This wolf was among the smartest int he pack, being able to read the human language.
"Here you go, Ulrick, Crystal," he grunted as he dragged his loot to their bedding. "I wasn't sure what you liked, so I pretty much took everything in the store. And I saw that these--" he held up the bandages and splint "--are supposed to help hold your ribs in place."
Ulrick dragged the bag onto their bed and opened it as Ursu began work on applying the splint and bandages to Crystal, being careful to not touch her breasts for fear of incurring Ulrick's wrath. Meanwhile, the alpha male pawed through the clothing choices. There were a lot of casual-looking outfits--jeans, t-shirts, sandals, etc.--and a few dresses. He had a hard time understanding the need for clothing. He turned to Crystal and held the bag open for her to look in. "I'm not good with this sort of thing, so...you'll probably need to do the picking."
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