HOLD ON TIGHTER / joining

Christ, did he fucking hurt. He heard Johnny squeaking from behind him, but he mostly ignored it, just trembling and struggling to stay on his feet. When Vathmos released her hold on his side, he let out a gasp of pain, grunting as he fell to ground a few steps back, still in front of Johnny but with a few feet placed between him and Vath. His breath came out in shallow gasps as he tried not to focus on the splitting pain of his possibly broken rib, closing his eyes briefly. The scent of his own blood filled his nose as he glared down the hyena, his ears pinning back as he growled, "Don't touch 'im. He's not yer fucking prey, he's sentient 'n' he's my friend. It's my fault he's 'ere... I'm not movin'." He repeated the last line firmly, despite the fact that his body was screaming with intense pain. Tail lashing behind him with his hackles raised, the nearly pure white canine turned his head to look at Johnny, wheezing out, "Hey Johnnycakes... why th'hell are you 'ere? This place is group territory... you woulda gotten snatched up if I hadn't been here..." He was trying his absolute hardest to keep his voice even and reassuring for Johnny, but he was beginning to feel a little lightheaded from blood loss, and would need a medic pretty soon.