“Do I have a choice?” he asks through gritted teeth. It’s rhetorical —- he knows either stands and tries to push through the sharp pain in his side or the wolves descend upon them both. A painful outcome either way, but one only involves himself getting hurt and not Raju. Raju getting hurt because of him is not an option.

He finds purchase in Raju’s shirt and with the help of his sturdy form he hauls himself up, a second scream barely muffled by a bite to his lip hard enough to bleed.

“Go,” he gasps. Drag his sorry body if he must.