By the time you slipped back into camp, the rain had already started again. It fell softly through the canopy in silver strands, turning the pathways slick beneath your feet and leaving the entire village wrapped in that dim blue darkness that came just before night fully settled in. Most people were still awake. Hunters returning. Children being ushered inside. Voices drifting quietly between the marui.

You tried to walk normally despite the sting along your ribs. One scratch crossed your shoulder badly enough to leave dried blood down your arm, and there were smaller cuts scattered across your legs from sprinting through the forest, but overall, you were fine. Tired. Shaken maybe. But alive.

Which suddenly felt like a problem the second you saw Jake.

He was already moving toward you before you could even think about avoiding him, shoulders tense beneath the damp leather crossing his chest. Someone must have told him you were missing earlier. His expression alone made your stomach tighten immediately. Not anger yet. Worse. Relief mixed with the kind of fear that turned sharp around the edges.

Then his eyes dropped to the blood on your arm.

His face hardened instantly.

“Where were you?”

The question came low and controlled, which somehow made it more intimidating than yelling would have. Rain clung to the loose strands of dark hair around his face while he stepped closer, eyes scanning every visible injury with terrifying speed.

You admitted it before you could stop yourself. A small human squad had been spotted near the outer forest. You and a few others had followed them. It was supposed to be quick. Easy.

Jake stared at you for a long moment after that, completely motionless except for the sharp rise and fall of his chest. Around you, the sounds of the village suddenly felt very far away.

“You went after armed humans,” he repeated quietly.

You tried explaining that you handled it. That nobody got seriously hurt. That the humans were gone now. But the more you spoke, the worse his expression became. Not furious exactly. Horrified.

“You could’ve died.”

The words snapped out of him this time. His voice cracked hard enough to make you flinch. A few nearby conversations went silent. Jake immediately lowered his tone again afterward, like he hated losing control in public, but the damage was already done.

He dragged a hand over his face before looking back at you, jaw tight enough to hurt. “Do you have any idea what it’s like watching kids your age run into battles like they’re invincible?”

Kids your age.

The phrase landed heavily. Because for a second he wasn’t looking at you anymore. Not entirely. There was something haunted sitting behind his eyes now, something exhausted and terrified and grieving all at once.

Neteyam.

You saw it immediately.

Jake exhaled shakily through his nose before stepping forward again, this time grabbing your jaw gently but firmly enough to make you hold still while he inspected the scratch near your temple. His hands were rough, slightly trembling despite how hard he tried hiding it.