The moment she had succumbed to her own weight, he knew he could never shake such an odious feeling. He could practically feel his own insides collapse with her, a sudden sinking in the pit of his stomach that made his gut churn with sickness. Yet, he had to remain strong if not for her sake. He had been weak before, unable to help or protect, but not anymore. Though his legs wished to shiver and shake, he kept them as stiff and sturdy as ever; his hackles flared and bristled, his mind a cloud of confusion. The injuries he could see seemed deep, and he could not help but project his mother onto her when he sighted the wound across her throat. It wept blood and he could no longer stay put; he had to move closer to her, offering her the warmth and stability of his body. But what else could he do? He had never learnt to heal. The most he knew about plants was which one's he could eat and which one's would make him ill. That was useless!

As he moved to groom her, he felt her close, her moment of affection not unnoticed. Instantly, he shuffled his weight about and began to lower beside her, attempting to wrap his massive body around her own. That was, she would not need to worry about the cold or the wet that the swamps threatened her with. Instead, he'd take it all for her. If he could do that much, at least he could allow her to rest while he... attempted to understand his next move. Instinctively, he wanted to find her assailant immediately. He wanted to skin whoever had done this alive and yet, something within him told him that he could not. He had to stay here with her and so, he did. He continued to groom and warm, ensuring never to press his weight against her or put his teeth within an inch of her. He was simply... too afraid that she might break more. The mention of death, however, brought a quiet growl to his throat, but he shook it off with a shake of his head.

"I will fight death off myself if I have to."

The truth was, however, that even he knew he could not do that. Death came suddenly and without warning but regardless, he lifted his head to scan the swamps as if some ethereal darkness would be seen waiting in the shadows. There was nothing, though, nothing but the vast silence of the reeds and still water. He'd have to call for a healer soon and yet, he hoped one would simply stumble upon them. Could they not smell the blood? Could they not feel the wrongness in the air? But then, her voice broke the silence and stillness once more. Kaius. The name made his ears slick back against his skull, his lips taut and body rigged. The mere mention of the name sent his skin prickling with anger and yet, her words only grew graver by the second. He listened in dead silence, his body just as still as the marshes as his breathing slowed into a haggard, drawn out sound. Somewhere in his breaths, a growl threatened to raise its head.

"You are safe now."

He bit back the words, meeting her eyes with a sharp turn of his head as he completed her story. He despised the images that moved like memories in his mind; he could practically see the events unfold before him, smell the dirt and the blood. Still, he could not help but smile when she spoke of booting him off a cliff.

"That's because you are strong. Together, though, we will stop him. For good."

He tried to grin once more, some kind of effort to put her more at peace. Still, though, they had to do something to make her healthy once again. Of all the injuries, Astaroth had no idea how to absolve these ones. Food and water would not do it, not fast at least.