Elemental Kingdom

Snow was fast asleep as a tiger in front of the fire, she had tried waiting up for him after she put Ethan to bed but she eventually fell asleep after assuming that he wasn't coming back tonight.

Blaze stood in the doorway and watched her for a long moment. Eventually, and it took him much longer than it should have, he managed to shift, padded ever so slowly over to her, and slowly eased himself onto the floor next to her.

Snow stirred at feeling his heat close. "You're late." She told him sleepily.

"Mm, I'm sorry," Blaze mumbled in reply, tired now that he'd put his head down. "Did Ethan settle down easily enough?"

She nodded. "After a few hours, he woke up screaming not long ago, his nightmares are getting worse."

"Doesn't surprise me." Blaze yawned widely, and the fire burned a little brighter in response.

"Blaze he dreams of war that isn't normal." She told him. "He's only a boy, war should be the last time on his mind." She sighed.

"Considering the state of the crown, it sounds prophetic."

"When they send children to fight?" She added.

"You weren't here for the Western Province Conflict, where they sent anybody aged ten or over that could wield an element to fight. Our country is as brutal as it is fair to it's inhabitants."

"I know." She sighed before she heard screaming. "I'll sort him."

"Then, I'm going to wash up." Blaze eased himself to his paws and briefly leaned against her supportively, nuzzling against her shoulder before padding out of the room, only shifting into his battered human form when he was past the doorway and she wouldn't see.

"I know you're bleeding by the way." She called after him as she saw the trail of blood that followed him as she shifted human and she went into Ethan's room shaking him awake and then whilst he was awake and crying she pulled him onto her lap.

"It's nothing much!" Blaze called back from the bathroom, quietly tending his wounds with a professional, steady hand.

Ethan was too busy crying on Snows shoulder. "Don't let them take me." He begged. "Don't let them take me."

Blaze examined his jaw in the mirror, eyes narrowed both at how deep the cut was, and how close it had gotten to his throat.

Snow ended up picked Ethan up so that he was almost attached to her chest with his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist and she walked outside into the night air just pacing with him in the cold night to try and help him calm down and sleep.

Scrambling through the bathroom cupboard, Blaze pulled out a needle and thread and took in steadying breath as he threaded the needle.

Snow walked around until Nathan fell asleep.

It took several minutes, but Blaze managed to shut the gaping wound in his face, and started to clean his face.

Snow stayed outside and she froze as she heard something coming towards her.

Blaze braced his hands on the edge of the sink and took in slow, calm breaths, only wincing when a flame popped by his ear and crackled for a few seconds and then guttered back out.

"Blaze..." Snow spoke her eyes searching for the sound of the footsteps.

Blaze tilted his head, scrubbed at his jaw, and then walked slowly towards the door, having heard her.

As Blaze appeared the footsteps stopped. "That's the third time now."