Mateo shot a suspicious glance ander's way. "i need to speak with you _alone_."
"there's nothing you need to say to me you can't say in front of ander. now what is it?"
"'ander'?" mateo said, incredulous.
Ander, Clean, Fox, Kiana, Mateo, Novel, Serial, Story, Wolf
#97 of ander
24
the whispers started immediately, and the words washed through ander's head one after the other.
"serves him right."
"he got exactly what he deserved, siding with ander like that. it's disgraceful."
Ander, Anthro, Clean, Fox, Novel, Story, Wolf
Mateo shot a suspicious glance ander's way. "i need to speak with you _alone_."
"there's nothing you need to say to me you can't say in front of ander. now what is it?"
"'ander'?" mateo said, incredulous.
Ander, Anthro, Clean, Fox, Novel, Story, Wolf
#423 of ander
88
"no..." that was all ander had time to say.
banno lunged forward, jaws working, teeth snapping. the tines of the pitchfork scraped along the stairs, scratching three thick furrows into the wood.
Ander, Anthro, Clean, Fox, Novel, Story, Wolf
_ the thought played nonsensically through ander's mind, and then they did go over.
ander smashed, shoulder first, onto the first step.
Ander, Clean, Fox, Novel, Serial, Story, Wolf
Hacking and coughing, banno clawed at ander's arm, his tongue hanging from his mouth, but ander refused to release his grip.
Ander, Anthro, Clean, Fox, Novel, Story, Wolf
ander shook him gently, barely touching him at all.
a moan, a whimper of pain. hezzi was still alive!
"hezzi!"
"ander," he said, clutching his stomach. "it hurts..."
_it hurts_. ander never realized how bad those simple words could be.
Ander, Clean, Fight, Fox, Garten, Hezzi, Novel, Serial, Story, Wolf, shekka
"stay behind me," ander whispered. "don't talk to him. i'll handle this."
"it's not polite to whisper in front of company, ander. so rude of you."
"what do you want, banno?"
Ander, Banno, Clean, Fox, Kiana, Novel, Serial, Story, Wolf