Ignoring her words for a long moment, it took everything in Akiiki's body to lift it up, blood seemed to come from nowhere as he stood, rushing down his side in small rivulets and soaking into his fur.
He really would need a bath in a watering hole once all these gashes and wounds were healed completely. He would feel all the better for it, truthfully.
Putting his weary paws to the ground, Aki limped on his deeply wounded hind leg over to the watering hole and managed to bend himself just enough to get his tongue wet. Quickly he snapped back up to standing, afraid that it wouldn't be only his tongue that would get wet but his whole cursed body if he stayed in that position upon the ground. Surely there was an easy way to go about this.
A sigh left his muzzle and Aki laid himself down at the water's edge, not responding to Maso's words despite having heard them. Rather his mind was going over and over and over what she'd asked of him, what she'd told him and the fact that she'd stayed with him even though he was clearly ruined in more manners than just having been gashed and busted.
For some unknown reason... Maso had stayed by his side when any other would have left him for dead, knowing his wounds to be grave. Surely that stood for something, surely that showed how strong she was mentally and physically both.
Maybe this would work out...
