Erich watched the supposed healer as she left, tracking her motion until she finally returned inside and he could relax once more.

(Healer she might be now, but…)

(He recognized another predator when he saw one.)

The good news was that she was on his side, at least for now. The bad news was that he had no idea how long he would remain in her favor; she seemed to take amusement from the idea that allying with him would cause the Soutaichou a headache, but he didn’t yet know if that was the only reason she liked him.

He leaned against the railing and tipped his head back to scan the darkening sky—

(Had she seen—had she sensed—had she heard—)

—before blowing out a smoke-tinged breath and dragging his gaze back down to earth.

(Alexis would never linger so close to Shinigami.)

(Why did he even bother…?)

(He had no time to woolgather when there were so many other things to handle.)

He should be back inside with the teens, shoring up Uryuu and getting to know the hatchling’s chosen. If he was going to return to the Living World with them as Kurosaki had suggested, he really did need to be seen as more than just the great, terrifying beast that had snatched one of their own away.

Erich blew out another breath and rubbed a hand across his muzzle, reluctant to move from his place while Unohana remained inside. Being trapped in a small space with another predator was not his idea of a good time, but…

She was in there with Uryuu, a hatchling who couldn’t protect himself or his hoard and who couldn’t call to him the way Dragons did.

Shoving away from the railing with a grunt, Erich stalked back inside, returning to the room where everyone was gathered. The food was mostly cleared away and everyone seemed to be in good spirits, though Uryuu was still glued to Kurosaki’s side; how Kurosaki had managed to slip away to talk with him before was a mystery.

(He knew exactly how territorial a Dragon could become after a scare.)

(He’d been there many times before.)

Unohana gave him a knowing look as he settled at Uryuu’s side and spread a wing to cover his hatchling’s back, to which he simply narrowed his eyes and stared at her until she looked away with a smirk.

“Are you… okay?” Uryuu murmured as he cast a hesitant look up at Erich, hands tightening into fists.

“It’s been a long day,” Erich answered, tucking his wing across Uryuu’s shoulders in reassurance. Uryuu’s quiet happiness at the action made him want to challenge Uryuu’s caretaker to combat, but… that wasn’t what Uryuu needed. Uryuu needed someone who would think of him first, not give in to emotional whims. “How are you faring?”

“I…” Uryuu’s gaze darted around the room and then dropped to focus on the floor in front of him. “I’m fine,” he murmured.

Erich hummed, quietly doubting Uryuu’s statement but not wanting to question it in front of everyone else; Uyruu’s trust in him was still new and fragile and he refused to do anything to damage it.

Unohana caught his eye and nodded once as she discretely gestured towards Uryuu and let her hand light with a green power that felt like healing. The gesture made him blink in surprise — she’d healed Uryuu? — but he slowly nodded in return, willing to accept the silent reassurance even if it came from a Shinigami.

(He’d see if he could catch her later to ask what she’d healed, but… an actual healer looking after his charge was more than he’d expected.)

(He wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.)

The soft click of a plate being set down next to him drew his gaze away from Unohana, and he frowned down at the food then over at Ukitake.

“You didn’t eat anything this morning,” Ukitake reminded him with a small, kind smile. “And I know what I brought you probably wasn’t enough—”

“It was plenty,” Erich interrupted, tail twitching as he tried to reconcile Ukitake’s continued friendliness with the stories he’d grown up with.

(He didn’t think he’d ever grow used to it.)

Ukitake hesitated then blew out a short breath. “I suppose you know yourself best, Rerugen-san,” he said with a nod that didn’t disguise the flash of worry in his eyes as he said it. “Please feel free to help yourself whenever you’re hungry, however.”

“Thank you.” Whether he would take Ukitake up on that offer or not was debatable, but the thought was kind. It wasn’t even that the food was from a Shinigami, though that didn’t help, but rather… he’d lived on the edge of starvation for years. He knew exactly what he couldn’t do, and gorging himself on the suddenly plentiful food was one of the worst things he could do.

Small meals spaced apart would have to do until his body adjusted again.

(The Rukongai was not a place he’d wish upon anyone with spiritual powers.)

(Too little food, too much suspicion, too much danger…)

(How any souls lived there he had no idea.)

Uryuu leaning into his wing drew his attention away from Ukitake and he gave his hatchling a thoughtful look, taking in the barely concealed exhaustion and the way Uryuu was beginning to droop. “Ukitake-san, is there a place we may sleep for the night?”

His question both startled and pleased the Shinigami judging by the warm smile he got as Ukitake rose to his feet. “Of course. Come, I have a few guest rooms you can use. I’ll show you where everything is and then let you sort yourselves out.”

“My thanks,” Erich said as he stood and urged Uryuu to his feet as well. “Let’s get you to bed, hmm? Before you fall asleep sitting upright.”

Uryuu scowled at him, all prickly, offended pride, and said, “I’m fine, I’m not going to fall asleep.”

“That you are still awake after the day you had is a credit to your strength, not a weakness,” Erich murmured as he gently drew Uryuu closer with a wing and tucked the hatchling against his side. The fact that Uryuu didn’t fight him despite the scowl was pleasing; he hadn’t yet overstepped his boundaries. “I’ve known grown men who couldn’t stay awake longer than a few hours a day for weeks after using a Leiden Hant. Your body is healing, let it have the rest it needs, alright?”

“I guess,” Uryuu mumbled as he ducked his head, letting Erich steer him out of the room without a fight.

“I won’t be far,” he reassured as he followed Ukitake through the home, absently memorizing the layout as they went. “I have no intention of leaving without you.”

“You promise…?”

Erich swallowed back the fury that rose at Uryuu’s soft, plaintive tone, swallowed back the urge to hunt whoever had put it there, and said, “I promise.”

Uryuu looked up at him, resigned and accepting and with the tiniest spark of hope peeking through, and then away. “Alright…”

(Hope.)

(His hatchling was starting to believe him…)

A soft rumble built in his chest, happiness making him tug Uryuu closer as he dipped his head to nuzzle at Uryuu’s soft hair.

The offended squawk only made it better.

(He wasn’t alone…)

(He wasn’t alone!)

(It wasn’t his mate and his clan but—)

(He wasn’t alone!)