If he'd been fifteen seconds faster, ten seconds faster- a moment faster- he could have taken the hit. Ozpin could smell the iron tang of gore and blood in his nose and he was fairly certain the pile of Grimm carcasses behind him was still oozing ichor even now. He'd been foolish to let his guard down out here. This shouldn't have been a problem, this should have been a walk in the park, and yet-
"Ozpin, stop it." Glynda's voice brought him back down to earth with astounding clarity, her fingers gripping his arm so hard it was almost painful. "It's not your fault."
The hunter leaned closer, bumping his forehead to hers with a strained sigh. With a bit of effort he sat back on his heels and shifted his footing, gripping under Glynda's arms and pulling despite the screaming protest and white-hot pain in his knee. He hadn't seen her take the hit that broke through her aura, but by the time he had felled the griffon intent on mauling him he had been just in time to watch her crumple to the forest floor.
Ozpin dragged them both away from the clearing, only stopping when he'd come to a rocky outcropping that could at least shield them from one side. With as much care as he could muster he helped her lean back against the stone, eyebrows coming together in heightened worry when he suddenly saw fresh blood on his hands.
"Glynda," he hissed, scrambling to look for the source, "You're-"
He found the wound; it was ragged and slowly oozing from the base of her ribcage as Glynda's drained aura struggled to mend it closed again. Despite the sharp gasp she made he pressed his palm against it, doing his best to stem the flow of blood.
"It'll heal, just give it a minute," she rasped, grasping his slick hand with far less strength than she had a just few moments ago, "It's fine."
"It's not fine!" Ozpin met her eyes, shifting closer to reinforce that he wasn't being convinced so easily. He recognized the response as her typical defense mechanism; head down, push on. That she would use it now when it was only the two of them only served to frustrate him to no end. "You can't fool me, Glyn, you hardly have a scrap of aura left."
Glynda's silence was damning.
Ozpin flattened his other palm against her side, lifting his chin so she could tuck her head into the crook of his shoulder with a quiet noise of pain. He was fairly low himself- although he had not taken a direct hit- but the need to stop her from bleeding out was far higher than avoiding his own discomfort. Carefully he pressed his aura against the shreds of hers, feeling the familiar flare of resistance under his hands before it recognized him as a non-threat.
Glynda sagged into him, breathing shallow but steady as the bit of aura he could safely give her melded seamlessly with her own. It certainly wasn't enough to heal the entire wound, but the strength he was able to lend her mended the surface closed with raw, angry tissue. She'd gone pale in the last five minutes- a fact Ozpin noted while nervously chewing the inside of his cheek- although her eyes were still alert. A promising sign, he hoped.
He smoothed his free hand over her hair, holding her close for a moment to give Glynda a chance to rest and catch her breath. With a grunt he settled down on his knees, eyes watching the creeping shadows he only hoped did not herald more Grimm. They weren't even that far from Vale and to be ambushed this close was a whole other worry to add to his ever-growing list. He'd have to post a few missions when they got back to clear out the area.
Minutes ticked by before she finally stirred against him, leaning her weight back and gently tapping his thigh. Ozpin took the hint, releasing her and pulling himself back to his feet with some effort. He took a moment to steady his own footing with his cane before he offered her his hand, gripping her elbow to haul her up beside him. Glynda swayed for a moment and Ozpin only hoped she could maintain her balance; if she went down he was fairly positive he'd go right down with her.
"M'good," she mumbled, her other hand gripping his shoulder like a vice, "Let's get out of here before it gets dark."
"You're going straight to the infirmary when we get back," he cut in, looping his arm around her back to help support her weight, "No excuses."
Glynda grumbled something he couldn't hear, but Ozpin knew by the time they made their way back to campus she would hardly have the energy to argue the point. It was probably better that way. They moved slowly until they'd managed to find a doable pace for both of them. If she was still in pain- and he was certain she was- Glynda was doing a fine job hiding it.
By the time they broke the treeline at the edge of the city she was noticeably limping alongside him, and although she looked positively exhausted at least she was alert. He paused their stride to reach for his scroll, intent on calling someone to meet them and get a ride back to Beacon. Their current appearances were not lost on him; between the two of them they were covered in enough dried blood and Grimm ichor to paint a rather stunning portrait.
"Easy there," he said, releasing Glynda when her balanced wavered to allow her to sit and rest for a moment, "I thought I was the only one with the limp here."
"Oh, fuck off," she replied, waving him away, "Everyone except James knows you don't really need that cane."
"And I'll take that secret to my grave." Despite it all he offered her a lopsided smile as he crouched in front of her. "Now let's get you home."