"Hey, you!"

Dan isn't talking to Elle as he thunders in on that stolen horse, wielding his longbow and accompanying arrow with so much ease that you'd think he was born with it in his hand. He's trying to get the attention of the nightrender as it moves in on Elle, and he's successful - successful enough in getting its attention that he can fire an arrow through its foot and into the thick mud, hoping that that'll help pin it.

"Get away from her." Dan pulls the horse around again and pins the nightrender's other foot, aware that telling someone to back off while pinning them in place is counterintuitive, but hoping he's making his point clear. He jumps off the horse and grabs Elle, trying to drag her away from the nightrender and get her on the horse-

-when Elle's bad memories crash into his own mind so hard it's almost like the nightrender itself has got him again. Dan gasps and lets go of Elle, then goes to help her up again.

"It's okay. It's not real. It's not happening right now," he whispers in her ear with that scratchy, ragged voice of his, his throat constricted from what he just saw.