The pain was worse than anything he'd ever felt before. It spread through his entire body, mercilessly, never letting up. He knew he was screaming, could feel his vocal chords shredding with the force of them, but all he cared about was the pain. He wanted it to stop, but it kept going and going until he thought death would be better than this.
And then all of a sudden the pain was gone. The relief was so huge, his vision blacked and it was only the sound of his father's voice, the feel of his hands that kept him conscious. He was dragged to his feet, whimpering in protest even as he grabbed at his father to keep from falling.