hi,
although in the dream he was prepared to fight,he still got ripped to shreds,which may suggest him being out of his depth in some area,this may be work related or as tony suggested any kind of gang/collective group and your fears for him.
my own take on this is this,
not until the bond is broken,is the bond truly felt !
sometimes dreams show us horrible things happening to those close to us,to break us out of some sort of lethargy within that relationship,
the question to ask which may help you understand is ,
what did you feel about him after he was ripped to shreds,
did you feel great love and sense of loss at this,which would suggest that you are taking the relationship for granted somehow,and not sharing your true feelings,
losing him ,in the dream would make your true feelings come to the surface,so that you can put them into the relationship,before its to late,
i agree with tony's thoughts aswell,and this is just my small input,as the best person to interprate the dream is you,.
hope this is of use to you,
rgds mikey.