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Warriors broke the surface, gasping for air. He coughed and sputtered over the water in his throat, heaving as he threw up mouthfuls of swallowed river water. His clothes were heavy, soaked through, and it left him shivering in the autumn light as he fought for air on his hands and knees.
The captain lifted his head, surveying the small flat ahead of him. A deer kept a cautious gaze on him from the treeline, but otherwise, Warriors was alone— Twilight!
Warriors gasped, looking over his shoulder frantically, the river rushed by, the splintered remains of their raft dashed across the rocks. The rapids swirled and churned so quickly that not even octoroks made a home in the water.
“Tw— hackhack —Twilight!” Warriors rasped, scrambling to the edge of the river.
He could see a dark cloudy trail of blood vanishing beneath the froth. Warriors cursed to himself, fighting out of his boots and clothes. Stripped down to just his undergarments, the captain swallowed a deep breath of air and plunged into the water.
Immediately, the current threatened to sweep him away. His muscles burned as he fought against it, spying the rancher drifting on the muddy floor. Warriors dove down, grabbing at his brother. Twilight’s clothes were impossibly heavy.
The captain’s chest burned as he pulled what he could from Twilight. The man’s sword and shield tumbled away in the rapids, his furs vanishing downstream with his sash and cord. Warriors struggled to peel the chainmail from Twilight’s body.
The captain kicked up to the surface, gasping for air. Dizzy from deprivation, he took in another deep breath and dove once more. He grabbed Twilight beneath the arms and with all his might, fought to kick his brother above the surface.
Warriors choked on water as he broke through, his body desperate for air. His vision dimmed for a moment, the captain blacking out. He came to, washed up on the shallow banks with Twilight in his arms still.
The rancher was slack, still halfway in the water. Warriors forced himself to his feet and dragged Twilight to safety.
Blood and water dripped from the rancher’s drowsy curls, trickling down his neck and staining his clothes. His lips were parted, blue in color, and his complexion was gray. Warriors sat Twilight up, placed his palm and fist beneath the man’s ribs, and thrust .
Twilight gasped to life, tipping forward as he vomited. Water, seagrass, and silt all came up from his stomach and lungs. He wheezed and sputtered, gasping down harsh breaths. Warriors sighed in relief, holding Twilight upright as the man purged his body of all the water he’d swallowed.
“I’ve got you,” Warriors said.
Twilight mumbled incoherently, sagging in the captain’s arms. Under his wet hair, Warriors saw a deep gash where the rancher’s skull split.
The captain lay Twilight down, hurrying for his medical supplies. His knees were weak, body shaking as it screamed for a rest. Warriors snatched up his bag, kneeling over Twilight.
The rancher’s eyes fell shut, his head lolling to the side. Warriors frowned, pressing on Twilight’s nail until the man came to with a startled, wheezy gasp. Glassy eyes wandered the captain without recognition. Twilight’s gaze drifted upwards to the sky.
“Twilight,” Warriors demanded. “Twilight, can you hear me?”
Twilight’s eyes slipped towards the captain, fluttering for a moment. The rancher picked up one heavy hand, though the effort was monumental. He barely managed to brush his fingers across Warriors before his arm fell heavy to the ground.
Warriors clicked his tongue. He used his thumbs to push up Twilight’s eyelids, finding the right eye dilated and the left eye narrow. The white of the right eye was stained bright red, a deep bruise fading into existence over his cheek and swollen ear. His lip was fat and split on that side, and Warriors spied a gap in Twilight’s teeth.
The captain held his finger over Twilight’s face. “Link,” he ordered clearly, speaking slowly, “follow my finger.”
Twilight let out a sleepy sigh, catching up to the instructions after a moment. Another murmur passed his lips, and he did his best to follow as Warriors drew a slow line through the air. Twilight’s eyes dipped, the man sinking back into unconsciousness for a moment.
Warriors raised his gaze, hoping one of the others would crest the cliff any moment. He hoped the others had fared better in the crash than he and Twilight, but he feared what it meant if they were left worse .
The captain threw open his medical pouch, digging inside. He winced as a shard of broken glass cut his fingertip. His only red potion stained his equipment, the shattered bottle gathering in the bottom of his bag. Warriors cursed, dumping the contents on the ground.
There was little he could do for Twilight’s injury beyond sutures and a tight bandage. The captain would have to do all he was able.
Determined, Warriors pushed Twilight’s head over. The rancher’s fingers idly curled into the soft grass, his eyes falling shut again. The captain quickly used his shears to trim the hair around the deep cut. Twilight woke with a whine, flailing sluggishly as Warriors cleaned the bloody wound with rubbing alcohol.
“I know,” Warriors hushed, “I know.”
Tears tracked down Twilight’s face, the man unable to make anything other than a blank expression despite his misery.
Warriors threaded his needle, pinned Twilight’s head down, and began to stitch. He sewed a ladder stitch along the curve of the wound, grimacing at how deep it went. Twilight couldn’t drum up the strength to fight, but he sobbed all the while, entirely helpless and without any idea what was happening to him. Warriors felt guilt thriving in his chest. He wished he could cut through Twilight’s stupor and reassure him, but any explanation he tried was lost in the rancher’s fog.
The captain pulled the seam shut, quickly deserting his thread and needle for a roll of clean bandages. He lifted Twilight’s head, propping it up on his knee. Jerking the bandage to pull it taut, the captain wound a tight dressing around the rancher’s head. Some blood bled through the cotton, but clearly, the pressure of the bandage brought some relief to Twilight.
“There,” Warriors said. “All done.”
Twilight rolled his head, fumbling to reach out for the captain. Warriors took Twilight’s cold, wet hand between his own bloody ones, squeezing the man’s fingers gently.
“Let’s warm up,” the captain murmured.
Twilight’s eyes rolled shut again, his chest falling with a deep sigh.
Warriors dragged himself to his feet, gathering branches and bits of dried driftwood to start a fire. He changed his own clothes first, laying his wet clothing in the grass to dry. Having cast away Twilight’s supplies in the river, the captain had to dress the rancher in a spare change of his own. The top was tight in Twilight’s shoulders, but too long as it reached his knees.
The captain lay out his bedroll and dragged Twilight on top of it to put something between the unconscious rancher and the earth. The autumn day was mild, the breeze cool. Exhausted, Warriors sat by the fire to await rescue.