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A groan left Warriors, the man shifting uncomfortably as he gathered himself. He flicked his tongue in and out, trying and failing to shake bits of dirt and leaves from his mouth. As he opened his eyes, he hissed in discomfort. There was silt in his right eye, nagging at him as tears welled up to flush it out. The captain dragged a hand towards his face, smearing more loose crumbs of soil across his skin.
He let out a long breath, finally managing to pry himself upright. He sagged forward, staring at his half buried lap in mild confusion. The captain peered back up towards the ridge, his eyes following a fresh slope over turned earth. The soil beneath him was soft and pillowy, stuck to his skin and leaving a film as it dried. It cooled the back of his neck, it shifted under his clothes.
A few curses drew his attention just downhill of his foot. Twilight picked himself up from the dirt, tousling earth from his curls.
“Rancher,” the captain acknowledged.
Twilight shifted an irritated look towards the captain. He grunted in greeting.
“Are you alright?”
“I’ll get back t’ ya on that,” Twilight grumbled as he brushed dirt from his arms. “You?”
Warriors hummed, turning his arms over and prodding beneath his own knees. The landslide had been mild it seemed, and save a few new bumps and bruises, the captain was largely unscathed.
“I believe so,” he said as he unburied himself.
The captain stood, tripping as the ground beneath him gave somewhat. He landed firmly in a crouch, his arms outstretched to help find his balance. For a moment, he was still, but then the ground settled. Warriors frowned at some sensation in the sole of his foot. He sat down to wrestle his boot off, knocking a small stone out of the shoe.
Twilight gently pinched an earthworm from the inside of his collar, tossing it aside with a soft huff. He swept his palms together in some futile attempt to clean them and finally, rose to his feet—-
“ Gah! ” The ranched crumbled to one knee, hands latching around his left ankle. He grimaced in pain, tears beading at the corners of his eyes.
“Twilight,” Warriors pressed, quickly tugging his boot back on.
Twilight shook his head quickly. “I’m fine, it’s fine,” he eased through his teeth. “Jus’ smarts a bit’s all.”
“Let me have a look.”
“Cap’n, I’m sure it’s nothin’—”
“Rancher,” Warriors said sternly, “if you can’t stand, you can’t walk. If you can’t walk, I don’t think I’m able to carry you. Let me see.”
Twilight’s face twisted in some vague distress. It was no secret the rancher hated to be a burden—or to feel like a burden, more accurately—and that guilt showed in his frown. Reluctantly, he nodded, sitting down and stretching out his leg.
As gently as he was able, Warriors pulled the rancher’s boot away. He set it aside as Twilight rolled down his stocking and rolled up his trousers. The captain’s eyes took in Twilight’s calf, only spying a few faint scratches and a darkening bruise. Finally, Twilight rolled his stocking under his heel and there was the answer.
“Oh rancher,” Warriors sighed sympathetically.
Twilight hissed in pain as he turned his foot over, fingers prodding at the swollen joint. Warriors was certain it wasn’t broken, given how Twilight curled his toes in pain and was able to flex his foot. Still, the rancher’s ankle was swelling rapidly, nearly the width of his foot, and turning darker and darker by the second.
“Don’t think it’s broke any,” Twilight managed as he flexed his foot up and down and side to side. “Reckon it’s a sprain.”
“A nasty sprain,” Warriors agreed. “If we stabilise it, do you think you’ll be able to walk? Using me as a support, I mean.”
Twilight nodded quickly. “Yeah,” he answered too readily.
Warriors knew better than to trust Twilight’s own estimations, but there was little reason for argument. If he could get Twilight to at least agree to lean on him, then Warriors considered that a victory. The captain opened his bag, pawing through his medical supplies. They were both out of healing items, but Warriors kept his larger medical kit in his pouch at all times.
He drew out an ice jelly he borrowed from Wild, handing it to Twilight. As the captain found all the things for a tight bandage, Twilight iced the injury. Relief was plain in Twilight’s face as the frosty touch of the jelly sapped some of the pain from every throb.
“How badly does it hurt?” Warriors pried. “I have some pain medicine—”
Twilight shook his head swiftly. “Ain’t that bad,” he answered.
“I didn’t ask if it was bad, Twilight,” Warriors said shortly. “I asked how bad.”
Twilight pinched his face in slight annoyance. The more the heroes grew close to one another, the more they learned what questions to ask to get the answers they needed. Twilight was the last of them to ever admit he was hurt or even suffering from a headache. The rancher had a high pain tolerance and in Warriors’ mind, that was more of a curse than a blessing.
“It hurts,” Twilight agreed quietly.
Warriors nodded as he rinsed dirt and sweat from Twilight’s foot and ankle. If he could get Twilight to admit he was in pain, then the captain knew the injury was far more severe than the rancher let on.
“I see,” Warriors hummed. “We’ll get you wrapped up and then you’ll have some medicine.”
“Cap’n,” Twilight said, “it ain’t so big’a deal.”
“There’s no reason to make you suffer. You can either take some now and make the walk back that much more tolerable, or you can take some when we’re back at camp.”
Twilight scowled. “Or I don’t take any —”
“That’s not an option, rancher.”
Warriors leveled frown at his brother. With one hand, he simply pinched the swollen ankle. Twilight yelped in pain and surprise, lurching forward with a shudder. He grasped his calf in his hands, nails digging into the skin. A few weak swears were lobbed at the captain, but Warriors simply ignored them.
“It’s your only option,” Warriors replied curtly.
Twilight glared up at the captain, tears wetting his eyes. “You’s a sadist,” he spit.
“And I’m convinced you must be a masochist.”
Twilight sniffled, wiping his damp nose on his dirty sleeve. Unbothered, Warriors lifted Twilight’s ankle into his lap and began to wrap a bandage around it, tugging often to keep it taught.
“You got dropped as a baby,” Twilight grumbled. “You’s all bridled in the head, ya hear?”
“Better than being bridled in the ankle,” Warriors fired back.
Twilight’s face soured, but the rancher said nothing more. He knew he was on the losing end of the argument.
Warriors pinned the bandage in place, giving it two gentle pats. “Roll you sock back up,” he said. “I’ll put your boot in my bag—I’m not sure we’d be able to get it back on. And even then, I think we’d have to cut it off.”
“It’s fine ,” Twilight protested. “Ain’t like my leg’s broke.”
“You’re leg doesn’t need to be broken for your ankle to swell,” Warriors remarked. “It looks like there’s an octorok under your skin.”
Twilight huffed shortly. “ Fine ,” he conceded.
“Thank you. Now then, medicine before you walk on it or after?”
Twilight folded his arms, turning his scowl aside in some weak tantrum. Warriors knew the rancher hoped the subject would be dropped if he stayed quiet for long enough, but the captain waited for an answer. Twilight grew more annoyed as the seconds turned into a minute.
“Now,” Twilight begrudged.
Warriors nodded. “Alright, now it is.”
And all that did was confirm the captain’s suspicions. Twilight was in enough pain to agree without much fuss to taking a dose of pain medicine. On any other of the boys, Warriors assumed that sort of pain would cripple them for at least two days. Twilight was nothing if not infuriatingly stubborn, even if it hurt.
The captain poured a slimy green syrup into a small spoon. Twilight wrinkled his nose over its strong odor, but managed to choke it down. He immediately chased the tincture with fresh water, hoping to flush the bitter flavor from the back of his tongue.
“Ready?” Warriors asked once he finished packing his things.
Twilight nodded, offering up his hands. The captain took them, pulling the rancher up to his foot. Twilight swayed, trying to find his balance, but then Warriors was under his arm to support him. Neither of the men commented on the others’ smell or filth, and Warriors filled Twilight’s discomforted silence with small talk as he helped his brother back to camp.