Living Weapon Whumpee #7
Part 1 here
Part 2 here
Part 3 here
Part 4 here
Part 5 here
Part 6 here
Thank you all for your patience! Hope you enjoy! :)
CW: injury
_____
B changed the bandages on Leader's back and arms. They were glad that they had found herbs for burn wounds before with Whumpee, but the herbs can do so much.
It's been quite for the past few hours. Leader passed out a few minutes after B got to them and A… well Whumpee is kneeling next to A and B, to be completely honest, is a little scared to go there. They're concerned about A, of course, but…
They've been going back and forth about going there for the past 30 minutes after B had treated leader.
B balled their fists and stood up. There's nothing they will achieve if they just stay here. They have to go to A and assess damage.
They started putting one foot in front of the other until they were a few feet away from Whumpee.
Whumpee's back was facing them, straight, rigid, head bowed. B cleared their throat.
“Wh- Whumpee. I'm going to treat A’s wounds. Alright? I'm not going to hurt them or you.” B waited for a response but didn't get one.
B couldn't stall any longer. If they got hurt then they got hurt, but they had to check on A.
They went to the other side of A and knelt beside them inspecting. It looked like they had a broken nose. B pulled up A’s shirt a bit. Bruises everywhere, littered across their torso. They kept their ear on A’s chest. Yep, that definitely sounded like a cracked rib.
B finally glanced up at Whumpee and instantly regretted it.
Whumpee was staring at them. Calculating. Like a dog does before it decides to bite.
B swallowed thickly. “I-I… they have a broken n-nose and c-cracked ribs. They're in pain, but they'll be o-okay.”
A groaned, their eyes fluttering open. “A! Oh thank fuck.”
A groaned more. “Fuuuuck.”
“Don't move much. You're hurt pretty badly.”
“Wh… where's leader?”
B bit their lip. “Uhm.. they're over there. Pretty badly hurt too. But I took care of them. I need to kinda… treat you now.”
They pressed below A’s rib and they let out a string of curses. “Don't touch that! Oh fuck don't touch that.”
“Okay, sorry sorry. I'm just checking how bad it is. It could be bruised, but it's leaning more towards cracked.”
A coughed. “Leader really didn't hold back did they?”
B hummed.
Just then, further off leader groaned. They were awake and B's eyes snapped towards them.
“I… uhm… I'll go check on them. Hold on.” B straightened up.
A looked at them leave. They seemed… not like themselves. A couldn't have hurt leader that bad. They were practically getting pummeled by them at the end.
But then they saw Whumpee kneeling next to them. They remembered Leader getting dragged off and the screams.
“What… what happened?” They asked Whumpee.
“I eliminated a threat to you character A.”
“...what?”
“You were being attacked.”
“You killed Leader?!”
“No character A. You ordered me to stop before I could carry it out.”
“What did you do to them?” A rasped.
“Incapacitated them, Character A.”
A tried to sit up and immediately regretted it. “Fuck!”
“Character B advised you to stay still Character A. You are badly hurt.”
“I need to see what the fuck you did to Leader.”
Whumpee blinked slowly. “Was my performance not adequate enough?”
“What? No- fuck. Whumpee. No. Just- ughh.” A screwed their eyes shut.
A was silent for a while. “Just… just like… don't attack people randomly.”
“But Leader was hurting Character A. I must keep you safe at all times.”
“No you don't.”
“That's against prior orders, Character A.”
A closed their eyes gritting their teeth. They were in too much pain for this bullshit. So they tilted their head slightly and looked at B's back as they treated Leader.
Then they looked back at Whumpee.
“Are those… are those flowers? In your hair? Since when did you braid it?”
“B did it, Character A. They also picked wild strawberries because they were your favourite.”
“... They did?”
Whumpee nodded.
“They did a good job with your hair. The daisies are a nice touch..”
Whumpee stared.
“...”
Then B came back. “Leader is… okay for now. Let's deal with your broken nose. I'm gonna set it and it's going to hurt okay?”
A winced and B hadn't even touched them yet. “Wait wait… before you do. How's Leader? Do they have like… broken ribs too?”
B shifted from foot to foot. “...N-no not really…”
A looked confused. “Then?”
“Let's fix your nose first.”
__
After B had fixed A’s nose and A had cursed everything living under the sun while B did so, A panted.
“Your nose is set. Just gonna put some stuff on the cuts.” B moved to apply some salve on A’s cuts.
A sighed and closed their eyes.
“So… Leader?” They probed again and felt B’s fingertips tense slightly against their cheek.
“... Leader is… their hurt. Not like you.. it's like… it's bad. I don't even know where to start.”
“What do you mean you don't know?”
“It's just… I don't know okay? There's a lot.”
A tried to stand up and the pain that shot up through their ribcage made them lay back down instantly.
“Don't move yet …. You'll get your rib worse.”
“Well you're not telling me what's wrong!”
“I can't!”
“Why not?”
Be remained silent.
“Why not B?!”
B fiddled with the bandages they were using on A.
“B-because I don't know how Whumpee did that in seconds.”
“Why what's the damage B?”
B teared up. A could see the shimmer in their eyes now. A feels a bit bad now. But they have to know.
“I can tell you, character A.”
Whumpee's voice cut through, small and monotone. A and B stared at them. They had been quite this entire time. Watching like a hawk as B tended to A’s wounds.
“You can tell me?” A asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yes.”
“W-wait, A you can't be actually considering this?” B’s voice cracked slightly.
“I am. You won't tell me and I need to know.” A looked B dead in the eye, the shimmery eyes meeting narrowed ones.
“Whumpee. Go ahead.”
“Yes, Character A. Leader was attacking you, so as trained I incapacitated the threat. I pulled leader off of you. Threw them at the boulder. I pinned them there and burnt them while dislocating their joints in order to keep them from retaliating. When that was achieved only then did you order me to stop.”
A stared at them as B put a hand over their mouth to quieten a sob.
“...what?” A blinked disbelievingly. They felt as if their world got flipped on it's head.
“I threw them at the boulder. I pinned them there and burnt them while-”
“Yes! Yes Whumpee- I- stop.”
Whumpee shut their mouth and bowed their head.
A looked at B. “Is that true? What they said?” B sniffled and nodded.
“I… I set the dislocations, and put herbal salve on the burns but… there's only so much that alone can do..”
“Are they awake? I need to see them.” A moved to get up, this time ignoring the blinding pain shooting through their ribs.
B, seeing that A won't stop and knowing how stubborn they get reached behind and supported their back to sit up. “at least let me help.” their voice came out wobbly.
A let B help them up leaning slightly in to their arm. The moment they were upright, they wished they weren't. Whatever dull ache that A was feeling before wasn't so dull anymore. It was sharp and breathing made it infinitely worse.
B waited for them to move forward so they can help, and suddenly the 10 feet it was to get to leader, felt like a trench.
“Easy… don't rush” B coaxed softly.
“I wouldn't have to rush if you had told me before.” A jabbed, wincing.
B pursed their lips.
When they got to Leader A just stared.
Leader was bandaged up, half of their face, their neck, their torso. The eye that wasn't under a bandage was closed. The bruises were everywhere. Swelling… they couldn't recognise leader. And the splints. They were all over their arms and back.
“The legs are fine. Just a little burnt” B whispered. “We have to… we have to stay here for a while. Set up a permanent camp. We'll be staying for at least a month or two.”
_______
Tag list:
@oldspruceinn
@wolfeyedwitch
@autumnstar06
@meltedsoggycrayons
