The shadows were beginning to run long as Felicity's eyes scanned the undergrowth of the tangled forest. The staccato beating of heart was beginning grow so loud that she worried that the squirrels nestled in the pines could hear it. Suddenly, her gray eyes stumbled upon a figure on the ground that partially covered by the pine needles. Frantic hysteria bubbled in her stomach as she walked slowly forward.
"Oliver?"
"Oliver!"
She rushed toward him, skimming her hands over his unresponsive body and let out a stilted breath. There was blood. Too much of it. She gently rolled him onto his back and gasped in unfiltered horror. His abdomen had been punctured, leaving his green leather vest soaked with crimson wet. She ran her fingers over his matted brown hair quickly before pressing her palms together and applying pressure to his wound.
"Oliver, you're going to be ok. We're going to get you fixed up and you'll be fine. Just stay with me. Do you hear me? Your bossy ass will live to tell me what to do another day. Just open your eyes." Felicity moved her knees close to his body, huddling over his body to conceal their location. They were out in the open and they were coming. They would sense that Oliver was…her mind went blank as she stared at Oliver's pale face with fear. Oliver was going to be fine. He had to be.
"Oliver! Oliver you've got to wake up. I can't do this without you. Please." Her voice choked on the last word, betraying her growing panic.
Think, she told herself firmly. You need to pack the wound and conceal your location, her mind was racing but her instincts were screaming at her that danger was coming. If they came now, Oliver was as good as dead. So was Roy. Her heart stuttered at the last errant thought and she cleared her mind for the task at hand.
Fog. She thought the words so clearly that when she felt the gentle fingers of humidity caress her, she smiled.
"I have to move you, Oliver. I have to push us deeper into the forest." With no response she moved her bloodied hands from his abdomen and grabbed frantically at the leaves on the floor around her. Without her pack, these would have to do. She carefully placed them over the source of the blood, frowning when she realized that there was more than one. Working quickly, she undid her belt and slid it around his body. Hopefully her makeshift pack would staunch the flow of blood long enough for her to find real medical supplies. Or a doctor.
Grabbing his arms she tried to move him and whimpered with unease when she realized that she couldn't. Oliver was built like a linebacker- solid muscle and sinew, which meant that in his unconscious state, his weight had become a liability.
Trees, help us, she thought firmly. Around them, the branches of trees began extending and bowing slowly, providing invaluable cover as Felicity watched on gratefully.
"Thank you," she whispered.
The cover and the fog would have to do.
The air thickened imperceptibly as Felicity stoked Oliver's hair gently. Her body tensed and she beckoned the grass and bushes to hug their hiding spot more closely. Suddenly, Oliver's cerulean eyes flew open and he let out a choked gasp for air.
"Felicity…they're here."