Her vision has always been good, but it was as if it had gotten overbearingly sharp against her will in the moment she wanted it the least. She wanted to avert her gaze, close her eyes, be blind. But she couldn't look away, couldn't move. As if cruel fate wanted her to catch every moment and every detail of Uncas dying.
Her eyes traced the exchange of blows, the blades of the tomahawks glinting in the afternoon sun. Uncas was a good fighter, after all he just took out five men on his own. But he was young. And Magua was a weathered old warrior. That much was written in every wrinkle, scar and deep trench engraved into his face. Alice heard metal striking against metal, until it was suddenly metal against flesh.
There was a dark flower blooming on Uncas' chest, colouring the green calico shirt black. He stilled and looked down, seeming almost surprised to see himself bleeding so profusely. His right forearm was also slicked with the crimsom liquid coming from another gash there. Their eyes met and Alice couldn't breathe. He must have seen her big eyes pleading him to run and save himself and his deep gaze was answering her. To forget about him. To forget about what happens to him and think about her own well-being. It was also an apology for not being able to do more for her.
They engaged in battle again. Alice couldn't follow what was happening between them while they rolled down a rock, but Magua was quickly back on his feet while Uncas was still lying on his back. It was obvious that standing up was painful and strenuous for his wounded body. Magua waited. Once Uncas was standing once again, Magua striked and plunged his knife into his side in a quick jab. Alice's heart clenched at the hoarse cry of pain it elicted.
In a quick move Magua stepped behind him and grabbed him in a choke hold and it hit Alice in that horrid moment that he was going to slit his throat. No, she thought, I beg you not to. Where were Nathaniel and Chingachgook? She needed to stop him, to buy more time. But she was no fighter and she couldn't move with terror weighting down her limbs. Her need to do something was overwhelming.
"…Magua..." she reluctantly articulated, internally revolting at the thought of speaking that name ever again, but hoping it was enough. It was enough. Magua was caught off guard by the sound of his name coming from her and whipped his head around to look at her, momentarily abandoning his intention. He was somehow surprised and curious at what she had to say. Would she beg for the boy's life? When they just stared at each other and it became apparent that she wouldn't or couldn't say anything else, he returned to the task at hand.
Out of nowhere, Nathaniel jumped onto the path and with an enraged war cry sent a bullet into Magua. He was then quickly engaged into battle with the other Hurons that tried to intercept him. Magua released Uncas and stumbled back, trying to dam the gushing abdomen wound and asses the damage. Uncas' knees gave out the moment he was let go, collapsing onto the ground without a sound. Even though there was a full blown fight taking place around her (which Chingachgook entered with just as much momentum as Nathaniel), Alice couldn't look away from the still body in front of her. She took a few tentative steps in his direction and then just ran to his side.
She hovered her hands above his form insecurely. She didn't want to hurt him further in her ignorance in medical knowledge. But she knew he was still alive for a fact. His face was almost resting atop the blade of his tomahawk, the metal misting over at every exhale of breath. Everything she remembered happening after that was in a haze. Suddenly Cora was kneeling beside her, ripping the shirt off Uncas' body, instructing her to get his head off of the sharp surface of the rock. So then she was just sitting there with his head in her lap, mutely watching Cora try to dam the flow of black blood from the holes and rips that were torn into his torso. There was so much blood she could barely see the wounds: the deep cut with jagged edges under the pectoral muscles and the horrific black hole in his side. Blood was everywhere. It was on the ground, it was on her hands, it was on her skirts, it was in his hair. Cora's forearms looked like they were dipped into a red sticky lake. Nathaniel and Chingachgook joined them at some point and helped wrap his wounds so they could get out of there and tend to them properly when they were safe.
For Alice, the worst part of this experience was when Uncas abruptly regained consciousness. His eyes opened without warning and he blinked at her face, looking almost stunned to have her hovering over him. His mouth parted as if he wanted to say something. Then the agonizing pain must have registered itself in his brain and whatever he intended to say transformed into a gurgling, choked cry of pain. Alice stroked hir dark hair, desperately hoping to ease at least some of his suffering. That didn't matter as in the next moment his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he lost conciousness again. Alice was secretly greatful for that. Just looking at his agony was too much, not to mention actually feeling the kind of pain he did.
His father and brother loaded him onto a makeshift carrier they created from two branches, some blankets and rope. Then they were all off, running for the cover of the forest. Once they were at least hidden from plain sight, Alice grabbed onto Cora's wrist with surprising force she didn't know she posessed.
" Will he live? " Cora's shaken gaze found hers. " I don't know, Alice. I don't know."