So I was thinking about these nasty bear traps the other day...Things went a little out of hand with my imagination. xD
Beta read and approved by Elillierose.
Prompto took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. He loved how the air smelled of rain and electricity from the nearing storm. The wind picked up a bit and dark gray storm clouds were coming towards them. The blond shuddered a bit and got up from the boulder he was sitting on. He snapped a picture of the apocalyptic scenario before tucking his camera safely away in his pocket.
"Noct." He called out to his friend standing on the dock, fishing rod still cast out in the water, "Wanna go back? That storm will be here any minute."
He never understood how Noctis could be so patient, standing there, never moving, eyes always on the lure, but it was kinda relaxing watching him. Noctis turned his head slightly and looked up. With a deep sigh he decided Prompto was right and dismissed his rod, disappointed that he didn't catch anything.
"Next time, buddy." Prompto said in his usual cheerful tone, "I'm sure Iggy's already cooking something, we were here for hours."
"Really?" Noctis asked, eyebrows raised. He pulled his phone out to look at the time and gasped a little. "Wow..."
"You always forget time." Prompto laughed.
"Then why didn't you say something?"
"Why should I? It was nice and I could take a lot of niiice photos."
"Of me?"
"Some of them are."
They stopped their playful banter, when the first sound of thunder rolled above them. Prompto watched the clouds with fascination.
"It's getting pretty dark, we should hurry." Noctis stated, already about to move faster, "Don't wanna get wet."
"Same here." Prompto mumbled in response, eyes still fixed at the sky. It looked so fascinating how the clouds would move and form different pictures.
"Prom! You coming or what?"
"Uh-yeah." He managed to tear his eyes away and jogged over to Noctis.
For a few minutes they walked in silence. Prompto kept looking around warily. They were in a wooded area with thick undergrowth, the haven they were at hidden deep within, a perfect hideout. But the small river Noctis tried to catch some fish in was a good walk away. The prince had kept insisting on trying to catch some fish until Prompto offered to go with him, so Gladio and Ignis would let him go without worrying at least too much.
They were about halfway back when rustling to their left made them stop and tense up.
"That...sounded big." Prompto stammered, voice nothing more than a whisper, barely audible to Noctis next to him. The prince nodded slowly and conjured his weapon, Prompto doing the same as he saw the sword.
A low growl made him look towards the trees and he saw something moving.
"Coeurl?" He asked, more to himself than Noctis, thinking he saw a patch of spotted fur shine through the leaves. Noctis nodded slightly in agreement. Another noise made both of them flinch and Noctis cursed under his breath when his head whipped to his right, where one of the giant cat-like monsters just jumped on the path from a tree, body already tensing up for another jump.
Noctis instinctively warped out of the way, but Prompto barely dodged the attack and stumbled backwards. The second Coeurl took this disadvantage and jumped out of the bushes towards the blond. He heard Noctis call out to him and whipped his arm up and pulled the trigger, praying to hit something.
He landed hard on his back which knocked the air out of him, but other than that, no impact came. Someone grabbed his upper arm and pulled him into a sitting position. He had to close his eyes for a moment because everything blurred around him for a moment but the hand tapping on his cheek and a nervous voice forced him to open them again.
"Move it, Prom, we have to get away!" That was Noctis, already pulling his arm to get him back to his feet, "There are more than two."
"Since when do they hunt in packs?" Prompto mumbled, still feeling a little lightheaded, but he forced himself up, not wanting to be eaten.
"Don't know, don't care." Noctis snapped, seemingly distressed, "I just know they're too much for only the two of us."
Prompto nodded, concentrating on staying on his feet and following Noctis. Looking around he realized that they took a path he didn't know.
"Wait...this isn't the way to the haven."
"Because these bastards were coming from that direction. We have to get rid of them before somehow." This was the only thing Noctis could come up with. The undergrowth would be too thick and slow them down too much so they had to find a place to hide or outrun them. Though he wasn't sure how to outrun a coeurl, let alone four of them.
It was only the early afternoon but the dark clouds above them made it feel like almost nighttime. It was dark enough for Noctis to consider turning on their flashlights but that wouldn't help to lose their pursuers. He had to think of something.
Prompto turned around every now and then, shooting at their followers to at least keep them at a certain distance. This move made him veer further to his left until he felt branches scraping his arm. He was about to move closer to Noctis again, when something hit him from behind, making him stumble and fall to his side, landing in the bushes. Scrambling back to his feet, he saw one of the monsters already fixing its eyes on him and lowering its head. He could hear Noctis' voice somewhere a bit further away, possibly still followed by the other three Coeurls.
Slowly Prompto walked backwards, never turning his eyes away from the animal in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he raised his gun again, still walking back, hoping he wouldn't run into something.
"You know...as dangerous as you are, you are a real beauty." He said with a low voice, "But right now it's you or me, so…I'm sorry."
He pulled the trigger, already internally cursing because it was a bit too dark and he missed his target, only grazing its shoulder, making it roar in pain. Prompto turned on his heels and ran, hearing the cracking of the Coeurl's electric whiskers whipping forward, but missing him.
He tried to zigzag between the trees, sprinting at full speed to hopefully throw the Coeurl off course but it was futile, the beast was too agile. Jumping over a fallen tree Prompto realized his mistake too late. Still in mid-air he saw the ground beginning to slope down. This would be a hard landing. He braced himself, holding his breath and then his feet hit the ground. Somehow he managed to stay upright at first but the leaves were slippery and he couldn't keep his balance for long. Landing on his side he slid the rest of the way until the ground evened out again and stopped the bumpy ride. Prompto was instantly back on his feet, still hearing the Coeurl behind him.
He started running again when he heard a metallic clank and then felt pain flaring up his left leg. Still having some momentum he was yanked to an instant halt by the thing biting down on his leg and fell flat on his stomach, screaming in pain. At first he thought the Coeurl got him, but when he turned around he saw something else.
"O-oh shit." He gasped, staring at the trap, metallic jaws tightly wrapped around his leg and blood already seeping through the fabric of his pants. But before he could take a closer look the Coeurl came blasting through the undergrowth.
Prompto froze.
They stared at each other for a few seconds, then the beast jumped at him.
Prompto didn't know exactly how he managed but he whipped up his gun and just shot, hitting his target right where he had to. The Coeurl was dead. But that wasn't his main problem anymore. Dismissing his gun, he slowly turned his head and looked down at his leg, instantly feeling sick. It was an old looking hunter's trap he stepped in, the jaws packed with pointy teeth and a chain running from the trap to a tree where it was secured so whatever was caught in it couldn't flee.
A loud rumble made him listen up for a moment. The smell of rain got stronger and soon after Prompto felt the first wet drops on his head. But other than that he heard no noise that would indicate another pursuer.
With a whimper he reached forward, feeling at his leg and the trap to look how deep it was in his flesh, only to fight against nausea when another wave of pain ran through his body. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing until the throbbing in his leg was tolerable enough.
Looking once again at the trap he remembered how to open those things. Gladio told them once, in case exactly this happened. Only he had just learned how to do this when one of the others was caught in these things.
"Come on...you can do this." He tried to reassure himself, grabbing a stick near him that seemed thick enough for what he planned to do. After he broke it in half he reached forward again, wincing as this movement caused his leg to shift slightly. He reached for one of the springs and pressed it down with his hands. It wasn't easy but he managed to push it down far enough. And wedged the stick into it so it would stay down.
"One more, Prom." He said, not wasting any more time and getting to work. The other one went down easier and Prompto felt like this could actually work out. Biting down on the collar of his vest he grabbed the jaws which were already slick with his blood. For a moment he worried that he was losing too much blood but he pushed the thought aside for now and began to pull the jaws open.
Pain shot through his leg as the sharp metal was pulled out of his flesh and Prompto let out a pained groan, biting down more on his collar to stifle the noise, worried of being noticed. Dark spots danced in his vision as he pulled the jaws further apart until the teeth were pulled out of his calf all the way. Now to get the leg out.
He let out another sharp gasp as he tried to pull his leg out, muscles cramping uncontrollably as waves of pain rushed through them. Then he felt his fingers slip. The trap's jaws were smeared with his blood, making them slick and now his shaking fingers were losing grip.
"No, no, no." He whimpered, trying to get his foot out of the trap but his body wouldn't cooperate, arms shaking from pain and adrenaline.
Then his fingers slipped. One of the sticks already slipped out from where he wedged it into the spring and from the sudden movement the other did as well. The jaws snapped back, burying their teeth deep in Prompto's leg again. Since he had managed to move his leg a little, the trap bit down a bit below the first wound. He felt the metal cut through the fabric and his flesh like it was nothing, one of the jaws eventually hitting his bone. He felt the impact through his whole body and let out an agonized scream. He curled up as far as it was possible, trying to hide from the pain and pressing his face into his hands, smearing his blood everywhere in the process. His breaths came quick and shallow and it felt like the air barely made it to his lungs which only made him panic more. Dark edges blurred his vision and before he realized it, he felt nothing for a moment.
When he came to again, the first thing he noticed was pain. Then the wetness. Was it raining? He could barely see what was around him, partly because of his shrouded vision and also because it was now nearly completely dark. The loud crack of thunder followed by lightning made the blond flinch and again he was reminded of his situation as the throbbing in his leg worsened.
Carefully he sat up, instantly feeling light-headed. Looking down at his injured leg, nausea rose inside him and he gagged. There was blood everywhere and he was glad that is was too dark to see how the wound actually looked like. With a shaking hand he fumbled with his bandanna, wrapping it tightly around his leg just above the injury, not sure if this would even be of use by now.
Shivering, he wrapped his arms around his body, flinching again, as another lightning bolt lit up the forest around him, instantly followed by thunder cracking. He tried to call our for help, but his voice cracked and sounded weak, possibly not even audible through the storm around him. With a pained moan the blond curled up a bit more, fighting against his blurring vision, hope of being found slowly dwindling.
He was jerked out of his numbness by something vibrating in his pocket and it took Prompto a moment to realize what it was. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, he dropped it a few times before managing to answer the call.
'Prom? Where are you?'
"Noct? 'That you?" He slurred, not sure if he was dreaming or not. "Y'safe?"
'Yeah it's me. I'm back at the haven. Can you tell me where you are so we can come and get you?'
"I'm cold."
'Prompto, what happened when we got separated? Are you still near that spot?' Noctis' voice sounded more and more nervous. Prompto wanted to answer but the phone slipped from his fingers and landed somewhere between old leaves on the ground.
"Shit. Prom? Hey, can you still hear me?"
Noctis turned around to Ignis and Gladio, both looking seriously worried at the expression of the prince. For a moment, they only heard the storm pulling at their tent and the patter of rain.
"He's hurt." Was the only thing Noctis said before turning around and leaving the tent.
"Noct, wait." Ignis called out, he and Gladio following him outside, trying to shield themselves from the rain with their hands. It was no use, it felt like it came from everywhere, wind constantly changing directions.
"We have to stay together." Ignis tried again, voice loud enough to be heard against the rain and occasional thunder. But Noctis only gave them a short look, sword already in hand.
"Don't you dare Noct, we can't follow like tha-Noct!" Gladio cursed, watching the streak of blue disappearing somewhere between the trees. He made a few steps in the direction Noctis vanished in, but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.
"If we try and follow him we might be the next to get lost." Ignis said, gesturing towards the tent, "I suggest we get ready to treat some injuries and keep an eye on our phones."
Gladio wasn't happy with that decision, but he knew Ignis was right. When warping, Noctis was far too fast for any of them to keep up. He could only hope for the prince not to run into any trouble.
Noctis backtracked the way he took to the haven, after he got rid of the Coeurls. He had been lucky, losing them by warping - more accidentally than on purpose – right into a pack of Voretooth. He was fast enough to warp away only hearing the beasts meet and start fighting each other, instead of pursuing him. He had hoped to find Prompto already back with the others but when he arrived at the haven there was no Prompto.
Luckily he never crossed paths with anything while following the way back, but he didn't feel safe enough to call out for Prompto yet. Even with his flashlight it was difficult to see through the thick curtain of rain that was now pouring down on him and he partially relied on the lightning to illuminate his way every now and then.
Finally he found the spot again where he had last seen his friend, a big gap in the bushes showing where Prompto fell through, followed by one of the Coeurls.
"Prompto!" He called out, listening intently but hearing nothing over the rain and thunder. Carefully he stepped through the gap, following the tracks he could still make out until he found a tree trunk. The tracks ended abruptly and it looked like Prompto as well as his pursuer had jumped over it. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, looking down the rather steep slope that began right behind the trunk. There were visible tracks that something slid down there a while ago. Following the tracks with his flashlight he could barely make out where the ground evened out again.
Aiming roughly, he threw his sword, successfully warping down and relieved to still stand on even ground.
"Noct?" A small voice behind, barely audible through the storm, made him jump and he turned around.
"Prompto, finally! What-" His question died before he could ask it. Looking at his friend was enough.
The blond was sitting there shivering, dirty and full of scratches and blood. Even through the darkness it was alarming how pale he looked. But the worse was the look of Prompto's leg caught in a hunter's trap, his lower calf looking like it was mauled by something. Swallowing, Noctis walked over to him and knelt down. Clouded blue eyes were looking at him, but his gaze seemed unfocused and distant as if he could barely concentrate.
"I don'feel so good." Prompto said, words slurring together.
"I know." Noctis said, not sure what to say about this. But at least the blond was still responsive. "Let's get that thing off ya, alright?"
Prompto nodded slightly, looking down as Noctis carefully readjusted the bandanna around his leg to tighten it more so it would actually do something about the bleeding. The painful pressure making him cringe slightly.
The smell of blood assaulted his nose and Noctis felt a bit sick looking at the injury. "Did something bite you there before you stepped in this thing?" He asked, carefully touching the trap, not wanting to move it in any way. Prompto shook his head.
"Tried to op...open it." He said, "Snapped back...too bloody."
"Alright, alright." Noctis raised a hand, not in the mood for more details. He looked over the trap again and swallowed. Ignis or Gladio would be a nice help now. Or both.
"Prom, I need you to stand up."
Prompto looked up, eyes still unfocused.
"Dunno i-if I can." He stammered, really not feeling up to it.
"You have to." Noctis said, putting every authority into his voice he could muster. "I don't want to bend your leg like that. Come now."
He grabbed Prompto from behind to lift him up, hiding his shock when he noticed how cold Prompto felt. Was he doing the right thing? The blond gasped and hissed in pain as his leg was jostled from the sudden movement.
"The other leg's fine, right? C'mon, it's just for a moment." He tried to keep speaking in a stern voice, remembering that Ignis always had this special way of talking when tending to their wounds that made even Gladio hold still and do what the adviser wanted him to.
When he finally had Prompto to shift his weight to his uninjured leg and lean against a near tree he carefully let go, only to grab onto the blond again as he began tilting dangerously to one side.
"Prom, you have to help me here." He said, but he felt bad only looking at his friend who had his eyes squeezed shut and looked like he was about to lose the fight against the impulse to vomit. Cursing under his breath Noctis took off his jacket and threw it over a low branch, all the while holding Prompto in place with the other arm. He lifted Prompto's arms up and wrapped the jacket around them as well. When he let go of him, the blond was held upright. Not the nicest way to do this but with his friend on the verge of fainting from blood loss, Noctis couldn't come up with a better idea.
"Gonna get this thing off and let you down again." He said, kneeling down. "Hang in there, okay?"
Noctis chuckled nervously. This was about the worst moment for a bad pun but he couldn't help it. Prompto didn't react. His eyes were open but he seemed to be somewhere else entirely.
Remembering what Gladio told him he stepped onto both springs to push them down. It worried him a bit, that Prompto barely reacted at first, but then he started opening the jaws. The blond hissed and reflexively tried to pull his leg away as a surge of pain shot up his leg.
"Careful." Noctis said, pulling the jaws far enough apart just in time when Prompto yanked his leg up to get is away from the painful touch, a new wave of adrenaline rushed through, making him balance on his healthy leg for a bit. Then there was a moment of panic when the jaws, still slick from blood and rain, slipped from his grasp and snapped close once again.
Prompto flinched visibly and froze, looking down on his foot. Noctis was about to panic for a moment but when Prompto barely reacted, he looked closer, breathing a sigh of relief. The trap only caught the sole of his shoe this time.
'They must have been tinkered with', he thought to himself while opening the laces on Prompto's shoe, 'they shouldn't close when I'm still standing on the springs'. But that didn't matter any more when he freed Prompto's foot and allowed him to sit down again. The blond slumped weakly against him and the first thing Noctis did was feel for his pulse. It was there but it was weak.
Leaning Prompto against the tree, Noctis grabbed his jacket from the branch and wrapped it tightly around his friend's leg forcing him to let out another pained gasp.
"I'm sorry." He said, rubbing his hands together to get rid of the numbness in them. The rain hadn't stopped for even a minute and they were both drenched, Prompto shivering visibly. For a moment, the prince looked at his friend. He couldn't force him to walk, not in the condition he was in.
"Alright, Prom." He sighed, a slight smile forming on his lips, "You wanted to do this since that one time in Lestallum. Guess this is the only way now."
It wasn't easy, especially because Prompto could barely do anything in his state but somehow they managed to get Prompto on Noctis' back.
Carrying his friend like that he wouldn't be able to climb back up so he started walking in the direction he guessed the haven would be. He was lucky, finding a path just after a few minutes of walking.
"Hey, I know where we are." He said, actually recognizing the path. Prompto made a small noise against Noctis' neck but didn't move. "Don' fall asleep now, alright? We're nearly there and they will both be angry at me for not waiting for them."
Another silent croaking. Noctis kept talking. He wanted to keep Prompto awake, at least until they were back with the others and Ignis could take over.
When he saw the faint blue glow through the trees he sped up his steps, carefully watching not to touch Prompto's injured leg. Looking down on it, thickly wrapped in his jacked he was glad it was too dark to see if the blood had already soaked through.
When he saw them coming, Gladio ran towards them, taking Prompto without asking questions, carrying him the rest of the way with long strides.
"What happened." Ignis asked, immediately getting to work when Prompto was lied down inside the tent. Unwrapping the jacket from his leg his face fell for a moment seeing the ugly flesh wound.
"Hunter's trap." Noctis said, sitting down next to Gladio, who was wrapping a blanket around the blond's upper body to keep him warm. "Do we have enough potions for this?"
Ignoring Noctis' question for a moment, Ignis turned around to grab a can with hot water and some towels. He had originally prepared them for the two of them to dry and have something hot to drink after running through the worst thunderstorm they had in a while but now cleaning that nasty wound was more important.
"This is a bit unconventional but I need to clean this before we can use curatives on it. Though I'm not sure if we have enough for an injury that big." He explained, putting a towel under Prompto's leg. "He won't like that."
Gladio gave a short nod and situated himself so that Prompto was propped up against the lager man and he could hold him easily. Noctis put his hands on Prompto's uninjured leg, ready to hold him down, should he try and kick from the pain.
With everyone ready, Ignis started slowly pouring the hot water over the wound, but stopped after a moment. He had expected some kind of reaction to this treatment – weak or strong – but nothing at all? His head whipped to his right.
"Gladio, is he still breathing?"
Gladio had already two fingers ad the blond's neck, paling a bit.
"Can't find a pulse."
"What?"
"Don't panic now, Noct. Gladio, lay him down."
"Prom?"
It was warm around him. For a long while he only felt warmth, loved it, never wanted to leave. But now something cool was brushing against his face, slightly ruffling his hair. At first he didn't like it, wanted it to go away but with it came a nice smell. The smell of wet grass and air after a rainy day. He breathed in deeply. Did something move next to him?
"Prom?"
He needed a moment to think, remember the name this voice belonged to.
"Prom, you there?"
Prompto's face scrunched up a bit, trying to regain control of his eyes and voice. He managed to get out a strange groan and chose to concentrate on his eyes first.
Something next to him shuffled. Then he felt a hand on his forehead. Finally managing to crack his eyes open he looked directly into Noctis' face.
"Hey there sleepyhead." The prince said, a smile forming on his face, "You had us worried quite a while, you know that?"
"Yah?" Prompto croaked, swallowing against the dryness in his throat.
"You should drink."
Not Noctis' voice. Who? Ignis. But where?
When he tried to sit up, Noctis was already behind him, helping him to sit and sitting behind him, so Prompto could lean against his friend. Feeling already a bit drained just after those few movements, he was glad to have Noctis act as a support behind him.
Now he saw where Ignis was, standing outside the tent's entrance with a bottle of water in his hand. "You lost quite an amount of blood, thought we lost you for a minute there."
He got into the tent, offering the bottle to Prompto, who thankfully took it, but kept his hands hovering near it because the blond's hands were still a bit shaky.
"How long was I out?" He asked after taking a few sips, his voice coming back to him now.
"About two days." Ignis answered, gesturing him to drink a bit more, "How do you feel?"
"Like I slept for two days." He answered matter-of-factly, "My leg feels strange."
Ignis lifted the cover over his legs for a moment, showing Prompto is left leg, thickly wrapped in bandages. "That might be the reason."
"Oh..."
"Do you remember anything?" Noctis asked, not liking how disoriented Prompto was.
The blond was silent for a moment, playing around with the bottle until Ignis took it away when he was about to spill everything. Then he shrugged.
"I know that I fell down somewhere. And then I stepped in one of these nasty traps. You know, the ones Gladio taught us how to pry them open."
Noctis nodded, biting his lip.
"But...the rest is just a blur. Did I miss something important?"
Ignis and Noctis exchanged short glances, then Noctis shook his head.
"No, it's alright. Nothing important. And now that you're awake we'll get back to civilization soon and get your leg fixed."