-Oh, god. Please be alive. Please still be alive.- Murmured Peter as he frantically tried to pat Kraglin down to find where he had been shot. They've been running and suddenly he felt a weight crash on him. As he turned and caught it, it turned out to be the older man falling down on him, unconscious.
Kraglin felt pain course through his whole body, as he fell. He felt like he was on fire.
-…..fuck, it hurts….- Kraglin groaned in pain.
Peter took a shuddering breath as he heaved the man onto his back, legs buckling under the much bigger weight. Pete was just 16, and gangly like a bean.
-Its ok, Kraglin. You just hang on, k? I'll get us somewhere safe. - Said the boy as he trucked up the wooden path, trying hard as he could to put as much distance between them and the persuers. Looking around, he tried to get some clues as to how far he was from the mountains where the Eclector was suppose to pick them up from. Spotting the tip of one of the reaches in the East, Peter veered left and walked through the bushes. It was time to remember the 7 months he spend with his first pack.
-Oh stars!….Where…where are they?!- The Xandarian yelped.
-No talking- Huffed Peter as he tried to blink the sweat out of his eyes. He was moving in a wolf allure, walking 50 paces and then running the next 50. It allowed him to move for a long time without exhausting himself, but he hadn't had to do it in several years, and never with the added weight of a grown man on his back.
-Don't tell me what to do, kid…- Kraglin tried to joke, despite the stimulation.
-Shut up- Growled Peter, straining his ears against the sound of his own steps and breaths. Hefting the man up a bit, and grunting, he looped around the small lake, hoping to throw the men after off their trail. It was starting to get dark and he could only pray to find a safe place to spend the night in.
It took at least another half hour, by the end of which the only think Peter could hear was the pounding of his own blood and the struggling breathing of his precious cargo, weighting down his shoulders, to find what appeared to be a downed giant tree. It looked to have been overturned a long time ago, its trunk making a wide clearing in the forest floor. And to their luck, something made a burrow underneath the twisted roots.
Peter dropped the other man on the ground as gently as he could, and dragged him under the loose wood and dirt, deeper into the burrow.
A sharp pain ran threw Kraglin's side,
-Dammit, when's Yondu gonna get here?!- He chuckled, -He's probably gonna laugh at me for gettin' shot. Call me stupid…remind me, why does he put up with me?-
-He puts up with you because he considers you his- Said Peter as he made the other comfortable on the pile of leaves and grass. - Now, try to stay quiet, I'll get us something to eat and see if I can find some stuff for your wound, got it?
Without waiting for a reply, the Terra crawled out of the burrow, quiet as he could, and disappeared into the twilight.
Kraglin watched as Peter left.
-Hurry up kid.- He rested his head back, -Stay awake. Stay awake...-
Leaving his injured packmate behind was not something Peter was accustomed to, but he made due. The longer he was in the forest, the more of his instincts and memories returned. Smells he was sure he had forgotten came out of hiding in his memory banks and told him that there was a water source nearby, a herd of something meaty and relatively small run by not too long ago, and that there were familiar birds up in the trees.
Quill shed his coat, folding it carefully and hiding it in a bush, dropping into a small ravine and covering himself up with mud and dirt in the process. He needed to blend in better, and nature always helped those who knew what they needed.
A look around revealed a few healing plants he'd read up on before the landing, and a well placed rock took care of dinner.
Picking up his coat on the way back, Peter looped around the long way and stopped by the creak, filling up a tied-up sleeve of the leather duster.
It was fully dark when he finally made it back to the den, and carefully got in.
-Peter? Is Yondu here yet?- The Xandarian asked softly. -It really hurts…-
-He'll be here soon, don't worry Kraglin- Assured him Peter, as he crouched by the man and fished out the herbs he got from the forest.
Putting them in his own mouth, Peter chewed, feeling his mouth numb a little, all the while opening Kraglin's coat and lifting his shirt to expose his bloody side. He quickly dug his fingers into the wound and ignored the man's scream as he dug out the bullet. The boy then leaned over the bleeding hole and spit out the wad of chewed herbs right into it.
Covering the now green hole with a patch of moss, Peter tore up a part of his own shirt and bandaged Kraglin the best he could.
The Xandarian felt his eyes water a bit from the severe pain, but it calmed down when the herbs started working. -If I make it, I'm gonna shoot ya, then fuckin' dig the bullet out, see how you like it….- He let out a shaky breath. -Thank you, kid. You've always been kinda good. Annoying as hell, but good.-
Peter smiled at the man, as he finished the bandage and reached for the coat propped up by the side of their den. He crawled behind Kraglin and put him between his legs, so the man could lean his weight on Peter. Carefully tipping the other's head on his shoulder, Peter tipped the sleeve, holding it right above the chapped lips of the Xandarian, letting cool water flow down and into his mouth. Slowly, he emptied out half of their supply and took a sip himself, preserving most of it for when the man's fever appeared, as he knew it would with a bullet wound.
Putting the coat within reach, Peter moved a bit, making himself comfortable and making sure to keep an eye on the covered entrance.
-Hey…Pete?- Murmured Kraglin, -If I…..If I don't…make it through this….take care of Yondu and the rest of the crew…they need someone with a calm head to watch over them. The crew will forget things and slack off. And Yondu….is just Yondu.-
-I'll be doing no such thing- Said Peter as he spread the man's coat over the two of them, trying to preserve as much heat as was possible on this damn planet. Apparently it got very cold during the night here.
-You don't get to leave the pack like that, anyways. You're the Left Hand, the Second in Command. Yondu and You? You're my Alphas. - Continued the boy, wrapping his arms around the sweat covered stomach and gently, almost invisibly massaging the area around the moss. -Do you remember me right after the hanger?-
Kraglin nodded weakly, -Yeah, I think so.-
-Don't you fall asleep now- Scolded Peter. - Anyways, It was Yondu that got me out of the place, but it was you that pulled me back into my mind. So ain't no way I'm letting you die here. Plus what would Yondu say if I did that? - The Terran leaned his head back onto the wall and stared into the opening between the roots, tracing the bright stars that shone through. He hugged the man closer. - I don't leave pack behind. Not voluntarily. And you only have one small gun wound that's nowhere near important organs anyways. I should know.
-Organs need blood, kid. Did ya not see the trail or puddle of mine?- Stated the Xandarian, as he glanced at the cave's opening. -I'm sorry if I was ever mean to ya….or wanting to eat ya for a while…-
-Its fine, - Shrugged Peter- I wanted to eat you too. Yondu stopped me a few times. It was actually after he carved me up that I started listening to him. Still have a bit missing from my flank. And don't worry about blood, I got us some food, we have water, and the herbs are good. You'll be fine, if feverish for a while. -
The boy reached with his hand and brought a small bird out of the coat. He'd defeatherd it on the way back, and now took a bite out of the meaty breast tissue. Chewing intently for a while, Peter then tilted Kraglin's head that was still on his shoulder and pressed their mouths together, transferring the meat over.
-Swallow.- Commanded the Terran as he tore a piece for himself.