Bofur didn't dare look back as he ran. He pushed the thought of Bombur being practically alone in the woods without any fighting skill whatsoever out of his mind. Just keep running. Just run. Suddenly, the tip of his boot caught on the edges of a protruding root that was partly hidden from sight. He tripped and stumbled forwards. Unfortunately the flat land ended there, and a steep slope followed straight after the root. Bofur tumbled down head over heels, hitting bumps and rocks on the way. Eventually he slowed to a stop and was once again on flat land.
Moaning, he struggled to push himself off the ground. His pants and legs were scraped and he could already tell bruises were forming. Bofur swayed from side to side as he struggled to keep his vision straight. He laid his hands on the sides of his head and stayed still for a few seconds. It would be no use trying to run again if he would just fall back down. Once certain he could go back to sprinting, he stood back up and took off, struggling to ignore the harsh pain.
Bifur could already be dead. A cruel part of his brain thought, and seconds later he cursed at himself for thinking like that. As he ran, the opening of the forest was nowhere in sight. The branches and leaves of the trees smacked against the sides of his face like miniature whips as he crashed through them.
Think of something happy. Bofur told his panicking self. Yet every thought that came to his mind only made him more anxious.
Mother. Think of her. He thought. She doesn't know this has happened yet. What will she say when she finds out? How will she react?
No. Think of something else.
Bombur. Bombur is left alone with our bleeding cousin. Nothing happy about that.
However, that thought stopped him. Bombur was his brother. The person he loved more than anyone in the world. He had to stay strong for him, that much he knew. He remembered telling Bombur that everything would be fine before they left for the trip, and a surge of guilt flew through him, until he hardened himself. He had to make it.
Bofur forced every fiber of his being into running as fast as he had ever ran in his life. Right leg, Left leg, Right leg, Left leg, Right leg, Left leg. Don't give in. Don't give up.
That's all he could manage to think for the longest time.
His lungs and legs were screaming for a rest, but he refused to stop. Then almost like a miracle, the edge of the forest was spotted in the near distance. If he had the energy to smile, Bofur felt like he would have. The sight did not make him slow down, but fueled the strength in him to move faster. Soon after noticing the exit, he rushed through the edge of the woods, almost tripping over his own clumsy and tired feet. He kept sprinting until he reached the closest town, which was within close proximity, thankfully. The town was mostly occupied with humans, but dwarves came in as merchants occasionally. He was acquainted with hardly anyone in the town, be it they were humans or even dwarves.
Bofur hardly notice everyone's eyes that looked at him as if he had an extra head as he stumbled around. He knew his disheveled appearance wasn't pleasant for anyone to see, but he could hardly care less. He only had one thought on his mind now.
Where do I find a doctor?
Although he'd normally know where to look, he felt as if his whole mind had been turned to mush.
An old dwarf with a white braided beard and long eyebrows looked up from behind his store in the market place as Bofur frantically looked around. He raised a bushy eyebrow as Bofur gasped for breath as he hunched over, wheezing.
"Are you okay there?" The dwarf asked.
"A d-doctor-where do I find the nearest doctor?!" Bofur yelled in an exasperated voice that was a bit louder than he would've liked it to be.
"Yeah, you could use a doctor." A human man said with a scoff, and a few girls behind them giggled.
Bofur was far from a laughing mood. He shot them a cold glare and they quickly silenced.
"A doctor eh? Turn left off of this street and go into the third building you come to on the right. There outta be a few doctors in there, but careful, they're mostly tending to the ill."
Bofur nodded as soon as the old dwarf finished speaking, and ran around the corner. He looked to the right and counted three buildings down just like the dwarf had said. He swung open the door and stepped in without bothering to knock first. Immediately a strong stench flushed through his nose and made his eyes water. At least ten people were lying on the floor, coughing and groaning. It was cramped and crowded, and he thought as if he had made a mistake going in. Bofur went to lift his scarf so it would cover his nose and mouth, but found it was missing. He sighed heavily as he remembered taking it off and wrapping it around Bifur's injured head.
"H-hey—you!" voice called from the back of the room, jolting Bofur from his thoughts. A short and stocky man with shoulder length brown hair jabbed his finger straight towards Bofur. The both of them locked eyes. Bofur didn't recognize him, but then again he did not know many of the humans living in the Blue Mountains.
"You can't be in here! Someone get him outta here!" He called.
A girl Bofur assumed to be the doctor's assistant put a hand on his shoulder, and tried to lead him back out of the door. "Please, you need to leave." She said to Bofur.
He quickly squirmed out of her grip, and fought to get closer to the stocky man. "No!" Bofur yelled. "My cousin needs help! Please!"
"We have enough patients to take care of right now! You'll just have to wait! Keanna—get him out of here!"
The assistant—Keanna, hesitated, "Alard, we should see what he needs."
The stocky man, Alard, shook his head. "He'll have to wait like everyone else. Get him out of here before he disturbs our patients!"
Keanna sighed and nodded, going back to trying to get Bofur to leave. Again, he squirmed away from her grip and stepped closer to Alard.
"There isn't time to wait!" He shouted back. The man seemed shocked at the tone of Bofur's voice, like it was the first time anyone had ever contradicted him. His face hardened in an instant.
"He had a head injury! He's bleeding excessively and I cannot stop it!"
"How did he get injured?" The man asked in an irritated manner.
Suddenly, Bofur was at a loss for words. He searched the floor for an answer. No one was likely to believe him if he said that his cousin took an axe to the head and was still alive.
"Well?!" Alard yelled after Bofur didn't speak for a few seconds.
"We were in the woods when we got ambushed by Orcs and Wargs—"
"Skip to the point boy!" He interrupted.
"An Orc threw an axe while we weren't looking." Bofur growled through clenched teeth. "The axe hit my cousin's head, and it's embedded in his skull, it's bleeding and—"
"And he's still alive?" Alard scoffed.
"Yes, well… Last- last I checked."
"Is this a joke?" Alard asked. "I've had enough of you if you really expect me to believe such a story. Out with you boy!"
Bofur was steaming with anger, and wanted to lunge forward and attack the man, but he knew that would amount to nothing. It was no use getting through the thick skull of the man.
"Wait!" Another person said, breaking through everyone else's voices. An old dwarf pushed his way in front of Alard, and stepped towards Bofur. He put a hand on Keanna's shoulder.
"I'll handle this." He said softly, but quickly. "Tend to the other patients."
Keanna looked back and forth between the two dwarves before nodding and walking back to Alard, who was gaping at them.
The old dwarf adjusted the bag on his shoulder and opened the front door. He then turned to Bofur. "I'm Oin. Let's go save your cousin."
Bofur felt a wave of relief wash over him as both of them exited the building together.
"Thank you." He managed to say, although he wasn't too sure if the medic could hear him.
Oin nodded towards the door "Follow me, quickly. If what you say is true, we don't have much time."
Bofur followed without question, feeling excited that someone had actually taken him seriously. Though he was confused why Oin had chosen to believe what he said. He was relieved, and chose not to question anything at the moment. They hurriedly navigated through the streets, turning left and right down lanes until they come to a stable on the edge of the town. Oin opened the doors and walked to the side of what Bofur presumed to be his own pony.
"Was it just your cousin that was injured? Or is there someone else in the woods along with him that's hurt too?" Oin questioned.
"My brother is with him, but he's not injured. Though I don't know what could happen while I'm gone."
"You know how to ride don't you?" Oin asked, motioning to the ponies.
"Yes." Bofur answered.
"Does your brother?"
"Well enough."
Oin nodded and mumbled something inaudible. He moved over to the other ponies in the stable and put on their saddles and bridles, as well as his own.
"Okay, get on the pony." He ordered, motioning to a white pony, and Bofur obeyed. He mounted a grayish-white pony, and he patted its long and furry neck reassuringly.
Oin led the two ponies out of the stable, and Bofur followed right after. Oin held the lead in one hand as the pony beside the one he was riding walked next to him. The pony's head was about level with where Oin was sitting.
"Do you remember where he was? Because you'll have to lead me there." Oin asked, but it sounded more like a statement.
Bofur nodded hesitantly. "Yes, I think so."
"I'm ready when you are, lad." Oin answered.
Bofur clucked and the horse and began to trot. He looked towards the edge of the woods as the horse trotted along, searching for the place he remembered barging through, until he found the location.
"Follow me!" He called, leaning forwards on the horse a little as he kicked the pony's sides lightly.
Almost immediately the pony began to go faster and faster, until it was bolting down the stony path. The land quickly turned into a grassy road as they drew closer to the woods, and Bofur watched as the land flew by when he was on the pony, compared to the long time it took him to run this distance. Suddenly, he realized how tired he felt, and he was thankful for sitting, even if the road was bumpy, and he was constantly being lifted off the saddle each time the pony took a step. Bofur turned around and looked to see if Oin was behind him, and sure enough the old dwarf was there, leading both his ponies along at a similar pace. Bofur found the opening off the forest, and lead the pony through with some ease. It seemed to have somewhat of a difficult time trailing through the bushes, but other than that it was moving with along relatively fast. He went in a straight direction, faintly recognizing the paths he had just run through. The wind made his head feel cold, and that is when he realized that his hat was missing. He kept a hand on the reigns as he felt his strangely bare head. He knew he must've lost it during his tumble down the steep slope. It wouldn't be too hard to find it again.
After some time, the ponies arrived at the slope, and they found another way around, so it was easier and quicker for the animals. Oin's pony went at a slower pace than Bofur's did, seeing how he was leading another one behind himself, and he was carrying a bag around his shoulder. The surroundings looked slightly familiar to Bofur, but he was certain he was going in the right direction, sense he knew he had traveled in a straight direction the whole time.
Another few minutes passed, until they came into a clearing in the woods. It was the same clearing where Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur sat down to break for lunch. Bofur scanned the area desperately, looking for a sign of his ginger-haired brother. Soon enough, he spotted him, and slowed the pony down, until they came to a halt close by.
"Bofur!" Bombur shouted.
Bofur quickly dismounted his pony and ran to him. "I'm here. I got help." He said, and turned around to Oin, who was hastily getting down from his own pony.
"How's Bifur?" Bofur asked; his voice was weaved with worry.
Bombur lead them both to Bifur's body as he spoke. "He's alive, last I checked, which was a moment or two before you arrived. The scarf you used to stop the bleeding wasn't working, so I searched the bags we brought and found some bandages and used those. I'm pretty certain the bleeding slowed down at least, I've only had to change the bandages once so far."
Oin spoke for the first time in a while, "You said it was an Orc axe?" He asked, reaching into his bag.
"Yes." Bofur replied, making Oin give a grunting noise of disapproval while shaking his head.
Bofur tried to swallow, but his throat was suddenly bone dry. "Is that bad?"
"Well, those aren't exactly clean."
"Oh." Bofur responded in a meek voice.
Bombur and Bofur stepped out of the way and Oin set to work. He checked the layers of bloody bandages, pursed his lips, and mumbled to himself occasionally about something inaudible. He took out another bundle of plasters, and wrapped it around the already existing ones that covered Bifur's head.
"Why not replace the bandages?" Bombur asked the medic, and Bofur shushed him quickly, not wanting him to interrupt Oin's work.
Oin responded after a few seconds, "If the blood has clotted I don't want to disturb it."
Oin finished in a few moments and stood. "We're going to have to get back to town. He cannot stay here."
"How are we gonna do that?" Bofur questioned.
"We'll have to move him onto a pony." Said Oin as he was leading a pony next to Bifur's body. "But be mindful of the axe. Do not touch the handle." He pointed to Bofur, "You get on right after he does and hold onto him so he doesn't fall forwards.
Bofur grabbed Bifur's feet, and Oin held onto his shoulders. With some difficulty, they lifted the unconscious dwarf onto the pony's saddle, and Bofur hopped on behind him, holding onto his cousin like he was instructed to. Once situated, Oin helped Bombur onto the second pony, and Oin mounted his own. Riding as quickly as he dared to, Bofur set off with a trot, following behind Oin and his brother. He held onto Bifur tightly, hoping with every bit of strength left in him that Bifur would make it home alive.
"You'll be okay, Bifur." Bofur whispered, and it went unheard amongst the noise of everything around them.
He'll be okay. He thought to himself repeatedly, but no matter how many times he thought that, he never convinced himself he was right.
xxxxxxx
AN: Hmm… This was the longest thing I've ever written. Would you believe that? 3,025 words. Oh, and sorry for the wait, I've been busy (same lame excuse every time, I know) with SATs for 9th grade, (yes, 9th grade) and I had to study and yeah. So I've been delaying this chapter for a little bit, I had to force myself to write something to get over the dreaded writer's block. URGHH. I hope you liked it though, because I think it's pretty good. (Woah. I actually like my own work? Whaaa?!) Oh, also, the setting for this story is a pain in MY FREAKING BUTTOCKS, because I can't seem to get the setting to be factual to the real deal. Mouse helped me figure this stuff out, So just so you know, the story is set in the Blue Mountains, but just pretend there is a little forest to the side of the Blue Mountains… and there are little towns close by there. That has humans in it. (Please for the sake of my sanity please do that I beg of you)
By the way, I read the first chapter to this story again, and realized that Bofur had packed extra bandages for the trip, so you can only imagine how stupid I feel right now that I ruined his beautiful scarf with Bifur blood. And… *gasp* Hatless Bofur! Nuuu!
Also, shout out goes to my awesome friend who actually owns four horses, and she knows a lot of important stuff when it comes to them. I flooded her Kik with questions about the horses and asked if the stuff I was saying was accurate, because Google wasn't helping me out too much at this point. I didn't even know what 'clucking' was until I asked her. How sad is that? But yeah, I did learn a whole lot about horses, so yay!
Anyways, it's almost two in the morning and I'm tired so I'm off to hit the hay.
PS: Can you control a pony while you're behind someone else? I hope so. I didn't ask my friend about that because I was afraid she'd say something like, 'lol no'.
PPS: Please Review.
-Moose