FOREST OF DEATH: 96 HOURS LEFT
Hikari threw herself to the side as a blast of wind headed straight for them, shearing off the trees standing in its way. She hit the ground hard with her side and rolled over, trying to dissipate the impact. Her head spun as she pulled herself onto her hands and knees. She glanced around and saw blue on green. Sasuke. She made it to her feet just as Sasuke exited the bush.
"Hikari?" His eyes narrowed. "What's the password?"
Her hands moved through the signs, starting with the number seven and ending with the Tiger hand-seal to signify Fire. Sasuke shoulders relaxed as he formed his own version.
Naruto came running up from behind Sasuke.
"Hey! What's going on? Are you alright?"
"Password first, dobe."
"Yeah, sure. No problem!" His hands started the same sequence she'd formed.
The figure cut off as Sasuke's shuriken flew towards him. Not-Naruto dropped to the floor to avoid her own.
"What's wrong with you two!? You could have killed me, dattebayo!"
"Where is Naruto-kun?"
"I'm here!"
"Show yourself already! We know you're not Naruto."
Not-Naruto's eyes slanted upwards even as a smile stretched across his cheeks. A long tongue darted out to wet his lips. Hikari fought the urge to lean back in disgust. The henge dispelled in a cloud of dense smoke, revealing a woman with a Grass hitaiate.
"Aren't we clever?" Not-Naruto crooned. "This is shaping up to be very interesting."
"Where is Naruto?" Sasuke demanded.
"You should be more worried about yourself." Hikari stepped closer to Sasuke as the kunoichi's hands travelled to her waist. Instead of a weapon, she revealed an Earth Scroll. "You want this, don't you?"
Neither of them responded. They didn't want it, they already had a complete set, but this woman radiated malevolence. The less she knew, the better.
The kunoichi's tongue darted out again, wrapping around the scroll. She opened her mouth, her lips wrapped around manuscript, and she titled her head up. Her hand pushed it down her throat, until she had consumed the scroll.
"When we're done, one of us will have both scrolls." Hikari swallowed hard. An opponent who dared them to cut her still-warm-corpse to get their bounty wasn't someone she wanted to face. "And the other will be dead."
Her thirst for blood slammed into Hikari, cutting her breath off and drying her throat. She couldn't fathom how but it was worse than Zabuza's. Worse than Zabuza. This woman was worse than a Demon. Her panic rose. She struggled to think through it. How had they managed in Waves? Her heart pounded. Kakashi-sensei had beaten the Swordman. She tried to swallow, but her mouth had no moisture. Kakashi-sensei wasn't here to protect them. They were on their own. Her hands grew clammy. She fell to her knees.
On their own. Their. Team 7. Not alone.
Focus, Hikari. Sasuke is here, and you two have to get Naruto. She forced air through her mouth and almost choked on it. Focus. Sasuke. He was beside her, throwing up. The waves of KI didn't lessen, but she managed to hold the barest trail of thought above them. This isn't worse than at the bridge. This woman is rotten, but human. Revolting, but not the animalistic-red-overpowering rage at the bridge.
Sasuke tried to get to his feet and failed. Breathe, Hikari. Your friend needs you. From the corner of her eye, she saw him looking at her before reaching into his kunai pouch. She blinked. What is he doing? We need to run. That wasn't, couldn't be, a genin. She stopped shivering. Something somewhere had gone wrong. They needed to get out. Grab Naruto and get out.
Sasuke got to his feet.
"Very good," the kunoichi in front of them praised. "How about now?"
The waves crested, and Sasuke froze again. Hikari pressed one hand to the soil and didn't fight it anymore. You didn't struggle to the shore when caught in a rip tide. Your job was to float and keep the shore in sight. Keep the shore in sight. She took a deep breath. Goal. Find Naruto and get away.
The kunoichi took out two kunai and walked towards them. Naruto, then run.
The Not-genin giggled mockingly. Run, find Naruto, run again, Hikari amended. She put one foot and then the other forward, getting to her feet.
Sasuke's arm moved. Hikari's own followed, catching his wrist in a tight grip before he put the kunai through his thigh. What is he...? Pain, she realized. Sasuke meant to use pain to cut through the terror. She tightened her grip, bruising him under his armguard. A bruise was better than a stab wound.
Sasuke's eyes met hers. They widened, flashing red and to the side before scooping her up and moving them away. A kunai passed Hikari's face and over Sasuke's shoulder. She breathed hard. The kunoichi had thrown weapons at them, and she hadn't even noticed.
He deposited her on the forest floor, a tree trunk hiding them from view.
"Run. Naruto. Get out," she managed to whisper.
Sasuke nodded, glancing back and then at her. "Where?"
"The other side of the blast." It was a good place to start.
His eyes fixed on something beyond her shoulder, and Hikari swallowed. Had the kunoichi found them? Sasuke took her forearms and jumped back. She let herself be pulled into the air, twisting to see the threat. A snake. A humongous snake, its head the size of her whole body. She pulled out a long ribbon and tossed one end to Sasuke.
They came down on one of the branches and split off to the sides, each one with one tail. Sasuke used the trees to jump over the head of the snake, letting the ribbon circle the snake. Hikari focused her chakra, making it go towards her teammate. He passed her the tail. She did a knot and passed it back to him. They both jumped to opposite branches. The knot settled against the snake's scales at the same time the chakra tried to pass through. She continued pouring it into the fabric.
BOOM.
The node exploded. Gone. The snake was dead. Hikari took a deep breath and jumped to stand next to Sasuke.
And felt bile crawl up her throat as the kunoichi emerged out of the headless body.
"I can feel your fear and desperation, little prey," the kunoichi laughed and twisted around the tree trunk.
Hikari jumped back, goosebumps forming in her arms. Not human, her mind whimpered. Where are her legs? From the waist down, the kunoichi - not a kunoichi, not human - had become something like a snake.
Sasuke threw a handful of weapons at the being, forcing it to stop on their tracks. She tugged him backwards. He nodded. They turned and bolted. Hikari zig-zagged, passing above and below Sasuke as they both tried not to become easy targets. The being followed them, laughing even as they dodged the weapons it threw at them.
An orange blur appeared among the green. Sasuke intercepted him, pushing him towards her. "Naruto! What are you doing!? It's the other way, dobe."
"We need to get out, Naruto-kun," Hikari panted, relief coursing through her at seeing him unharmed if somehow slimy.
"Out? But..."
"OUT!" Hikari screeched. "Something is after us. Too strong."
"We need to get away while we still can," Sasuke added as he passed above them.
"We are not running!" Naruto exclaimed, but he followed after them.
"We are," she disagreed. "As fast as we can."
"Not fast enough," the being sang out, materializing in front of them.
Hikari stopped dead, flinging her arms out. Her right grasped bark, using the tree to not overbalance. The left one grasped Naruto's jacket. Naruto, who kept going, not as used to fast changes of pace as Sasuke and she. She pushed away from the tree with her right as she pivoted, throwing Naruto backwards, out of the being's range.
The being shot her an amused smile and addressed her teammate. "You were able to escape my friend, Naruto. Impressive."
Naruto got his balance and stood on a branch, arms crossed. "I don't know what's going on." You only need to know that we need to run! "But you've been bothering my team, and I don't like that. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I'm going to wipe the floor with you!"
"Enough!" Sasuke snapped, trying to bring the attention off Naruto. "If it's a Heaven scroll you want, I'll give it to you." His hand went to his pouch, drawing out the scroll they'd gotten from the first team they'd encountered.
"How sensible," the being smiled.
Sasuke threw it.
Naruto intercepted it, bouncing off another tree to come stand next to Sasuke. "What are you doing, teme!? We are not giving a scroll away just like that!"
"Stop acting like a hero, Naruto! Don't get involved in this! Leave it to me!"
Naruto pushed Sasuke, baring his teeth. Hikari palmed a couple of kunai as the being retracted its tail and somehow got its legs back.
Sasuke staggered back. "You idiot! Don't you understand this situation!?"
Naruto breathed hard. "I know who I am. And I know you're not Sasuke! What's the password?"
"What are you talking about, dobe? I'm not an impostor!"
"Liar! I don't care who she is. Giving up without a fight? The Sasuke I know is not a coward!"
Sasuke's eyes widened with hurt, but he stood his ground.
Hikari's fists clenched. Survival is not cowardice. We're outclassed. Choosing to survive is not cowardice.
"Well, I'll have to kill you to take it, then," the being told Naruto. It bit its thumb and smeared a line of blood on its tattooed arm.
Blood? For a summoning? Her mind went back to the snake Sasuke and she had taken out and then at the space between the being and Naruto.
"Naruto-kun, get back!"
Naruto rushed forwards.
"No! Naruto, NO!" Sasuke yelled.
"Summoning jutsu!"
A snake, bigger than entire buildings materialized, breaking the tree Naruto and the being had been standing up. Hikari's heart stuttered. Too big. This was worse than she'd thought. This being was a Power.
The head, on which stood the being, reared up and down. Naruto dodged once, twice. And got hit by the tail.
"Naruto!" Sasuke yelled as their teammate went flying, breaking a couple of trunks before smashing into the third. He hit hard, back first. Blood spurted out of his mouth.
He fell, head first and straight down. The snake got below him, preparing to ingest its food.
Naruto's eyes opened. Hikari thought they were red, but that couldn't be right. Only one of her teammates had red eyes, and it wasn't him. He twisted in the air and punched snake's nostrils.
The snake sent him flying.
Naruto rebounded and punched the snake again, fists flying. He made no damage. That's useless. Maybe we can knock him unconscious and get out. Hikari made her way to Sasuke, trying to not attract attention.
"Is that... Naruto?"
"Yes. He's gone berserk."
The snake changed directions, charging for them. She snagged Sasuke around the waist and launched them down and to the side.
The summon landed where Sasuke and she had been. Naruto followed it, stabbing its head before looking at them. Hikari saw red eyes with slitted pupils. What?
The being's tongue shot out. It was so long it wrapped around Naruto, immobilizing him and lifting him.
"Let me down before I rip out your tongue!" he snarled into the being's face, baring his teeth. Sharp. Too sharp.
The tongue lifted up Naruto's jacket. Hikari threw a kunai, followed by a handful of shuriken. The snake's tail knocked them off course.
"Five-Pronged Seal!" The being called out as their hand, tips glowing purple, smashed into Naruto's belly tattoo.
Naruto screamed. His eyes went back to blue, and he went limp. The being threw him.
He's unconscious. He won't survive the fall.
Her hand went to her pouch again. If Sasuke did it, they risked less injury to Naruto, but Sasuke was... He was frozen... It fell on her. You've trained for this. Inhale. Exhale. Throw!
The kunai went through the back of Naruto's jacket and embedded itself in the tree. After making sure it managed to hold him aloft, Hikari panted in relief.
She took Sasuke's wrist again, putting pressure. "Sasuke-kun, I need you to focus."
His eyes slid sideways to hers and then back at the being. She increased the pressure, gripping him so hard he'd be blue by tomorrow. "Focus on me."
Ebony met swirling hazel, but they were still foggy. She changed her grip to above his arm-guard, skin on skin. "Focus. On. Me."
His other hand shot out, gripping her shoulder. Better.
"Sasuke-kun."
His grip tightened, and his Sharingan flashed before dissolving back to black. "Hikari," he gasped out.
She nodded.
"Naruto," he breathed out.
She forcibly turned him towards the tree their teammate hung suspended from.
He blinked, his grip bruising her shoulder. His Sharingan activated again. "Naruto. Get Naruto. Leave the rest to me."
She hesitated. Smoke surrounded the being as the summon was dismissed. Her bones grated together under Sasuke's hand. "Fine. As soon as I have him, we go."
She waited for him to nod before darting up the tree, into the leaves.
The sounds of a taijutsu fight followed her as she made it to the right tree. She glanced down. Sasuke's fireball didn't faze the being, but her teammate was dodging fine. She put chakra on her hands and feet and crawled down towards Naruto. She reached him and put her hands on his throat. A pulse. She took off her harness and apparatus, tying it at Naruto's belt and out of the way. She went down further until she was below him and glanced back.
Sasuke was down. The muscles in her leg tightened as she prepared to jump and help.
Tiny explosives in the being's back went off. Sasuke pounced on the opening, getting to his feet and taking out ninja wire.
Hikari turned back to getting Naruto out. Kakashi-sensei had worked hours upon hours with Sasuke to get the Windmill Triple Attack. They had even trained using the fire dragon if the victim captured the shurikens instead of dodging. What Sasuke needed was for her to have Naruto and be ready to run at his signal.
She took one of Naruto's limp arms and looped it over her shoulder. She put her back to his chest and reached up to the kunai holding him. She hesitated. Naruto was going to be dead-weight. Hikari shuffled so she was fully under Naruto and settled his other arm around her shoulder. Careful to balance on only her legs and keep the chakra to fer feet steady, she reached for a short ribbon. A flash of heat and red from the corner of her eyes meant Sasuke was using the dragon. The being yelled in pain.
She tied Naruto's forearms together in front of her. There. He was secure. She let the chakra on her feet slip a tiny bit. Naruto's jacket ripped, and his whole weight settled on her. She gritted her teeth as it drove them down and used the kunai to slow the descent until she managed to chakra-stick to the tree again.
She pocketed the weapon and put her hands under Naruto's thighs. He was heavy, heavier than she was, but she'd manage carrying him in a piggyback. She had to. The being had fallen silent, probably burnt alive, but she still wanted to flee.
She jumped to another tree and glanced down. Sasuke was panting. The tree in front of him had a hole burned through.
It was done.
"You've mastered the Sharingan well for you age," a voice, deeper than the previous one intoned. Impossible. Sasuke burnt it. She moved so she could see and shivered. The being/woman's face had melted, and there was another one underneath. "Yes, you're clearly his brother. You'll be perfect."
"Who are you? What do you want?" Sasuke demanded.
"My name is Orochimaru." Hikari's blood ran cold. One of the legendary Sannin. A prodigy. A traitor of Konoha. An S-rank missing nin. Why are we still alive? "As to what I want... I'll wait until we see each other again, Sasuke-kun."
Orochimaru's neck lengthened. 'Rokurokubi' her mind shrieked. The head few towards Sasuke. Hikari braced Naruto on the trunk behind them. The yokai's head slammed into her friend, long hair obstructing her view. Hikari crouched, setting Naruto down and wrenching herself from the circle of his arms. Sasuke yelped and grunted in pain. She jumped towards her teammate. The creature was already retreating, neck shortening. She made it to his side and put him behind her.
"What did you do to him!?"
"I just gave him a goodbye gift. Very soon Sasuke will seek me and my power," with that the thing was gone, melting down into the tree.
Sasuke slid down to his knees, one hand clutching his neck.
"Sasuke-kun!" her knees slammed down beside him. "Talk to me, please!"
Sasuke howled, too far gone to grant her request. Focus, Hikari. He tipped forward. She stopped him before he slammed head-first on the ground, leaning him on her instead. He panted into her shoulder as she moved his hand away from his neck. Two puncture wounds, and above that three tomoes, similar to the Sharingan's design. Focus. Help him.
She focused on the bite first. Isolated fang punctures. No swelling, redness, or bruising. She pushed him down until he was on his back and took his hand on hers.
"Squeeze one if yes. Can you hear me?"
The heavy panting didn't stop, but her fingers were nearly crushed.
"Alright. I'm here, and I'll do my best, Sasuke-kun. I promise." I promise. My words are my vow. "Hold on, alright? You're doing great."
Her fingers scrambled inside her pouch, coming up with bandages. She tilted his head to the side and wiped the wound with soft movements.
Sasuke whimpered.
"I know. I'm sorry. But if they can identify what he put into you... I'm sorry."
His distress didn't abate, but he was still trying to grind her bones together, so she took it as a good sign. She started cleaning the wound with the small canteen she had strapped to her belt.
"You're doing great," she repeated. He was moaning, but he was responsive. "Thank you for staying still." It probably had more to do with pain than conscious thought, but anything that would slow the venom's path to his heart was good. "Nausea?"
His fingers relaxed a tiny bit. He didn't seem confused, either. Maybe not like an adder. She unrolled a bandage, putting it on the shoulder below the bite and hesitated.
"Weird taste in the mouth, Sasuke-kun?" No pressure.
"Numbness?" His hold became lighter. Not similar to a pit viper, then.
"Good news is," she forced her voice to come out with cheer, "it doesn't seem like the venom is cytotoxic or haemotoxic." She paused. "I'll need both hands to restrict the blood flow to your heart."
His grip tightened, and the pain-filled sounds didn't stop. She guided his hand to her thigh before wiggling hers loose and propping him up enough to wrap the bandage tight. She hoped she was right and it was some sort of neurotoxic venom. If she wasn't, she was only hurting him further.
"You're doing fantastic, Sasuke-kun," she guided him down again and took his hand.
He crushed her bones again, stifling his screams behind his teeth.
"I can't give you pain-killers. I'm sorry." She also couldn't give him antivenom. They were specific to each snake species. She gritted her teeth in frustration. She didn't know what else to do.
Sasuke was panting, but his grip had begun to fade. She tried to bring his attention back, but he was starting to drift.
When he lost consciousness, face still scrunched up in pain, Hikari felt tears of helplessness sting her eyes. She didn't know how to do medical ninjutsu but...
She put her hands near his neck, not touching either the bite or the tomoes. The skin was hot to the touch. It's spreading.
'Don't attempt medical ninjutsu in a moment of panic. You could kill the person you are trying to save,' Kakashi-sensei had warned them.
She took a ribbon into her hand instead and laid it on top of the black marks.
'Medical chakra requires one to convert their chakra into a state that can be accepted," Haruno had explained.
Sasuke had always been able to grip her ribbon, even when she was infusing it with chakra. She filled the scrap, trying to visualize her chakra as Sasuke's. Fire/pride/hearth-heat/protect. She kept careful watch. The chakra reached where the fabric met skin. Nothing happened. She checked Sasuke's face, but it remained unchanged. She put a little more so it spread upwards. When it touched the marks, the ribbon started filling with black something. She flung her arm, taking it away from Sasuke, and let go. The stained material fluttered down to the floor.
Hikari panted. What is that? And how did it crawl up the ribbon, almost devouring it?
She scrubbed her face with her hands, frustrated, before something occurred to her. That black vileness is inside Sasuke.
She took another ribbon and put it on top of the spots.
After four stained ribbons, she hesitated. Am I doing something, or is this like trying to dry an ocean with a paper towel?
Movement above her startled her. She pivoted, putting Sasuke behind her and shooting a desperate glance at Naruto. She didn't relax when she saw it was only a handful of birds. She needed to move. They needed to move. The blast of wind and power had uprooted entire trees. It was bound to attract other teams. The sounds of destructions and Sasuke's screams had kept them away. But there was no guarantee that'd continue.
She wanted to cry. In all the scenarios they had come up with, they hadn't planned for this. If there was only one of them left standing, it was supposed to be Naruto. Naruto, who still hadn't woken. She swallowed hard. The purple glow in Orochimaru's hands had done no visible damage to her teammate. It was futile to try to guess what it had done. And maybe it wasn't from the purple seal. Perhaps it was from the tremendous hit he'd taken. He had been able to move afterwards, so it wasn't a spine injury. Which left... head wound. Naruto had exhibited behavioral changes. She closed her eyes tight. It had to be from the seal. Please.
She glanced down at Sasuke. She didn't think he should be moved anywhere but to the hospital but... they had to withdraw from the area. The more she delayed, the riskier it became.
Center yourself, Hikari. Breathe in and out. Think. They had to move. She spared the tower a brief glance. Back to the outer rings, she decided. She remembered some of the terrain, and it'd force other teams to have to travel farther to encounter them. But... she wouldn't be able to protect her teammates if one did. Three against one, with that person guarding two people were not odds she ever wanted to face. She grimaced as she picked up the stained bandages. She was careful to roll them without touching the blood or substance before putting everything inside her now empty canteen.
She slid one arm around Sasuke's shoulder and the other behind his knees. Moving quickly, she jumped to where Naruto laid. She settled them together and with a last glance, set towards the broken trees. Alone.
Hikari crouched inside the uprooted soil. She dug to the very bottom of her weapon's pouch. There, wrapped in wax paper, was a homemade color smoke pill. She put it in the middle of the dried twigs she'd gathered. She struck her flint to a kunai and let the spark land on the bundle. It'd take some minutes to go through to the pill, and then some more for the smoke to be seen above the tall trees. Look up, Ino, please. She sprinted back to her teammates. Once alerted, Team 10 could find them on their own. Any trail she set would only help others.
She checked Naruto's temperature, getting more scared by finding it normal. Everything was still normal: breathing, pulse, no blood, no bites. She'd even pushed up his jacket, but his belly tattoo was gone how?!, and he didn't seem to have any internal damage. He was just... unconscious. Don't call it a coma. She put him on his side and went over to Sasuke. His temperature had risen steadily. He was heading towards a fever. From Naruto's pouch, she took off the kit she'd given him. She'd made it for the scenario of him having to patch them up: plasters, gauze, painkillers, bandages, a rain poncho to keep wounds dry, and, finally, fever reducer. She popped it inside Sasuke's mouth and massaged his throat until he swallowed.
Hikari looked between her teammates, trying to decide how to leave this spot. She was the lightest of the three. She couldn't carry them both. She also couldn't drag one. They'd leave too much of a trail if she moved to the floor. What do I do? Her hands trembled. What do I do?
How do I choose?
Sasuke needed medical attention. She had promised him she'd do her best. I gave him my word. Naruto was physically in better condition. And... Naruto hadn't run. He hadn't listened. He never listens. He'd charged against a Sannin. They'd told him to run! Anger bubbled up inside of her. Dad told me to plan around him, and I didn't listen. Her teeth chattered. What did I do? She'd let Sasuke go up against Orochimaru to check on Naruto. What have I done? She pushed back the crushing distress. She didn't have time for it.
Hikari stood with her feet on Sasuke's toes, grabbed his wrists, and pulled him to a standing position. She rotated, held his arms, and twisted so he was a very heavy backpack. The same as before, she took a ribbon and tied his forearms together so he wouldn't move even if she had to use her hands. She heaved him to more comfortable position and stopped. Blond hair above a Leaf hitaiate. Closed eyes and whiskers-marks on cheeks. Her teammate.
'Hikari! Kill Naruto or Sasuke dies,' Kakashi-sensei had put a terrible choice before her when he tested them.
And wouldn't she be killing Naruto if she left him here? What am I doing? Kakashi-sensei had nominated them for the exams. They were fresh out of the Academy, and he'd thought they could do it. During the exam, Team 7 represented themselves, Kakashi-sensei, their families, Konoha, and Fire.
Sensei's nindo was to never abandon a teammate. She rubbed her eyes. Before the First task, she'd gone to one of the ninja-oriented stores to buy sensei's ochugen. The company would deliver it to his door on the fifteenth. It was a little extravagant, but... she respected sensei and had wanted to make it clear. She would never be able to meet his eyes if she left Naruto.
She moved one shaking hand to the side of her head, stroking the braid. If you cut one strand, it would unravel. It could be shaped again into something stunning, but it would never radiate with the original beauty. Together, or not at all.
She swallowed and pressed her hands to Sasuke's thighs, hiding if not vanishing the temblors. She was coward, scared of even her own name, but she wouldn't leave a teammate behind.
Hikari crouched, careful with Sasuke's weight, and tugged Naruto into a bridal hold. She put chakra into her feet and extended her legs from her squat. Too heavy. She overbalanced and tipped forwards. She tried to be gentle depositing Naruto back on the ground. He was lying hazardously as her knees slammed into the tree trunk. One end of the handle strapped to Naruto's hip struck the ground. The other end flew up and smacked her in the face. She grunted in pain and let go of Sasuke to cup her palms to the pain. Sasuke slid down her back, making the ribbon tying his forearms choke her. She wheezed as she maneuvered herself off Naruto and got Sasuke higher on her back. Bad idea.
She was still coughing when she got back up, careful with the weight at her back. Once upright, she took a hold of Naruto's feet. Plan B, then.
She deposited Sasuke in one of the thicker branches she could find. Once he was seated, she checked his temperature. It was still high, but she didn't think it had gotten worse. She made him as comfortable as she could before taking ninja wire and securing him to the trunk of the tree. She hadn't encountered anyone, and she'd had to gamble on no one seeing him. She took half a second to breathe before sprinting back for Naruto.
As she ran with Naruto at her back, she took a second to glance at the tree she'd hidden Sasuke in. Undisturbed. She gritted her teeth and passed it, hoping to double the distance before coming back for him.
She gasped as she set Naruto down, untying the ribbon in his forearms and checking him again. She hadn't made it as far as she wanted, but she was too tired and worried about leaving Sasuke for long. Orochimaru was after him. Orochimaru had targeted Sasuke. Normal temperature, normal breathing, normal pulse.
She sniffled as a thought she'd been trying to push back resurfaced. He'd been unconscious for hours. A coma. Naruto was in a coma. He'd taken the hardest hit she'd ever witnessed and came back swinging. His spine was fine, but there no guarantees about brain damage. She didn't know how to check for swelling or internal bleeding. You can't do anything.
She'd been carrying her maybe brain-dead teammate for kilometers. She jumped to another tree in time to retch, snot and tears making a mess of her face.