Sweat caked my body, and I nearly managed to nod off before Kiki’s familiar bark tickled my eardrums. The sound sent a jerk ripping through my muscles, and I clamped my hands over my mouth to stop myself from crying out. Pain gripped my legs with a viciousness, and my whimpers surrounded me mockingly. Twisting at the rustling that sounded to me right, I fumbled for a heavy rock as my heart hammered in my chest. Blood rushed in my ears, drowning out the sound of my own harsh panting.

Kiki’s light steps were followed by something much bigger and heavier tromping behind her, and I swiped my tears from my eyes to get a clear look. The sun was turning the atmosphere gray; in a mere hour or two the star would crest the horizon. It’d taken my dog all night to find help, and I trembled violently before she burst from the trees. Her tail wagged furiously, tongue hanging out of her dry mouth as she came up to me. Rubbing and brushing against my back, her warm body supported mine.

Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I let my relief surge through me as I rested my head on hers.

“Good girl. Good girl, Kiki… Oh Jesus- I don’t know what I’d do without you, huh…” Mumbling shakily into her coarse fur, I sniffled hard before the sharp breaking of a twig captured my attention. Jerking as the sound rippled across my skin, I took a shuddering, shallow breath as a massive, human body emerged from the darkness.

“… You look like shit…” Deep and rumbling, his voice wrapped around me to send a wash of goosebumps over my entire body. Stiffening as he sauntered closer, I tightened my grip on my dog while he crouched down. “Can I touch you?”

My only response was a hesitant nod, and the man reached for me to carefully pick me up with an arm under my knees and another around my back. The action was smooth, causing no pain to attack my stiff legs, and I held the fabric of his shirt with white, trembling fingers.

Kiki made no move to resist, and that was the real clincher for me. If she trusted this stranger, then I had no problem doing so either. At least, for now. Her whines and huffs were dying down, but her sharp eyes were everywhere when I glanced down as I was hauled into the air.

“You trained that dog?” Tensing at the question, I sucked in air through my teeth as my gaze flew up. Brows furrowed, the man wore a curious expression that only darkened until I managed another silent nod. “She’s good. What’s her name?”

“K- Kiki…C- can you bring me back to camp… a- about a mile… that way?” Sputtering my request, my heart squeezed, and my lungs locked when the man shook his head jerkily. “Why- why…? I- I need a hos-pital…”

“You won’t make it to a hospital before you get an infection from all the shit in your boots. Besides, they’ll just charge you a crazy amount of money for something I can do for free. Relax. You can go after I disinfect your wounds. You lost a lot of blood overnight, too. You know your type?” My eyes widened at that, and I glanced down to stare at my leg. Even in the fading darkness I could barely see, and the man snorted roughly as he began to sway from a heavy gait. “Do you know your blood type?”

“A… A+… The best grade you can get in school.” An ache spread in my chest from how hard my heart pumped, and I let my head fall back with a harsh groan. “My chest- my chest-“

“Yeah- yeah… Calm down. You’re overthinking your blood loss. Lucky for you, I’m A+, too. What’s your name?” The man talked like he was discussing the weather; as if my panic wasn’t all too warranted. His dull tone spoke of experience, and the sound lulled my mind a little. Taking as deep a breath as I could manage, I held it for a few seconds before letting it burst from my throat.

“Caroline.”

“Caroline, huh? I’m James. It’s okay to pass out if you have to, you know. Your dog will probably saw through the rest of my leg if I did anything to you. She’s a smart bitch.” My slowing mind didn’t really register what James said beyond his name. The canopy above me was a blur, but despite my utter exhaustion, I couldn’t black out completely. Swaying from James’ gait, I blinked past my bleary vision, but it did nothing to help me see.

“Here we are…” Time held no meaning until a blast of cool air hit my side, and James tightened his grip on me as I jolted into full consciousness. “Up on the table you go.”

The light that James put on was so bright it would’ve blinded me if I could see any better, and I tossed my head to the side with a groan. Hard wood cradled my back, and my hands searched for the edge of the table to hold tight.

“Don’t move. I gotta cut off your pants.” James’ voice was rough, giving me grounding for what was to come. Clenching my teeth together, I nodded between breaths as he pulled my boots off. A pained, straining groan escaped my clogged throat, but I stayed as still as I could as two thumps reverberated up through the table legs.

“Oh- fuck!” Yelping when James rolled my sock down my swollen, injured ankle, I arched off the table only to have a hand land heavily on my inner thigh. “Ah- ah!”

“Stop that shit, okay? At least you kept your feet in the water, and I’m not peeling crusty, dry skin and blood from your ankle. Jesus-“

“Oh- piss off! Just hurry up before I kick you in the face!” The mental image sent a harsh shudder down my spine, and James snorted at my rasping threat. Taking a hard breath, I held the air tightly in my lungs as he wiggled my pale, aching toes free.

“You want to suffer two broken feet then- be my guest…” James’ low mutter almost escaped me, and my gaze snapped to his pinched expression. His eyes never roamed higher than my knee, but the uncomfortable look plastered on his face deflated my lungs in a gasp before he spoke up. “Seriously, though- don’t fucking scream or your dog will attack me.”

“That’s way more creepy than it should be, you know…” Through shallow pants I offered a reply, and James shot me a glare as he carefully pulled off my right sock.

“You know what- why don’t you just shut up entirely? I have a Perc around here, I think- if it’ll help…” Without waiting for a response, James turned away from me, and for the first time I noticed the space around me. The kitchen was quaint, modest, rustic, and I squinted to watch blurrily as he flung open an upper cabinet roughly. Medicine bottles were lined up neatly, and I relaxed a little as he shook two containers before reaching for a third and shutting the door. My lips parted at the sight of the bottle, and he popped the top easily to drop two pills into his palm.

“Don’t mess up, James…” The seriousness of the situation hit me when James held the two pills over my mouth. Staring through wide eyes at the two tiny objects, I took a shallow, unsteady breath before opening my mouth fully.

“I got you, Caroline.” My lips twitched in a smile at the absurdity of this entire episode; I was about to be drugged out of my mind by a stranger, and then that stranger was going to essentially operate on my ankle. Carefully dropping the pills into my mouth, James moved to my feet as I swallowed hard.

My dad is going to kill me. The thought was almost a certainty, and I closed my eyes to imagine the immense pile of crap I’d be dunked in when I got home. Clattering metal rang harshly in my ears, and within seconds I could feel the pain relievers start to take effect. Staring at the insides of my eyelids, I took a deep, shuddering breath as relief thickened in my veins.

A dull throbbing traveled up my leg when James examined my broken ankle, but the pain that I had experienced wasn’t there. Keeping myself as still as I could, I held my fists to my chest to feel my rapid heartbeat. Slowly the organ was finding a normal rhythm, and after a long, quiet second James spoke up.

“It’s a clean break. You’re just all types of lucky, apparently. Kiki- girl- get up on the table. Come up. Up.” The table shuddered when James hit it, and Kiki wasted no time hopping up next to me. “Don’t fucking bite me, yeah?”

Kiki’s hard, warm body was carefully draped over my legs, with her elbows tucked under my thighs. Her chest against my apex vibrated in low, threatening growls, and my hands slid down to grip her fur. Rubbing soothing circles into what I could only guess was her scruff, I managed a soft sigh before James’ voice reached my ears again.

“You’re probably going to pass out when I set your bones, Caroline. Don’t fight it, okay?” His words came through a deep tunnel, and I groaned softly in response. Too much effort went to deciphering what he’d said, and just as he’d instructed, I didn’t fight the darkness that nibbled at the edges of my consciousness.