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And in seconds, she was darting off in a different direction, away from the clearing your squad had been approaching. Wind and tree branches whipped around your face as Botan ran, and a couple of times, you could’ve sworn more of those dark figures were peeking out from behind bushes and tree trunks. But the lioness was fast. She was fearsomely powerful, that much you were aware of now.
“Still with me?” she asked, barely breaking a sweat as you noticed you were starting to ascend. Perhaps there was a large hill nearby that she was bringing you to. “Just keep breathing. Squeeze my shoulder if you can hear me.”
Obviously, she wanted to make sure you didn’t waste your breath. Strength and blood were still draining out of you, but after a couple of seconds, you managed to clench your fingers around her shoulder.
“Good boy… Er… Good,” Botan stuttered, finally coming to a halt outside of a cave. Part of you wondered how she was going to call for a medevac from in here, but you weren’t in much of a position to question her.
You grunt and wheeze as Botan sets you down on the cave floor, just a few meters inside. It was dark, frigid, and uncomfortable. You weren’t sure how much blood you’d lost, but the fact that the cave kept spinning wasn’t a good sign. Botan had drawn a pair of medical shears - she had the foresight to bring a kit before you dusted off - and was scrambling to cut her way through your clothes so she could have a better look at the gunshot wounds. Despite the fact that you knew this was standard procedure for emergency first aid, you couldn’t help but feel your embarrassment rear its ugly head again. You heard a soft gasp as she tugged away your vest and underlying clothes, exposing your bare chest to the chilly air of the cave.
“What… What is it…?” You ask with a wheezy voice, your breaths starting to get more and more ragged.
“N-nothing,” Botan replied in a rather unconvincing tone, suddenly slowing down as she continues shearing her way through your trousers and disrobing you unceremoniously. From your awkward angle, you could see her silver eyes becoming more and more frantic as she worked. There was a brief blush in her pale cheeks as she tore your clothes off, leaving you in just a pair of plaid boxers, partly stained in blood. But what got you worried the most was that her breathing was becoming faster, more panicky.
“Anon… I know I wanted you to save your breath, but… Talk to me. Please. Keep me distracted,” Botan finally said as she pulled out a set of tweezers and a pack of gauze.
“Distracted…? From what?” You ask, your heart throbbing uncomfortably beneath your ribs.
“I’m a lion. You’re drenched in blood. And I…” Botan begins to explain, then trails off as the red flush in her cheeks momentarily intensifies. Was she holding something back? “C-c’mon, you can put two and two together.”
You’d never seen Botan lose her cool like this, and you only knew her for a few weeks. But it made sense after you thought about it; she was part lion. One of the strongest, most fearsome predators on land. Seeing blood probably puts her in some kind of frenzy, and here she is, doing what she can to stop you from bleeding out and potentially becoming her next meal.
“O-okay. Sorry. I, uh… I shouldn’t have run off like that. I don’t know what came over me,” you apologized, remembering how you’d disobeyed her orders.
“It’s fine,” Botan assured you, her voice a little more easy as she dabs at your wounds and starts securing gauze around them with tape. “I’m sorry I don’t have any morphine to give you. Once you’re stable, I can call for help and get us out of here. I just… needed to move you somewhere safe, in case more of those things came after us.”
Again with that subtle hesitation. Maybe she was just dividing her focus between the conversation and the medical procedure. But this wasn’t entirely like the brave, cool, encouraging lioness you’d come to know these past few weeks. Botan finished patching up your leg as best as she could, knowing it would be unbearable and agonizing for you if she pulled the bullet out without any morphine. Amid the dizzying sensation clouding your mind, you felt your cheeks flush for the hundredth time as she climbed further up, addressing the puncture in your side and the hole in your arm. You had never been this close to her before. But now you had a good look at her face. You could see the pain in those eyes. The tension. The occasional hint of a snarl as more blood leaked out of the holes you weren’t supposed to have. And again, the red glint in her gaze as she stared down at your body.
