Stars and snow

Crimson snow

POV: Atlas

It's been a year.

Me and Grusha finally 17, Sol and Luna 18 and ready to graduate. Everything's happening so quickly.

For a summer school trip, right before the seniors would start their exams, everyone from the third and fourth years were going skiing at the Glaseado Mountains.

And let me tell you, hiking through knee length snow isn't the best. Wheezing like a maniac, I realised Grusha wasn't behind me anymore, no sign of him anywhere. 'Grusha?'

I started walking back a bit, thinking he had just grown tired and is resting behind on track. But after I found nothing after a few feet, I grew worried, forgetting my legs screaming for rest, I started running as best as I could. And after a while, I found Grusha, unconscious, with a small area of snow around his head dyed in the dark crimson colour of blood. I lifted him up, inspecting the wound on the side of his head, before looking around. I figured he had tripped and landing his head on some pointy rock and now was bleeding out.

Gently, I laid him down on my shoulder, walking back to the group, but I was far behind, tired and twice as heavy with Grusha now also depending on my wobbly legs. So, being a big fool, I went off the path and into the woods, hoping to cut the other off. But a sharp branch had different ideas, as it quickly cut through my pants and into my left thigh. I hissed in pain and blindly took steps forward, only to be smacked in the chest by a thick branch. I took a few breaths to calm myself and to check if no ribs were broken, maybe I got an internal bleeding in my lung because of it, but now it didn't matter, Grusha needed me.

So back on the path I spotted a cave, and since night was quickly falling, I walked in.

I pulled out multiple things from my backpack, like blankets, hoodies and a first aid kit. Grusha's hoodie was soaked and was torn in a few places. I thought about giving him a new hoodie, but considering he needed all his energy to heal the wound on his head, and heating a hoodie would cost energy, I pulled my hoodie off, put it on him and checked the place that branch smacked me, making a mental note to fix Grusha's hoodie, that was his favourite.

Then I swiftly put some bandages on my thigh, before gently and tightly wrapped some around Grusha's head. I placed a blanket on the ground, Grusha on top of it and another blanket on top. 

Then grabbed a mirror, checking my gums to check for internal bleeding. Seeing my gums the same colour as normal, I concluded I didn't have internal bleeding, yet.

I looked at Grusha, his breathing looked normal and his pulse was okay, and I let out a relieved sigh. 'You don't know how worried I was', I said to him, not receiving an answer from the sleeping boy. 

I was stirring in my half eaten can of corn. Man did I like it's sweet taste, so I carried a can with me just in case, and now it was the only food source I had. Looking at the rising sun was nice, but Grusha was still unconscious and no one had found us yet.

Quickly I got up, stretching away the soreness and getting ready for new tasks I gave myself, like refreshing our bandages, always refreshing Grusha's first may I accidentally run out, tucking him in again, checking his breathing, pulse and pupil reflex, basic doctor stuff. 

When I had nothing to do I would look outside, waiting to see someone looking for us, but these mountains were massive and finding us may take a while. I also didn't know if Grusha brought along food, so I saved my half eaten can of corn for him. Yea I could go through his stuff without him knowing, but that feels wrong, like invading his privacy.

Staring at the orb of heat and light that was making its way to the horizon, I heard someone faintly calling out my name. 'Atlas.?'