Valkyrie (Complete)

6: Hide

She's awoken by a light shake to her arm. She sits up, feeling the slight injury to her arm as it's held in the person's hand. "I'm awake," she mutters, pulling her arm away.

Eira smiles gently at her and then goes over to lay beside Kaj. He wraps an arm around her waist and they smile at each other adoringly.

She looks over at her friends with a small smile despite the slightest pang of jealousy. She wants the kind of love that they have, but she has yet to find it. Not to mention that she doesn't have the time, but it doesn't make her want it any less.

She turns when she hears someone clearing their throat and she finds Phoenix looking down at her. He's perched in the lower branches of a tree, crouching on a thick branch with one hand on the trunk for balance. He motions for her to come up and she does, climbing the rough bark with ease.

He smiles at her before scooting over so there's room for both of them. He wraps his arm around her shoulders as she moves to sit, swinging her legs over the edge. "How's your arm?" He whispers.

"It's fine," she whispers back. "Just a flesh-wound, like I said."

"I know that. I'm asking how it feels."

She looks down at it before responding. "It's okay. It doesn't hurt too much, but it won't stop bleeding. I'm going to have to change the bandage before too long."

He slides her arm out of the sleeve once again to get a better look. Sure enough, red is seeping through the fabric and shines darkly in the moonlight. He unwinds the wrap and peers at it.

He jumps down from the branch and grabs a water bottle, a new bandage and a new wrap before climbing back up. She looks at him through her lashes, a smile tugging at her lips. "I can take care of it, you know? You don't have to."

"I know." He sets the bandage down on the branch and then unscrews the lid of the water bottle. He pours a small amount onto her arm to wash the blood off, and then quickly dries it. The wound, though small, is ugly. It's almost perfectly round and went through her arm like a knife through soft butter. The skin is torn and he can see why it hasn't stopped bleeding: it's too far across to scab. "It needs a stitch, but I don't have any with me."

She shakes her head. "I don't either, and I doubt Kaj or Eira do. Really, Nix, it's okay. It doesn't hurt much. It's a small injury and it'll heal. It's nothing to worry about." She pulls her arm back to her side.

He moves it back so it's resting on his knee. "Regardless, it's still hurting you, and that will always make me worry." He bandages again for her, tucking the end in after tying it with the other loose end.

Her heart is pounding but she doesn't know why.

A sudden sound breaks her from her thoughts and she freezes. Phoenix doesn't seem to have heard it, as he's still moving around on the branch. She turns slowly to face him and puts a finger to her lips. He freezes instantly, knowing that the look on her face is serious.

He climbs down from the tree silently and crawls to Eira and Kaj, who are sleeping soundly. He wakes them up and then puts a hand over their mouths, signaling them to be quiet.

Valkyrie turns slowly and spots movement a short distance away. She climbs to a higher branch where she can see better, only to see a weapon pointed straight at her. Her heart skips a beat, knowing she either has to jump from nearly twenty feet or risk being shot again.

Her body makes the choice before her brain, leaping off the branch as quickly as she can. The weapon fires and she feels a bullet hit her back, throwing her off-balance. She tumbles to the ground and suppresses a groan of pain before hurriedly getting to her feet.