(Archived) Poth Short Stories and One-Shots

A Friend in Need - Chapter 5

Chapter Warnings: Blood (Marrow), swearing

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Snapping out of his shock, Rurik typed into his phone with unsteady hands.

Rurik: Where are you what happened

Rurik tossed his phone onto the couch cushion when he didn't get an immediate response, snatching up his jacket and hat and hastily throwing them on. The skeleton raced up the stairs to grab Lotus' med kit with plans to raid it for any possible supplies he might need.

Jogging back downstairs with the box in hand, he picked up his phone and checked it.

No response.

He went into the kitchen and managed to find a cinnabunny stashed away in the back of the cupboard, stuffing it into a pocket and returning to the living room.

Still no response.

A solid minute ticked by in silence as Rurik paced. He felt like he was being pulled five different ways, a flurry of questions fueling his growing anxiety.

Lotus said he can't get back... why can't he get back? Is he hurt? Trapped? Was he kidnapped? He said he was alright... but what does 'alright' even mean right now? And WHY THE HELL ISN'T HE ANSWERING?!

As he contemplated just picking a direction to start blindly searching, the phone finally vibrated. He quickly snatched it up and swiped through the lock screen.

Lotus: In an alley next to the hardware store on Fifth near Burings behind a blue dumpster.

Lotus: I was attacked while putting up posters.

On Fifth near Burings...

Rurik: Stay there I'm on my way

With his destination in mind, the skeleton grabbed some potentially useful supplies from the med kit and shoved them into his pockets, throwing the door open and slamming it behind him. His phone buzzed with a text from the smaller confirming he wouldn't move.

Rurik belatedly remembered to lock the door before dashing through the grass, cutting across multiple yards to save himself precious time. Ignoring the yells from disgruntled neighbors, he made short work of the distance.

Crossing into the city limits, he powerwalked toward the hardware store to avoid attracting attention. Spotting the storefront and an alleyway tucked just behind it, he slowed his pace and casually strolled over toward the opening.

He sighed in relief at the sight of a blue dumpster... though his eye lights narrowed at the sound of growling and the stack of papers strewn across the ground.

Peeking around the back corner of the dumpster, he glared at the sight of the mutt, its hackles raised, baring its teeth at Rurik... standing between him and Lotus. The small skeleton was hunched in the corner with a bleeding scrape across his left temple, holding his torn left sleeve.

Rurik reached for his knife holster, preparing for the impending fight.

"Rurik!" the small skeleton squeaked, his eye light shooting from his partner to the dog, "Down girl, he's safe!" Rurik's sockets widened as the dog not only dropped her stance but turned to curl up by the smaller, resting her muzzle in Lotus' lap.

Releasing the breath he only now realized he'd been holding, Rurik knelt down to inspect the tear while watching the dog out of the corner of his socket. He found a large scrape down the humerus and ulna under the cloth that matched the one on their skull. Concluding the injuries looked worse than they actually were, he asked, "Any other injuries?"

"My right leg," Lotus said, reaching out to pull his pant leg up. He hissed as the hem caught on the bone, prompting Rurik to take over since he could move closer.

Easing up the fabric, he scrutinized the damage with a sour expression, "Damn, did someone take a baseball bat to your leg?"

"A metal pipe, actually," Lotus supplied, running his fingers through the dog's fur, "I got dragged into the alley as I was walking by and four guys started demanding money. I told them I didn't have anything for them, and they attacked me. She followed me, barking and growling at them and I managed to take one of them down before one of the other guys took out my leg and sent me to the ground."

"She jumped in when he tried to bash my skull in, going for his throat and eventually dusting him," Lotus' voice was tight, his eye light centered on a solitary pipe amid a pile of dust, "She even managed to help me scare the remaining two off... and honestly, I probably wouldn't be sitting here talking to you if she hadn't interfered."

Rurik processed the information, eying the now complacent dog silently with a hint of suspicion before reaching into his pockets for the medical supplies and the food he brought. He searched the ground for something sturdy, managing to find a decently thick magazine laying by the dumpster, snatching it up as he said, "I'm gonna have to reset the bone before we go anywhere, so you might want to brace yourself."

Lotus nodded, taking a deep breath and giving the go ahead. Rurik quickly snapped the bone back into place, earning a small grunt and a full-body wince from his partner. The dog whined as she sat up, licking the smaller's face while receiving more pets in return. The taller shoved the food toward his partner, directing them to eat it.

Working quickly, Rurik placed a gauze pad around the injury, secured it with some medical tape, then rolled the magazine into a makeshift splint, securing that with more tape. Tilting his skull to check his work, he replaced the pant leg over the magazine splint and concluded, "I think that's the best we're going to get for now, we can treat the scrapes at home. Can you stand on your own or do you need a hand?"

Lotus braced his good arm against the dumpster behind himself, pushing up into a standing position. The dog stood up with him, pressing into his side as the other monster drew closer. The food was doing its job to heal the worst of the damage, but the skeleton was still shaky on his feet.

Wrapping his arm around the smaller's upper back and torso, Rurik stated, "Come on, let's get out of here before someone else gets a bright idea."

The hooded skeleton readily agreed, wrapping his good arm around Rurik and shifting the weight from his bad leg to limp forward. "Thanks for coming," Lotus muttered as they slowly made their way home with the dog following on their left.

Rurik hummed in response, his thoughts drifting toward other things while he kept watch of their surroundings. The trip home was slow, quiet, and thankfully uneventful.

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Word Count: 1,105