Rescued

After setting up the camp away from prying eyes, the boys allowed themselves a break in the shade of the boulders. The comforting lapping of the nearby water lulled them gently. Thanks to the river, the heat seemed more bearable to them and they happily made use of these quiet moments to recover from the trip.

Nikodem et Sumai were standing guard while the others were napping. They could be trusted, their vigilance had always been flawless. However, Fergus couldn't fall asleep. In order not to disturb his companions, he decided to walk a little along the river. He often paused to contemplate the slow movements of the water, letting his thoughts and especially his regrets flow with the current.

In this quiet and secluded atmosphere, he felt calm, almost freed. He had to accept it : he missed his chance, another would take responsibility for ensuring the survival of the tribe in his stead and would become the head of the family. No young girl would want him now, his bad reputation, fueled by the taunts of Lana and her family, would now exclude him from the list of potential spouses in any decent and wealthy tribe.

He felt a little sad about the dull bachelor life that would be his own from now on but finally he was relieved. If the rich and beautiful Lana aroused envy, Fergus now knew she was wicked, cruel and whimsical. Spending the rest of his life with this vixen was no longer as attractive a prospect as it had been before.

Little by little, without even realizing it, he had come closer to the city. This luminous place attracted him like a magnet. A short distance still separated him from this unknown world. Only a thin stream of water marked the boundary he shouldn't cross.

This last observation drew him instantly from his dreams. Just two hours earlier, when they arrived, the current was visibly stronger and the river flowed in abundance. When he had left the camp, everything seemed normal. Lost in thoughts, he had not noticed any drop in the water level.

Facing the city, he could now clearly see the wet, sticky clay lining the riverbed. There was almost no water, the river had disappeared far too quickly. He wanted to retrace his steps, he needed to make sure that everything was fine but a threatening rumble froze him on the spot. The whole area was ringing around him. The sound did not encounter any obstacle and yet it seemed to reverberate and come from everywhere at once.

Fergus turned his head slowly. The sky was calm, no thunderstorm on the horizon. When he saw the cascade upstream, he was stunned at the scene that was unfolding before his eyes. The deafening roar, which still went on, came from a wall of water rising above the waterfall.

Like a wild beast out of the legends told by Grandpa, the mass of water unleashed its fury, invading the bed of the peaceful river. It reared up as if to gather its forces before crushing and swallowing up the nearby city.

The young man stepped back. He thought of his friends who slept so close to the water, of his tribe waiting for them downstream. How to warn them all ? He wasn't even sure he could reach his camp before the surging wave.

The only obstacle, pathetic defense, seemed to be the Lichen that was dyeing the base of the wave in green at the top of the cascade. By a miracle that Fergus could not fathom, the Lichen managed to divert the assaults of the water upwards in a vain attempt to postpone the unavoidable conclusion. The waterfall had almost doubled in height. The violence of the current, all the energy contained in the restrained flow, threatened to fall with even greater force upon all the careless people who were unaware of the drama that was about to unfold.

Suddenly, a projectile tore the plant curtain in its center. Fergus heard a piercing cry that ended lost in the roar of the wave. A torrent of water then rushed into the breach. The wall created by the Lichen gave way, the impending calamity was right on them.

The cry woke him out of his stupor and Fergus began to run toward the foot of the waterfall. People berated him for being impulsive and acting instinctively, without thinking. Once again, he rushed into danger and trouble. He might not come back. Nikodem would have to bring the guys back to their families. Then Fergus had one last thought for his grandfather before plunging into the turbulent water.

Fergus was a good swimmer. The tribe's youths had always made a point of bathing in every stream they came across. Therefore he was experienced enough to rescue someone. However, he had to dive several times before finding the sunken body. He brought it back to the riverbank. The current was still strong but it was the last sign of the events that had happened before his eyes. No flood, no disaster.

With the mud sticking to his feet, Fergus got out of the river with difficulty. He moved with the utmost care so as not to injure any further the person he'd just fished out. He gingerly placed the girl on the ground. She looked so fragile that he feared he would break something with his big, clumsy hands.

The first time Fergus wanted to lead his group on an adventure, Grandpa had taught him some basics of first aid and how to provide assistance in case of emergency. He had even proven himself with the guys on injuries of various severity but none had ever drowned to allow him to practice CPR.

He put his face close to the girl's and felt no breath. He then lightly pressed his ear to her chest to listen to her heart. He faintly heard a weak beat. She was still alive. Without further delay, he decided to try to breathe air into her.

He unbuttoned the jacket of her tattered uniform so as not to be inconvenienced by her drenched and stiff clothes. Grandpa had advised him to be very careful during heart massages, one could easily crack or break several ribs. Then he put his mouth on the girl's lips trying to ignore the fact that it was his first kiss. He breathed out. Nothing happened. He then placed his hands for the massage and felt under his palm the fast pulse of a heart that was beating wildly. He hastily removed his hands. She had been frightened and shocked, but she was alive.

Relieved, he started with dealing with the most pressing issues. When he had brought her out of the water, he had noticed that her right arm was hanging at an unnatural angle. Since the jacket was open and the injured woman had not regained consciousness, he first took care of the dislocation of the shoulder. She didn't wake up. It didn't bode well, the pain should have roused her from her lethargy.

He took her in his arms, got up and hurried as quickly as possible back to the nearby camp. There, he would be able to clean all the blood and treat the wounds. The girl was very light, around the forty kilos, hardly more. "A girl in uniform. Poor kid..." he thought.

He arrived in sight of the rocks where he had left his friends a little earlier. He did not dare to run but he was worried. He felt relieved to see Olek waving frantically to warn the others.

– Olek please, go get my big blanket and put it on the ground, in the shade, Fergus said when he arrived. I also need water, clean clothes and my first aid kit.

Nikodem appointed Sumai and Torgny who left to get the required items, and helped Olek install the makeshift bed. Fergus told his friends what had happened as he gently laid the wounded woman down. The right arm he had put back in place earlier was probably broken near the wrist and Fergus suspected some damage to the legs. But what worried him the most was all the blood on her head.

Thus he started by cleaning the face and lightly running his fingers over the head to look for a wound. The girl had no hair. He found it strange but very convenient to examine her. He heaved a sigh, relieved : there was no wound on the head. The blood came from a wicked gash on her forehead and eyebrow arch, which reached the eyelid too. He dared not look at the eye.

It was beyond his skills anyway, so Grandpa would have to take care of it. He sew up a few stitches to close the cut and wrapped around her head a bandage that covered the eyes and a large part of the face. That was the best he could do.

He then asked Nikodem for help in cutting the pants and jacket and freeing the limbs. He carefully palpated the legs, there were no fractures but the flesh had been thrashed. Fergus let out a slight sigh of relief, he could still act. A few open wounds needed stitching and bandaging and he applied some balm on the numerous bruises. He then bandaged the swollen ankle and took care of the broken arm. The fracture was quite simple, he was able to take care of it with a little help from Nikodem. When they had finished fixing the splints, the night had fallen.

Meanwhile, the guys caught some fish in the river and silently prepared a simple meal. They could not move the wounded girl. She had lost a lot of blood, she might not survive. But they were unwilling to abandon her without even knowing if she would live. Therefore they had to wait before joining their families.

Fergus and Nikodem raised their heads at the same time, when they heard footsteps. Olek stood there, standing next to his brother. He held one of his shirts in his hands. They undressed the girl, who was still unconscious, and gave her a warm, clean, dry shirt. Then they covered her and moved away to let her rest. Fergus took the first shift. The sight of her beaten and bruised body had tightened his heart. He wanted to watch over her, she seemed so fragile.

In silence and darkness, Chloe tried to open her eyes. A blindfold blocked her sight. She couldn't move, every part of her body was painful. She felt helpless and tears of exhaustion and despair dampened the dressing.