"You're always too young to get killed by a black and evil tentacle thing," Arlo muttered, even while he'd been cleaning up Vega's cuts and scrapes, and she'd been busy resisting his efforts. Squabbling just like their usual was better, he'd think if he cared to think about it at all, than not. In reality he was worried about her. But as long as she remained prickly and hard to get along with, which was Vega's usual, she was probably alright.
And it was supposed to hurt, he insisted. The alcohol at least. It was what his mother had always told him. The effectiveness of the cure was measured by the degree of pain inflicted by applying it. And mostly, as he'd hauled her up and then eventually coaxed her into the back of the cart, Arlo ignored her babbling and the insults that came with it. She was talking and making a semblance of sense, which was all that mattered.
It wasn't easy. Arlo's own inclination was to give as good as he got. But once she was actually in the back of the wagon, he handed her his flask of water and ordered her to drink up. "Try not to roll out of the back of the cart on the way to camp, yeah?" he said and took Peg in hand to lead them all back to camp. Henry meanwhile walked alongside Vega and when she didn't drink the water, he nudged the flask in her hand with his soft muzzle. By now there was no denying the Bruxen knew what was what and who was who.
"No one's gonna leave Vega...And you're not dying if that's what you're worried about," he reminded her. "If you need reminding, just open an eye through the night and I'll be there to say so while making sure you don't wander off or do anything silly." And turned out, it was just what he'd do. Get her back to camp and settled, keep her drinking water and nibbling on light bits of food.
He and Henry would keep watch that way through the night, never letting her sleep too long. Always asking her for her name and other minor bits of information when they woke her. It was the best he could think of to do, considering his own mother had done a similar thing when he was young and had fallen off the edge of the loft in the barn and hit his head. He'd been alright after that. But if she wasn't much improved by morning or got worse through the night, then he'd be going off to find a healer instead.
And it was supposed to hurt, he insisted. The alcohol at least. It was what his mother had always told him. The effectiveness of the cure was measured by the degree of pain inflicted by applying it. And mostly, as he'd hauled her up and then eventually coaxed her into the back of the cart, Arlo ignored her babbling and the insults that came with it. She was talking and making a semblance of sense, which was all that mattered.
It wasn't easy. Arlo's own inclination was to give as good as he got. But once she was actually in the back of the wagon, he handed her his flask of water and ordered her to drink up. "Try not to roll out of the back of the cart on the way to camp, yeah?" he said and took Peg in hand to lead them all back to camp. Henry meanwhile walked alongside Vega and when she didn't drink the water, he nudged the flask in her hand with his soft muzzle. By now there was no denying the Bruxen knew what was what and who was who.
"No one's gonna leave Vega...And you're not dying if that's what you're worried about," he reminded her. "If you need reminding, just open an eye through the night and I'll be there to say so while making sure you don't wander off or do anything silly." And turned out, it was just what he'd do. Get her back to camp and settled, keep her drinking water and nibbling on light bits of food.
He and Henry would keep watch that way through the night, never letting her sleep too long. Always asking her for her name and other minor bits of information when they woke her. It was the best he could think of to do, considering his own mother had done a similar thing when he was young and had fallen off the edge of the loft in the barn and hit his head. He'd been alright after that. But if she wasn't much improved by morning or got worse through the night, then he'd be going off to find a healer instead.
