"W-will my brother be alright?" Minerva’s voice trembled as she looked to Hera for reassurance.
Though she wasn’t a dical student, she understood enough to know that an infected wound could an serious complications—possibly even life-threatening ones. Her worry was evident, her gaze fixed anxiously on Hera as if searching for any hint of hope.
"I-I don’t know," Hera replied, her voice trembling as her eyes flickered with worry. "But at the very least, we need to get his fever down and clean his wounds."
"We can’t move him," Minerva said quickly, grabbing Hera’s hand as she reached toward Rafael. Her grip was firm, her face set with fear and urgency, making it clear just how fragile Rafael’s condition was.
"Why?"
"His wounds will reopen—I barely managed to stop the bleeding, and every ti he moves, it starts again," Minerva explained through choked sobs. Only now did Hera take in Minerva’s appearance fully.
Her once-white dress was a ss of brown and red, with only small patches of white peeking through. Blood stains covered her, making it hard to tell where she might have been injured herself.
"Don’t worry," Hera reassured her, "I knew both of you were injured, so I brought sothing to help stop the bleeding, along with so dicinal roots."
She then unzipped the top of her race suit and reached into her cleavage to retrieve the items. Minerva stared, wide-eyed and mouth agape, completely taken aback.
"What are you doing? You’re not planning to undress and hug my brother like in those dramas, right?" Minerva blurted out, her eyes full of suspicion.
Hera shot her a look, sowhere between disbelief and amusent. "You’ve watched way too many dramas," she replied dryly.
Without another word, Hera pulled out a stone about the size of half a fist and began crushing the grass and roots she’d collected along the way, focused on preparing a redy.
"That..." Minerva hesitated, watching her in surprise, "...isn’t what I expected."
Hera, sensing Minerva’s worry, offered a reassuring explanation.
"This grass will help staunch the bleeding, and this one is for inflammation. Oh, and could you help with sothing? Place that grass under his tongue—it should help reduce the fever. After that, all we can do is hope and pray that my team arrives soon." Hera’s face was serious, her tone calm and focused.
Minerva, comforted by Hera’s composure, nodded and did as she was told without hesitation.
Arguing or questioning seed pointless now, and with Hera taking charge, Minerva felt a glimr of hope, her fears montarily lifted.
The two worked in sync to care for Rafael, who lay unconscious, his brows furrowed in pain, occasionally grunting as if struggling in a restless sleep.
"Hang in there, big guy. You’ll be okay," Hera murmured softly, her voice gentle and calming, like a soothing lullaby. Her words seed to reach him, as his tense expression softened, easing into a look of peace, as though he were simply asleep.
Minerva noticed the shift in her brother’s expression and felt a surge of gratitude toward Hera. Seeing Rafael’s pain lessen filled her with relief, so she followed Hera’s instructions even more attentively.
Together, they tore Rafael’s shirt into strips, using them to secure the herbal mixture Hera had applied to his wound. The makeshift bandage held the herbs in place, applying gentle pressure to help prevent further bleeding.
Hera pulled out her phone to check for any updates from her support team.
"There’s no signal here..." Minerva said, her voice filled with frustration. She had already tried to send an SOS ssage with Rafael’s phone, only to find no signal at all.
"I have a signal, though," Hera replied calmly, glancing at her phone screen.
It was true—her race suit’s cara was still live-streaming and her phone connection remained strong.
Minerva stared in astonishnt, marveling at how Hera’s phone was leagues beyond anything she’d seen, that’s how strong her cellular and internet signal was in her phone.
"Eh?!" Minerva gasped quietly, inching closer to Hera and peeking over her shoulder at the phone. Before she could ask anything, faint shouts and the barking of dogs drifted through the trees.
"Arf! Arf!"
"Look around!!! Dammit! How is it we still haven’t found those two when we already shot the man?!" one of the voices grumbled, frustration evident even at a distance.
"Ugh! I’m so pissed off! They even managed to throw off our hunting dogs with their blood-soaked coat!"
"Both of you, shut it and keep moving—your yelling’s enough to scare off birds for miles and tip them off!"
Hera and Minerva froze, exchanging a look of alarm.
"As if! These dogs won’t stop barking! They’re going to alert them!" one of the voices complained, their irritation rising.
"Why don’t we just send them back? They’re not doing anything useful!" another voice snapped.
"And who exactly do you think will help, huh? You?" ca the mocking reply, now much closer. "With that loud mouth of yours? You’re louder than a woman getting fucked by two n."
The crude remark floated through the air, and the voices drew nearer, just below the tree. Minerva and Hera instinctively pressed themselves against the trunk, holding their breath as they both tried to blend into the shadows.
Minerva was about to inch closer to Hera, but Hera quickly gestured for her to stay still, holding up a hand to stop her. She mouthed silently, urging Minerva not to move.
Suddenly, a hissing sound broke the tense silence.
"Fuck! This dog won’t shut up!" one of the voices cursed as the dog barked, its body rising onto its hind legs. The animal stretched toward the base of the large tree where Minerva and Rafael were hiding.
"Hold on, check the tree! They could be up there!" another voice called out, their urgency now palpable.
When Hera and Minerva heard the shout, their eyes widened in panic, but Hera was determined not to let Minerva move.
She had already spotted the danger—a massive python, as thick as her leg, slithering down the thick branches behind Minerva. It had likely been up there with them from the mont they climbed the tree.
Hera’s scalp prickled with tension. She couldn’t let Minerva turn around or make any sudden movents; if she did, the shock would surely make her scream and do big movents, and that would only startle the snake, whose movents were slow and deliberate as it descended the branch.
Every nerve in Hera’s body scread for Minerva to stay still. If she did, they might be able to avoid the snake’s notice.
The snake must have been well-fed, resting here, possibly treating the tree as its nest or feasting on birds or eggs that had nested there. If it hadn’t been sated, it would have struck Minerva and Rafael long ago. But perhaps it was simply waiting for the right mont, biding its ti.
Hiss...
Minerva sensed the presence behind her and heard the cold, nacing hiss again. Her eyes welled up with tears, and her instinct was to crawl toward Hera, but Hera’s firm gesture stopped her in her tracks.
Trembling, Minerva could only squeeze her eyes shut, frozen in place, fighting the overwhelming fear.
The python, seemingly uninterested in Minerva, continued to slither down the tree. Its massive head slowly erged, right in front of the man who had been climbing the tree.
The man froze in shock as the snake’s head appeared just inches away from him, and he was dangerously close to where Hera and Minerva were hiding.
Thud!
"Ah! Fuck!" The man yelped in panic, losing his grip as he fell to the ground. The python, now fully on the move, dangled montarily from the branch before striking with deadly precision. It lunged at the barking dog, sinking its razor-claw-like teeth into the animal’s neck, locking it and quickly coiling around it.
"Fuck!" The man cursed again, his voice filled with disbelief.
anwhile, Minerva, overwheld by fear, couldn’t hold back the tears. Her body trembled uncontrollably as she silently crawled toward Hera, seeking comfort.
As soon as she reached her, Minerva threw her arms around Hera in a desperate embrace, feeling a sense of safety only when she was wrapped in Hera’s arms.
Hera, sensing Minerva’s fear, held her tightly. She gently stroked her hair and back, whispering soothingly, "Shush... it’s alright now. You’re safe... you’re safe."
"Ah, stop! Let’s just get out of here! The dog’s barking is too loud and useless anyway!"
"Yeah, there’s no way the girl and that half-dead man could’ve climbed this tree. And with that big snake around, they’d already be eaten if they were up there."
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