Aru Shah and the Soul Trident

1K special/extra

A couple moments later, Mini spotted the tents. She leaped off horse-Brynne's back and helped Rudy down as well. She swung his arm over her shoulder and helped him sit down on the blanket that they had spread on the ground a while ago. Brynne turned back into her human form, and ran over to Aiden, who was still carrying Aru.

"Mini, she's still out," Brynne called. "What do we do?"

"Just a moment," Mini called back. She glanced down at Rudy, who seemed to be doing a little better than before. "I'll be back," she told him, and she rushed off to check up on Aru.

She checked her pulse and breathing again, and they still stayed the same- normal. Thank the gods, she thought to herself in relief. Then, she turned to Aiden and instructed, "Lay her down inside her tent. Make sure that her legs are elevated, and keep checking her pulse and breathing periodically. I'll come as soon as possible, after I help Rudy." Aiden nodded, and he and Brynne hurried to the tent.

Mini jogged over to where Rudy was sitting.

"Are you feeling any better?" She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I..." He suddenly turned green. "Mini, I don't feel so good." If Aru had heard him, she would have definitely made an Avengers reference, Mini thought to herself. That made her feel even more upset. A sudden gagging noise shook her out of her thoughts. Rudy quickly stuffed his face into a bush and threw up.

Mini patted his back. Rudy coughed once and finally finished. She handed him a bottle of water, which he gratefully accepted.

"Thank you, Mini," he said, after rinsing his mouth out with water.

She avoided his eyes and tried not to blush. "Yeah, um sure. No problem." She cringed at her own squeaky voice. Mini cleared her throat and told him, "I think you might have a concussion. After I bandage you up, you should rest for a while."

While she rummaged her backpack for bandages, Rudy asked, "What's a concussion? Is it cool?"

She took out a paper towel and wet it, and she began to clean his wound. "No," she answered. "It's basically mild trauma to your brain that's caused by an impact of some sort. It should heal by itself for a while, but you may experience some short-term symptoms such as cognitive impairments like mental disorientation, or vomiting."

Rudy went silent. She sighed quietly to herself. He probably didn't understand a word she said. 

Mini finished cleaning his wound and began to bandage it. As she wrapped it around his head, her fingers brushed against his scales near his temple. To her surprise, the scales weren't too rough. They weren't exactly soft, but they were smooth to the touch. It felt quite nice.

"Mini?" He asked, looking at her. She realized that she had suddenly stopped and furiously flushed red. Mini suddenly realized how close she was to Rudy. She could feel his breath on her arm and could see his warm, brown eyes staring at her. She quickly finished wrapping the bandage around Rudy's head and pulled away fast.

Mini stood up, and was about to leave to go check on Aru, but she lingered behind for some reason. Rudy looked like he was lost in thought. He simply stared at her with slightly disoriented wide brown eyes. Mini hesitated. On one hand, she wanted to stay behind and look after Rudy. On the other hand, she knew she had to go and check on Aru. When she thought about her unconscious sister, she felt a deep guilty pang in her chest.

Her previous thoughts came back to her in a rush. She should have been able to protect her. Mini glanced at her thin, stick-like arms. She wished that she was strong like Brynne and would be able to beat anyone who hurt her friends.