Treasure - J.WY

06

"Hurry, I need a healing station set up, stat! Get me clean cloth, bandages, a suturing kit, a blanket to lay her down on, and as much water as we can spare!"

Everyone scurries about the hastily set up camp, working in tandem as Wooyoung shouts out orders. He holds you in his arms, your blood soaking the front of his robes. He tries not to focus on the warmth of it, the uncomfortable way it sticks to his skin. There's too much. How can someone even hold this much blood?

San sets down a thick blanket in front of him, and Wooyoung gently places you on it, cringing when he sees how all the color has drained from your face. He doesn't waste any time getting to work, grabbing the suturing kit from Seonghwa's extended hand.

"You can't just use your bending?" Mingi asks. Wooyoung notices the slight greenish tint to his skin, but can't find it in himself to care at the moment.

"Her wound is too deep. Bending alone won't save her, not even mine. Now go make yourself useful before you puke everywhere. Set up a wall around us to keep out the elements."

Mingi does as asked, even though he must already be exhausted from the earlier fight. A half-moon wall of hardened dirt and sand surrounds the healing station, and Wooyoung works as fast as he can to stitch up your arm wound. Even he feels slightly sick when he notices the telltale white of bone sticking out amongst the gore, and he has to take a few breaks to stop his hands from shaking.

Once he's done suturing, he opens the pouch of water he keeps at his hip. He knows that it likely won't be enough, but he'll use all of his own supply first before touching anyone else's. He swirls it between his hands for a moment and, once it begins to glow, lowers his hands so that it hovers over the entirety of your wound. He watches as the wound heals, the stitches dissolving almost instantaneously as all that is left is a raised, white scar.

Though he's drained from both the fight earlier and the healing he's already done, he knows that he can't stop here. Not only have you lost too much blood, but he's almost certain you hit your head on your way down; he needs to use Wavesong to make sure that you're going to wake up. Taking some more water, he covers you in a thin layer of it, encasing you in it like a cocoon. He then stands, takes a deep, grounding breath, and begins to move.

In his home tribe, people used to love watching him perform Wavesong. It's like a dance, though to music only he can hear. The water sings to him, and it's a different song for each patient he works on, helping him perfectly adapt his technique. It's all about the connection between water, life, and the human spirit. The water's vibrational energy courses through the body, connecting with the heart. It's as if it becomes an extension of the circulatory system, a liquid bridge between the elements and the very core of a patient's being.

He raises his arms above his head and begins to move his hands in graceful arches and circles. Eventually, the water begins to glow and vibrate in time with the beat of your heart. It's working, but not fast enough for his liking. He can feel your weakness through the bond his bending has created between you, and it makes his own blood run cold. He knows that if he isn't successful, you might never wake up. Sweat beads at his brow and he feels shaky on his feet, but he won't stop. Not until you're better.

Yeosang stops by with dinner, encouraging Wooyoung to eat a few bites to regain at least a bit of his energy, but he refuses. If he stops the dance, the connection will be severed, and there's no guarantee that he'll be able to use Wavesong on you again. He continues throughout the night, until his body becomes numb, until all he can feel is the vibration of your heart, until he's not sure where he ends and you begin. And then finally, finally, he feels it.

His Wavesong reaches its crescendo. He can feel the energy flow into you entirely, soothing you, mending you from the inside. He feels your heartbeat inside his own chest, a steady thump. Thump. Thump. He falls to his knees beside you, the water sinking into the ground below.