Josh's P.O.V.
Over the next few weeks Simon was so ill that he could barely move, lying curled up in our shelter under layers of furs and blankets trying to ward off the cold. He had an awful hacking cough that made my heart leap every time but there was nothing I could do for him other than bring him water, make sure he was eating and hold him when it got too bad.
The only thing I was glad for was the fact we had food stashed away and winter was the season of least work. It was the time to reinforce the shelter, gather and dry plant material, make clothing or fabric and continue to weed the fields to prepare it for spring. My main priority was to care for Simon though, and make sure he was okay.
One morning, while Simon was still fast asleep and I hoped he would stay like that, I had to travel further than usual. The trees around our area had been stripped clean of anything useful and I was growing bored of wandering the same area so, having discussed it with the sleeping boy the night before, I packed my things to spend the day and possibly the night and following morning, away from home.
I was worried about Simon. I really didn't want to leave him alone but I had to if I wanted things to do, and I just hoped he would be able to keep himself going on his own. He had food and water within reach, he had plenty of blanket and the shelter was sturdy. It didn't stop me from worrying though. I pressed a kiss to his forehead just before I left, sighing.
"Love you Si." I whispered, running a hand through his hair. "I'll be back soon."
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I went further into the forest than I had for years, especially since Simon had become ill. The trees were much the same, bare, and the ground was covered in dried leaves, and it was somewhat comforting to see such a familiar environment that I knew so well. I was so stuck inside my own head that I didn't notice I had wandered into an area that wasn't quite the same- there were signs of activity.
I was jolted out of my thoughts by a scream, a high, scared scream of someone who sounded like a young child and my immediate reaction was to run towards it. I came across a shelter in less than a minute, in which was the boy who screamed, along with someone else.
It didn't take me long to access the situation, one boy was terrified and leaning over another boy, a darker skinned, tiny boy who was coughing and heaving. I knew what to do right away- it was something that happened with Simon often. He got into a coughing fit and couldn't stop but if it got too bad he could asphyxiate and I wasn't about to stand by and watch a boy die when I knew what to do to save his life.
The bigger boy, the one who wasn't coughing, jumped out of his skin when I crouched down beside him but the second I spoke he stopped, my voice commanding and deep.
"I know what to do, I can help. I need you to go and get some water." He shakily nodded and ran from the shelter, leaving me with the other boy.
He was tiny and was trembling so fiercely that I was really scared for him- he looked deathly ill. Simon was strong enough to fight through it on his own if he needed to but this boy... I didn't want to think about it. In one smooth motion I lifted him off the ground, resting his head against my shoulder so he was basically sitting in my lap. He was barely conscious, his breathing rattling and hoarse, still coughing. I didn't think he could hear me.
With a fist I began to massage his chest, holding his head upright. There wasn't much I could do but it did seem to help because the shaking began to slow, the coughs fading into wheezing. The other boy rushed back to my side, a cup of water in hand.
I stayed, massaging the boys chest until his breathing slowed to about normal pace and he began to fall asleep, the blonde boy looking between me and him, wide eyed.
"He's alright now." I whispered, moving him off my lap and laying him down in a pile of furs. "That was a close call."
There was silence, and then he leapt at me and pulled me into a hug. I smiled and hugged him back. It was only then that I managed to sit back and properly assess where I was, what was going on and what I had just done- I had likely just saved that boys life.
Both boys were young, maybe 20 or 21 at the most, and both of them were small. If the blonde boy was small then the other was tiny, skinny and would probably barely reach my shoulders when standing. It was clear to me that he was very ill, sicker than Simon was.
"I'm Josh." I finally mumbled, my gaze flickering back to the blonde boy, who had finally let me out of his death grip of a hug. "What's your name?" He looked exhausted.
"Harry." He breathed, wiping his eyes. "That's Vikk. I... I just- thank you."
I only smiled. It was growing dark now and I figured this would be as good a place as any to stay the night, make sure both boys were okay. Harry and Vikk. Harry glanced at me.
"You can sleep if you want, you look exhausted. I might stay here for tonight." He nodded slowly but he had no qualms in curling up against his friends, passing out within minutes.
So much happened within the last half an hour or so that my brain couldn't really process it, at least for a few hours. My brain drifted back to Simon, curled up alone in our shelter somewhere miles away but he had food, water, shelter, those necessities. These boys, they didn't seem to have much. They had a shelter and a river but they didn't seem to have much food stored away.
My brain raced. Did I invite them to join Simon and I? We could use some company, we hadn't met anyone in years and Simon would enjoy spending time with Vikk, both of them being so ill. I also couldn't see them surviving long on their own and with Vikk being so sick... if he died and left Harry alone... I didn't want to think about it.
Yes, I wanted them to join us.