Chapter Text
He would’ve thought that an injury like this would have him a lot more panicked, but the only thought running through Takua’s mind as he took in the sight of his leg was,
Huh.
That’s not good.
Not fifteen minutes prior he had been traipsing through the undergrowth of Le-Wahi with a small scouting group, looking for a downed Kewa. Since he had been visiting the village anyhow, he figured he might as well help. One slip on a slick patch of mud later and he found himself in the bottom of a gully, left leg impaled on the sharp, lengthy thorn of a vine stretching across the ground. His brain would automatically shut off any feeling to nonvital areas upon grievous injury, so he was stuck. Stuck looking at the thorn unnaturally jutting up through his lower leg just above his ankle joint with only mild discomfort to accompany it.
"Takua!" chirped the voice of Taiki from the top of the gully, "Oh, Mata Nui, you're bad-hurt!"
Takua looked between his leg and the concerned Le-Matoran, slowly processing that the sap-colored fluid sluggishly making its way down the curvature of the vine and in the grooves of his armor was his own blood.
“Oh, yeah. I guess that’s right,” he replied. Sure, he couldn’t exactly move right now, and walking would be a chore, but he didn’t really see what all of the fuss was about. It wasn’t like he was screaming or anything.
Taiki whistled, summoning any Le-Matoran within earshot, and slid down to the bottom of the gully.
“Hold still, Chronicler- you’ve lost a lotta life-blood,” he placed a hand on Takua’s shoulder as he waited. Takua’s mind was already wandering to other things.
“I wonder if Jaller will be upset with me,” he mused. Taiki blinked.
“Guard-captain Jaller?” he clarified. Takua responded with a nod.
“He’s my friend. But he gets on me for getting in trouble,” Takua shifted his leg to get a better look at it, eliciting an angry yelp from Taiki. “Guess this is pretty deep trouble.”
“Taiki!” came Kongu’s voice. Both Taiki and Takua looked up to see Kongu and Shu peering over the edge.
“We came as quick-swift as we could. What happened?” Kongu asked as he and the other Le-Matoran slid down the sloped earth.
“I slipped.”
“I think he’s in shock- and he won’t stop squirm-moving!”
"Hmm… Shu, go back to Le-Koro and send for a medic- and tell wind-singer Matau, too,” Kongu commanded. Shu nodded, clambered back up the side of the channel, and soon vanished into the undergrowth.
"Stand back, Taiki," he continued as soon as Shu had left the area. Taiki stepped back and watched as Kongu withdrew a handle from his pack which, at the press of a button, released a long, serrated blade and locked it into place. Then, taking hold of the top of the thorn in his free hand, he positioned the blade near the bottom.
"Keep still, Chronicler," Kongu made sure to meet Takua's gaze before giving the order. "The more you move, the harder it'll be for the injury to quick-heal."
Takua nodded and braced himself. He was beginning to feel a bit queasy and lightheaded, and couldn't tell if it was because of the shock ebbing away, the amount of blood he'd already lost, or some mixture of both.
A wave of discomfort hit him as Kongu began to saw through the base of the thorn. Though he was keeping it as still as possible, there was still an uncomfortable amount of jostle from the vibrations of the blade. It took everything he had to not simply pass out then and there.
Evidently, some part of his demeanor betrayed him, for as soon as the thorn was detatched, Takua felt a hand tap the top of his mask.
"Stay aware-wake, Takua, at least until Shu's back," Kongu urged, voice surprisingly gentle. Takua managed a weak smile in response.
"Jaller's going to stab my other leg when he finds out about this."
"No," Kongu returned, carefully shifting the now-free Takua so his injured limb was positioned above his head level. "He's going to be true-thankful you're still alive. When you're right-up again, though, that's when he'll do it."
Takua was pretty sure he got a chuckle out before finally losing consciousness.
When he woke up again, the first thing Takua saw was the woven roof of a Le-Koroan hut. Then, taking in more of his surroundings, he realized he was in a hammock strung wall-to-wall, aching left leg bandaged and hung in a sling above the hammock. His posture allowed him very little of an outside view, but what he could see seemed relatively normal, though he could also swear he saw a flash of red and yellow out there.
Takua attempted to push himself upright, but let out a pained yelp when the movement caused a jolt of pain to course through his leg. The noise caught the attention of a Le-Matoran in the hut that he hadn't noticed until now.
"Careful, Fire-spitter! Your wounds run deep- it'll hurt until the muscle repairs itself."
"How long was I out? When can I go back to Ta-Koro?"
"It's mid-evening, now- you've been out for at least half a day, and you need more rest. You can go back to your Koro as soon as you can stand."
Takua tried to stifle a groan as he settled back down, eyes meeting the thatched ceiling above him once more.
"A friend of yours is here to visit-talk, though! As soon as word reached Ta-Koro that you were hurt, he insisted on coming," the Le-Matoran said, clearly trying to perk Takua's mood. It certainly piqued his interest, at least. As the medic turned toward the door, Takua almost pushed himself upright again before thinking better of it.
His suspicions were confirmed as Jaller entered his field of vision, expression unreadable. Takua put on his best smile to make up for it.
"Kohlii-head," Jaller said, voice sharp but with just enough of a light lilt that Takua knew he didn't mean it. His smile turned into a cheeky grin and he gave his best shrug in return.
"Coming all the way to Le-Koro just to insult me seems a little extensive, Jaller."
"I can both be concerned and think you're foolish."
Takua couldn't keep the genuinely appreciative smile off his mask now.
"Well, at least it's nice to know you care." Jaller, likewise, rolled his eyes, but allowed a bit of genuine concern into his expression.
"I'm glad you're okay, Takua."