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The peaceful walk was interrupted by the sound of metal screeching shut.
Altair was immediately at Archer’s side as he let out a ragged yell and doubled over. He cursed under his breath; Archer had said they should stick to the trail, but Altair had insisted that it would be fine since he knew his way around. Apparently that wasn’t enough, and now Archer was paying the price.
“Hold on, I think I can get it open,” Altair murmured, kneeling down. Archer’s ankle oozed blood around the teeth of the bear trap, but it didn’t look as bad as it could. “This is gonna hurt; want me to count you down?”
“I’m okay, just do it.” Archer’s voice came out strained but clear, his entire body rigid with tension.
Altair took a deep breath as he got his fingers into the trap. No time to waste. On the exhale he pulled, not paying any mind to how the trap fought him, only focused on getting his partner free.
Archer let out a ragged groan as the teeth of the trap pulled apart, the sound pulling at Altair’s heart, but less than a minute later he was able to pull his leg free. Altair was immediately up again, catching him before he stumbled and collapsed onto the ground.
“Hey, easy, I gotcha,” he murmured, soft and worried. “I’m so sorry, Archer.”
Archer looked up to meet his gaze with a slightly pained grin. “Good thing I brought a first aid kit, huh?”
Altair chuckled, even though the situation wasn’t that funny. “Yeah. Let’s get your ankle bandaged so I can carry you home.”
“I can walk-”
“Let me carry you, dear,” Altair said, pressing a kiss to Archer’s forehead before turning to find a place to get him patched up. Luckily, they were together, and Altair could carry him home, and Elze’ith could heal him when they arrived. He still felt guilty, but it was an easy guilt to assuage knowing that there were simple fixes for this hurt.