#whumpcember24 day10

[whumplump]

Day 10 of @whumpcember 2024

Prompt: “let me help you”

CW: stoic whumpee, injuries

Caretaker advanced down the corridor covered in dust and splinters from the walls. They saw Whumpee lying in front, leaning against the wall while one of their legs couldn't be moved, a fresh red stain covering its entire length. They ran to their friend and reached out to them, but Whumpee refused.

"No," they said, slapping Caretaker's hand away. "I can do it myself."

Caretaker wanted to respond rudely, but they stayed quiet and waited for Whumpee to fail in their attempt to get up on their own.

"Your leg is hurt. Let me help you," Caretaker insisted.

Whumpee glanced up, trying to scare their friend with a piercing glare, but Caretaker returned it patiently and calmly.

Hesitantly, but finally, Whumpee held their companion's hand.

[kabie-whump]

❆ Whumpcember Day 10: "Let me help you." ❆

Donner's gotten himself caught in a bear trap.

⋆❅*𖢔𐂂꙳

Donner can’t believe how stupid he is.

The forest is blanketed in snow, all sounds muffled save for the sharp gasps for air Donner drags through his teeth. His face is scrunched with pain as he stares down at the steel jaws clamped around his ankle, blood bubbling thickly around the metal. The pain radiates up his body, throbbing and hot. 

He didn’t even see it as he wandered through the woods, hoping to work off some excess energy before he had to sit through a long movie night with the team later. The trap was well hidden under the thick snow, ready and waiting.

“Shit,” Donner hisses, his fists clenching where they hold his own knee tightly. It’s taking all of his self control to not try to yank free of the trap, knowing that he’ll probably just end up losing his foot for good. No, any sane person would tell him to relax, take stock of his condition, and find help without causing any further harm. 

Slowly, carefully, with only a few muffled grunts of pain, Donner lowers himself to the ground. He sits with his unharmed leg outstretched and his other leg bent so he can examine the damage, brushing away red-stained snow with shaking hands.

The trap itself is attached to a chain, which disappears underground. He tests the dirt with his fingertips, finding it frozen solid. He’s stuck.

A crunch of snow nearby makes his head snap up, his eyes flitting around for the source of the noise. He’d screamed when the trap had snapped around his ankle, and he worries now that his screaming combined with the stench of blood have attracted predators. 

But it’s not a wolf or a bear that he finds slowly approaching him from behind a tree, but a man, dressed in thick furs with an axe hanging at his hip.

Donner flinches back, his instincts screaming for him to run, but the trap keeps him firmly in place. 

“Easy there,” the man says, his voice low and cautious. “You’re in a bad spot, huh?” He doesn’t wait for an answer, lowering himself to the ground next to Donner and reaching for the trap. 

Donner yanks his foot back, gasping at the new wave of pain that comes with it. “Stay back,” he growls.

The woodsman freezes for a second, glancing up at Donner’s face, then a little higher to his antlers. “You’re one of those deer-people,” he says, pulling his hands away and holding them up in a placating gesture. “You’re a hell of a lot bigger than your friend. Comet, was it?”

Oh, right. Comet got lost in the woods a few months ago, came back saying that they met a nice old woodsman. This must be him. He’s probably not going to kill Donner right now, considering how good he was to Comet. 

“Just,” the man continues, “Just let me help you, alright?”

Donner nods shortly.

“Alright. This is gonna hurt, but I’ll get you out. Just hold still.” The woodsman inspects the trap with practiced eyes. “Old one,” he mutters to himself. “Springs are stiff. No one’s checked this trap in years.” He glances up at Donner, his expression surprisingly gentle for such a weathered face. “Alright, big guy. I’m gonna wedge this open.”

Donner grits his teeth as the man starts to work, using a crowbar from his pack to pry the jaws open. He brings a hand to his mouth and bites down on his own glove, holding back a scream as the pressure eases for a moment, only to return as the springs resist. It’s excruciating but he does his best to be still despite the all-consuming urge to pull away. 

“Almost…” the woodsman mutters, his brow furrowed with concentration. With a final grunt of effort the trap’s jaws give way and his discards it, immediately whipping off his scarf to wrap it around Donner’s rapidly bleeding ankle. “There.”

“Thanks,” Donner gasps, his head light and fuzzy from shock and blood loss.

He wraps his arm around the woodsman, letting him lift him off the ground and start leading him back the way he came.

⋆❅*𖢔𐂂꙳

Tags: @whumpcember@sapphicccici

[sweet-melitele]

The Viper's Venom

The Viper's Venom by SweetMelitele

Fandoms: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types  

Summary

Desperate to save Geralt, Nenneke works tirelessly in the temple’s alchemy lab, preparing a potion to reduce the pressure on his injured brain. When Letho offers his help, Nenneke’s initial skepticism clashes with the Viper’s confidence in his own knowledge. Whumpcember 2024 Day 10: “Let me help you.”

Series

Part 10 of To Heal a Witcher

@whumpcember

[just-here-for-the-whump]

@whumpcember24