Colours in Shadows: Book 1 Flooding and Fury

Branch was relieved that Tide was now at the river and also in the shade. The front half of Tide was out of the water and Branch watched him as he slept. He was recovering even though he was unconscious. 'He looks a lot better than he did before.' Branch thought.
Sapphire and Misty stood on either side of him. They looked concerned and Branch didn't blame them one bit. It was a surprise, though, that Sapphire was concerned and that she had insisted she bring him to the water on her own, despite the risk to her own self. Branch pushed his thoughts aside and continued to focus on Tide.
Branch caught sight of something red coming from underneath Tide's arm. He carefully turned it over to see that he was bleeding. "Oh my..." he said, grabbing a paw full of water and splashing it onto the cut, trying to clean it. The bleeding wouldn't stop, the water only made it worse. Branch put his paw over the cut, holding down pressure, hoping to stop the bleeding.
"Oh no! How did this happen?" Misty asked, nervously.
"I don't know. It must have happened when he fell." Branch explained, looking around. He noticed that Sapphire was staring at him. Her eyes were filled with worry and panic. Branch continued to look around as he held his paw on his friend's wound to keep the bleeding contained. He looked back towards the trees and saw a patch of white flowers. 'That's it!' he thought.
"Misty, can you help me? Can you hold your paw on top of the wound? It will help stop the bleeding." Branch asked. He would understand if she said 'no' because this was a stressful situation.
"Of course." she said, rushing over to hold the wound.
Branch raced over to the patch of flowers and collected a couple of leaves from the stem of the plant. He put them in his mouth and began chewing. He turned around and ran back to where the others were. He walked over to Misty and nodded at her, as if giving her permission to let go of the wound. He took over holding his paw on it.
"Why are you collecting flowers?! There is no time to collect flowers! What are you doing?! What is he doing?!" Sapphire shouted. Branch ignored her because there was just no time for stupid questions. He continued to chew as fast as he could. Once the leaves were mushy, he grabbed it from his mouth and quickly smeared the paste on the wound and once again, held his paw there. Tide let out a groan when the paste was applied to the cut. Branch guessed that it must have stung but he knew that the stinging would only last for a few seconds. It was for his own good.
"EW!" Sapphire yelled in disgust.
"What?" Branch replied, bewildered by her reaction.
"You chewed the flowers and put it on his wound!" she meowed.
"First of all, they're leaves. Second, they're used for-"
"Hey look!" Misty interrupted, pointing at the wound.
Branch looked down at Tide's arm and he lifted his paw. There were still mushed leaves and a cut but it had stopped...
"Bleeding." Branch was finally able to finish his sentence.
"Still... ew!" Sapphire shouted, shivering as though a chill had crept down her spine.
"Let's just say, if I didn't do that, he would've bled to death. Yes, it may seem disgusting, but it was an emergency. Did you not see how bad he was bleeding?"
Sapphire fell silent and thought for a moment. They could tell by the look on her face that she knew he was right. "Sorry..." she said.
"It's fine. I know what you mean... I would probably react the same way." he admitted with a smile.
'Even though Sapphire may always want to start an argument, she actually wasn't that bad.' Branch thought. He looked away and noticed a patch of ferns at the lakeside. "Misty, can you grab a couple of those ferns?" he asked, nodding in the direction of the plants. "Make sure they don't tear and make sure you grab them by where they're attached to."
"Alright." Misty said. She was always willing to help others in need, even though she didn't know much. Branch was just glad to have a friend by his side.
She returned a short while later with the ferns he asked for. He was hunched over Tide, checking the wound and making sure that it was no longer bleeding. He was also trying to ensure that he didn't have to apply more paste. To his relief, there was nothing else that had to be done.
"Thanks, Misty." he meowed. He grabbed one of them and wrapped it tightly around Tide's arm, leaving some at the beginning of the wrap so he could tie it off. He wrapped it just tight enough that it wouldn't cut off circulation.
"What kind of leaves did you use?" Misty asked, curiously.
"They're called Yarrow Leaves. They're used for bleeding." he replied. Once the fern was entirely covering the wound, he tied both ends of the fern together in a knot.
"How did you know what to do?" Sapphire asked. He was caught off guard by her question.
"Well, I guess it's a part of my element. I seem to have knowledge of all types of plants. I also learned it. Anyway, I think that we should find camp for the night. Tide is not well and definitely won't be able to walk in this condition. He needs his rest."
"I agree." Misty knew that he was right. "I'll find shelter." she said. He nodded and watched Misty wander off in search of a camp.
"We need to get going. Talon could be after us again. He might be here any minute!" Sapphire snarled.
"Then we will protect ourselves, but Tide must rest in order to recover. And he will... we will start tomorrow if he is better." he said.
"Who says?!" she spat.
"I do. Healer's orders." he meowed, glaring at Sapphire. No way was he letting Tide go on the journey. 'He can't even walk, let alone stay conscious long enough. He needs to rest so he can recover.' Branch thought. He saw Sapphire carefully studying Tide. She realized that Tide was in no state to move. He was obviously weak. "Okay, sorry." she said, looking at the ground.
"It's alright. I know how badly you want to continue this journey. I do too but it's best to let him rest and I can monitor him."
"Okay." Sapphire meowed. Branch caught a glimmer of hope in her eyes. It was strange to see her letting her guard down like that. After some time, they moved him into a nearby cave that Misty had found. "This is going to be camp for the night. I know it's not 'like home' but it's still a good place to stay." Branch said to himself. He was sorting plants that he had brought with him.
He looked over to where Tide was laying, peacefully sleeping. He was laying on his stomach with his head laying on his paws. His back rose and fell with each breath.
Branch returned to his work, sorting plants into piles, at the side of the den. There was a large leaf with some water in it, just in case Tide got dehydrated again. Branch took the time to eat something. As he watched Tide, he thought about the fact that it was better that he stay asleep so that he has time to recover. Sapphire and Misty had managed to find another cave nearby. Branch thought it was weird the way that Sapphire was acting. She wasn't herself. After a while, he got up and walked to the back and laid down. Tide hadn't moved very much since he fell asleep. "Goodnight, Buddy." Branch meowed, quietly. He wasn't sure if Tide could even hear him but, in his heart, he felt like, despite everything, he was going to be okay. "See you in the morning."
Branch turned over and laid there, staring at the wall. After what felt like hours, he drifted off to sleep.