Otatso Wetlands get up from there

gonna give colt a generous THREE DAYS TO LIVE without immediate medical attention

1. a big chunk taken out of his right cheek
2. lacerations to his fore-wrists
3. general shredding to nape/throat/flanks
4. several broken ribs
6. blood dripping from cuts inside his mouth
5. a fever

colt briggs dreamt.
and while he was asleep, his mind revisited the things he had been and the things he had wanted to be. and one of those was a softer man than he had ever been in his life.
reno
the fierce waters of the creek rushed him back toward the taiga. a distributary channel took him left, and then colt was washed into the cold wetlands.
sadey
he was not lucid and unaware that he had stopped bobbing in the water. he did not see when a lone duck came warily to investigate, then plodded away with a resolute flick of its crisp little tail.
red
"red," colt slurred in a voice that was little more than dust. his breath continued, but at a great and uneven price.