Author's Note: Obviously I don't own these characters. Do people even do disclaimers anymore? Ah, well...

I may seem to be a new fanfic writer, but I've only made this account so my other fandom doesn't butcher me for writing more things when the other stuff isn't finished XD I've written many other fics, although this is the first fic for the Voltron fandom, of course. Hopefully everyone's in character! I'm not sure how I feel about the last thousand words or so, but hey, I tried. Enjoy!

Oh, and for those that have read Guardians of Ga'Hoole, you might like this ;) I changed a few of the words from that poem so it sounds less strange.

PS, I did do research on sedative overdoses, and they can make people act weird, so if the characters seem OOC, that's probably why ;)

The mission wasn't supposed to be this dangerous, but Hunk should have known better. "Dangerous" is a relative term, now, and "not very dangerous" according to Allura and Coran is more like "batten down the hatches, we're goin' under" in his mind.

And this mission has certainly thrown him a curve-ball...

He's 90 percent sure he's been tranquilized, if the war drums in his head and the fog surrounding his senses are any indication. Figuring out the right dosage is dangerous to attempt on a human, he knows, and he wonders if he's been overdosed. At least he's built like a tank instead of a bird, the way Pidge… is… Oh God…

Pidge was on the mission with him.

He sits up fast enough to make the universe spin like a top. His stomach heaves and his vision takes way too long to even out.

"Pidge?" he asks the darkness, his voice slurring.

Shiro is going to kill him if he gets out of this alive. He's dead. Ohhh, boy is he dead.

They never say it out loud, but everyone has gotten used to Shiro being protective of his team, especially Pidge. Whether it's because he knew her brother and father or because she's the only female Paladin, but it doesn't really matter. If you let Pidge get hurt, you get hurt. That's how it works.

And here he's gone and lost her.

Calm down, Hunk, Shiro's a rational guy, he'll understand. Maybe he'll go easy on you because you got tranqed. I mean, it's not like you've been taken by the Galra. Wait, did we get taken by the Galra?!

He sweeps his hands along the floor, realizing that it's dirt, not metal. The air smells damp and organic, like he's in some sort of cave. With any luck, it's the same planet they landed on in the first place, and the rest of the team will come get them in no time. No Galra… Unless this is one of the planets they've enslaved, and they stripped us of our armour, took our lions, and brought us here after knocking us out, and holy crow, where the quiznak are we?!

Taking a deep breath, he blinks hard and tries to let his eyes adjust to the dark. "Pidge?" he asks again. Maybe she's just asleep like he was, and she can't hear him. He snaps his mind shut on the end of that thought, unwilling to think of any other reasons for why she hasn't answered.

Light from some kind of torch catches his eye, lighting up his surroundings, and he realizes that this 'cave' is just a tiny alcove in a hallway filled with similar alcoves. He's locked in primitive underground prison.

And here come the guards, he thinks, groaning internally. His heartbeat skips when he sees one of them carrying Pidge.

They dump her in the same cell, slamming the crude iron door closed before he has time to sit up, and then leave one of the torches in a sconce across the hall.

Hunk pushes himself to his hands and knees, crawls over to her as they walk away, wishing for the knee-pads on his armor instead of the thin white material of the shirt and pants they all wear underneath it.

"Come on, Pidge, you can't quit on me now."

She's out cold. He even tries slapping her gently across the face, but there is no reaction.

She has a pulse, but Hunk can hardly tell her white clothes from her skin, she's so pale. He puts his hand in front of her mouth and nose, and nearly spirals head first into a panic attack when he doesn't feel any air against his palm.

He realizes a few dizzying seconds later that she is in fact still breathing, and thank God for that. He doesn't want to perform CPR on his teammate, for reasons other than the obvious. He can do CPR if he needs to, of course; every cadet knows at least basic first aid, but he doesn't have the wherewithal right now to keep his strength in check. As small as Pidge is, Hunk knows he could easily break one or more of her ribs if he isn't careful, and that thought has him terrified.

"You can sleep when you're dead, Pidge, come on!"

Okay… Okay, Hunk, keep it together. They obviously tranqed us both and Pidge probably just got too big of a dose… No biggie, just have to wait for her system to burn the drugs off! Oh, who am I kidding, there's a reason there aren't any tranquilizer darts designed for humans. Overdoses on these kind of drugs can kill people!

His already blurry vision becomes useless as he fights to keep from hyperventilating.

Come on, think! What did Professor Montgomery say about sedative overdoses again?!

He can remember the day they went over poison control in class. That was the morning he'd spilled his energy drink all over his homework, but he'd gotten everything cleaned up by Professor Montgomery's class. He walked in that day to see a bag of charcoal sitting next to the chalkboard, and they spent the next five minutes talking about the cookout the teachers were going to have…

Charcoal, that's it!

The charcoal wasn't just for the cookout; it was an object lesson. Overdoses and many types of poisoning were often treated with activated charcoal, full of plenty of carbon atoms that could bond to the harmful chemicals and keep the stomach from absorbing them.

A single teaspoon of activated charcoal has as much surface area as a football field.

The random factoid flits through his mind before he can stop it.

Enough with the chemistry lesson, Hunk, Pidge needs your help! Okay, charcoal, administered orally… Uuhh…

The only possible source of charcoal is the torch across the hall. Even though the hallways are narrow, he knows he won't be able to reach it, and regular charcoal just isn't the same thing.

He's stuck, and that only makes his heart pound faster.

With a gulp, he goes back in time to the moment before they left for this mission. Shiro told them to watch each other's back, but he'd been looking pointedly at Hunk when he said it. The message, though inaudible, rang loud and clear.

Keep her safe.

And now, Pidge might be dying, and there's nothing he can do.

Not dangerous, my ass…

He's so caught up in angry, fearful grumbling that he doesn't notice the amber eyes blinking hazily up at him.

"...'unk? Izzat you?"

Her voice spooks him, but it's easy not to show it when the fear also comes with a rush of relief, even if he can hardly tell what she said.

"Pidge! Yeah… Yeah, it's me."

She rolls her head around,, trying to get a better view of the ceiling, maybe. It's only now that he notices the right lens of her glasses is spiderwebbed with cracks.

"Where… are we?"

Hunk bites his lip. "Some sort of underground prison. We got knocked out, but the others are coming."

He isn't sure why he said that to her. He has no idea whether the others are coming to get them anytime soon, but maybe it's better not to scare her and just let her rest.

She needs to stay awake, though, I can't let her rest. She could have a concussion or something on top of it.

Pidge closes her eyes and her breathing slows just a bit more, which sends a jolt of panic through her teammate.

"Pidge, you have to stay awake, okay?"

She opens her eyes again, but only for a second.

"Pidge, keep your eyes open, you can't sleep now!"

Her eyelids flutter; Hunk knows she's definitely trying to stay awake, but she isn't succeeding.

"Pidge? Pidge, come on, please!"

He doesn't get an answer. Left alone in the half-dark again, he looks down at her and thinks just how fragile she seems right now, her chest barely moving as she breathes. Has she always been this fragile? Sure, back when he hadn't known if she was female or not, he'd known that some guys could be that small and scrawny, but he'd never thought of them as fragile. He'd never thought of her as fragile…

Pidge had never really seemed like a normal person to him, so full of contradictions that didn't make any sense. Absolutely brilliant with physics and computers, rivaling even Hunk's knowledge of mechanical engineering. He's never known a girl to be so good at those things. Even if it sounds cruel, it's the truth. Girls don't sign up to be computer engineers back at the Garrison. That's just the way it is.

It's because of this that he forgets that she's a girl sometimes. And once again, even if it sounds cruel, females are generally smaller and less physically capable. Pidge is small, even for a girl, and Hunk is struck with how many times he's ignored that fact and moved on as if she has no disadvantage.

A hardened slab of guilt settles in his stomach as he remembers that he's supposed to protect her, and he hasn't been paying attention to something so obvious.

There's a moment when he wonders if she shouldn't be a Paladin, but he scrubs it away as fast as he can, just as he scrubs away the tears forming in his eyes.

He finds his calm just as Pidge starts mumbling again.

Relief fills him for a moment, but it doesn't last. She seems even less coherent than last time...

"Sorry Pidge, I didn't hear ya."

"Said 'm... cold…" she grumbles, trying and failing to curl her knees against her chest. The most she manages is to shift slightly onto her side.

Hunk's eyes widen as he watches her, wondering if she's just not trying very hard to move, or if she physically can't.

"Can you sit up?" he asks, his voice as even as he can muster although he's panicking on the inside.

"Huh-uh. Can't… can't move."

She isn't shivering, but that could be a bad thing. If she can't move, her muscles might not be able to involuntarily contract to generate heat.

Then it's up to me to keep her warm, I guess.

He nods to himself and pulls her up against him, her muscles almost entirely limp. Under normal circumstances, Pidge might punch him for this, but helping her stay warm is the only thing he can do for her right now. She'll just have to get over it.

Her breathing is still way too slow, even though she's half awake. She's definitely not lucid, he knows that by the lack of indignance she seems to have at being picked up and cradled like a child. It's like she hasn't even noticed.

Trying to test her capacity to move, he stops supporting her head for a second. She doesn't even try to pick up the slack.

It reminds him of the time he and his family put one of their cats down. Supposedly it's better to bring the deceased cat home so that the other cats can have closure. Hunk can't help but remember laying is black and white cat, Chester, out on the bed he normally slept in, for the other cats to see. Chester's entire body was limp, but the thing that struck him most was how his head just lolled, every muscle in the cat's neck completely lax.

He uses one hand to support Pidge's head again, unable to stomach the comparison any longer.

This isn't good… Come on, guys, hurry up and find us! You can leave me here for all I care, just come save Pidge… Please...

He just sits there for a long while. His charge doesn't speak, but her eyes are open at least, and she's still breathing…

It's a good ten minutes before she speaks up again, just as muffled, if not more so.

"...'unk?"

"Yeah, Pidge?"

"What… What 'appened? I feel… feel weird…"

Hunk takes a deep breath, wondering how much he should tell her. Does she even remember what he's already said?

"We got knocked out," he says, repeating the same phrase he used. "You got hit pretty hard."

"I got hit with a… dart er somethin'... Right?"

Quiznak, she's good. Even half unconscious she's still sharp. There's no use lying to her, he doesn't need eyes to see that.

"Uh… Yeah. Yeah, we both got dosed with something."

"Tranq?"

"Yeah, I think it was just a couple of tranq darts."

Her brow furrows just slightly, but it's enough to tell him she's trying to think, trying to place facts in the right order in her head. Her next question proves she's figured out exactly what he was hoping she wouldn't. "Aren't those... danger… dangerous?"

"They can be, yeah." He keeps his reply short, not sure what else he can do to assure her that she'll be okay. It's one thing to withhold information that Pidge never asked for, but it's totally different when he's flat out lying… And I'd be lying if I said the tranqs weren't a problem, even if it's a good sign that she's still talking.

Hunk is about to change the subject when Pidge asks one more question, her voice sounding small and wavery. "Hunk… Am I dying?"

He's speechless for a good ten seconds.

How the heck do I even respond to that?!

Hunk knows he still can't lie. He's never been good at lying, and if Pidge is coherent enough to recognize she's in trouble, she deserves the truth. Even if the truth is scary…

"I don't know, Pidge." There's a lump in his throat all of a sudden, and he can hardly speak past it. "But I'll do everything I can to keep you safe. Just hang in there and I'll get you out of this."

"But I… I didn' save Matt or Dad… I was 'sposed to bring them home..."

It's weird to see the anxiety well up in her when she can't even move. Her breath comes in slow, uneven gasps, and… yeah… yeah, those are tears…

Oh God, Pidge…

He holds back tears of his own, his voice rough with them.

"Come on, we're gonna get out of this, Pidge, okay? We'll fix this, and we'll find your family, and they'll be so proud of everything you've done."

"I don' care if… they're prouda me…" The next few words are so soft he can hardly hear them, cut off by the tears choking her. "Jus' want Matt an' Daddy back…"

Hunk squeezes his eyes shut against the salt water that threatens to spill down his cheeks. Guilt twists in his gut. It feels like he's intruding on a private moment.

"I know, Pidge, I know…" Brushing his fingers through her hair in what's meant to be a comforting gesture, he can't help but wonder if there's anything else he can do other than sit and wait. There's gotta be something… Right?

"I failed 'em…"

The words fall like stones, and there's something almost angry that flares up in Hunk's chest.

"You didn't fail them, Pidge. You're a Paladin of Voltron."

She shakes her head ever so slightly, and won't stop repeating herself. "I failed 'em… I failed... I'm a failure…"

"Why do you think you failed them, Pidge?"

He doesn't get a response immediately, and at first he thinks she's gone off to wherever she goes when she isn't mentally with him, but then he hears her speak again.

"Wasn' strong enough… Or brave enough… 'm a coward…

That fiery anger is back, indignance on Pidge's account.

Okay, no. That is so not okay. Who the crow put that thought in her head?!

Hunk has no idea why she would think herself a coward. He's never known someone so brave, but... he doesn't know how to tell her that. He doesn't know how to make her believe him.

Or maybe… Maybe he does….

"Pidge? Are you listening?"

"... Yeah, 'm list'ning…"

"I'm going to tell you a story, okay?" She doesn't reply, so he begins.

"This is going to sound childish, but I used to read these books about owls. I don't think any of the other kids read them but me. There were four of main characters, Soren, Gylfie, Digger, and Twilight. Heh, it sounds so stupid now, but I used to love that series... They were a band of owls that fought evil to keep the rest of the owls safe. Gylfie was an elf owl. Do you know how big elf owls are?"

"Yeah, they're... tiny… Right?"

"That's right. They only get to be about five inches tall. But Gylfie was also the only female owl in the group."

"What's this gotta… do with anythin'?"

Hunk just smiles and keeps telling his story. Her tears are slowing, and it helps to know that at least he's distracting her.

"In one of the books, there was something wrong with all of the owls. They'd lost their sense of purpose, trapped by this weird poison, and were in no shape to fight the evil group of owls anymore. Gylfie was the only one capable of flying through a winter storm to get help."

"Did'she... make it?"

"Yeah, Pidge. Gylfie made it. She flew right through that storm, even as small as she was, and she saved everyone."

"Tha's good…"

"Yeah… Kind of reminds me of someone, though…"

Pidge furrows her brow, obviously confused. "An'... who's that?"

Hunk can't help but laugh. "You, Pidge. You're small, you're the only female Paladin, just like Gylfie, and you also were able to let Keith and Allura in when the Galra hurt Lance and captured him and Shiro. You singlehandedly stopped the Galra from taking the CastleShip. I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty brave to me. And there's something else that makes you even better than Gylfie, Pidge. You know what that is?"

"No… What?"

"You're real, Pidge. Gylfie is a fictional character, but you're real."

She smiles a little, but doesn't look at him. He isn't sure if she has the capacity to look up at him anymore. Her breathing has gotten ever slower, and it takes that much more effort to speak, let alone move. He holds her close and squeezes gently for a second, trying to let her know how much he cares about her. How proud he is of her.

She mumbles something else, and he lets go to ask what she said.

"D'you… know how'ta sing?"

Hunk raises an eyebrow, but he answers even if he thinks it's a weird question. "Yeah, I can kinda sing. Why?"

"Dad use'ta… sing a'lot… Wan'ed ta hear… someone… sing again… Just'n case… I don't…"

She trails off, but Hunk understands. He's never been all that proud of his singing voice, but if Pidge wants him to sing, he'll sing. He just wishes he knew what song would be best...

A light bulb goes off in his head as he remembers the chapter where Gylfie set off through the storm. There was a song at the very end of it. There wasn't any sheet music to go with it, but he'd loved it so much he'd made up a tune himself.

Convinced there couldn't possibly be a song more fitting for this moment, he starts to sing, his voice a fairly deep baritone.

"At the edge of the avalanche
At the glacier's icy rim
Grows the flower of the snowfields
Trembling in the wintry wind.

It dares to live in edges
Where naught else would ever grow.
So fragile, so unlikely
An owl slices through this blow."

His voice echoes back at him from around their little cave, and he can't help but think how good the acoustics are down here.

A glance down at Pidge, and he can see he's picked a worthy song. Her eyes are closed, and the tears are dry now. She's smiling so peacefully, he almost wonders if she's fallen asleep again, but he keeps singing anyway.

It's such an innocent memory, stumbling across that series of books, and it seems to lighten the air around him just a bit. Even if Pidge would probably laugh at him if she were coherent...

"She dares the katabats,
Through fear she madly shivers
But for her dearest friends
She vows she shall deliver.

Like the lily of the avalanche
The glacier's icy rose
Like a flower of the wind
The bright fierceness in her glows.

The bravest are the small
The weakest are the strong
The most fearful find the courage
To battle what is wrong."

The last note of the song fades away, and Hunk knows he was singing it for himself as much as he was for Pidge. His panic is gone, now, and somehow… Somehow, he knows they'll both be alright…

And only a few seconds later, he hears the sound of footsteps down the narrow corridor, a familiar voice calling out their names.

Please review, if you would! And especially tell me if you want some sort of epilogue ;) Hope I did everyone justice! (Like I said, I'm totally new to writing for this fandom)