The Monsters' Favorite

Bath Time!

You were getting tired of sinking up to your ankles in mud. Not to mention the four or five times you've slipped and fell on your ass from it, too. You kinda like the backdrop of the Red Forest, but you're seriously getting tired of the rain at this point. On top of it all, it would sometimes get to be such a heavy downpour that you'd have trouble discerning where the killer is coming from, even the Huntress with her constant humming is difficult to hear at times.

   Your shins were scraped up from slipping and falling on the ground so much and were bleeding slightly. You tried to wipe some of the mud off with one hand while continuing to work on a gen with the other. Your progress this trial was abysmal. It felt like you were the only one doing any work! The only generator done this trial was the one you finished by yourself! And, come to think of it, you haven't seen anyone the whole trial, not even the killer! That's... odd, but you assumed that they were under a lot of pressure on the opposite side of the map. You were getting things done, so you all will get out eventually.

   Masked underneath the rain and the chugging of the generator, you barely picked out the distinctive lullaby the Huntress always hummed grow louder and louder. As you stopped working, it backfired in your face, causing you to jump backwards and, like some kind of fucked up comedy skit, slip and fall flat on your back.

   The air was knocked from your lungs leaving you momentarily stunned and staring up at the cloudy sky. Blinking cold water from your eyes, you brush the wet hair from your face and begin to sit up, nose scrunching up at how the mud squished between your fingers. You're soaked to the bone from the muddy waters, your body chaffing from your wet clothing and the grittiness of the ground. You pray that no one saw that, but as you rise to a sitting position, your heart skips a beat.

   Standing beside the spluttering generator was the Huntress, the head of her axe resting on one of her broad shoulder as she stared down at you. You choke on your own breathing. You thought that she was going for one of her smaller hatchets, but no. She was just... standing there . Like she couldn't believe someone could be that fucking stupid. You can't believe it, either, so you don't really blame her all that much. Out of your peripheral vision, you notice her free hand twitch. Eyes widening, you brace for a painful end. You've seen how she kills people, it's not pretty...

   Instead of taking hold of her weapon, she crouches low, resting on her haunches. You... don't know what to do. You just awkwardly stare at her, her eyes hidden in the darkness of the rabbit mask she always wore. You think she's examining you, but you don't really notice the subtle movements of her head. It felt terribly ironic that her mask of choice was a rabbit, given how you're the one that felt like the prey while she was clearly the apex predator.

   After a moment of silence, she... laughed..? It startles you for how loud it was, but it wasn't threatening, if that makes any sense. The laugh came from deep within her chest, and judging by how she was snorting and choking , you figured that it must have been a looong time since she's had a good laugh. Your cheeks burned with embarrassment. Ducking your head down, you began to fiddle with your shirt to avoid eye contact. She says something in Russian, you think, then actually ruffles your hair.

   Your head snaps up, staring at her with a deer in the headlights look. She's still talking and you, of course, have no idea of what she's saying, but her tone is gentle and voice is soft, so maybe she won't kill you? Maybe? A scarred forearm is brushed against your face in an attempt to wipe away the mud, but you're sure it only smeared across your face even more. The Huntress coos over you, as if you're a baby or something, pinching your cheek with one hand while cradling the other. You just realized how fucking big her hands were. Jesus she could crush my fucking skull with one hand...

   "Um..."

   She stops mid sentence to stare at you. Oh God why did I do that..? She waits patiently, even though you'd put money on her not knowing any English. Surely she knows you can't speak Russian, either... So maybe that's why she was putting so much emphasis on her tone and using her hands as much as she was?