Korova Avenue || ONC 2022

Chapter 8

TW: Mentions kn!ves, but no one is harmed

"Dominique?" Crow looked into her eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking.. What if you hadn't woken up when you did? What if the sedatives were stronger? What should I have done?"

"It's over now, don't overthink it."

"Yeah, but what if it happens again. I could barely throw my knife, much less look at the damage I'd caused. Now you're injured, so I can't let you fight."

"I can still fight. I've done far worse."

Crow was certain that she had, but he still felt some sort of need to protect her. He wouldn't be able to survive in this unfamiliar world if something happened.

"You can't fight until that's healed," Crow said sternly as he gestured at Dominique's arm.

"If you insist, then I guess I'll have to teach you how to fight. It can't hurt."

"I think you underestimate my abilities," Crow gave a cheeky grin as Dominique slapped his arm.

"Just don't aim for me," she retorted.

Dominique's heart caught when she reached for a knife. She had intended to give Crow the one in her left boot, but it seemed that she forgot to retrieve it when they fled.

"Don't let me forget to snag some weapons in the next village."

"That sounded pretty menacing."

"Shut up."

Dominique grabbed a knife from her sleeve and tossed it at Crow, the blade facing away from him. He lunged for the hilt, but it slipped through his fingers.

"Lesson one; how to catch."

–

They continued to walk, tossing the knife back and forth. It nearly cut Dominique's fingers three times before she banned Crow from throwing it. He would hand it off to her, and she'd give a light toss to send the handle his way. No one got hurt, safe for a few minor scrapes.

At one intersection, Crow narrowly missed the catch. He picked it up and hurled the knife at a tree in frustration. It hit the trunk at an awkward angle and became lodged in the wood. Dominique had to brace her foot against the tree to yank it out.

"Okay. That's enough. I guess you need to work on stabbing."

"How?" Crow sounded worried, and he wore a stricken expression. The last lesson had involved him passing it to Dominique, and he feared that he might have to do something similar this time.

Dominique rummaged around in the woods and came back with a freshly chopped log of wood. She dropped it on the ground and kicked it in front of Crow.

"Fling your knife at that."

Crow tried to follow her instructions and ended up making a weak stab.

"Okay, now remove the knife and keep practicing."

They got into a rhythm of Crow throwing and retrieving his knife, and then Dominique kicking the log forward as they traveled. It wasn't the fastest method, but as Crow got better they moved quicker. Dominique was able to put the wood farther and farther away.

Now, it was Dominique slowing them down. The pain in her arm had finally started to settle in as she grew sluggish. Crow noticed her distressed-looking face and came to a halt.

"You need to rest."

"I'm fine," Dominique grunted.

Crow knew she was lying, but he also didn't want to push her.