Heart Like a Machine

Chapter 2

I was getting closer to machine territory and it honestly scared me. I didn't have anything to defend myself with. But I hoped that the girl would be in this area. And sure enough, she was. She was with an older man and he was teaching her how to shoot a bow. She was pretty good for being so young. I guess she had a good teacher to show her the ropes. I was watching intensely as she kept hitting the targets right smack in the middle. While I was admiring her skills, I didn't hear the machine walking up behind me. I turned and let out a scream. The man ran over to me and shot the machine in the eye. Its eye turned from red to black. The blue glow it had was now nothing but the color of the wires that made it. Sparks spurted out from where it was shot until there was nothing left of the machine. I looked up to see the man. He had his hair tied back and there was an undercut to it. He had a long beard and wore this long cape that looked to be made of feathers. A boar head rested on his shoulder and he wore some armor.

"Are you ok, little one?"

I nodded my head, "T-Thanks."

"Where is your family?"

"Back at the tribe."

"What are you doing all the way out here?"

"I-I wanted to see her," I said as the girl walked up behind the man.

He turned and looked at the girl. He shook his head and let out a sigh.

"What are your names?"

"Aloy," the girl said.

"Aloy," the man said in a bit of an angry tone.

"Why can't I tell her my name? She asked."

"We're outcasts, Aloy. We're not meant to interact with anyone in the tribe."

Aloy looked at a loss for words. The man turned back to me.

"Let's get you back to the tribe."

He walked me as far as the berry fields. When we reached the fields, he turned around and walked back to where Aloy was. I looked at Aloy and waved once more, this time, I watched as she waved to me. 

"Come along, Aloy," the man said and they returned to where they were in the woods.

I wanted to know more about this Aloy. I wanted to be just as a good shooter as she was. Running home, I made my way into the house from the back once more. My mother was still in the front of the house. I made my way to my bed and pretended I was still asleep. She opened the front door and walked into my room.

"Y/N?" she whispered, shaking me slightly to wake me up.

I slowly opened my eyes and yawned, "Hmm?"

"Time to eat some breakfast."

I slowly rose from my bed and followed after her, sitting down at the table. She put down a bowl of the berries we had picked yesterday. I ate them happily and that was when my father walked in.

"Morning, Y/N," he said and kissed the top of my head.

"How was the hunt?"

"Came up with nothing. We're going to go out later today."

"Can I come?" I asked.

My dad looked down at me, a little confused.

"When were you interested in hunting?"

"I see some of the kids practicing how to shoot."

"You mean like Bast?"

"Yeah."

"Y/N, Bast is going to grow to be a young man who will be tasked to hunt for the tribe."

"What do women do?"

"Gather, make the garments, and cook. Women aren't meant to go hunting."

"But I want to learn to, daddy! Please," I pleaded.

He let out a sigh, "Alright. I'll take you today. But if you can't shoot anything, I won't take you anymore."

"But that's how I get better, daddy, by practicing."

He chuckled, "You do have a point. You're very smart."

He walked out of the house and returned later with another bow. It was a bit smaller so I could handle it a bit more easier than the one my dad had.

"Let's practice," he said and took me outside. 

We practiced for sometime before he had to leave for the next round of the hunt. When it was time, I followed behind him. Some of the men had asked why I was coming, but my dad responded before I could. I knew I had to keep seeing Aloy a secret from my parents. If they reacted badly yesterady from just a small conversation, who knows how they would react if they found out I left and actually met her.

While we were walking the trails, I kept my eye out for any sign of movement in the bushes, machine or animal. I was also listening very closely to the footsteps that were around us. I could hear something big was coming our way.

"Dad, dad," I tugged at his cloak.

"Yes, Y/N?"

"There's something big coming."

"Big? How big?"

"Huge."

"You're really going to listen to a child?" another tribe member asked.

"You're just hearing things," my dad said and continued to follow the others.

I let out a sigh as I continued to follow him. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. But I couldn't help but shake the feeling of dread as I could hear the footsteps getting closer. Soon, I could feel the ground shaking. I looked behind me to see it was a huge machine walking on two legs. It had a long tail, a long neck, and it's face opened up when it roared. I jumped into a bush beside me as it looked down at my father and the other men. They turned around and saw the giant machine behind them.

"Thunderjaw!" a man yelled and started to run.

My father ran off with the other men and the Thunderjaw followed them. I poked my head out from the bush to see it chasing after them. I had to do something. I loaded my bow and arrow and targeted the back of the machine. This was many steps ahead from practicing on a stationary target. I closed my eyes, took in a deep breath, and tried to stay calm. I opened up my eyes, moved my bow with the Thunderjaw, and released my arrow.