Heart Like a Machine

Chapter 6

My eyes blinked open and I was met with the ceiling of my house above me. There was a damp cloth on my forehead and as soon as I tried to sit up, my shoulder was screaming in pain, causing me to fall back down. I let out a sigh and looked around my room. My cloak was hung up and my bow, spear, and arrow bag were all sitting against a chair. The door opened up and my mom walked in. She let out a yelp to see that I was awake.

"Hey, mom," I smiled slightly.

"You're ok," she rushed to my side, tears sliding down her face. "You're ok."

"What happened?"

"Your father found you at the end of a riverbank. You must have fallen from the mountain where they were holding The Proving."

"I remember being shot in the shoulder and then falling down the mountain. Everything after that is hazy."

"You did hit your head on the way down, but it's nothing major. Just get your rest."

"Aloy!" I sprung up, causing myself to go dizzy and my shoulder to hurt. I fell back against the bed and looked at my mom. "Is Aloy alright?"

"Why would you care about that outcast?"

"That outcast is my friend. I want to know if she's alright. I wasn't there for her when she needed me the most."

"The Matriarchs have her and they're in the mountain where All-Mother is."

"I need to see her."

"You need your rest. They don't even know if she's going to make it out alive."

"Where's dad?"

"Talking to other Nora tribe members."

I let out a long sigh, "Alright."

"Get your rest, Y/N. You're going to need it."

A few days after the incident at The Proving, I was finally able to get up and walk around. My head injury has finally healed and I was out hunting with my dad. He knew about my failure at The Proving, causing him to be upset that Aloy had won, but he was just glad I was alive after what happened. He took me to the river he had found me at. I looked up at the mountain to see it was a long fall down. When we were coming back, there was a lot of commotion going on towards the front of the tribe, where the gate usually is. My dad and I ran off into that direction to see this large machine with a few Striders with it. The Striders had a red glow to them instead of that blue glow within their wires. 

"Be careful, Y/N. I know you've healed completely, but I want you to be careful."

"I will," I said and was getting ready to shoot, but an arrow flew past my ear and took down one of the Striders.

I looked behind me to see a wave of flaming red hair rush towards me. I smirked, knowing she would be the first to strike. I gave her back up as the tail of the new machine was about to strike her. I shot at it, making it stop in its tracks for right now. She looked behind her and saw it was me. I waved to her before shooting another arrow at the tail, knocking parts of it off. The other Nora were helping out Aloy try to take down this new machine. It was stronger than the other ones we have seen. Once it was finally down, we all let out a sigh of relief. My dad came over to me to make sure I was ok. I reassured him and he was going to go back to the house.

"You coming?"

"I'll be there soon," I said and walked over to Aloy.

"You're alive!" I said and hugged her.

She seemed taken aback since she was a bit stiff, but slowly raised her arms up and hugged back. 

"I thought I was never going to see you again," I said.

"I thought you had died," Aloy said, "If I am being frank."

"Knowing you, I knew you would get out of there alive."

"Yeah," she said and avoided eye contact.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Rost died to save me," she said. "Now I truly have no one."

I reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder, "If it's any consoltation, you have me."

"Thank you, Y/N. You were always the one out of the kids growing up to see what I was doing. And to converse with me."

"Well, did you get your question answered?" I asked.

"Not exactly. I need to go beyond the tribe to find the answers I seek. Right now I need to speak with Varl to see where his mother went."

"Oh, I know where she went. She went not too far out from here. Over in that mountain ridge."

"Thanks," she said and was about to walk off.

"Wait, Aloy."

"Yeah?"

"Don't you at least want to make a gravestone for Rost?"

"I probably should, but he would be the one to tell me to move on and find the answers to my questions."

"Let me come help you."

"Thanks."

We gathered a few flowers before Aloy showed me where her and Rost shared a living space. She created a headstone and we put the flowers there.

"I'll be back, Rost, eventually."

She stood up and looked out past the tribe, "Well, I'm off to get the answers I need."

"Let me come with you."

"Y/N, it's dangerous out there and it's something I need to do."

"Why do it alone? Is it because you were alone for most of your life?"

"Something like that."

"I'm coming with you. I know it's dangerous out there. We both saw what a Thunderjaw can do. It's time to explore what's out there more. Time to get the answers you need."

Aloy nodded, "Alright."

"Just let me get a few things before we go, if that's alright."

"Lead the way," she said.

I led her back to the house. My mother and father were sitting inside waiting for me. They weren't too happy to see Aloy behind me.

"Get out of here, outcast. You're not welcome here," my dad said.

"Dad, she won The Proving. She is one of us now."

"You may have won The Proving, but she will never be one of us."

"Dad, just stop. Her and I are going out past the tribe gates."

"If you do that, then consider yourself to be forgotten here. Any Nora that step foot out of the tribe boundaries have not returned."

"I'm willing to take that chance," I said and walked into my room, getting things I might need.

"You're really going to go with her?"

I looked to see Aloy had stepped outside, not wanting to be part of the conversation anymore.

"Yes, I am going to go with her. I've liked her ever since I met her."

"Liked her?" my dad asked. "As in a friend?"

"Maybe more than that, but we'll find out," I said as I started to walk out.

"If you do come back, you won't be welcome back here."

"I'm not six anymore, dad. I'm an adult and I can do as I please. And it's about time for me to see the world," I said before closing the door behind me.