Into The Vale of Shadows // Max Mayfield

II; iv suzie doesn't copy, sidian does

chapter four
suzie doesn't copy, sidian does

     IT WAS JUST nine in the morning, but everything's already feeling extremely hot, the usual cold breeze now warm like the waves from the sun, not even the trees made it feel colder. Raven hiked through the woods, sweat cascading down her figure, face smeared with small splashes of blood, on her way home after another successful hunt to feed Gorgon.

     She felt contented — or rather, the entity did, she felt guilty, bad about killing off that poor innocent deer, probably had a child waiting for it somewhere out there in the wild. Raven wiped away the blood from her face with a heavy feeling, trying to shake off the guilt she was having.

     Oh come on, it is in a better place now. You know, that place that you humans call heaven, said Gorgon, trying to lift the girl's mood. This wasn't the first time they did this, they've done it plenty of times, but Raven just keeps feeling worse everytime.

     "No, it's not." She swatted away a thin branch that was hanging low, brushing the top of her head, too aggressively that it fell away from its tree. "It's in your stomach . . . Dead and shredded into small pieces."

     Would you rather me die in hunger or that deer?

     "If it means I don't have to kill anymore of those poor animals, then it'd rather be you," Raven said a bit too harshly, carried away by this guilt inside her.

     Really? You're choosing those animals over me? Gorgon huffed, feeling offended over this. Honestly, why are we even arguing over this? We have done this more than I can count, and you're deciding to feel bad now? I thought you're used to it?

     "That deer could have a child waiting for her!"

     I can assure you that it does not. There was this bubbling feeling in her stomach, like gasses building up and climbing through her throat, soon exciting her mouth as a small burp, taking a small sniff of it to smell the familiar feeling of blood.

     "You know what I can smell?" Raven blew air from her mouth, grimacing at the after taste of it, like the taste of iron lingering on her tongue. "A deer that's definitely, surely and certainly a mother of two, out there to find food for her child, and you killed it!"

     Oh, yeah? You know what else could be a mother of two and feeding her child? Gorgon fought back, now grumbling like a volcano that's about to burst. That bacon you ate this morning!

     "Who killed who?" Raven jumped at the sudden voice, looking around to have her eyes land on Sid, standing there, approaching her with all his tall and lanky glory.

     Oh, goodness gracious, Gorgon sighed, sounding almost annoyed at the boy.

     "Sid," Raven called. She looked him up and down, seeing lots of physical changes in him. He've grown taller, but still the same as her height, face sharper and matured, highlighted by his buzzed hair, shoulders much broader, and frame much tougher than how it used to. "How long have you been standing there?"

     "Just a few seconds ago," his voice have gone deeper, occasional voice cracks, but he sounds almost like an adult man. She walked to him, and he did to her, both meeting in the middle with a tight comforting hug. "Who were you talking to?"