The Maid and Her Princess [On Hiatus]

I Am No Longer! (Winter 4)

IV.

"This is a bow," Audrey pulled the weapon out of the storage portal. Madoka watched in horror as the princess stretched the string out after putting in a considerable amount of effort. "You nock an arrow-"

"Yes I know what a bow is, Audrey," Madoka snatched the weapon from her. She was worried that Audrey would injure herself with it somehow. More importantly, she was crabby from traveling so far and not having much to eat.

"Okay, but like," Audrey tried to explain but gave up and took arrows from the portal. "It's a heavy weapon. Nothing helping you draw, no compound mechanisms or anything. Are you sure?"

"Shut it. Just tell me where to shoot."

"Okay, uhh," Audrey scanned the forest. Madoka breathed in her first technique and nocked the arrow. "There's one over there! About a football field away, er, like one hundred meters that way."

Madoka heard the deer's thoughts and silently asked for forgiveness before firing the arrow. It hissed through the air with its quiet song of death, only pushing aside the branches as gently as the breeze. The deer's thoughts ceased abruptly a moment later.

"I got it," Madoka said firmly, although she wanted to breakdown. She understood what was at stake if they do not hunt.

"What?"

"Let's go," Madoka tossed the arrows and bow into the portal before strutting towards her felled target.

"Are you certain? Madoka!" Audrey chased after her. "Wait for me!"

The two stood over the corpse a moment later.

"Bullseye," Audrey gawked. Madoka yanked the arrow outside of her game's head. The projectile was still usable although it was covered in odorous matter. "This deer has six eyes. How creepy."

"Creepy?" Madoka looked at the dead creature's wide eyes. They were frozen in its final moment. She once again apologized to it for her actions. Audrey drew a knife.

"Now this is gonna be hella gross," she remarked. "W-We're going to gut this thing now, okay? And by we, I mean me. You can look away if this is going to bother you or something."

"A-Are you certain you know what you're doing?"

"Nope! I never had to gut anything in my previous life," Audrey said, twirling the knife in her hand. "And you know, I was a princess this time. So..."

"Okay, okay," Madoka said. Audrey flipped the beast over.

"If there's anything I learned from biology class, we start with... here!"

After some time, Audrey was a bloody mess. Not with her own but she looked terrifying.

"This thing has a lot of different organs than what I remember from those frogs..." Audrey remarked. The organs were tossed aside. "I think food remains fresh in this portal, so we can skin this thing later on. Maybe we can get washed together!"

Madoka's hair raised. Distant thoughts were sneaking upon them. It would seem that the two girls were not alone. They were not the only hungry ones in this forest. Not that Madoka knew where she was.

"Madoka?"

"It seems like we have visitors," Madoka said, pulling out her axe. She has never been in actual combat before. Could she...? No. As the distant howling of approaching predators drew near, Madoka knew she must emerge successful here.

"Naeee waaah!" Audrey whined. But Madoka could sense the bloodlust boiling inside of her friend as she focused. "Well, it's time for our first combat scenario! Remember your training!"