JUST ONE BITE

pt.2

Gabrielle was asleep, as later that night Xena found herself unable to get back to sleep after her earlier dream. She looked over at Gabrielle and brushed a few stray hairs from her sleeping bard's face as she gave a half-hearted smile. Finally, with a sigh, Xena got up from her place on the blanket-covered ground beside Gabrielle and walked over to Argo, who was standing nearby. The mare snorted happily as Xena came over and patted her neck while scratching her snout.

XENA
Can't sleep either, huh girl?

Argo snorted again in response.

XENA
I know it's been pretty weird lately... well weirder than normal anyway.
(Sighing) A lot weirder.
But I'm gonna do something about it.

Xena sighed once again as she felt her stomach growl from hunger.

XENA
I have to. We can't keep going on like this.

Xena then rummaged through the saddlebag and pulled out a small item. She looked at the item which was a small dark bottle and then gave Argo one more pat as she returned to her spot near Gabrielle. Before sitting back down, Xena grabbed Gabrielle's bag and sat it beside her as she plopped down on her blanket. She then placed the bottle down as she opened Gabrielle's bag and pulled out a few of her scrolls. She scanned a couple before finding the one that she was looking for, and put the rest neatly back in the bag. Feeling her stomach growl again, Xena herself growled in annoyance as she tried to control the feeling of an undeniable craving that she had been living with for quite some time now. She then picked up the small bottle and looked at it.

XENA
(Thinking to herself angrily) I've conquered lands, fought against God's, beaten death itself. But I can't overcome this?! Whoever's idea of a sick joke this whole thing is can laugh their way right onto the end of my sword.

Hearing her stomach once more, Xena uncorked the bottle and drank a large amount of its contents. It was warm and thick as Xena felt it sliding down her throat. For a moment, she found herself getting lost in the moment, as she savored the exquisite taste before coming back to her senses and forcefully pulling the bottle from her lips. Xena huffed as she caught her breath and wiped the bit of liquid from her mouth with the back of her hand as she looked at the bottle and saw that she had consumed much more of its contents than she had consciously wanted to.

XENA
(Thinking to herself) Damn it. I should be able to control this better. If I don't, we'll never get out of this mess. And I refuse to allow Gabrielle to be forced to live like this. There has to be answers. A way out of this nightmare. There just has to be.

Xena replaced the cork into the now mostly empty bottle and set it down as she picked up Gabrielle's scroll, unrolled it, and began reading.

----- GABRIELLE'S SCROLL / FLASHBACK -----

GABRIELLE
What did he say?

XENA
Three more girls from the neighboring village have been kidnapped.

GABRIELLE
That makes how many now?

XENA
In total, six.

The two walked through the dreary and foggy woods as they tried to wrap their heads around the odd mystery that they had unexpectedly stumbled across.

GABRIELLE
Who would do something like this?

As they walked, Xena's superhuman senses picked up that something was amiss as she stopped walking with Argo and shushed Gabrielle.