The Past Leaves Scars

Chapter 16

Starstreak

The night was quiet. Starstreak hated it. It was just another reminder of everything wrong with anything. It left space for thinking and thinking never really solved anybody's problems.

The Glacian girl cut glances to her brother sitting cross-legged next to her, huddled in his thick cloak with ruffles of wolf fur lining the top.

Starstreak watched Seth pay no mind to her as he stared into the crackling fire in front of him. He payed no mind to her as he absentmindedly lifted a pale, gaunt hand and felt over the eye patch over his left eye and the mask that covered the lower half of his face,

It should probably be unnerving and terrifying and vomit-inducing that the bones that lined the black fabric of the mask were from another person...but it wasn't. Starstreak wasn't one to faint at the sight of gore, having seen a lot of it in her life (mostly that she had caused herself), and seeing those bones on Seth's mask wasn't really any different from seeing organs spilling from someone's stomach.

Besides, the bones weren't just bones. They were a trophy of sorts. Taken from the person who had tried to take Seth. What a nasty fucker.

Starstreak sighed and looked into the fire in front of them as well. Visions of Seth's hidden and hideous scars flashed through her mind. She clenched her hands into fists and relished in the feel of her nails digging into her skin. More so just the feeling of her nails digging into skin.

The first time she had felt that sensation it had been exhilarating. It had freed her and Seth and so it felt just like that. It felt like freedom.

The sensation of a thousand slender fingers slithered up Starstreak's spine. The sensation of being watched.

Starstreak didn't react though. She continued to stare into the fire. But she was alert. She was. Her body was tense but still loose, ready to launch at whoever was piercing her and Seth with their eyes.

There was no noise, however.

Quiet, quiet, quiet-

A squeak to the left. Not an animal squeak, but one from a person. A squeak that often protruded from a person's throat as they wet themselves at the sight of Starstreak or Seth standing before them, dagger arcing dangerously to slit them open.

Instinctually Starstreak's head cocked to the side. Perking her ears up to listen for anymore noises, the Glacian could practically feel the adrenaline rising without anything having even happened- yet.

Another quiet noise from off to the left. Like someone trying to pull a sword stuck thoroughly in a tree after they threw it too hard.

You hear that? Starstreak signed discreetly, mouthing the words.

Seth twitched his thumb in a subtle thumbs up.

Should we wreck 'em? Starstreak felt a smirk play on her lips.

But of course. Seth signed back, connecting eyes with his sister.

Starstreak rose to her feet, she turned around to face behind her. Where the eyes were watching her from. She unsheathed a long dagger from within her sleeve.

She grinned wide and menacingly, flashing all her sharp teeth and spoke, not loud enough for whoever was out there to hear, but clear enough that they would understand. "I see you."

A thud and a grunt and a damaged groan rang out from behind Starstreak, and completely disregarding whoever she just taunted, the navy-haired girl whipped around at lightning speed.