The Bird and The Fish

TBTF, Part 10: Story Telling

(Zahra's pov. Slight warning for mentions of death and slight gore)

It's a beautiful day out, the morning sun shining through the leaves of the tall canopy of the surrounding trees. Nice day to go hunting, I think, making my way through the brush in search of game of some sort.

After a while of walking, I come across a doe munching on some grass. I crouch behind the foliage, making sure I'm hidden as I wait patiently for the right moment to strike. I know a simple knife is unconventional for hunting larger prey, but it's all I have on hand.

Once I see an opening, I swiftly pounce on the doe's back, plunging my knife into it's neck. It bucks and tries to kick me off, earning me a solid hoof to the thigh. I grunt in pain, but I continue to wrestle it to the ground. I finally manage to sever it's jugular, causing it to go limp underneath me.

I let out a sigh of relief once it stops moving, glad I don't have to run the risk of getting kicked again. How am I supposed to get this back to the cave? I think, realizing I'm gonna have to drag the heavy creature all the way back. Oh well. It'll be a good workout anyway. I take the doe by its back legs and start to drag it back to the cave, already regretting my decision to hunt something bigger.

I eventually make it back to the cave, panting and sweating from the effort. "I'm back!" I grunt out, dragging the doe carcass into the cave. "Do you need help?" Tangaroa asks, trying to hide his amusement as he watches me struggle. "Not like you can do anything," I retort, dropping it once I get far enough inside. "Unless you want to help me gut it?"

"No, I'll leave that to the expert," he says quickly, still grossed out from watching me gut the rabbit. "Your loss," I reply with a shrug, crouching down next to it to prepare it for cooking.

I slice the stomach open, removing the innards and putting them in a pile to discard later. Once I finish cleaning out the inside, I being the process of skinning it. But a thought that crosses my mind makes me pause.

What if this doe was a mother?

"Are you alright?" Tangaroa asks, noticing the far-off look in my eyes. "Fine," I reply, snapping out of my thoughts at the sound of his voice. "If you say so," he says, giving me a concerned look before returning to whatever he was doing before.

"I'm going to get some firewood," I say, standing and walking out of the cave without another word.

That wasn't entirely the truth, though. I need to get firewood for cooking, yes, but it was mostly an excuse to leave so he didn't see the tears that had formed in my eyes.

I let out a shaky breath as I crouch down under the tree next to the entrance, my knees pulled close to my chest, and my wings wrapped around my body like a protective cocoon. Why do I have to think of you now? I think bitterly, wiping away the hot tears that threaten to fall.

The doe reminded me of my parents, who were shamelessly murdered when I was merely a child. The details are burned into the back of my eyelids. It's the very reason I joined the army in the first place.

"Why are you crying?" a familiar voice comes, interrupting my thoughts. I jump in surprise, looking up from my sulking to find Tangaroa slithering across the grass toward me. "I'm not crying," I protest weakly, wiping my wet eyes. "Yes, you are," he replies gently, taking a seat next to me. "Why?"

"I... It's not important," I say quietly, not meeting his gaze. "It's clearly important if you're crying about it," he counters, giving me a knowing look. "What's wrong?"

"The deer I brought back was a doe," I reply reluctantly, refusing to meet his gentle eyes. "What does that have to do with anything?" he asks, looking slightly confused. "I'm getting there."

"When I was younger, my mother had sent me to the market to get some fruit to make a pie she wanted to make. I got what she asked for, but I got distracted by my friends. I spent the next few hours playing before realizing I lost track of time.

"I rushed home, only to find a crowd surrounding my home. The authorities were trying to keep people back, including me. At this point, I had forgotten about the fruit I was supposed to bring back. I managed to slip past the officers, finding a trail of blood leading out of the front door.

" What I saw next is something I'll never be able to unsee. The only thing I new was out of place beside everything else was the Westburrow insignia drawn in their blood. I vowed then and there that I would find the people who did that and get my revenge. It's the reason I joined the army in the first place."

Tangaroa listens intently to my story, a mixture of concern and disgust, most likely off put by the gruesome details. "Wow... I'm so sorry that happened to you," he says, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Is that why you walked out so suddenly? Because you didn't want me to see you upset like this?"

"It's stupid, I know," I reply, sniffing as I wipe away another tear. "It's not stupid," he says, trying to reassure me. "You didn't want to look weak infront of me. I get it. We've only known each other for a few days, but that doesn't mean you have to hide your feelings from me."

"Really?" I ask, sounding more vulnerable that I meant to. "Of course," he says, giving me a comforting smile. "Would you like a hug?"

I nod, a mixture of grateful and sad tears filling my eyes as he pull me into his cold embrace. "You're okay," he coos, letting me cry into his shoulder. "You'll be okay. I'm here."

I cry into his shoulder for a solid ten minutes before I start to calm down, my breathing evening out finally. "You okay?" he asks, his arms still wrapped around me in a comforting embrace. "I will be," I reply, my voice slightly muffled by his skin. "Do you want to go finish cooking the deer, or do you want me to?" "I'll do it," I say, pulling away from him.

"Are you sure?" he asks, a concerned glint in his otherwise gentle gaze. "Yeah," I say with a nod, wiping my eyes. "I'm sorry." "For what? You don't have anything to be sorry for," he scoffs, nudging me. "I don't know, for breaking down like that, I guess," I mutter with a shrug, looking slightly sheepish.

"Well, I'm not going to accept your apology," he huffs playfully, crossing his arms stubbornly. "You did nothing wrong, so you can't apologize." "But I-" "No buts," he interrupts, poking my forehead. "Fine," I say, rolling my eyes at his antics.

"Come on," he says, pushing me back toward the cave entrance. "Go skin the deer. I'll see what I can find on the ground" I roll my eyes at him again, before getting up and walking back into the cave to finish preparing the deer.