Broken Shell

An Exchange of Hands

  I felt cold. It was creeping into my dreams. My legs, my feet, my hands... I felt as though I was walking in a winter wonderland, like the one in the songs I had heard as a child. I had no idea what such a land looked like. Maybe that's not true. I knew what snow was, and that it was white, but I had never seen it with my own eyes.

  My parents had once, but they were gone, and I really wanted to see it myself. The idea of everything around me, coated in a bright, creamy, soft, cool substance. It had always excited me. These things were running through my unconscious mind before the loud flapping of ravens drove my ears awake, and I was sitting up. A mist had settled on the forest floor, obscuring the bases of the titan-like trees that were now looming before me. The sight startled me to an extent. They hadn't looked so large the night before.

  I gathered myself, picked up my things, and I walked. Sluggishly. Anything I did, I did it slowly, as I was in no hurry to get nowhere. I didn't know my destination. There was no destination, as far as I was concerned. I felt I was better off alone, thought there was no place for me in this world. Things hadn't changed much since I had last seen another human face. Not in my mind. I had been all alone my whole life. It just took me a while to see it.

  The forest was rather flat. Bushes and vines were plentiful, but there was no rise or fall in the terrain surrounding. Dim sunlight piercing the high leaves made the sight unforgettable. The most notable feature of the forest was the trees, though. Their utter size was overwhelming. It made me feel small, which wasn't something I had ever felt before. I was used to being supreme. Being a symbol.

  But my people had never loved me. I was but a figure. Castle was far from the suggestion of its known name. More like a ruin filled with cargo, weapons, and ammunition galore. I didn't miss it. I didn't miss holding the title of "Princess of the Triads" either. I felt ashamed that I had ever been born into that name, because it meant nothing, it had always meant nothing, and it had been far from a privilege. Thinking about it made my head hurt.

  As I walked, I realized everything around me was extremely quiet. I didn't think much of it, only that it was a nice change after days of hearing birds chirp and squawk by day, and the bugs scream by night. I savored it at that time, and shortly after this realization, I found a low-hanging, plump fruit within my reach, which wiped any more thoughts about it from my mind.

  I had been walking for some hours when a loud growl from in the bushes stopped me in my tracks. I listened. It was definite, and cringe inducing. I whipped out my sidearm and aimed it at nothing. I couldn't tell where the noise was coming from. Then, it leapt. I fired a shot, and missed. It knocked me down, and I lost hold of my weapon. I couldn't see anything through the blur of fur and teeth gnashing at my face. Claws were tearing at my vest. I balled my right hand into a fist and decked my attacker in the jaw. It came back and I felt teeth sink into my forearm. I screamed and struggled to get the snarling creature's clamped jaw open so I could slip away, and failed.

  With the crack of gunpowder and metal combustion, a projectile buried itself inches into the thing's skull, and my attacker went completely limp. Heaving, I shoved the heavy animal's entire body off of mine, and immediately looked around. Somebody else had to have fired that shot. I reached for my pistol lying on the ground a foot or two away before another gun shot hit the ground inches from my hand.

  "That's as close as I want you to get to that gun ma'am." I could hear a voice call from a distance, husky and deep.

  "Who are you?" I called back.

  "That's for me to know. Besides, I don't think you're in the right position to ask such a question."

  I furrowed my eyebrows a bit. The man then revealed himself, walking out from in the shadows and into the small, sunlit grove in which I sat. He had a militaristic vest much like mine, but with two holsters and gun straps. He was huge to say the least. I could see the tone of his muscles even under the gear and uniform. His jaw was quite broad, darker skin tone, and his hair -including facial- was at a close shave. He wore sun-resisting glasses, camo pants, standard military boots, and a black bandana around his neck. I knew not what kind of uniform he was wearing, just that it was from some type of military branch, but there was no military anymore. He had a high precision rifle at the ready. A large dog followed close behind him. I was sure it was a German Shepherd, and it wore a vest as well, made for cargo and holding ammo. The intimidating canine stared at me, eyes unblinking.