Several gawantas were roaming through the woods looking for a new source of food.

They lightly purred and made growls to each other to communicate.

Some were stretching and scratching a near by tree’s bark to sharpen its claws.

But all at once, every gawanta present was frozen stiff.

They felt it.

They all felt it.

The presence of killing intent.

Each gawanta fur from their tail to the back of their neck was standing straight up.

They looked north, only to shudder in fear, as two ghastly eyes made of purple fire came charging at them.

*AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH*

Its bestial roar sent them into a frenzy as they scattered in all directions to escape.

KILL

KILL

KILL

KILL

KILL

MUST KILL!

Lilian was charging through the woods at night, following the large foot prints of the ogre she was tracking.

THE DEAD OGRE!

IT’S DEAD!

IT KILLED HER!

I WILL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM!

                                  

————————————————-

                            

Anna watched in horror as the she was being held by the greasy gross hand of a large two-headed ogre.

“Bruder…. Hen eat?”

*SIGH*

“In a little bit brother… I am still looking for the right recipe…” The left head told its right.

“Just hold out for a bit longer….. I know I left it around here somewhere?….

“But me Hungee!

“*GAH* We are always hungry you idiot! That is what makes us Ogres.”

Anna thought, if it wasn’t her and she wasn’t so scared that she felt she might pee herself again soon. This comedy routine the two- headed ogre was putting on, might be funny sight to behold of these two slapsticks.

The left head had already slapped the right six times since she was captured.

“………” The right head kept staring down at her, drool hanging down the front of his mouth.

“It would help me so much if you looked with me. Stupid!” The left insulted his slower half.

“But Bruder! Mee no no ow to reed!”

“That is because you spent your time stuffing your gob with anything you could find. While I on the other hand, sought knowledge!” It bragged.

The left head was busy diligently looking for something. Which to Anna’s great relief, bought her at least a precious few more minutes to live.

Oh my god Lilian! Please find me! Please notice I’ve been taken!

*SPLAT*

She looked back up, to see the giant mouth of the ogre hovering over her head. His drool dripping over her face.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

“Oh no you don’t!

*SMACK*

“OUWE!” The right head was rubbing his face.

“Bruder why?! No! Hit!”

“Then stop trying to eat out precious star ingredient!” The left told his right “No snacking!”

“But Bruder! Me hungee!”

“Damn it brother! Don’t you get it! We are always hungry!”

The left went back to looking through discarded curios and large pieces of what resembled books.

“Just be patient a bit longer brother. Once I find the recipe, we will be able to taste human for a least a couple days!” The left said excitedly.

“Two days! Yay! Ok! Me wait!”

“Good! See that you do that-“

“Bruder?”

“………………”

“Bruder?”

“What?…..”

“Me hungee…”

*SLAP*

This time it was the left’s face that was struck, as he hit himself out of frustration.

“Why do I even bother! I should have just cut your bloody head off years ago!”

“No! No say mean ting lik dat!” The right argued.

“Then shut the hell up and be QUIET!” The left yelled.

“Oouwa! Me ear!”

“*HMPH* What you deserve.”

It wasn’t even five minutes later as Anna was in desperate hope that the lift head never found what he was looking for.

“Bruder?”

“Ugh… you hungee?”

*GASP* Bruder can read wat me thinkin’?”

“No… you are just so stupid, that guessing incorrectly would have driven me to cut my own head off!”

The left’s joke apparently did not stick with his right half.

“*GRRRRRrrrr* Alright! ALRIGHT!” He looked towards his right head. “If I cut you off a piece, would you please! Until I find my recipe, shut the hells up?!” The left asked his right.

“Snack?!”

“Yes!… Snack…”

Oh god no!

“Good! Keep your word. Hold it down, I will get my knife.”

“Tay!”

Anna was placed roughly on a flat surface of a large mostly flat slab.

OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD!

“Ah ha! Here we are~” sang the left as it pulled out a large looking blade shaped stone.

“OH GODS! N-NO!” Anna screamed.

That isn’t going to cut clean! No wait! That is besides the point!

“LILIAN!” Anna shouted desperately.

“Gods you do sure have some lungs… but I do hope whoever it is you’re screaming for does arrive, then I can make even more meals for us.” The left head told her sadistically.

“LILIAN! HELP ME!”

“”Hahahahahaha!”” The twin headed ogre laughed as it watched as the human squirmed in its graps.

“Hold her steady now.”

The left side placed the blade to just to hoover over her right leg in the middle of her shin.

“NO PLEASE! DON’T! LILI-“

*CRUNCH* *SPLAT*

“—AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA“

“Ouee! Me ears!”

“Boy! This one does sure have a nice set of lungs on it. Bet they taste good…”

The pain! It hurts so bad!

But it unfortunately wasn’t over for her.

“Oops! Not all the way through yet! Just need to slice this off here…”

The left head then pressed it back down on her now mutilated part of her lag to press down on it, the glide the blade through.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

“THERE WE GO!” He placed down the stone blade to reach down to pick up her sawed off leg.

“There you are brother open wide.”

He held up her flattened and torn apart leg.

As she cried and sobbed through the pain. She watched in sadistic fascination as her leg and foot fell and disappeared into the right monster’s mouth.

*CRUNCH*

*SPRUT*

*CRUSH*

*SQUISH*

“MMMMMMM! Heuman good!”

                    

————————————————-

                     

Lilian was desperate, she had found three ogres so far, had killed every single one of them. But none of them were carrying her scent amongst them.

WHICH OF YOU MONSTERS KILLED HER?!

Then, like a literal light in her darkness that she was running through. She heard it.

“LILI-“

Then a blood curdling scream.

Her body was moving before her brain even registered that she was moving.

“AAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAA!”

She saw a lit up cave just a head of her.

Please let me make it! Please let me make it!

PLEASE LET ME MAKE IT!

She saw it then.

The ogre sitting there.

“MMMMMMM! Heuman good!”

She heard it say.

Her heart clenched.

NO!

“Yes, I do hope you will be satisfied with this and that it tides you over—OOERRRR!”

The ogre, was now looking and facing his brother, his body, turning to do so. He saw his brother, do the same.

“B-Bruder?” The right side gasped weakly as it fell over from being vivisected down between their body.

“Gods! Damn!— AAAGHHHaaa….” Then the left joined the right as it crashed down into its curios.

“ANNA!” Lilian ran to Anna as she looked at her friend who was laying there on the stone slab.

“Oh gods Anna! Oh gods!”

The lower section of her right leg. Gone. Looking as if it had been smashed and ground between two rocks in a rockslide.

Blood pooled out from around the wound of her dismembered leg.

“Oh gods Anna! Oh gods! What! I… oh gods, I am so sorry!”

Anna looked up at her through a veneer of sweat covering her body. Her face, was quite pale.

“You…. ‘Re…. Here….” 

“No! No no no no! Nononononono!….. shh shh! Everything is okay now my quareta! Do not speak! Save your strength.”

“So… happy… you… came…”

“Damn it! Will you listen to me for once damn it!” Lilian shouted at her friend in panic at her refusal to rest.

Lilian looked around, then found a bit of what she was going to need.

Perfect!

She grabbed some rope then started to tie it very tightly around Anna’s leg. She then took her blade over to a large fire, placing the top portion it inside the fire.

“Okay! Okay… now! Shit! Now what?! Gods! Help me! I don’t know what to do now?!” She said panicked at having to wait for her blade to heat up.

“Next step, *WHEEZE* is usually to check up on *WHEEZE* the patient.” Anna quipped as she laid there in absolute agony.

“Anna!”

Lilian rushed to her side take her hand in both of hers.

“Oh my quareta! I am so sorry I am late!”

Anna smiled tightly through the pain.

“Better late… than never.”

Lilian laid her head on Anna’s hand.

“Anna……. I won’t lie… to help save you… what I am going to have to do… it will hurt you more.”

Anna looked up at her with a scared expression.

“You have… to cut more off… right?”

Lilian nodded without looking back up at her.

“Then…. *WHEEZE* ….cauterize?”

Another nod.

“Do… what you have to….” Anna consented her trust to Lilian.

Lilian nodded her head as she moved over to grab her blade.

She picked it up. Moved the hot portion of the blade to Anna’s leg.

“I am sorry!” Lilian told her tightly.

*SLICK* *HISS*

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!”

                       

————————————————-

              

Lilian was walking back with Anna strapped to her back as she jogged back home.

We’re almost home now Anna! Just a little more.

Anna had been unconscious since she had to slice more of her leg off.

She hated having to hurt her friend. She thought slicing her own arm off would have been less of a challenge.

Gods damn the ogres!

I’ll kill them! I swear I will kill them all!

*AAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOUUUUU*

She heard a howl off to her right, but she paid it little heed.

It wasn’t until she saw two wolfs running off to her right that it became a concern of hers.

She didn’t have her weapon on her, she left it back at the cave of the ogres because carrying Anna on her back was more important. So it mattered little to her right now.

Anna was all that mattered.

The beasts of the night were attracted to her wounded friend.

*RAAARRRGGGHHHH!”

*SLAM*

Lilian slammed the back of her fist into the head of the lunging wolf, spinning its head all the way in a circle, killing it instantly.

*YEEEIIIIIPPP*

The rest of the pack that came for them slowed to a stop, at seeing their pack member killed so savagely, they also felt an strong killing intent from the creature they had just tried to attack, so they all backed off and ran away from the danger.

Almost there Anna! Almost there!

It was about another twenty minutes by the time they arrived home.

Lilian quickly set Anna up onto her bed and prepared the things she would need.

She rummaged through her whole selection of creams, powders and poultice herbs that she was going to need.

She put the a pan on the stove filled with water.

She took her sharpest knife, as she waited for the ingredients to cook and get ready.

She was going to have to scrap away bit of the cauterized section of her leg, so she could properly medicate it.

I hate this…

She checked once more that she had everything; Anna looked pale but not as bad as when she had found her.

Lets get started.

———————————

It was about two hours in after Lilian had started caring and preforming field medical treatment that her father showed her.

Only thing I think I am going to ever be thankful to him for, was drilling into me on what to do in-case of an injury.

Lilian at this moment was sitting beside the bed where her friend rested.

She was glad that her friend had stayed unconscious for most of that surgery.

I should sleep….

But Lilian stayed there, just waiting for any sort of response from Anna.

She watched as the shadows by the entrance door slowly turned bright from the sun rising.

The only activity she had done was stoke the fire and piss.

Otherwise, she stayed by Anna.

Please wake up my friend… please!

Don’t leave me alone again…

  

 

 

 

 

 

*TAP* *TAP* *TAP*

Huh?

Lilian looked around to notice she was still on the floor.

That is right!

“Anna!” She turned around to see a smiling Anna looking at her.

Lilian couldn’t help be smile back at her.

“Thank the gods! I am so happy you’re awake.

“Me too… *COUGH* *COUGH* …Could use some water though.” Anna complains with a raspy voice.

Lilian rushes to comply.

“I’ll get you a glass!”

She scrambles into the other room to grab Anna’s wooden tankard.

She could hear Anna’s wheezing laughter followed by a slight cough.

“Here!” Lilian handed the glass over to Anna.

“Thanks…” She was about to drink it while laying sideways.

“Wait! Let me help you sit up. Then drink it.”

So she did just that. She gently helped Anna up to a sitting position, while being careful of her bandaged leg.

Anna then got a couple sips from her mug.

“Ahhhh~ that feels good~” Anna said gratefully, not sounding quite so croaky.

“…….Anna! I do not wish to wait to tell you this!” Lilian blurted out right away as soon as Anna had finished drinking.

“I am so sorry about my behavior of you up to this point. It was unacceptable, and I am not sure my life would even make up for it! And now I had put you in danger once again! I-“

A finger was pressed against her lips.

Funnily enough, she didn’t feel the need to pull back from the contact of Anna touching her like this anymore.

“Don’t… I am at fault for what happened as much as you were… I realized I should have said what I needed to differently last night. I was to harsh, and I was the stupid one for running off as I had.”

“NO! The fault should lie with me! I—“

The finger returned to her lips.

Anna just smiled at her but shook her head.

“We could spend all day arguing about who should have done what or who fault is who… let’s just agree its your fault and move on.” She told Lilian with a teasing smile.

Which Lilian returned with one of her own.

I like her smile. Lilian thought

But the smiles were short lived.

Anna’s face turned melancholy suddenly, as if she was remained of something.

Lilian could feel her hand trembling through her finger.

“He ate it Lilian! He ate it!” Anna said panicked as she brought her hands to her chest to wring them together.

Lilian nodded.

“He did…”

“It’s gone! He-*HIC*-He cut it off and at-*HIC*-he ate it!” Anna’s tears were streaming down her face.

“He did.”

“Please hold me!” She whispered to her.

Lilian reached out for her friend, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

Anna sob for about a good forty minutes, lamenting the loss of her leg.

It was about another ten more minutes after her sobs ended and they had a  light breakfast of fried meat.

“You need meat with the loss of so much blood!” Lilian argued.

“Ugh! But just eating meat reminds me of…”

“Don’t… don’t let them take something from you when someone does you evil.” Lilian told her. “My quareta, when someone harms you, you must harm them back.”

Anna chuckled at her way of thinking.

“I have a similar saying on my world. An eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.” Anna explained.

“Just so! So please! Do not let those monsters take from you anymore than they already have! Eat and enjoy the meat. You like it! You need it!”

Anna sighed.

“I suppose you’re right.” She then leaned forward to take a bite of the proffered meat from the fork Lilian held up.

After their breakfast was finished, Anna had a serious expression on her face that worried Lilian.

“Lilian… will you listen to something I have to say?”

Lilian gulped.

“Yes!… Anything you have to say!” Lilian told her.

This produced a chuckle out of Anna.

“You don’t have to do that you know? I don’t expect you to slave around for me now that I am your… what was it? Quareta? Treasured friend?”

“B-But!”

Anna shook her head.

“I am serious. Don’t. I mean, yes! I am going to need some help obviously enough *COUGH* But I am not expecting you to cater to my every whim or everything I say.”

“But I-“

“Look Lilian.” Anna reached over to grab her hand. “I like you just the way you are, the rough and strong huntswoman in the mountain but who hides a kind and compassionate nature under a gruff exterior.”

“*SCOFF* I-I-Is that how you see me! I’ll have you know-“

She was shut up by another finger to her lips. But it was more of Anna’s serious expression just now than anything else.

*GULP*

“I have something important to tell you that I think you misunderstood of me.” Anna told her was she placed her hands on her lap.

“Whatever it is that I got wrong or misunderstood, just let me know!” Lilian began like she was in a hurry to please her. “A-As long as it is not you asking to returned home… or asking to leave… or saying you h-hate me now and don’t wish to be my friend… I think I can handle anything else!” Lilian assured Anna.

Anna smiled at coyly.

“Really? I don’t think that is.”

“I-Is that a challenge?!” Lilian puffed up with a bravado she wasn’t sure where it was coming from.

“It might be.” Anna told her.

“The speak your mind! For I am ready! Nothing you can say will phase me!”

“I don’t love you just as a friend.”

Lilian’s puffed up ego deflated quiet quickly.

“O-Oh… that is… a shame…”

“Not really. It is actually a good thing because it is more than a friend.”

“M-more than a friend?” Lilian asked confused.

“Yes,” Anna confirmed with a nod.

“I love you,”

“I am in love with you.”

“I love you as a person; the same way your father and mother might have loved one another.” Anna explained.

Anna looked at Lilian’s face. Which looked like it had just short circuited.

Oh dear! Hehehehe~