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“Hey Natalya. Do you still think about that day?” Zima blurted, gazing up at her girlfriend who had her wrapped in her arms loosely as they shared the warmth from the thin, but cozy blanket in the cold winter’s day. “Y’know. When I found you.”
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t. I wouldn’t have imagined us sitting here today huddled together a year ago.” She ran her fingers through Zima’s silky hair and cupped her cheeks while the latter fiddled with a strand of Rosa’s fluffy white locks, which she considered much more beautiful than her own straight, dull and brown hair to which the taller bear strongly opposed.
The pair spent most of their spare time when they were not training or sent on missions like this, quietly sitting together and relishing in each other’s comfort when Istina and Gummy weren’t around. This activity of theirs was theirs was still a secret shared between the two, as well as their feelings and relationship, although Istina caught on with her sharp senses and her general understanding of the pair’s antics.
“Mhm.” Sonya hummed and closed her eyes, allowing the scorching flames to surround her, the strong, dense smell of ash to fill the air as blazing beams from the building’s framework crumbled to the ground. The void of the usual scream and cries were jarring, with only the sound of the crackling of fire and Zima’s own deep breaths audible. General Zima wiped the dust and blood splatter from her cheeks as she stepped forwards towards the quivering girl on her knees with her trusted, bloodstained axe in hand and glared at her. “Are you the last one?”
The pitiful aristocrat averted her gaze and gripped her chest, coughing violently. “Stab me. Hit me. Kick me. Do whatever you want. Just don’t let me live at the end of this.”
Zima slyly grinned and squatted down to the other girl’s eye level, turned her face towards her and positioned her axe by the pitiful girl’s neck. “Hm…? So what if I kept you alive?”
“…I’d rather die than throw my pride away to be spared by you.” She said, without flinching, and stared into General Zima’s aquamarine eyes with some sort of hatred, which Zima sensed was not directed towards her. “I know how much you hate us. Everything was my fault, so go ahead.”
Sighing, the shorter bear stood up, retracted her axe, and turned towards the door. “Weeeeell, that doesn’t sound like any fun if you’re so willing to say bye bye to your life, and so ya comin’ with me.”
“What?”
“You can stand aight? As much as I’d like to spare you, I’m not carrying your fat ass on me.” Zima said, kicking the deformed door off its hinges and glanced behind her. “You comin’ or what?”
“…What if I refused?”
“Then that’s a real shame. I was so sure Anna would’ve liked someone to talk to about books or somethin'.” Zima scratched her head and shrugged, before heading out, back into the wasteland of the school’s corridors. “Your choice.”
The white bear gulped and brushed her ash covered hair out of her face, standing up and followed the shorter girl out, back to their base. “I’ll come,” was the last word they exchanged, as the two silently returned to the other three bear children, who were surprised but still warmly welcomed their unexpected guest, despite the lack of supplies and facilities they possessed.
General Zima slowly opened her eyes and clenched her fist around Rosa’s arm. “Imagine if you didn’t follow me out that day. I wonder where we’d be now. Who knows if we would’ve been saved by Rhodes.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be able to imagine as I surely would’ve suffocated in our hideout.” Rosa giggled as she closed her own eyes, picturing the scene from a year ago herself, which she remembered all too vividly, as if they were still back at Peterheim’s. As if they had only just met yesterday.
“Man, that’s not even funny. I guess your sense of humour is still dark as usual.” Zima muttered and peeled away from her bear hug, trudging over to their mini counter in their shared room and pulled out their two mugs from a small cupboard. “What do you want to drink?”
“I’m sorry haha. Tea, please.”
“Too bad, we only have coffee left.” Zima responded, while eyeing the pack of tea sachets, which she jokingly lied about. She felt like coffee anyway, and was pretty sure Natalya wouldn’t have minded having coffee for once.
“Knowing you, we do have tea, don’t we? But it’s Anna’s favourite, isn’t it?” Natalya stretched before walking over to the shorter girl and gently planted a light kiss to her cheek. “You’re as considerate as usual, Sonya.”
Zima flushed, almost dropping the two hot, full mugs, to which the older girl chuckled. “I-I didn’t know she liked that…This is just a coincidence…”
Passing Rosa’s matching mug to her carefully, the two returned to their recluse and quietly sipped their drinks beside each other as Rosa gently leaned against the smaller girl, pressing her ear into the other girl. “I’m proud to love that side of you, Sonya.”
“Why are you being all sappy today, huh?”