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The trials are an endless loop for Anna. She’s good at killing; it’s what she’s learned how to do since she could hold an axe. Back in the Red Forest, she killed to survive. No animal was wasted, their pelts making warm blankets and clothing, and their meat becoming her next meal. She had been isolated most of her life, until stray travelers started to trespass on her land. She killed them too.
Sometimes she kills all the survivors. Sometimes one or two get away. And sometimes all of them manage to evade her. She’s lost count of how many times she’s killed, how many trials she’s endured. They’re a fog of a memory at this point. Time passes and doesn’t pass at the same time and the thrill of the hunt left long ago.
But The Entity must sense this. It must know she needs a new challenge, something for her hatchets to sink into with a satisfying squelch.
This trial starts no different from the others. Anna spawns in the middle of the Eyrie of Crows and starts her hunt. Circling around the enclosed area, she searches for survivors working on generators and is quick to find one. This one is unlucky as he fails to duck away from a hatchet. His cries of pain are loud as Anna follows him. He runs into the large building, sending crows flying and cawing away, but he’s not fast enough. Anna gets ready to swing her ax, already anticipating the feel of the blade burying in human flesh.
She doesn’t get the satisfaction as her axe hits something else, someone else. Her initial target vaults out a window. With a grunt of frustration she whips around to see who interrupted her hunt. The person darts away in full sprint, looking back with a smirk even as blood leaks from her shoulder where Anna had hit her. The girl’s hair is red and falls in two braids. She’s athletic, her pink athletic tank hugging her body tight. She vaults out of the other window, disappearing behind the wall as Anna is left completely dumbfounded.
She shakes her head and runs after her new prey. She can’t see her when she exits the building, but a trail of blood leads to the killer shack in the corner.
You’re not getting away so easily.
Anna hears the stifled grunts of pain behind the opposite door. She lifts a hatchet, ready to throw it as soon as she reaches the threshold, but the girl is already rounding the next corner. She follows for what feels like forever, feeling like she’s chasing the girl in circles. When she finally manages to catch up, the redhead drops a pallet right on top of Anna. She dodges the hatchets perfectly and the entire chase is so unbelievably frustrating.
The last generator is completed and Anna is shocked when the girl seems to have some kind of second wind, sprinting toward an exit gate faster than Anna can run. The gates open and the arena begins to collapse. The Huntress follows the girl as best she can, but all the survivors are already inside the gate, running away without looking back. Anna watches silently, eyes trained on red braids.
Next time, little fox.
⟣♢⟢
The next time is no easier. Neither is the time after that. In fact, this new prey, who she learned is called Meg , evades Anna every trial. She catches her sometimes, hooking the girl's small body with ease, but never getting a sacrifice. Meg seems to know how frustrated it makes Anna. She can hear the giggles coming from the girl as she runs through an exit gate or jumps through the hatch. It’s a taunt, and one Anna won’t let go unpunished.
The Huntress spawns into the Yamaoka Estate. The air is thick and humid, and already Anna can’t wait to leave.
She looks for the survivors, circling the map like she always does, ears peeled for the crunch of a twig, the roar of a generator, or quiet breathing. She finds two survivors opposite of where she started, working on a generator growing louder with each passing second. They both run and the Huntress takes a split second to decide who to chase.
She almost doesn’t recognize the red haired girl. Anna nearly mistook her for someone else with the way she’s running, or lack thereof. The little fox’s movements are sluggish, sloppy.
Anna hits her with a hatchet too easily. The girl’s cries are loud sobs that echo across the walls she passes. A second hatchet buries itself in her back and she falls to the ground. Anna doesn’t waste time, hooking her prey before she has a chance to evade her once more, and begins looking for the next person.
After hooking two others, she finds Meg once again. She’s not doing well, vaulting through windows and pallets slower than normal. Her teammates don’t make it easier on her either. At one point, Anna finds herself chasing Meg and another after she had unhooked him. They run in the same direction, but he drops a pallet behind him, knocking Meg’s small form violently against a rock and into the ground. He looks back, muttering a small apology before running off, leaving Meg to be hooked once again.
Anna hesitates at the hook, looking pitifully on the little fox who’s grabbed her attention since her arrival. A pang of sadness lurches through her gut. It’s a feeling she doesn’t experience often. She’s normally quick to anger, deciding long ago that it’s better to live in her rage than mourn her past.
She doesn’t linger long. In fact, she seeks out the man who helped Anna down the girl, ignoring the others. She finds him still injured, desperately working on a generator that sounds like it’s almost finished. He doesn’t get the chance to complete it as Anna downs him easily.
Three generators left, one sacrifice to the entity. Anna can taste her sweet win already.
She’s chasing another survivor, following her through the statues and into a group of walls, when she’s brought right to her little fox working on a generator. The first girl runs behind her, leaving Meg open for a hit. The Huntress’s instincts force a hit with her axe. She expects the girl to run away, expects more of a fight, but she doesn’t. Meg backs into the corner of the wall and holds the gash in her abdomen.
Anna could hook her, gain another sacrifice. It’s what she should do, it’s what’s expected of her, and it’s what she’s wanted all this time. She’s finally caught her little fox, finally able to deliver the final blow.
But the girl simply bows her head, eyes closed. Her whole body shakes but Anna doesn’t sense fear. It’s hopelessness. She’s a wounded animal, a mouse too tired to run from the cat, already accepting the defeat of death’s kiss.
Anna turns around and leaves. Finding the last two survivors is easy and she smiles as their screams die with them on the hook.
The hatch conveniently opens right in front of her as she navigates back to the girl she left on the ground. She ignores it, continuing in her path.
Meg hasn’t moved. Her whimpers have grown louder and Anna can see blood and dirt stained tears run down her cheeks. Throwing the girl over her shoulder, she’s surprised when she doesn’t struggle. If not for her painful cries, Anna would think she was dead.
Anna finds the hatch and drops the girl next to it with a thud. An oof huffs past Meg’s lips as she looks up at the hulking woman, shocked and hesitant.
“Go!” Anna yells, raising a hatchet at the prone girl.
Meg dives into the hatch and the trial ends.
⟣❖♢❖⟢
Meg dawns a blue baseball cap and jacket before climbing out of her tent. Claudette is at the campfire, poking at it with a twig, when she looks up at the other woman.
“You going somewhere?”
“Need to clear my mind,” is all Meg says as she starts a jog into the forest.
“Be careful!” Claudette calls out after her.
Meg starts at a quick pace, letting her breathing break the silence of the forest and her heartbeat ring loud in her ears. The cool air pumps through her lungs, giving them a new life. Her body is sore. She can feel every ghost of a wound that no longer exists. Pain is weird here. When they’re hit, they have to keep running. Adrenaline keeps them alive. Meg isn’t shy about running through the pain. She’s stubborn, at least that’s what her mom always told her.
Meg gulps as memories of her mom flood her thoughts. She doesn’t even know how long it’s been since she saw her mom, since she got to hug her. Time doesn’t seem to move for the people stuck here. Years could pass and they wouldn’t age a day. But the ache of missing her life before eats away at her more now than it did, like the adrenaline is finally wearing off.
A root jumps up, snagging at her left foot and she tumble to the ground. A white hot pain erupts from her ankle, shooting up her leg. She can’t muffle the cry that erupts from her throat or the hissing sobs that rack her body as she lies prone, grasping her leg.
Fuck .
It’s an injury she never quite recovered from. The doctors assured her as much after she refused to stop running on it. Looking back, she knows it was stupid. Sacrificing her ankle to show up one of her teammates was foolish, but she’s never brought herself to regret it. She’ll never forget Dana’s face after beating her with a broken ankle.
She’s not one to give up. Everyday she wakes up in this realm she reminds herself of it. She reminds herself that her mom would want her to be stubborn. But everyday it’s harder to tell herself, harder to believe there’s an end. She wants so badly to give up. Maybe she’ll get to go home if she does.
A distant hum interrupts her thoughts. It’s equally as familiar as it is unexpected.
Shit, shit, shit… Meg scurries behind a tree. She can’t even tell where the humming is coming from and she doesn’t even know which direction the camp is at this point. It grows louder and louder and she wills herself to stay quiet despite the agonizing throb from her ankle.
The humming stops. “I can hear you, little fox,” a voice with a thick Russian accent says. It comes from ahead and behind, echoing all around.
Meg takes a peak around the tree she sits against. The forest seems empty. There’s no birds tweeting, no squirrels scampering up the trees.
Letting out a shaky breath, she turns back. A gasp is pushed from her lungs when her eyes are met with long legs clad in blue fabric standing right in front of her. Meg’s eyes travel upward, past the hand holding a large axe and the hatchets attached to a belt, and land on the face hidden by the mask of a hare.
“Why are you here?” The Huntress asks.
Meg opens her mouth but no words come out.
“You should leave.”
The woman takes a step back, planting the head of her axe into the dirt. Meg can’t see her eyes through the dark holes of the mask, but she can feel them trained on her. She’s too scared to move, not even sure how it is that The Huntress found her, or is even here in the same forest.
Suddenly the woman is kneeling down, her large hands reaching out. Meg flinches away, pushing herself against the tree and tucking her knees up.
“Your foot.” The woman is surprisingly gentle as she grabs Meg’s calf, lifting the leg and inspecting it. “You are hurt.”
Meg pulls her leg away, wincing as her ankle is jostled. “I’m fine.”
“No,” The Huntress says simply. Meg doesn’t get a chance to argue as she's picked up and cradled her in huge arms.
“Wait–” the smaller girl struggles. “Let me go!”
“You are hurt,” The Huntress points out again. “Need to heal.”
She continues to struggle, pushing at the woman’s chest, but she’s unrelenting. Eventually she gives up, surrendering herself to the killer. What would it matter anyway? Maybe this would be the end she had been waiting for.
At some point, a light snow begins to fall and Meg couldn’t be happier that she chose to wear a jacket. Even so, she shivers; she feels the woman carrying her pull her in closer, though she can’t be sure whether she just imagined it. Regardless, it’s warmer, and the steady breaths coming from the killer are somehow comforting.
Meg must fall asleep on their journey; she doesn’t even know how long they travel but she wakes as she’s set down on a bed. She’s disoriented, blinking as wooden walls come into view. The bed she lies on is more comfortable than anything she’s slept on since she could remember, and she’s covered in a large bear pelt blanket. Downstairs, she hears heavy footsteps.
She should leave now while she still can. Her body argues as she slips out of the bed, standing and carefully balancing on her right foot. Taking a hesitant step with her left, she cries out and her vision turns pale.
Keep going.
It's more of a hobble than a walk as Meg makes her way out of the small room, leaning on the wall for help. She gets to the stairs and there’s no sign of her captor. One step at a time, she hops down each one, small creaks disclosing her location. Meg doesn’t have time to stop though, she has to keep pushing.
Almost to the bottom floor, she misses a step, right foot slipping out from under her and her left foot catching her fall. With a painful scream, Meg is blinded again as a new agony strikes up her leg. She expects to crash into the floor, but strong arms catch her and hoist her up.
“No… please,” she begs, but she can’t argue anymore as the world tips and everything fades to black.
⟣♢⟢
Anna lays the girl back down on the bed. She seems asleep again, but she looks all but peaceful; her red hair sticks to the sweat on her head and her brow is scrunched. The Russian woman kneels next to the bed, brushing away the stray hairs as she delicately takes off the blue hat the girl wears. This is the first time Anna gets a good look at her, normally focusing more on her back as she runs away. Her features are fierce, fitting for what little Anna has learned of her personality. She's also got a dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks, and Anna can’t help but graze her thumb over them.
Tucking the blanket up to the girl’s chin, she diverts her attention to the injured foot. She gently unties the show and slides it off. The swelling is obvious and probably not helped by how much Meg tried to defy her. Anna doesn’t know why the girl struggled – she was only trying to help – but thankfully now she could set the injury without a fight.
She’s had plenty of injuries of her own in the past. Her mother had cared for her, taught her how to treat wounds and broken bones. From a young age, Anna had to start taking care of herself. If she couldn’t get around, then she couldn’t hunt; and if she couldn’t hunt, she couldn’t eat. For some reason Meg didn’t seem so worried about that, and it makes Anna wonder how different of a life the girl had before coming into The Entity’s realm.
Anna finds the things she needs easily. Meg is much smaller and the braces she’s made in the past for herself wont fit the girl. With a combination of leather, string, and strong pieces of wood, she fashions a brace around the injured ankle. Before tugging the blanket back over, she elevates the leg under another pillow.
Looking back at the girl’s face, her features have settled, now softer and less strained. Anna hopes she will feel at peace now.
⟣♢⟢
When Meg wakes again, it’s dark. A single candle keeps the room dim. Her foot immediately throbs, but the pain isn’t as bad as it was. Moving her foot, she feels the bindings and pulling back the thick blanket, she sees a makeshift brace around it. Her heart beats loud in her ears as she remembers where she’s at and what had brought her here.
A quiet hum comes from downstairs. The same hum she heard earlier and the same hum she heard in countless trials, but this time it’s… soft, serene even. Meg shifts in the bed, sitting up against the wall. The floor creaks as she does and the humming stops abruptly. She freezes as she hears heavy footsteps trudge up the wooden stairs.
The Huntress’s large form appears in the doorway. She’s silhouetted as a fire from downstairs lights the area up behind her.
“You don’t run.” The sentence is simple, accent thick but easy to understand. “You stay.”
“Are you forcing me to stay?” Meg asks, dreading the answer.
“You are hurt. Why would you leave?”
Meg doesn’t know how to answer, mouth gaping as she searches for one. “I- I don’t know.”
“Then you stay.” The Huntress walks further into the room and Meg scoots back on the bed. But the woman kneels down, inspecting her injured foot without touching. “How does it feel?”
“It feels fine.”
The woman only hums as she looks back up at the redhead. “Are you hungry?” When Meg nods, she continues. “I can bring food here or carry you down.”
It takes her a moment to recognize that The Huntress is giving her a choice. “Up here. Please.”
The Huntress nods before leaving, returning shortly with a bowl of steaming stew and a wet rag. Meg watches carefully as the bowl is set on the side table and she holds out the rag.
“You are dirty.”
Maybe it’s how blunt the woman is, or how blatantly honest the statement is, but a laugh helplessly bubbles from Meg’s belly before she can stop it.
“You run around killing people with bare feet,” Meg points out before she takes the rag. She unfolds it, hiding her face as she scrubs the dirt and sweat off. When she pulls it away, the Huntress is looking down at her own feet.
“I don’t have shoes.”
“Clearly.”
Meg wipes down her neck and chest. The rag turns brown with the nastiness of the realm caked on her skin. It’s not a hot shower, but it’s nice all the same.
She sets the rag aside and grabs the bowl. The smell surprises her, and her first bite even more so. Nothing the survivors had made tasted very good. Mostly they ate small rodents, which was all they could catch. Meg wasn’t sure what this was, but it tastes divine in comparison. It even has spices and Meg wonders where they can find those.
“This is delicious. Thank you.” She slurps up another spoonful of the thick broth, the oils sticking to her lips. The Huntress doesn’t respond, just watches from her kneeling spot next to the bed. It’s strange and Meg isn’t sure how to feel. This woman, for whatever reason, found her and decided to help her. The trials had been one thing. The killer took pity on her one time after she was sure she hated Meg.
The conundrum, Meg decides, is too much to think about with her exhaustion. With every scoop, she feels her eyelids grow heavier. At some point, The Huntress takes the near empty bowl from her and helps her lay down. The way the woman tucks the blanket under her chin reminds her of how her mom used to tuck her in when she was little. If she focuses hard enough, Meg imagines she’s back in time, back when things were simple, and it was just her and her mom.
She thinks she hears someone say, “good night, little fox,” but the words make no sense as she plunges into a deep sleep.
⟣❖♢❖⟢
For Anna, the next couple days pass slowly. When she hunts, she stays close, finding only small game. Her forest is quiet, a comfort Anna grew up with, but she can feel Meg’s presence anyway.
She’s not used to having someone else around. Not that they talk much. She gives her guest space, only returning to the room to give her a meal and check her ankle sprain. Anna isn’t exactly sure how to talk to her. Talking to the other killers was difficult enough, how is she supposed to make conversation with someone she’s tried to kill countless amounts of times?
Instead, Anna busies herself with a project. Sacrificing some wood she would have used for her fire, she starts carving a crutch. It’s small, something Anna is sooner to use as a cane, but she estimates it will fit Meg fine.
At some point, Anna is summoned to a trial; in a plume of black fog, she spawns into the Racoon Police Station. The trial itself is uninteresting and goes by quickly. She’s at a natural disadvantage being stuck indoors, but her mind is preoccupied. She wonders if the girl she left in her home will still be there when she gets back, or if she’ll have taken her chance to run.
The last survivor crosses the gate threshold and a few seconds pass before Anna is transported back to her dwelling. Everything is exactly how she left it; she sits in her large chair by the hearth, crutch still in her lap.
Anna makes her way upstairs and finds the girl in the bedroom, reading a book she must have found somewhere. The older woman recognizes it: a picture book her mother used to read her before bed. As she approaches, Meg sets the book down and looks up.
“I made this for you.” Anna holds out the crutch. It’s simple, a place for her weight to rest on and long enough to fit under her arm.
When she hands it to the girl, Meg studies it, running her fingers along the smooth wood. Anna feels her cheeks grow warm when the redhead looks back up. Her gaze is intense, her blue eyes piercing into her own, peeling back Anna’s layers and finding their way to her soul.
“Thank you,” Megl says. “Does this mean I can go outside?”
“You are not a prisoner,” Anna reminds her. She’s not sure why Meg thinks so, or why it keeps coming up. It makes her anxious. Anna doesn’t have a lot of experience with other people. Talking with the other killers was never the easiest. A lot of the time she finds herself missing something, like words are unsaid but understood in conversation — understood by everyone else but left a mystery to Anna.
Meg throws her feet over the side of the bed and pushes herself up using the crutch to support her. As she links it under her arm, Anna backs out of the room, giving her space.
The process isn’t quick by any means. Meg hobbles out of the room and Anna protectively leads her down the stairs. At the base, the redhead observes the home, looking at the things hanging on the walls, the heavy chairs in front of the hearth, and the large bear rug on the ground. It makes Anna feel exposed. She knows her home is often an arena for their trials, but it’s always different, not quite shaped the same, the details off just a little, as if looking at it in a dream. And now here is a girl Anna invited into her most sacred place, devouring it under her eyes.
“This is cozier than it is in the trials,” Meg says after a moment. She continues, hobbling out the door and into the crisp air of the woods. She inhales deeply and closes her eyes, leaning her head back. Anna’s eyes are drawn to her long neck, where she sees a couple more freckles she hadn’t seen before.
“Why are you doing this?” The redhead asks suddenly.
At first, Anna doesn’t know how to answer. She honestly doesn’t know the answer herself. She’s unfamiliar with the confusing feelings she’s had for the girl since seeing her for the first time.
“You are hurt. I’m helping.”
“Yeah but…” Meg looks out across the forest and then back up at the tall woman. “You could have killed me. Or left me there. Why are you helping me?”
“I kill when I need to. I hunt to eat,” Anna says. “I kill people when Entity tells me to.”
Meg nods before turning back to the forest. She limps to a stack of firewood, leaning back against it before plopping to the ground.
“So it makes you kill then?”
“I am good at it.”
“You’ve never killed me,” Meg teases, an amused smile twitching at her lips.
Something competitive blossoms from Anna’s chest. “I could have,” she says walking up to the girl, clenching her fists.
“Then why didn’t you?”
Anna looks around, as if someone might hear their conversation.
“It was not fair.”
“None of this is fair!” The redhead argues suddenly.
Anna ignores the question. “You are normally fast. You run good, but you were not.”
“Even more of a reason to kill me.”
“No!” Anna’s frustration boils from her gut. “You were… you were sad. And the man hit you with the heavy pallet. And the girl brought me to you.”
Meg is quiet, her eyes wide as she listens to Anna.
“You are good at running from me. I like it. But you were not good at the trial. It was not fair.”
Meg looks away and there’s a long silence. Anna doesn’t know what else to say, so she fidgets with the fabric around her waist, clenching it in her sweaty palm. She hears a sniffle then. Meg’s face is turned away, head resting on her right knee that’s pulled up to her chest.
“Are you crying?” Anna asks, kneeling down. She’s not sure what to do or how to comfort her. Her mother would hold her, humming as she rubs her back, but this girl is a stranger.
“I just want to go home.” The words are soft, almost a whisper, but Anna hears them loud and clear.
“You are not a prisoner.”
“But we are!” Meg turns her head as she yells and Anna finally sees her puffy cheeks and red eyes. “We’re both prisoners here. Don’t you get it? Don’t you want to leave?”
Anna sits down completely, crossing her legs and clasping her hands in her lap. “There is nothing for me at home.”
Meg regards her but doesn’t say anything.
“What is your home like?” Anna asks as she feels an awkwardness under the girl’s gaze.
The girl blinks, looking forward and resting her chin on her knee. “It’s just me and my mom. I’m supposed to take care of her. She’s sick.”
Anna feels her heart tighten in her chest. She looks down at her hands. “I- I am sorry.” The redhead doesn’t reply. “My mother… she died. Elk attacked her.”
She feels her mouth water as her vision blurs. A warm hand suddenly grasps hers. The touch is strange, but oddly comforting. Looking up, it belongs to Meg, who looks at her with her own sad eyes.
“I’m sorry,” the redhead says.
Anna nods, averting her stare from the prolonged eye contact.
“What’s your name?” Meg asks a few moments later. “I just realized I don’t actually know it.”
“Anna.”
“I’m Meg.”
“I know.”
“You knew my name this whole time but didn’t tell me yours?” It sounds accusing, but Meg smiles. It’s confusing, but Anna hopes it’s well intentioned.
“I-I am sorry. I forgot.”
“Well, it’s nice to officially meet you, Anna.”
Her name from the girl’s mouth makes her stomach flutter. She wants to hear it again and again and again.
⟣❖♢❖⟢
A week passes and Meg is bored out of her mind. Through her snooping she’s found three books. One of them was a picture book, but the other two were longer. They’re all in Russian so she can’t read a word, but at least pretending like she could serves as mild entertainment. Going outside helps. She wishes she could run or even walk more than just a short distance. Her joints cramp with inactivity, begging for more.
Her ankle feels a lot better. The swelling from the sprain went down within a couple days and it hurts less to move around on it. The crutch helps a lot. When she broke her ankle back home, she was in a cast for two months. She’s beyond thankful that this seems to be healing a little faster.
Right now, she sits in the forest against a nearby tree while Anna chops firewood. Meg traces shapes in the dirt with a stick. She draws her school mascot, pictures from the book, patterns from some of the tapestries in the cabin. With a sigh, she throws the stick aside and scrapes her good foot over her ametuer art.
Looking up, she watches The Huntress swing an axe down and split a log into two. Her forearms flex as she tears it from the base trunk. Anna’s hands are big enough to hold each log easily with one hand. Meg’s not sure she’s ever seen a woman so large, and she jokes to herself that it must be a Russian thing.
Meg stands up and walks over to the other woman. She knows The Huntress must hear her, but she doesn’t acknowledge her presence.
“Can I help?” Meg offers.
Anna doesn’t stop. “You are hurt.”
“My arms work fine.”
A heavy sigh escapes from the huntress. After her next swing, she leaves the axe planted. “Have you chopped wood before?”
“No,” Meg answers and Anna hums before returning to work. “Please? I’m bored. I wanna do something.”
Another chop and another sigh. “Fine.” Anna pulls the axe and balances a new log on the trunk. “Hold here.” The woman’s hands wrap around Meg’s, carefully positioning her hands on the heavy axe. She steps away, giving Meg space. “Now hit.”
The redhead tries to copy what she saw The Huntress do, lifting the axe above her head and swinging it down to the wood. It partially splits, but not before Meg loses her balance as her crutch falls away.
Then strong hands grab her hips, steadying her.
“You have to stand on both feet,” Anna points out. Meg follows the direction, planting both feet carefully. Her left isn’t in pain, but she puts most of her weight on her right. “Again.”
The hands don’t move from her hips as Meg raises the axe again. They hold her firmly. The axe comes down and the log splits all the way this time. Meg laughs triumphantly and tilts her head to look at the woman behind her.
“Better. Next one.”
Meg replaces the log and one by one, she chops them. The hands stay glued to her hips, and at some point she’s not sure if she’s growing warm from the exercise or the prolonged contact.
She loses count of how many logs she chops, but at some point Anna lets go. “Good. That is enough.” The Huntress picks up the forgotten crutch and holds it out for Meg. “You did well, little fox.”
Meg wipes sweat from her forehead. “Why do you keep calling me that? Little fox?”
Anna seems to hesitate. “You are like a fox. Quick and quiet.”
Meg feels her cheeks flush. Something about the nickname was endearing. It shouldn’t be. This woman has physically hurt her so many times. She shouldn’t even trust her. But she’s opened her home to Meg, cared for her when she would otherwise have been stranded.
“I am sorry. I will stop,” Anna apologizes, turning toward the cabin.
“No, it’s fine… I- I like it,” she admits.
Anna nods before continuing toward the door. “I am making supper now.”
Meg hustles to keep up. “Can I help?” She asks and The Huntress laughs.
⟣❖♢❖⟢
They’ve somehow come to a comfortable routine. Meg helps with the household chores as best she can. Anna teaches her how to skin the animals she hunts and how to prepare them to eat.
Anna doesn’t know when things suddenly become so familiar. It had been… years since she lived with another person, let alone someone who wasn’t her family. And Meg has fit in easily. Time passes and The Huntress forgets there’s a life outside of their cabin in the Red Forest. A selfish part of her never wants it to go back to the way it was.
It should be expected that the reality they built together is popped.
Anna and Meg are in the middle of boiling rabbit bones to make a stock when she’s transported to a hot desert. Her mouth already feels dry as the dense foliage she’s used to is replaced with cacti and tumbleweed.
For once, Anna wants this trial to be over as quickly as possible. She normally enjoys a good hunt, but now she’d prefer to be in her warm home with her new companion.
Her focus zeroes in on the sound of running and she locks onto her prey.
⟣♢⟢
Anna disappears in the black fog and Meg is left alone in the cabin. It doesn’t phase her much, it happens all the time at the survivor camp. The Entity doesn’t have any respect for their meal times or sleep schedule, and within thirty minutes they’re transported back to the same spot they left.
Meg scoops away the fat collecting at the top. It’s mindless work and she’s content to sit by the warm fire. She never had a fireplace growing up. The apartment her and her mom had was small, but perfect for just the two of them. She always liked it there, the comfort of their home providing a certain coziness. Meg hadn’t felt that since coming to The Entity’s realm. The campsite was never warm enough to keep the chill of the fog away, but sitting here in front of the fire with a blanket pulled over her shoulders is the coziest she’s felt in ages.
Her eyes slip closed and she listens to the crackle and pop of the embers. It’s peaceful.
What Meg doesn’t hear though, is the way a twig snaps outside, or the drag of clothing over the pine needles that coat the forest floor.
“Anna?” a feminine voice suddenly calls and Meg’s heart leaps into her throat.
She goes to climb to her feet but her ankle quickly reminds her she can’t run. Instead, she ducks behind one of the huge beams that support the roof, hiding in the shadows.
Footsteps tap at the entryway and the door squeaks open. Meg holds her breath, not daring to make a sound. She keeps her legs tucked in, making herself as hidden as possible.
“Anna?” the voice repeats. Meg resists the urge to turn and look as the floorboards creak closer and closer to her spot.
A foul smell makes the girl gag and she barely stifles it. It’s too late though as a shadow rounds the corner, towering over her. The face is dark, but it’s partially hidden with a large headpiece. It doesn’t hide the rest of the scars and rotten flesh that coat the rest of her body.
“You! What are you doing here?”
The Plague . Meg had been in plenty of trials against the killer. She had always been good at dodging her projectile vomit, but with her injured ankle, she wouldn’t stand a chance.
The redhead is grabbed around her shirt by the woman’s bony hand. “I asked you a question!”
Meg kicks her legs out, missing her first swing but getting a good hit in the ailing woman’s gut with her left foot. She whimpers as she hears a sickening crack, but the hand loosens and drops her. Quickly, Meg ducks under her arms and runs behind her. She doesn’t get very far though as her hood is yanked and she crashes back into the wooden floor.
“Survivors aren’t supposed to be here. How did you find this forest?”
“It’s none of your business!” Meg snaps as a bare foot pins her to the ground. She grabs it, trying to push it away, but it stays planted on her chest. “Let me go!”
The Plague flexes her hand adorned with talon-like rings. Meg knows only too well how sharp they can be.
“I think it’s time to send you—”
“Adiris stop!”
The killer freezes, looking up.
“She is friend.” Anna comes into view and pushes the other woman away. Meg moves to stand up on her own, but Anna hooks her hands between her arms and picks her up like she weighs nothing. The redhead fights the blush that heats her cheeks. “Your brace is broken.”
Meg doesn’t get the chance to answer as The Plague interrupts. “Anna, she is a survivor! She cannot be here!”
“She was hurt, see?” Anna holds the redhead up as if it’s evident. The other woman doesn’t say anything as Anna sets Meg down on the chair in front of the hearth. She kneels down, unwrapping the brace from her ankle. One of the wood support pieces is snapped and barely hanging together with the leather.
“It’s fi—” Meg starts but hisses as Anna prods at the swelling joint.
“You are supposed to use crutch,” Anna chastises.
“Well, I was a little preoccupied,” Meg mutters.
The other killer interrupts. “Does anyone else know, Anna?”
“No.”
The woman regards them both under her worried gaze. Meg looks between the two killers, trying to gauge their relationship.
The Plague sighs and nods at Meg. “I am sorry for attacking you. I didn’t realize you two were… friends.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Meg shrugs.
“Why you here, Adiris?” Anna asks, standing and tweaking the homemade brace.
“You have not visited me in a while. I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
The Huntress hums. “You stay for supper? Rabbit soup.”
“Of course. Thank you.”
They all sit around the fire together. Anna fixes the brace while Adiris catches up. It strikes Meg how strange her life has become. She’s gotten used to the hell she's been thrown into, but now she’s eating dinner with two people who have tried to kill her on more than one occasion. Things may not be as black and white as she originally thought — or as any of the survivors thought.
“So, Meg. What happened to your foot?” Adiris asks at some point.
“It’s an old injury. I just tripped and kinda injured it again.”
“In a trial? Shouldn’t you be healed?”
Meg swallows another bite of the soup. “It happened outside of the trials. I was… going for a run.”
“And you were running here?”
“Well no. I wasn’t really going anywhere.” Meg’s voice rises in defense and she feels her ears turn red. “I didn’t even know I could get here.”
“Adiris.” Anna chuckles as she drags her spoon through her bowl. “It is fine. Leave Meg alone.”
“This just does not happen, Anna.”
“Why? No rule about it.”
“Hm.” Adiris is silent for a moment. “I hope not.”
Anna eventually finishes repairing Meg’s brace, but they decide to leave it off for now with how swollen her ankle is.
“I will carry you to the bed.”
Anna moves to grab her but Meg pushes her hands away. “I can do it. I’ll be okay.”
In all honesty, she’s started to like the way Anna wants to dote on her, but Meg likes to remind them both that she’s a perfectly capable woman. She’s a natural athlete and she can take care of herself.
“It was nice to officially meet you, Meg,” Adiris says. “I am sorry again.”
“It’s all good. Thanks for not killing me,” Meg jokes and it makes the other woman laugh.
⟣♢⟢
The sun is well set by the time Anna is yawning.
“I should go. Walk me out, Anna?” Adiris asks.
They step into the cool night air. A pale haze blankets the forest, clinging to the trees and brush. Anna closes the door behind them, keeping the warmth of the fire inside the cabin.
“You like her, don’t you?” Adiris prods.
Anna looks at her, shocked at her assumption. Her hare mask covers her face but she can feel the crimson warmth on her cheeks.
“She is friend now.”
Adiris smirks, her scarred skin stretching tightly. “Anna, you know what I mean. You have feelings for her.”
The Huntress doesn’t answer.
“I will keep your secret, do not worry. Meg is a nice person.”
“She is nice,” Anna agrees. “She is… comfortable now.”
Adiris places a hand on the other woman’s shoulder. “Just be careful. I will see you another time.”
“Good night.” Anna watches her friend go, disappearing into the fog and swallowed by the darkness.
Walking back into her cabin, she walks up the stairs to the little room. It glows with warm candlelight and shadows flicker against the walls. For a moment, Anna is reminded of sleeping in here with her mother, cuddled up on the bed and telling stories. She half expects her mother to be there, but as she rounds the corner, she sees the redhead sitting up and undoing one of her braids.
Anna thinks about what Adiris said. She wonders if her feelings really are more than a platonic companionship. She hasn’t had much experience with other people and the only person she’s loved is her mother. She’s not sure she can call whatever it is she and Meg have anything romantic. She’s only read about romance in the few books she owns.
“Anna?” Meg asks and it breaks the woman away from her thoughts.
“Hm?”
“Are you okay?”
“I am fine.”
Meg’s other braid is finally pulled loose. Her hands absentmindedly brush through the strands. The red hair curls in a way Anna hasn’t seen before.
“I never see your hair like this.”
“I don’t take it out of the braids often. I like keeping it out of my face.”
Anna takes a couple steps in and sits next to the bed. She runs a curious hand through the curls. “It is pretty.”
“Th-thank you.” Meg looks down and Anna can hear her gulp. “What's your hair like? I’ve never even seen it.”
“Brown,” is all Anna says.
Meg smirks. “That’s it? Is it curly? Straight? Short or long?”
The Huntress shrugs. “Yes.”
Her answer makes Meg laugh and the sound makes Anna’s lips quirk into a small smile.
Meg leans forward. “Will you ever take off your mask for me?”
“You do not want to see under.”
“How do you know what I want?” Meg asks. “I’m just curious. You don’t have to.”
Anna continues twirling her finger in the red hair, inspecting the soft strands closely. The silence is loud, and she swears Meg can hear her heartbeat. “You can if you want,” she eventually says.
“Are you sure?”
Anna nods, leaning forward to make it easier for the girl to reach the mask. She closes her eyes, holding her breath and waiting. Thin fingers gently glide over her lower cheek before hooking under the mask. They pull at it, sliding it up and revealing more and more of the face underneath, until it’s completely off. Anna can’t bear to look at Meg, can’t bear to look at the disgust that will surely be written on her face.
A warm hand touches the scars on the left side of Anna’s cheek, tickling at the sensitive skin and making Anna inhale a quiet gasp. Fingers trace at every line, every indentation. They travel under her eyes, to her ear, and they come back under her jawline and up to the mangled left side of her lips. Anna doesn’t dare to breathe as a thumb swipes at the scarred cleft that pulls her lips apart.
“Anna…” Meg says softly. “You’re beautiful.”
Anna opens her eyes finally, blinking at the other woman with confusion. Meg is staring at her lips, following the scarring to her eyes but then back down to her lips.
“You don’t have to hide from me.” Meg’s voice is genuine and Anna is inclined to believe her. She tilts her head into the palm caressing her cheek.
“Scars are from bear attack,” Anna explains instead of replying to the comment that made her melt. “I won.”
Meg chuckles. “Well, I’m glad you won.”
Anna busies herself with Meg’s hair again. “How do you do this?”
“It’s just twisting the sections together. I can braid your hair if you want.”
The huntress watches her hesitantly, but the way Meg is smiling, teeth biting her lower lip, she doesn’t know how to say no. She turns around and lets the girl run her hands through her dark brown hair. Her eyes fall closed at the small tugs and gentle combing she finds soothing.
Anna has spent a lifetime surviving. It’s second nature for her and has been since she was young. The skills she’s trained for years are what keep her safe.
But there’s something about this calm, new environment she and Meg have created. It’s safe in a completely different way. Anna even dares to think that maybe it never has to end.
⟣❖♢❖⟢
Meg is riding on Anna’s back through the Red Forest the next day. They follow a small creek that runs past the cabin with Anna promising that the end is worth it. Meg doesn’t really mind the long walk though; she’s content to wrap her arms around the strong shoulders of the Russian huntress. Anna, to Meg’s surprise, isn’t wearing the mask and veil; she's still wearing the braid Meg did for her the night before. It’s short and ends in a small knot of a leather string.
After at least an hour of their trek, the creak gets a bit larger and the slope a bit steeper, until they come upon a small lake. It’s surrounded by the mountains and reflects the green vegetation. The water sits like glass, only rippled by a few birds and insects that disturb the surface.
“Wow,” Meg gawks. This lake is different from the ones Meg used to visit as a kid. The forest is thicker maybe, the trees adding different shades of color to the water. But this lake feels undiscovered. There are no children splashing in the water, no boats or fishermen. It’s a quiet tranquility.
“We can bathe here.” Anna walks them to the edge of the water before gently dropping Meg to the ground.
The redhead drags a hand through the water. The icy coolness is sharp, not unlike a lot of the rivers and lakes in the Rockies. She looks around, remembering how her skin would turn blue after hours of playing in the water, her mom watching her from the shore. To her right, there’s a pile of boulders that are stacked over the water. An idea forms in her head.
Meg peels off her jacket and athletic tank. Her pants follow so she’s only in her sports bra and underwear. With a deep breath, she starts scooting into the water. The icy cold water makes her gasp as it hits her stomach, but she pushes on. The bottom of the lake drops off quickly, and soon enough she’s swimming, using her right leg to do most of the kicking. Soon enough, she gets to the boulders and carefully climbs them.
“What are you doing?” Anna calls out to her.
“Jumping off!” Meg combines hopping and scooting to get from one boulder to the next, until she finally gets to the highest one.
“Why?”
Meg doesn’t respond as she peers over the edge. It's probably about a twenty foot drop and she feels her heart beat at the excitement. Taking a deep breath, she climbs to her feet and pushes off, plugging her nose at the last minute. The water envelopes her, the cold barely phasing her body this time. She sinks lower and lower, until the soft bottom tickles her feet. She swims back up, gasping as the cool air pokes at her face.
“Meg!” Anna yells and when the redhead looks over, she sees The Huntress still dressed and waist deep in the water. “Why did you do that?” Her voice is frantic, a little out of breath.
“I’m fine, Anna.” Meg giggles, swimming toward the woman. “Just having a little fun.”
“That was… fun? You are not hurt?”
“Nope.” Meg floats on her back, sticking her feet out of the water and wiggling her toes. “You should try!”
“No.” Anna turns around and heads back to the shore.
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid?” Meg teases.
Back on the shore, Anna starts taking off her belt and suspenders. She doesn’t dignify the redhead with a response.
“You are!” Meg continues swimming toward her. “C’mon, you saw me do it. It’s safe!”
Anna regards her with eyes narrowed. She peels off her now wet pants and shirt. Underneath, she wears a simple one-piece underwear that looks like it’s from another time. Meg blushes as she sees a lot more of the woman’s body for the first time. Her shoulders are as muscular as she imagined, and her biceps ripple under her skin as she wrings out the soaked clothing.
“I’m not scared.” Anna trudges into the water, walking right past Meg and toward the boulder pile. The redhead follows after her, treading the deeper part as she waits for Anna to climb to the top.
When The Huntress reaches the top, Meg thinks she looks like a goddess. The sun peeks through the clouds just perfectly, casting its rays down onto the incredibly tall woman.
Anna looks down, cracking the knuckles of her fingers and shifting her weight back and forth on her feet.
“You got this!” Meg shouts.
With a deep breath, Anna takes a step off the side and plunges down to the water. She makes a huge splash that sprays Meg, before her head breaches the surface of the water.
For the first time ever, Meg hears a giggle come from the other woman and it’s beautiful. It’s a kind of laugh that starts and doesn’t stop. It’s contagious, making Meg laugh along with her.
“Admit it! It’s fun!”
Anna swims closer to Meg until she’s only an arm's reach away. “It was fun,” Anna admits with a smirk. “I have never done that before.”
“Well now you know how to have a little fun every once in a while.” Meg pushes the water out from her, splashing Anna playfully in the process.
Water drips from the huntress’s face as she wipes her eyes. “You will regret that, little fox.”
Meg starts swimming away, kicking her right foot behind her to create even more chaos. She hears Anna let out an exaggerated grunt as she chases after her. A rough hand grabs hold of her leg and yanks her back. Meg’s squeal dies in her throat as suddenly their bodies are brought close together. Her legs, treading the water, brush up against the other woman’s. Their heavy breaths puff against each other’s lips.
Anna is smiling a genuine and happy smile, teeth peeking through and a huff of a laugh sneaking out. For a moment, Meg wonders what it would be like to kiss those lips, for their bodies to press up against one another, how warm it would be in Anna’s arms.
The moment passes as Anna grabs Meg’s arm and starts to swim toward the boulders. “Come.”
“What are we doing?” Meg asks, breathless as she’s caught off guard.
The redhead is hoisted up onto Anna’s shoulder before The Huntress climbs out of the water and ascends the boulders. “Punishment for splashing me.”
They reach the top and suddenly Meg realizes what she means. The height is even higher up on Anna’s shoulder and hot adrenaline beats at her heart. A protest dies on her lips as she’s thrown out and away from the boulders and plunging uncontrolled in the water.
As soon as she rises to the surface again she looks up at The Huntress. “Anna!” Meg tries to sound serious but her giggles give her away. The other woman stands at the top with her hands on her hips, laughing so hard her shoulders bounce.
Meg climbs back up the boulder pile, albeit much slower than Anna was able to, but she eventually makes it to the top, where Anna watches her with a grin. The redhead stands, balancing on one foot, and pushes at Anna. The woman is like a marble statue. She barely budges and Meg is the one who almost topples over.
“Would you just let me win for once?” Meg huffs.
Anna looks confused. “I have let you win before.”
“I didn’t mean… I didn’t mean like in a trial!” Meg gets an idea then. She points behind Anna. “Whoa what is that?”
As soon as the gullible woman turns around, Meg takes her chance and pushes her with all her strength. It works just enough that Anna takes a step back and falls into the lake. Meg jumps in right after her and they continue goofing around.
⟣♢⟢
Anna doesn’t know the last time she truly had so much fun. Making friends was something she only ever had the chance to do when she came to The Entity’s realm, and even so, she’s never just let loose for the sake of fun.
After a couple hours, they lounge on the boulders, exhausted as they dry off. The thought of hiking all the way back to the cabin is a mental feat in and of itself. Eventually, they get dressed once again, Meg zipping up her jacket to the top. Anna’s clothes, much to her dismay, are still wet, the cold air not helping much to dry them off. She puts them on though, hoping the hike will be enough to keep her warm.
It’s evident enough though, that after half an hour of walking, Anna is shivering. It also doesn’t help that after a perfectly fair day, a light snow starts to dust the forest floor.
“Are you okay?” Meg asks at some point.
Anna only responds with a short grunt.
There’s a zip and then a jacket much too small for Anna is draped over her shoulders. It is a bit warmer.
They finally reach the cabin. The fire is dim, reduced to only embers after a day without tending. She practically drops Meg as she collapses onto the large chair by the fire. Her bones are frozen through and her body shakes uncontrollably.
New pieces of wood are dropped over the ember and after a bit of stoking, the fire comes alive. Anna feels a thick blanket wrap around her shoulders before Meg appears in front of her.
“Do you have spare clothes?”
Anna only blinks at her.
“Extra clothes? Pajamas? Something else to wear?”
Anna points a finger upstairs. The redhead disappears for a few minutes before returning with a pile of clothing. Anna doesn’t even react as Meg begins helping her out of her clothes, starting with the belt and suspenders. Meg guides her to stand as her pants come off as well. Already, the brunette feels warmer.
Meg starts to undo the buttons of Anna’s underwear. Her fingers are gentle as it slowly comes loose.
“M-Meg…” Anna says, though she doesn’t know what for.
“It’s okay,” the redhead coos. “We’re getting you into dry clothes.”
Anna is naked for only a moment before new underwear is pulled through her legs and up her torso. It’s followed by pants and a shirt, but Meg leaves off her belt. The blanket is thrown over her shoulders again before another is tossed on her lap, and Anna sinks into the chair.
She still shivers and her mind grows foggy as the flames entangle themselves. Minutes or hours could pass and she’d have no clue.
After some time, a bowl is pushed into her lap. The heat sinks into her palms when she wraps her hands around it. As she lifts the spoon to her mouth, her hand trembles too much. A steady hand grabs it instead, guiding the spoon to her mouth. The stew is tasty and the broth reheats her body as it travels to her stomach.
“Спасибо мама,” Anna mutters.
Soon the bowl is empty and Anna is content to fall asleep. Her eyes slip closed for a moment until two hands cup her cheeks.
“Let me take you to bed, Anna. Where do you sleep?”
Anna blinks in confusion. “Here.”
“But where’s your bed?”
“Sleep in chair,” Anna says, patting the arms of the big chair.
Meg’s eyes grow wide. “You mean you’ve been letting me sleep in the only bed this whole time?”
Anna doesn’t respond, unsure why Meg seems to be upset.
“You’re sleeping in the bed tonight.” Meg stands up straight, crutch under her arm, and pulls Anna up by her hand.
“No, you sleep in bed. I sleep here.”
Meg scoffs. “Anna, you’re sick. You're burning up with fever. I’m not letting you sleep in a chair.”
“Then you sleep in bed too.” Anna plants her feet, making it much more difficult for Meg to pull her along.
The redhead stops in her tracks and Anna sees her cheeks burn red. “Don’t be ridiculous…”
“You sleep in bed with me or I sleep here.”
Meg’s eyes look down and to the side awkwardly. “F-fine.”
They make their way up the stairs, Anna leaning heavily on the railing as her body feels weaker with each step. She’s out of breath and fatigued by the time she collapses onto the bed. Meg is behind her, taking off her jacket and putting it next to her cap in the corner.
“Your clothes wet,” Anna points out as she notices the darker color in Meg’s tank. “You need new clothes.”
“It’s okay. I don’t have any others.”
“Use mine, глупый.” Anna giggles as she pulls the covers over herself.
“A-are you sure?”
Anna nods and starts humming her lullaby. Meg disappears before returning with a couple new items of clothing.
“These are okay?”
Anna doesn’t even look but nods anyway, smiling as she remembers her mother’s voice the way she used to sing the lullaby. She stops when she hears the tap of Meg’s crutch on the wooden floor get closer and she looks over. Anna’s clothes are entirely too big for her and it makes Anna chuckle quietly. She wears a red and white patterned shirt and green pants that bunch up around her bare feet.
The brunette scoots over, giving Meg space to lay down. It’s a tight fit — Anna only ever shared the bed with her mother back when she was little — so she rolls over, facing the wall. She can feel the weight of Meg next to her. Her body still shivers, no matter how hard she tries not to, and yet her forehead is coated with beads of sweat.
Suddenly an arm wraps around her waist, holding her close. Anna shouldn’t like it, she should pull away and wait out the fever on her own, but this contact is so much more comfortable. Her eyelids grow heavy as lithe fingers comb through her hair, gently undoing the braid, and soon enough, she finally falls asleep.
⟣❖♢❖⟢
Anna is in and out of disorienting sleep for what seems like days. It’s light outside for a moment and then dark the next. Bowls of stew somehow make it into her hands and sometimes she wakes with a damp cloth on her forehead. It’s been a long time since she’s gotten sick, and an even longer time since someone took care of her.
Finally, her fever breaks and she wakes up only feeling stuffy and tired. The sun looks to be high in the sky, though it’s tucked behind a thick layer of puffy clouds. The ground reflects it, covered in a blanket of white snow.
Anna takes her time getting up. She realizes she’s wearing one of her thicker shirts and she doesn’t even remember putting it on. Heading downstairs, she doesn’t have to search long to find her companion. The redhead sits on the floor in front of the fire, legs curled into her chest. She doesn’t seem to notice Anna’s presence, despite how loud Anna thought she was being. The redhead is wearing one of Anna’s shirts, but her own pants and her baseball cap.
Laying a gentle hand on the girl’s shoulder, Meg startles anyway, turning around with a gasp.
“Shit! Sorry.” The redhead takes a deep breath before running a hand over her face, making the baseball cap come loose. “You scared me.”
“I am sorry.”
“It's all good.” Meg looks Anna up and down. “You must be feeling better. I’m thinking of making lunch soon.”
Anna puts two fingers around her friend’s chin and studies her face. She’s paler than normal, her eyes not so alert.
“What happened?”
Meg shakes her head, moving out of Anna’s grasp. “Nothing,” she says, voice cracking.
“I don’t believe you.”
At Meg’s silence, Anna plops to the floor next to her, taking her smaller hand in her own. “You can trust me, little fox.” Anna strokes her cheek, and she can’t help but feel her heart melt as Meg leans into it.
“I had a trial,” Meg says after a few moments.
“Oh. How did you do?”
“I died. Obviously.” Meg lifts her foot. “I was pretty much useless.”
“Did it get hurt again?” Anna asks, wanting to look it over.
“No. Well, yes but it healed back to how it was before when I was transported back.”
There’s a silence between them as the fire crackles next to them.
“What else?” Anna prods. She sees Meg’s lip quivering below the bill of her cap.
“I just…” the redhead says in a whisper. “I always knew that I’d go back into a trial eventually but… it was easy to forget where we are. I got so used to just being here with you, living a life completely separate from everything else. And then going into the trial… god, my mom is still in Denver without me and I really, really miss her.”
Meg’s sobs shake her entire body. Anna scoops her up, pulling her into her lap and lets her cry. Rubbing circles on her back, Anna rests her chin on top of Meg’s head. The repetitive motion seems to eventually calm the redhead until she’s only hiccuping.
“I will help you, Meg,” Anna declares. “I will help you get back to your mother. I promise.”
Meg looks up at her then, eyes wet but wide with shock. “Anna… you don’t- you don’t have to.”
“It will make you happy, no?”
“Well, yeah it would.”
“Then I will help. I want to see you happy.”
Meg suddenly shifts then, sitting on her knees so she’s eye level with Anna. Her hands cup Anna’s cheeks this time, one thumb absentmindedly tracing the deep scars. Their faces are close, and Anna can feel Meg’s shaky breaths hit her lips.
“Thank you. I-I need to recover first. Then we can find a way together.”
“Whatever you need, Meg.”
Anna stares at her lips — they’re soft and pink — before looking back up at Meg’s intense blue eyes. The brunette gulps, unsure and nervous of what she wants, of what Meg wants.
Then Meg moves closer. It’s slow, hesitant. Anna, throwing her confused thoughts to the wind, leans in the rest of the way, meeting their lips for the first time. It’s everything she imagined and more. Meg is… perfect. She wraps her arms around the redhead's slender frame, pulling their bodies flush. Meg’s cap falls off at some point and her arms hang around Anna’s neck.
When their kiss deepens, it feels like Anna’s heart erupts with fire, clawing its way out of her chest and into Meg’s hands. She’s never felt this way about anything, or anyone. It’s completely new and should scare her, but it only makes her feel more alive, like she could truly do anything.
They eventually pull back, both breathing deeply. Meg’s face is red — like Anna’s probably is — and her lips are twitching into a smile.
“Anna, I…” Meg gulps, her fingers scratching as the base of Anna’s scalp. “I want you to know I’ve been wanting to do that for a while.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. I just don’t want you to think I did it because you said you’d help me. I-I’d never use you like that. You’ve become really important to me a-and I care a lot about you—”
“Meg.” Anna runs a finger over the redhead’s lips to hush her rambling. “I love you.”
Meg’s eyes look back and forth between Anna’s, unshed tears gathering in the corners. “I love you too.”
Their lips come together again and Anna tastes the other woman as their tongues collide. Anna never wants this feeling to end.
Then Meg pulls away. “I-I don’t know what’s going to happen next but… if we’re stuck here forever, then I’m glad it’s with you.”
Anna puts a palm over Meg’s chest, feeling her heartbeat. “I am with you forever, little fox. Always.”