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You have escaped with a beast in toe.
You look back at the Den, trapped in the tunnel entrance to what once was a basement but is now nothing more than a dark expanse of stone and dirt, glimpses of it here and there as she struggles and wriggles in place, trying pushing away from the wall and pushing herself down back into the prison of a home she has known her entire life, or maybe trying to push her way out of the crevice, the gaping mouth of the basement, to pursue her prey once more. She struggles more and more, claws scraping against the packed dirt, leaving large, deep gashes in their wake like axe swings into a tree.
Then she realizes- the sounds of kicking dirt and scrambling have stopped, and finally looks up at you. The low grumble in her throat and wild, nervous movements quickly silencing as if she was a deer in headlights. She looks up at you, her eyes pleading for help, pleading for a savior to wisk her away from this wicked fate. Multiple thoughts run through her head; Starvation, dehydration, exhaustion, breaking bones, hungry eyes, hope for a prey that would venture into a predator's home such as you have if you were to leave her... All of these thoughts reflected in the piercing white eyes staring back up at you. Her gaunt figure nigh filling up the tight hole she is stuck in, her horns a mess, her cheeks sunken.
She... needs help. You should help her. Have to help her. The worry and sorriness washes over you like a wave, her eyes and pleading stare feeling like a tsunami of emotions is passing through you. Who would leave such a sickly, sad creature to die like this? Alone, on the precipice of a new world she has never experienced before. You slowly and methodically move down the tunnel walls, choosing your footing carefully against the rugged and smooth dirt and stones that adorn it, like jewels on a crown. You reach her shortly, and as you look up at her from carefully choosing your path, you see her eyes do not meet yours. From the glimpse you can get at her tired eyes you can see fear, anxiety, acceptance and... hatred. Betrayal. Not at you, but at the home she has so grown accustomed to all her life. The tunnel does not left her leave, her only sanctuary where she could watch the stars above through refusing to let her get a closer look, squeezing her of every drop of energy she has.
You get closer until you're only a foot away from her. Steadying yourself, you gently place your palm against her cheek, her wincing not from pain but nervousness, like one who is expecting a sharp, piercing needle in their arm but is met with the cold, soft touch of a sanitary wipe. You move a strand of hair out of her eye with her thumb, causing her to look up at you. The despair in her eyes is drowned out by the familiar pleading look she gives you once again. You can tell another feeling rising up inside her; hunger. How could she not feel hunger, having been starved of prey for who knows how long, the only thing keeping her going being sheer willpower, like a mighty lion who has had his jaw broken by a challenger, she pushes to survive no matter the obstacle. But, this hunger is simply drowned out by her pleading, her hope that you will free her. Save her. Feed her.
You move your hand up, past her ears and to the top of her head. You stare at her as you gently caress her. Her eyes never leave yours, but a clear shock resonates through her tense body before it relaxes once more, the sides of the hole digging into her even now. You push and prod the hole around her, it seeming to squeeze her, hold her tight, not wanting to let go of the only life it has known besides itself, like a parent not wanting to see their child grow up. Your clawed fingers have no effect on it, save for a few scratch marks leagues below Den's. There is only two things that could free her. Den's own claws, but with her now already exhausted, the quick and honest chase tiring her out, her sunken body deprived of energy, there is no way she could continue scratching. She would die before even freeing a single arm.
The other thing is... the Pristine Blade. You move your other hand to take her other cheek, and holding her in your hands you gently look into your eyes. You promise to be back, and you can feel her body tense up at the realization you are going to leave. She reflexively claws at the walls, and you grab her talon before she can expend any more of her little embers of energy that remain. You gently let go of her, climbing up the tunnel still facing her, never breaking sight. Though this makes you much slower, the tunnel now seeming to be much steeper without the added benefit of seeing good foot and handholds, you persist, and climb out of the tunnel, seeing the familiar flora of the broken cabin before you, and the Pristine Blade shining brightly, embedded in the trunk of the tree. You swiftly reach out and grab it, holding it behind your back as you turn to face Den once more, the glowing white eyes down below piercing through the darkness like headlights on a lone road in the mountains.
You begin sliding down, slowly and carefully as to not injure yourself. The tunnel almost seems smaller now, as if it were shrinking in side without Den inside the basement, it's stomach. The tunnel now feels like the claustrophobic throat of a mighty, ancient being living beneath the earth. You push the thought of out your mind, focusing only on the helpless beast that lay below and before you. Just as you reach Den, she freezes in place. She can tell what you have behind your back instinctually. You wish she couldn't. You reveal the blade, the shine of it causing her to squint up at you, her face frozen in a look of pale terror, like a corpse after a snowstorm would look, their eyes nigh-frozen shut and their body stiff as they had tried and failed to brave the cold.
She begins scratching at the walls again, trying to push herself down, back into the belly of the mighty beast she was almost free of. You grab her chin firmly and gently, looking deep into her eyes. A wordless exchange plays out between you, her eyes searching yours for any hints of murderous intent, bloodthirst, trickery or otherwise. She finds none, exhaling a deep, warmth breath onto your hands and fingertips, now rugged and scratched from all the climbing.
You slowly raise your blade upwards, seemingly aimed at Den. A look of worry, pain and acceptance flash upwards at the now raised blade, her eyes transfixed on the tool made to cause her demise, to slay the beast she now is and will ever be. You then thrust your blade downwards with immense speed, Den shuttering her eyes in the last hope that if she cannot see death coming it shall not happen, and-
You strike it into the earth above her heard, the blade passing into it like a knife through hot butter. Den, quivering slightly, looks up to the blade and then to you. You can see tears almost well up in her eyes from hope and happiness that you have decided to answer her pleas, to save her. The tears fall from her eyes, across her sunken and gaunt cheeks onto the earth beside her, causing it to take on a deeper, darker appearance. You then begin moving your blade through the packed dirt, having to repeatedly chip at some large rocks in your way as you cut.
After what seems like hours of effort, sweat and spent energy, you're almost done. With one last swift slash, the opening to the basement breaks, opening wider than ever before. Den, already exhausted from dangling for hours, begins to slide down, ferociously clawing at the dirt, trying to regain her footing the best she can, but it is no use. The basement behind her, now illuminated by the starlight behind you both, different- a steep drop has replaced the smooth floor below, with not even the starlight illuminating the bottom. Death awaits those who fall into this newly formed maw of earth and stone.
You quickly slam the blade into the wall of the tunnel and grab her claws, paws, hands whatever you may call them, slamming your feet into the walls and holding her as tight as you can. Pull. Pull up. Don't use just your arms. Use every muscle. Despite how gaunt and sickly she looks, the beastly Princess is still heavy. Like moving a massive boulder, you pull, again and again, slowly but surely making your way upwards.
You pull, she's back to how far she was originally.
You pull, her wings are free now.
You pull, you can see her knees now, dangling in the shadows.
You pull one final time, using your entire body, like pulling a resistant carrot from a garden's soil, it finally concedes, and Den latches onto the tunnel for dear life will all her claws, staring up at you, and then past you to the stars above.
With a second wind, like a mouse that had just escaped a hunting cat, she bounds past you up the tunnel with a force you thought not possible for what state she is in. In contrast, every muscle in your body is in pain, tired and exhausted from saving the massive chimeric beast who just barreled past you into freedom. You slowly claw and pull your way up the tunnel, it's dirt packed but loose. Through great difficulty you continue, eventually emerging from it, the amount of light shining down upon you from the moon up high making you squint and cover your eyes. You expect to see nothing before you but an empty beginning to a path, the beast you saved long gone to find new prey to eat, sparing her savior from being her next meal.
But what you find surprises you.
You find her looking up to the night sky, her tail swinging from side to side. You slowly make your way forwards to her and sit down beside her, one knee and then the next, your weary body thankful for the rest it so needs. The only thing she's known in that cave is the dark. The dirt. The rain. The stone. Now, she can see plants, stars, smell insects in the air, and... you. She has you to thank for your freedom. She looks at you, her face the same as before, but her eyes full of hope now. A new life awaits her. A new page, a new stage of life has been flipped to in her life, and in yours too. You sit beside her, watching the stars.
Your gaze travels back to the sight before you. A large, dense jungle teeming with plants and, hopefully, some wildlife. All this digging and climbing has kicked your stomach into high gear, it's starved moans and growls echoing inside you.
Almost reflexively, you reach out and place your hand on her back. Her fur is soft to the touch, but you don't have much time to appreciate it as you hear a low growl emanating from the Princess.
Your gaze meets hers just as you pull your hand back with such speed it hurts your wrist. You utter an apology to the beast before you, one she seems to accept as her growling stops.
Her gaze still pierces into yours, and you reflect the gaze back at her. She squints as she moves towards you, almost inquisitive. Does she not believe you were sorry?
She fully turns her body to face you, and your instincts tell you to move. Her eyes are focused, her body tensed. She... wouldn't eat you, right? You just saved her-
She leans forwards, grabs your hand with one of her own, a bird-like one heavily reminiscent of your own two hands. She holds it in her tight grip before suddenly jerking your arm forwards, pulling the rest of your body along with it.
You knock into her as you feel your hand find purchase... on her back. Quickly getting up, you look up to see her white, pupiless eyes still staring into yours. Your mind racks with confusion for but a moment at why she just did what she did, until she raises your arm by your wrist and pats it against her back.
Oh.
It wasn't a growl of warning you heard before. It was a purr of comfort. The intensity of it though...
Well, she probably hasn't had any comfort for so long, being trapped inside that monstrous cage of dirt and stone. You would react strongly to even the slightest bit of comfort as well, wouldn't you? You ask yourself as you readjust your position to the one before, sitting beside her once more and gently stroking her back.
Her weight shifts as she stops staring at you and begins to stare back at the bountiful jungle before you both. She's probably hungrier than you are right now. You follow her gaze, and feel something climb its way up your throat.
A yawn pushes it's way out of your mouth, it's light, noiseless noise echoing across the leaves and ferns around you. Your eyelids feel heavy as you lean to the side, resting your head against her second shoulder. How did you not realize how tired you were? The adrenaline must've finally worn off, you think to yourself.
The princess shakes and trembles, before her body fully tenses. The weird act causes you to sit up, and you see her yawning as well, her jaw unhinging from the tired act for a moment before it settles back into place. You fall back down to her side, resting your head against her fur, and feel sleep begin to pull you down into its inky depths.
You tell her goodnight and could swear you hear a light growl in response.
You close your eyes. You are hopeful. So is she. You depend on each other for survival, and in thanks you keep each other company. Enemies to allies,. Perhaps, even, friends.