Work Text:
It was looking more and more like her soulmate wouldn’t be a fairy. Laura shoved another giant leaf out of her way as she clambered over the roots of the massive tree and tried not to get her sword caught on anything. As far as she knew, there weren’t any fairies living in the deep jungle.
So probably a human then.
Her father was going to throw a fit.
If he didn’t lock in her room for ditching her imperial guard by ‘accidentally’ slipping one of Laf’s fire-breathing salamanders into Kirsch’s bag.
Shoving aside yet another leafy fern, Laura glanced down at the back of her sword hand and grinned when she realized that the soulmate compass was brighter than she’d ever seen it. Soul compasses were a coveted gift. Most people never got one. Those who did were marked from birth with four small marks on their hand to mark the four directions. More interesting was the addition of a large compass at age thirteen. Double ended, the compass needle tattoo was red on one end and black on the other.
The red end pointed to your soulmate. Wherever you were and wherever they went, your compass would always help you find them. This made things easy when trying to figure out who to spend the rest of your life with.
Unless you were a Fairy Princess with an overprotective father.
And your soulmate apparently lived in the middle of the jungle full of manticores and sphinxes and all kind of unfortunate things.
As soon as her father had realized that her soulmate didn’t live in the borders of his kingdom or her mother’s, she’d been on lockdown until she was nineteen.
Laura huffed under her breath, absently smacking a vine with her sword, “It’s too dangerous, Laura. There are dangerous things out there, Laura. Soulmates are just a trick of magic, Laura.” Something loud made a noise off to her left and Laura’s head whipped towards it.
She froze until it disappeared. There were worse things than fairies in this jungle.
The tattoo pulsed under her skin, the arrow shifting slightly as her soulmate moved and Laura’s eyes widened, “Fish fingers and custards,” she muttered, adjusting to a course that would require her to fight her way through a prickly hedge, “I don’t suppose,” she said to the hedge, “that you could just open up for a sec?”
The hedge didn’t move.
It wouldn’t even be a problem if she actually had her magic.
So it was back to the sword hacking.
#
Laura emerged twenty minutes later with brambles in her hair, a shoe missing, and a large scratch down the side of her face; she tumbled forward and rolled to her knees. Spinning around to face the hedge she shouted, “Okay. That was just rude and unnecessary.”
It shot her shoe at her, narrowly missing her head.
“Seriously?” she shouted at it. She could almost hear it snickering. Angrily, she reached down to grab her shoe but then froze. She couldn’t almost hear it snickering. It was snickering. Or at least something was.
Slowly Laura spun around, shoe half on, and found a panther staring back at her and making a noise that almost sounded like laughter. Objectively beautiful, the panther had sleek black fur had looked nearly pristine. It’s ears were pricked to attention and it’s furry tail was pointed in the air. Oddly intelligent, it’s dark brown eyes moved from her face to her shoe and back again.
Another snickering noise erupted.
Laura hastily shoved on her shoe, uncertain as to why she felt like blushing, “That hedge had it coming.” She said, “I don’t need comments from the peanut gallery.”
Something almost like a smile curled at the panther’s lips to reveal large white fangs. Laura’s eyes went wide, hand moving to bring her sword up in front of her. There was a vicious fairy-eating panther in front of her and she was trying to have a conversation with it. If her father found out, she’d never live it down.
The smile faded from the panther’s lips the moment she lifted the sword. The cat arched its back, eyes fixating on the sword as its claws extended. Swallowing down a gulp, Laura watched as the massive nails shredded the dirt beneath them. She took a step back before remembering that the hedge was in her way.
No escape to her back.
So she took a step forward and a growl ripped through the air. All big teeth and dark brown eyes to send shivers down her spine.
Think Hollis.
“You really don’t want to eat me,” she squeaked. Then she shook her head, trying to clear her throat, “I’m not a tasty human. I’m a fairy and um fairy doesn’t taste near as good as human. We’re uh too gamey? Really not good for the digestive track with all of our little extra bones. Definitely something to stay away from.”
If anything, the panther’s eyes narrowed further at her words.
Laura’s mouth just kept running, “So I’m just going to be going. Lots of things to do. Soulmates to find. Fathers to pacify. You know. The usual. I’ll be out of your hair before you know it and you can go find a nice rabbit or something. Do panthers eat rabbits? I don’t know. Or a monkey? Monkeys live in jungles right?”
She edged to the left, keeping her gaze on the panther and the sword in front of her. The big cat wasn’t advancing but she was not fond of the look in it’s eyes.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she snapped and waved her sword, “I am not for eating.”
The growl grew and Laura’s stomach fell when the panther dropped into what looked like pounce position. It’s back flattening as it’s tail dropped. She readied herself, puttting both hands on the sword and taking a deep breath.
Trying to steady her footing, she took a step forward. Her compass suddenly flared with heat and Laura let out an involuntary shout, her free hand landing on top of her sword hand. The heat wasn’t painful just unexpected and greater than she’d ever felt. When she glanced down, the red was vibrant and the arrow unwavering.
The only time she’d seen an arrow so red was the day Perry had first met Laf.
Laura’s eyes went wide and her head popped up, scanning for her soulmate.
All she saw was the panther.
Instead of the attack position she’d last seen it in, the panther’s paw was in the air as it snuffled at the fur with it’s nose. A pink tongue snuck out to lick the paw and Laura couldn’t help but think of how cute it looked.
She looked down at her hand then back up, trying to spot her soulmate in the jungle. Maybe they were searching for her too. Maybe they could help her get out of this mess. After all, if they lived in the jungle then they were probably use to things like panthers. She couldn’t see anyone.
Just the panther and the arrow pointing steadfastly towards it.
She frowned. That. That wasn’t possible.
Sword still up, Laura stepped farther to the left. Her eyes jumped from the compass to the panther. With every step, the arrow shifted, continuing to point right at the panther. The cat watched her but didn’t move to attack again.
“No. No. No.” Laura muttered. She let the sword tip fall and practically ran a full circle around the panther. The compass just kept pointing to the cat. She stopped when she was back in her original position, “How can you be my soulmate?”
The cat’s ears pricked at the word soulmate and she found herself caught in a watchful gaze.
An intelligent gaze.
Might as well try. Laura held up her hand and tapped the back, “It’s a soulmate compass. Points to the person you’re supposed to love most.” She lowered it to where the cat could still see and walked a little farther in the circle, “And mine keeps pointing to you.”
The cat seemed frozen, only its whiskers twitching.
Laura put her hands on her hips, mindful of her sword, and stared at the cat, “Did you eat my soulmate or something?”
The panther blinked.
“Holy stonehedge,” Laura said, “That’s totally it. That has to be it. You ate my soulmate? Who does that. I mean, besides the obvious. The obvious being wild panthers in the jungle but still. Like. How does that even happen and why would my compass even be pointing to you then? Shouldn’t it just be like spinning aimlessly or whatever?” She paused for breath, “Who did you eat recently? Maybe just a limb? I’ll take a soulmate missing a few limbs. No problem.”
The panther took a step forward and Laura whipped the sword up again, “Whoa. That was not me asking for a reunion in your stomach.”
It ignored her. When Laura got to the moment when she was within stabbing distance of the cat, she found she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Her hand twitched and the sword moved with it but the vibrant red arrow caught her gaze with every twitch. Still pointing at the cat.
She had to be crazy.
She let it passed.
She closed her eyes and tensed her muscles, waiting for the slice to her jugular. It never came. Instead, something soft and a little cold touched the compass on her hand. Laura opened her eyes to find the panther tapping the back of her hand with its nose. Then it looked at.
She frowned. The panther huffed and nudged her hand again.
“Oh!” she said and could have sworn the panther rolled its eyes. Quickly sheathing the sword at her side, she offered the panther her hand again.
She hadn’t been expected it to lick her. The tongue was rough and gross and Laura had to bite her own lip to keep an “ew” from slipping out. Seemingly determined, the panther kept licking. As though it was trying to take the tattoo right off.
Trying to pull her hand away, the panther just followed it. Her other hand jutted out, trying to hold back 400 pounds of jungle cat, “That’s gross and enough and thank you for not killing me but it’s not just going to come off, they don’t work li-.”
Her hand suddenly curled tight in the fur. While the fur was as soft as she’d expect, there was no heat under her hand. In fact, the body under the fur was practically cool to the touch.
A gasp quickly escaped.
Laura dropped to her knees, both hands now digging into the panther’s fur. The panther let out an affronted noise but Laura shushed it absently, suddenly both more and less afraid as both hands found coolness waiting between the fur.
The cat made an indignant noise at being shushed but Laura’s hand were already moving, her right hand pressing into the left side of the cat’s chest. She didn’t have her powers but her senses were still better than a human’s. There was no heartbeat under her fingertips. No thump thump in her ears.
She leaned back but her hands still held onto the cat’s neck, “You’re a vampire,” she breathed, “the panther is just your animal.” Cool skin. No heartbeat. Predator secondary form.
It made perfect sense.
“You’re my soulmate.”
One second her fingers were gripping at tight fur and then there was nothing but smoke between them. Before she could fall forward, the smoke solidified into a human frame. Laura’s flailing hands landing on the shoulders of a black leather jacket.
She found herself face to face with a girl pretty enough to make Laura inhale involuntarily. She’d heard stories about the horrors of vampires. Their long fangs and the blood that always dripped from their mouths. This was just a beautiful girl. Pale skin. Dark hair. Beautiful.
Those same intelligent brown eyes that she’d seen in the panther.
“What’s your name?” Laura whispered into the space between them. Anything louder seemed wrong.
The girl’s hand came up, something almost soulful on her face as she pushed a strand of Laura’s hair off her sweaty forehead and behind her ear. It was only then that Laura realized that there was a thick strip of black fabric wrapped around the girl’s hand, completely covering her soulmate compass.
“Carmilla,” the vampire said simply.
Then her face hardened and a smirk replaced a flash of vulnerability, “And I’m no-one’s soulmate, cupcake.”
Laura gripped tighter to Carmilla’s jacket, frowning, “But the compass.”
“I haven’t turned back to this form in decades,” Carmilla said and Laura had to fight past the shivers in her spine at the husk in Carmilla’s voice to listen to her words. Laura’s heart sank with every one, “I’m only doing this now to give you the courtesy of telling you to go home. I’m not leaving here and as soon as this little chat is over, I’m going right back to my four legged version. Go home.”
“We’re soulmates,” Laura insisted.
“So you say,” Carmilla said, pointedly ignoring the tattoo on Laura’s hand, “It could easily be some trick.”
Laura fought the urge to grind her teeth, “You’ve got yours covered up-”
“Aren’t you a regular Lois Lane,” Carmilla cut her off before she could finish.
“So just take the cloth off and check,” Laura said, practically growling as she tried to keep her jaw from locking.
“Not for the best girl in the whole world,” Carmilla said. She pulled back to stand up and Laura let her go, fingers suddenly going slack. Carmilla gave her an appraising look, “You’re cute but I don’t do soulmates. Trust me, I’m not the happy ending for some barely-grown pixie.”
“I’m a fairy,” was all Laura could say.
“My apologies,” Carmilla’s tone was anything but apologetic, “But I’m not your happy ending. Now go home cupcake. Plenty of people live perfectly happy lives without a soulmate compass at all. That’s what I do. I suggest you do the same.”
Laura scrambled to her feet, “You can’t just walk away from this!”
“Just watch me,” Carmilla winked and then turned back into the cloud of smoke, then the panther. She gave Laura and look and then bounded off into the forest.
Eyes wide, Laura ran after her, “Carmilla!” she shouted, “You come back right now!”
No panther. No vampire. Nothing.
She looked up at nearby tree, “A little help.”
It said nothing. Laura took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her thumb brushed against the back of her soulmate compass, still burning a vibrant red. “Fine,” she whispered, “I found you once. I’ll do it again.”
Laura looked down at the compass, grabbed her sword, and started walking. She walked straight into another giant leaf. “When I find you, I am going to kill you!” she shouted.
#
Two days later, Laura stomped into a cave and thumped the panther lounging on the rock ledge with the palm of her hand.
Carmilla woke up roaring and Laura didn’t even flinch. She just glared at Carmilla until the other girl realized she was there. Her eyes widened and Laura just crossed her arms. She was covered in mud, smelled like a horse, and had an impressive amount of foliage stuck to her.
That wasn’t even to mention her run-in with the stygian wasps.
The only clean place on her body was the back of her right hand, wiped clean with an un-teetering soulmate compass laid bare.
“You owe me a new flashlight because I had to trade mine to a kobold to help some centaurs so a manticore wouldn’t eat me because someone couldn’t just leave a clear path and I accidentally walked into a centaur village and had to talk my way past a sphinx,” Laura growled, “So after all that? I’m not going anywhere.”