Chapter 8

Elizabeth and Anala, still stranded in The Dark Forest, begin to lose motivation and plan to stay there for a little while longer. The loud bellow they heard when they first escaped Desolace Prison presents itself in a hostile manner. Miraculously managing to tame the beast, Anala and Liz now have a quicker means of travel. Assuming they'll be out in no time, Liz and Anala set off to The Great Wall.

The Dark Forest, Areane

"I'm exhausted", I complained. Anala looked at me with disappointment. "You've been in how many different militaries around the world? You of all people shouldn't be giving out yet", she lectured me. "Having military skill has nothing to do with boredom", I bit back with a hard stare. "Chill out, intimidating me isn't gonna work", she rolled her eyes, turning her focus back to the arrows she was crafting.

We've been out here for what feels like weeks. Water isn't much of a problem as I found a river not too far from here, but food however, is scarce. At this point, tracking down food is harder than catching it.

Huffing and puffing to myself, I held an evident expression on my face of my impatience. Anala had obviously noticed as she asked, "Do you wanna go look one last time? If we don't find anything within an hour, we can call it quits for the day". Completely avoiding eye contact, I answered, "Fine, but an hour only, not a minute longer", I demanded. With a grin of satisfaction she stood up. "Good, take some spears with you, here. I'm a better archer so I'll take the bow and arrows", Anala instructed. "No thanks", I walked away. "You're gonna need something to kill it with" she yelled at me as I walked away. "Why are you assuming we'll find something?", I asked, irritably. "Why are you assuming we won't?", she retaliated. "Have some optimism. This is why you're so dull, you have no hope whatsoever", she continued, lecturing me. I stomped back to her angrily and snatched the spears out of her arms. "Way to act like a toddler", she instigated. "Way to act like a naggy old hag of a mom", I said cunningly. Resisting turning around to see her priceless expression, I persisted my steps up a small hill. "You know sometimes you're such a cunt", she said insultingly but truthfully. I knew I could be stubborn and malignant sometimes, but she'll have to get used to it if we're gonna be friends. Though I have to give her props, most people don't survive longer than a few minutes of hanging out with me.

"We've been walking for over half an hour", I complained to Anala. "Oh stop whining already", she said frustratedly. I held a discontent face at that and started dragging my feet just to annoy her some more.

"Are you really gonna act like that? Sheesh, you're such a child", she commented. "At least I look good doing it", I returned. "Have you seen your hair?", she insulted. "I wouldn't be talking, rat's nest", I retaliated. "Rat's nest? That's the best comeback you could think of?", she said disappointedly. "Better than yours", I said with a glare. "You know, I've had about-", she started. "Shh!", I interrupted.

I dropped to the floor and Anala followed by kneeling on the ground. "I heard something over there", I explained. "Are you seriously gonna interrupt me? I've had enough of your bulls***", she exclaimed. "Shh! I'm being serious. Keep an eye out", I commanded. "Umm, no no no. I boss you around, I'm the Gemini, not you" she said arrogantly. "What are you privileged now?", I grimaced. She rolled her eyes and looked forward, trying to avoid making eye contact with me.

"I see a tail, or maybe a leg?", Anala said with uncertainty. "Why aren't you looking at me when you talk?", I asked, confused. "Is that really a question? I'm tired of looking at your sarcastic expressions", she scolded. "Well I'm sorry you feel that way", I said insolently. "You're so immature", she said with a disenchanted expression.

We sat looking in the distance silently, not speaking a word to each other. I could tell I upset her, but what does she expect? She knows how I am, she shouldn't expect any better from me.

I continued rambling in my thoughts when we heard another crackle in the distance. "I see it", Anala claimed. "What is it?", I asked anxiously. She looked at me with a grieved expression and hesitated to answer. "What?", I threw her a confused look. "It's a... Well, a... A Vanine Lepris", she finally answered.

My body went cold. I could feel my heartbeat pound aggressively as the surrounding sounds faded from my ears. "Liz! Liz! What's wrong?", Anala cried, her voice barely audible to me. I blinked slowly as my vision began to fade and my eyes shut.

I woke to the sound of roars and Anala's screams. My head and heart were pounding heavily as my sight and hearing returned. I glanced around looking for Anala, slowly pushing myself up from the ground with my legs.

I froze when I met eyes with the beast. Its fiery red eyes pierced into my own. Long, jagged fangs hang from its upper jaw. Towering over me with massive muscles stretching along its limbs and jaw.

"Liz! Move!", Anala shrieked. Her blurry figure leaped in front of me, knocking the creature off its feet. Frozen-still in shock, I stared blankly in front of me. Fear overwhelmed my body as my muscles tense more and more until I feel like a pretzel.

"Ugh!", Anala exclaimed. I couldn't see what was going on because my line of view was stuck straight in front of me. For the first time in my life, I didn't know what to do.

"Elizabeth!", Anala called out, grunting as if she was struggling. I finally felt the paralysis slowly leave my body and I forced my head to turn. It felt so hard, almost impossible to move my body. My eyes refused to look in the direction my head was pointed. Anala kept screaming and grunting with strain.

I somehow managed to get my eyes to turn to Anala. The first thing to meet my eyes was the massive beast towering over Anala as she restrained its jaws from crushing her. Her body looked strained as she struggled to hold its jaws apart.

"Liz!", she cried for help. "Aghhh!", she screamed in frustration. The beast forced its head down on her as she fought with everything she had to keep its mouth from closing. I tried to move my legs but they wouldn't budge. The only thing I could do was watch, and it made me feel weak.

Restrained by my paralysis, Anala must've realized she had to save herself and squatted down, leaping up with all her might. She managed to send the creature flying through the air and slamming into a tree. Anala immediately took the chance to help me.

"Liz, are you okay!?", she cried worriedly. "I'm fine", was all I managed to get out. She threw her arms up to my face and closed her eyes, chanting in some foreign tongue. "Dekala sho te mei, paf ne kina", she repeated several times.

I felt the tension release from my bones and my muscles relax. She glanced behind herself noticing the creature was picking itself back up. "Go, get out of here while you still can!", Anala shouted. "No, I can help", I insisted, my strength returning as I spoke. "No, the spell will wear off soon and you'll be left paralyzed again. Just go!", she yelled, leaping forward toward the beast as it bolted to her. "Huu-aghh!", she grunted, swinging a deadly punch at the beast's head.

I wanted to do something, but I was also afraid I wouldn't get away so easily this time. It took everything in me to charge at the thing full speed, throwing all of my weight against its gigantic skull while closing my eyes in fear.

I felt my body hit the cold ground, shaking as I attempted to open my eyes. Anala jumped at it again concentrating energy between her palms and releasing the blast at the creature's face. Landing, she slammed her feet to the ground creating a rumble and threw her head up, her hair lifting into the air. She looked back at me with a serious face before saying, "Tag team?". I gave her a bewildered look, replying, "Are you crazy? Not in a million years". "Well it was worth a try", she admitted.

Getting on her feet, Anala walked steadily toward the beast with a certain confidence I couldn't imagine I'd emulate. "Nai Kimesh", Anala said to the creature while holding her hand up. "Be still", she repeated in English. It growled at her a couple times and hesitantly leaned into her. It snarled suddenly, surprising Anala. "Woah, calm down Ainika", she pacified. Remembering that Ainika is a word in Elkrenierish, I recalled learning that in school, it meant 'dangerous beauty'. I found that a little ironic considering the beast was anything but beautiful.

Hesitantly, it leaned its head against her hand. "That's it", she said, soothing it with light caresses. It made a low rumble in its throat, enjoying her comfort.

"Anala, how did you? Is this possible?", I stuttered out of bewilderment. "I'm doing it aren't I?", she replied. It laid down, allowing her to continue soothing it. "I've learned a lot on my many expeditions and missions. One being the art of taming", she explained softly, training her eyes on the intense ones of the beast. "I... C... I must be dreaming because this can't be happening", I stumbled over my words. "Nope, this is understanding. You might learn it someday when you decide to stop putting up walls", she criticized kindly.

I sat there dumbfounded at the occurrence in front of me. 'Had I really been so hysterically fearful that I didn't think to do the most simple thing', I shamed myself. "Don't overthink it. Trust me, pondering on self-shame is the last thing you want to do", Anala attempted to comfort.

I sat in my thoughts for a few more minutes before pushing myself up on my feet. "Come on!", Anala ushered me over with her hand. "What are you doing?", I said, unsure of why she was hopping on the creature's back. "Let's ride. We'll get out of here faster if we ride it to the wall", Anala explained. "Do you even know which way to go?", I asked skeptically. "No, but I'm sure he does", she answered, tilting her head to the side to look the beast in the eye. "I don't know", I started. "Come on, it'll be safe and fun. My two favorite things", she said convincingly. "Fine, but if we die, remember, you made me do this", I warned her, hesitantly climbing onto the creature's back. "Sure", she replied, but I couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or genuine when she said it.

At least ten feet off of the ground, I got a little nervous, feeling unsteady on its rough back. Then Anala leaned over to the creature's ear without saying a word, leading me to believe she was using telepathy to communicate. A way Venierreans found was the only method of communication with creatures.

Slowly lifting its massive body off of the ground, it grumbled a little, making me uneasy. "Don't be so tense or you'll be sore after you get off. Just relax your body and move with the flow", Anala proffered. "Whatever you say, captain", I said sarcastically, trying to loosen up a bit. "Huh, I guess I am", Anala thought to herself out loud. "I wasn't-", I tried correcting her but was interrupted by a sharp jolt. "Hyah!", Anala exclaimed. "Woah!", I yelled. "Just like riding a horse", Anala joked. "This is nothing like riding a horse", I complained as we flew past the trees at blinding speed.

"Learn to have a little fun!", Anala shouted joyfully. "You're never this ecstatic. What happened to the Anala I know?", I examined. "The Anala you know isn't the real me at all", she continued laughing. "What do you mean?", I said, trying to hold myself steady to prevent from falling. "On the clock, I'm serious as hell and don't take s*** from no one. Off the clock, however, I have many hobbies and pastimes. You never know when a new adventure awaits", she clarified. "This, is not an adventure. This is an antic", I rectified.

It took some time for me to settle my nerves, but when I did, I enjoyed every second of it. It felt like I was flying, which I have no experience with due to my inability to fly, unlike Anala. Gliding through the trees, it almost felt ethereal. I've never been someone to enjoy anything, I'm always putting walls up and acting tough and serious. I'm not even open with my own sisters. But somehow, Anala managed to get it out of me. She managed to break down nearly every wall and open me up. Though I think that's only because she has telepathic powers. Still, she's read me like an open book since the moment we met. Ever since then, she's only learned more and more about me, usually, it's the reverse with people and I shut myself up more.

"What's going through your mind?", she asked, despite being capable of reading my mind to find out herself. "This is fun", I said plainly. "Just fun, not exciting, or vigorous, or enjoyable?", she questioned. "I guess", I replied concisely. "What's with the short answers? You still nervous?", she inspected. "No, it's just new to me, that's all", I elucidated. "Hmm", she mumbled.

I took a deep breath of the fresh forest air. Nature has always felt surreal to me. That's one of the reasons I jump from military to military. There's always a new place to explore, even if I don't really enjoy opening up. "We'll be there in no time", Anala pulled me out of my thoughts. "How long is 'no time'?", I said skeptically. "Maybe a few hours or so", she replied. I guess it didn't matter how long it took, I just wanted to live in the moment, not thinking about anything else.