Dark Water

Chapter 8

Orliantha had no concept of temperature. as soon as she had been given the food, she tried to use her hands to eat it, mildly burning her fingers in the process. It seemed to be a strange mixture of diverse types of fish and crustation, mixed with seaweed and broth. It smelled odd to Mihris, but to Orliantha, it seemed to be the greatest thing ever created.

"I tried to make something she could stomach. Usually, when they can't find any fish, they resort to kelp or algae or things in that area, or they migrate," He glanced at Orliantha as she slowly figured out how to use a spoon, although she still managed to spill quite a bit down her chin and hands. "I've watched her abuse those poor crabs. She used to throw them against rocks before eating them." The food had cooled down enough and Orliantha tossed the spoon to the floor, resorting to her hands as she shoveled in the food greedily.

"I'm guessing that they eat a lot?"

"They eat more in an hour than two grown bulky men could eat in half a day. They need a lot of energy with how cold the water is and with how much they swim." Gulliver slowly moved to pick the spoon up from the floor but was met with a vicious hiss from Orliantha. Her back teeth were still extremely sharp, but past her canines, her teeth looked completely human.

"Those teeth of hers can do some damage. You're lucky that when she dragged you in, she didn't bite your arm off. I've watched them fight before, they'll tear others in half if they have to over food or their packs. The females tend to kill the males after they mate, or they drive them off." Orliantha had practically cleaned the bowl, wiping her hands on her nightshirt, and then wiping her mouth. She didn't seem to mind when Mihris took the bowl from her but eyed Gulliver closely and had her guard up with his every move. Mihris stood up, taking Orliantha's hands and trying to pull her to stand. She didn't budge, simply staying on the bed.

"Come on Orli we have to get you dressed." She let herself go limp and Mihris ended up pulling her off the bed onto the floor with a thud. She let out a sigh, and Orliantha simply stared up at her as she was dragged across the floor over to one of the chairs. Mihris let go and took the bundle of clothes up into her hands, looking down at Orliantha who was sprawled out on the ground.

"Up. We have to get you dressed. Now." Mihris hooked her arms under Orliantha's and forced her up, and in return, she let out a whine. Mihris didn't care, pulling the dress onto her after helping take the soiled nightshirt off. Orliantha didn't fight her this time and seemed to simply accept what was happening. Mihris sat her down and grabbed a comb, trying to run it through her short yet extremely tangled hair.

"How did it get this bad in the span of a few hours?"

"Here, let me help." Gulliver grabbed the jug he had brought earlier, handing it to Mihris. She dipped her hand in the water and ran it through Orliantha' s hair, and it quickly untangled. She quickly got the comb through it, detangling any knots that appeared once again. She sat there mindlessly combing her hair gently, enjoying the silence along with the light crackles of the embers in the fireplace. She set the comb down wondering why Orliantha was being so quiet.

"Orli?" She leaned down to look at her face. She was completely dead asleep, breathing softly.

"That didn't take very much. wish she had been like this last night." She slowly shook her awake, and Orliantha looked at her with tired eyes. She hoisted her up from the chair, and Orliantha lazily threw her arms around Mihris. She rested her entire body weight against her, and Mihris tripped on her own feet and fell onto the floor with a thud. She sighed, wrapping her arms around Orliantha slowly, looking up at Gulliver who had a grin on his face.

"I guess your girlfriend needs a nap."

"I need a nap if anything. She kept me up most of the night. And she's not my girlfriend."