Dark Queen

xviii.

"You are hungry; I get that. Me too, but can you take a moment to look at your current state? We're both stuck in a godsforsaken forest, and we'll need each other's help to get back to where we came from. Understand?"

Zora hoped he knew the Common Tongue.

He glared at her, but the ferocity had dimmed a bit. "Fine."

His voice was deep and a little breathy. He held her gaze with his own. "Human. You smell delicious."

Zora kept her flush hidden. "Was that meant to be a compliment, carnivorous monster?"

The Nefari flashed her a pained grin. "Of course." This time, Zora couldn't resist blushing. His teeth were very white and clean; she'd expected bits of flesh stuck in them.

The fairytales she'd been told had always described the Nefari as ugly things. Black skin, gangly and gnarled limbs, and glowing red eyes. But this one was breathtakingly beautiful. High, sharp cheekbones, a strong jaw, and those eyes...

Zora felt very much like an insect trapped in amber, watching the world fade into a gorgeous golden brown before it froze forever.

His voice broke the silence. "So, shall we find shelter, or am I just going to bleed to death?"

Zora rapidly shook her head, smacking her cheeks. "No! Erm, I mean yes." She stood and helped him to his feet, slinging one arm over both her shoulder. He winced at the sudden motion.

"Did you seriously take my shoes?" he asked as they hobbled over twigs and pebbles. She shrugged.

"Sorry. Didn't think you needed it when you were unconscious. You want them back?"

He waved a hand dismissively. "Keep them for now. You're shouldering most of my bulk anyway."

Zora nodded and scanned the scenery. She wasn't sure of exactly what she was looking for. Preferably somewhere warm and dry.

She squinted. "I think I see something up there. It looks like an opening. A cave?" As they neared, she saw that it was indeed a cave, nestled within a mountainside. By now, the Nefari was leaning almost entirely on her, his towering frame dwarfing hers.

Almost staggering, Zora managed to haul him inside. The cave was dark, dimly lit only by the dwindling slants of light from outside. Night would fall soon. A skinny human girl with no fighting experience and a half-dead monster boy against whatever creatures prowled in the forest?

She didn't like the odds. "I need to start a fire," she announced, getting ready to rise. "It will be cold soon, and hopefully the flames will keep away any unwanted guests."

"That's great, human girl –" He trailed off. Zora faced him.

"What?" she asked. The Nefari was studying her intently.

"What happened to your eye?"

Her hand flew to her scars out of habit. Looking away, she murmured, "It was taken from me by my mother."

"I see." Rather than lapse into an awkward silence, he continued his previous sentence. "You don't see like the type of person who knows how to start fires."

Zora scowled. "Princesses aren't exactly taught how to survive in the wilderness. From what I've gathered from my brothers, you rub two sticks together, and voila! Right?"

"Something like that." He coughed. Zora shot back a concerned glance, but turned away upon remembering that this being could eat her at a moment's notice.

It turned out finding suitable sticks was the easy part. She must have crouched on the cave floor for half an hour, rubbing them furiously to no avail. At last, she was able to bring forth a hint of smoke, though she suspected it was brought forth by pure frustration. Soon, there was a crackling fire.

Zora added more twigs and leaves, feeding the ravenous flames. "Can you eat anything besides humans?" she asked over her shoulder. There was no answer. When she crawled to the Nefari's side, she saw his eyes had closed and his chest rose rapidly. Blood pooled beneath him.

She cursed herself for temporarily forgetting about his injuries. Slapping his cheek, she said, "Wake up! I need to do something about your side."

Blearily, his amber orbs blessed the world again.

Zora had no idea what she was doing. She only hoped her years of standing in the shadows of Pyter and Gregori had paid off. "Take off your shirt. I'm going to cauterize it."

"Taking it fast, eh?" The young male attempted a smile, but it came out as a grimace.

"Shut...shut up!" She pretended she wasn't flustered. "You want to live or not?" Zora helped him roll up his shirt, exposing his bloodied midriff. Sweat gleamed on his forehead, but he wore a mask of impressive calm.

"I'll assume you kind of know what you're doing."

"It's the best I've got," Zora replied, fishing out her jeweled comb from between her breasts. It was of decent size, so she gingerly gripped one end while holding the other over the fire, letting the flames lick the metal.

Soon, the silver glowed with heat, becoming a warm orange. She extracted it from the fire and tossed the Nefari a stick. "To bite on," she said as she came over. Lips tightening, he nodded before clamping down upon the wood.

She steeled herself for her next action. Before she gave in, she pressed the handle of the comb onto the wound. Even stifled, his scream shattered the peaceful crackling of the fire as he writhed. Zora threw her weight against his thrashing appendages, pressing the comb harder.

The acrimonious odor of burning flesh filled the tiny cave, making her eye water. Please be over, she prayed. Don't make it hurt for much longer!

Time inched by. Finally, when Zora deemed the gash to be closed enough, she dropped the metal accessory, almost sobbing with relief. By then, he'd already passed out.

Zora had one more job. She took a sharpened stone, and while the comb was still red-hot, she sawed off one of its teeth. Using the sharp end of a twig, she poked a hole in her makeshift needle.

After unraveling thread from her tattered dress, the experienced seamstress set to work as the sun closed her eyes and gave the sky to the moon.

these chapters are getting longer and longer, probably because I FINALLY KNOW WHAT I'M TYPING. I think I've made quite a few mistakes in this chapter. *shrugs* Fast updates=slightly poorer writing. hope you guys don't mind. 

Jurauk's got some spunk, eh? XD Shoutout to my bestie Morgan for laughing really hard at that particular line (and for being awesome in general). 

Discussion Questions: How long do you think it'll be until Jurauk needs food? What will happen after the forest? Where will they go and why?