STARGIRL, bellamy blake

01

Her ears strained to listen to the light chatter, finding most of the noise to be screams. But they weren't the screams one made when they were in danger, no, these were screams of—glee? It was clear the voices didn't belong to her people, not a word of Trigedasleng being spoken amongst the group. It wasn't completely uncommon for her people to speak English, though she doubted there were people of another clans present so far into Trikru territory. Her own English wasn't bad, having been taught it since age fifteen by the only friend she had, though he himself wasn't fluent in the language until he grew older. It had been his idea for her to learn, stating that it was important that she always knew what her enemies were saying no matter the language. She was thankful for that fact now.

With a heavy breath leaving her chest, Astoria slowly emerged from around the tree, creeping forward until the crash site was visible to her. She didn't observe the scene yet, a chill moving up her spine and settling on her neck at the thought of being seen. She had no doubt that she could outrun these newcomers, but she was still unaware of what weapons they had brought with them from the sky. She found a tree that was tall enough to give her a good view, but was also thick enough to hold her weight. Then, she started climbing, the action easy enough for her. She used to sleep in the trees, some nights she still did; sometimes to feel safer, others because there was no other option for shelter. She would tie her torso to a large piece of the bark to stop from falling off in the night, and her legs would hang from either side as her head rested against the thick body. It wasn't the most comfortable way to spend the night, but it ensured that she wouldn't be found whilst she slept.

When she looked out at the small clearing in front of the alien object, Astoria released a small breath of... wonder? Perhaps that was the feeling bubbling in her chest at the sight before her. The group of children looked only a few years younger than she was, dressed in attire that she had never seen anyone wear in her lifetime. The teenagers ran freely and yelled loudly, not caring who heard them. It was clear they weren't aware others resided in the woods, though if they did Astoria decided quickly that they were foolish. Either way, she watched them explore the area, a strange feeling residing in her chest. It shouldn't have taken so long to pinpoint what it was, but Astoria had never felt anything like it before. She was jealous. Jealous of how carefree they were, or perhaps of their ignorance? They didn't know of the dangers that lurked in the forest.

She remained with her back against the bark, her legs hanging off the side and swinging back and forth slightly. She watched as a group of five left the growing camp, the sight causing her to sit up straighter. Her eyes remained on them until they were too far into the trees to be seen. She debated trailing them, knowing it would be an easy way to get information on the group, but there was the fact that she had no clue where they were going. They could be heading straight to her people, and she didn't want to be anywhere near their first interaction.

Instead, she remained in the tree, the sunset illuminating her face with an orange tint. It disappeared as quickly as it came, and it took an extra few minutes for Astoria's eyes to adjust to the loss of light. It wasn't long before a large fire was built and the teenagers gathered around it, Astoria watching curiously. Their loud voices made her uneasy, and it only grew worse when it began to rain and they cheered and celebrated. Astoria hated the rain, it always made her search for shelter much more selective and made travel much harsher, which was why she quickly began her decent once the droplets grew heavier.

Unbeknownst to her, a young couple had slipped away from the crowd and into the woods to find a suitable tree to lean against. The kiss they shared called for a privacy the fire couldn't give them, that being proved when the boy rushed his fingers up the girl's shirt and drew a moan from her lips.

The sound stilled Astoria from her spot halfway down her tree, her hands gripping the bark tighter. Her head moved down slowly, and she spotted the teenagers after only a moment of searching. The sight of them made her body turn rigid, though she continued her decent anyway.

When she reached the ground, her feet crunched under the dirt and she watched as the teens broke apart. Her hand had already reached for the knife secured at her waist, her body completely still as a look of fear rushed over either of the couples faces. She almost felt pity for them, until the girl tried to run.

With a grunt Astoria threw her knife towards the boy, her faith in her accuracy paying off as it cut through the baggy fabric of his jacket collar and kept him stuck to the tree long enough for her to deal with his friend. Astoria was much faster than she was, catching up and swiping her legs out from under her in a flash. Then she was over top of her, a knee lodging into her back and a hand holding the hair on her head roughly. She leaned into her, bringing her free hand over her mouth when she tried to scream. "Stay down. I'm not gonna hurt either of you," if you listen, she decided against adding. She whipped her head around when she heard movement from the boy.

He had tried to throw her knife just as she had, though he clearly hadn't spent the same amount of time practising as her. It landed by her boot, the sight causing her to push off of the girl and make her way towards him instead. All the confidence had drained from his face in an instant, and he didn't have a moment to think of his next move before Astoria was on him. She grabbed the back of his head and used her other hand to cover his mouth just as she had done with the girl, though this time she was met with much more resistance. Before she can register his movements, he had swiped out her legs and pushed her off him, both actions combined sending her to the ground with a groan. She landed on her back and the air was quick to leave her lungs, though she didn't waste a moment before rolling onto her front and pushing her palms into the dirt. When she stood once more, she managed to duck under a punch just in time, sending one of her own into the boy's gut and causing him to double over slightly. With one final huff she grabbed the side of his head and slammed it into the closest tree, watching as he slumped to the ground in pain. He wasn't out completely, but he was close enough for her to let out a huff of air and turn to leave.

When she did, she found a gun pointed directly between her eyes. She froze instantly, watching the metal closely without even looking to see its owner. Astoria had never seen a gun before, especially one so close. Her mother had told her stories, and they had been enough to put a horrible fear in her towards the objects.

It took a moment for her eyes to leave the weapon, moving to look where she had left the girl in the dirt. She found the spot empty and a huff nearly fell from her lips—until she looked at the man holding the gun. He was much taller than she was, the fact alone causing her to square her shoulders slightly in hopes it would make her look larger. The details of his face were hidden due to the darkness, but Astoria didn't care to know what he looked like—she needed to get away from the camp.

"Who the hell are you?" his voice was deep and harsh, and it sent a shiver up her spine. It didn't take much to note that he wasn't friendly, and Astoria didn't intend to wait around for him to prove that fact further.

She was quick to grab at his gun, pushing it out of her face. She was surprised when he didn't shoot, though perhaps he wasn't as ruthless as he was pretending to be. She didn't dwell on the fact before bringing her fist into his gut. It was enough to cause him to hunch over slightly, and Astoria stepped around him to kick him in his back.

She didn't watch him fall, instead moving quickly to find her knife. She spun in a circle, Trigedasleng curses falling from her lips as her vision failed her. When she finally spotted the shiny metal it was too late, a pain exploding in the back of her head as the butt of a gun was used to bring her down. The strength of the blow worked to do that, and her knees buckled underneath her she hit the dirt with a thud. The man who hit her made no advances to catch her, watching as her head collided with a rock and knocked her out cold. Then he was shoving his gun back into his waistband, releasing a huff as he stepped over her body to grab her knife from out of the dirt.