Welcome to Another Human. Here's to a fresh start, everyone.

ONTO THE STORY.

Disclaimer: Adventure Time is not owned by this individual. Only this story and a few characters within it.

Prologue: That Night

Schwik.

"You're slacking."

I froze and glanced up. She wasn't looking at me. She was staring down at her sword, whetstone in hand. Schwik. Schwik. The edge was growing sharper with every stroke. Not that it needed any help in that department.

"What do you-"

"You know exactly what I mean." Her words were clipped, her eyes on the blade. She raised it, watching it glint in the fading sunlight. Without so much as a grunt as a warning she chucked the whetstone at my head.

I caught it, casting my gaze down to the knives in my belt. She'd almost nailed me in my cheek.

Schwik. Schwik.

She stood up, narrowing her eyes at the sky above the trees. Clouds were rolling into the area, dark and foreboding. It wouldn't be long until they covered the sun.

"We need to fortify camp."

Not a statement. A command. I nodded, tucking the sharpening tool into my bag.

We worked silently, side-by-side at some points, at opposite sides of the clearing at others. We took the soup off of the fire. A smile grew behind my hand when she tutted and dumped it out, muttering about how much of a waste of time it'd been. I dug the stakes deeper into the ground to secure the tent, my hands coated with dirt by the end of it. She cleared off the work table, storing the food carefully and putting away her notes. I startled as the first raindrop slapped against the bride of my nose, slipping down to the tip before dripping off.

"It's only rain."

She must have seen me jump. I wanted to question her. I wanted to ask how she knew that. But I was taught better than to do so. My eyes shot back up to the clouds. They'd eclipsed the setting sun.

"Focus!" She shouted, tying up her private supplies and shoving past me. The tent flaps smacked shut behind her.

I swallowed. Right. It didn't matter. It was only another weakness weighing me down. I needed to stop allowing it to hold me back.

Glancing over my shoulder, I caught sight of the sharp metal of her weapon as it rested on a stump by the table. She must've forgotten about it. That's not like her, I mused.

"And don't come in here until I give the clear!" She called. I didn't respond.

I started toward it, hand outstretched to grip the hilt when the campsite was illuminated for a split second, throwing harsh shadows over everything. My body locked up, eyes wide. I barely registered the sound of the tent noisily being thrown open. And then-

BOOM.

I fell to my knees, scrabbling underneath the work table as my breathing came in short pants. I drew my legs to my chest, pressing my face into my kneecaps. My eyes were screwed up tight, fingers curling into the thick roots of my hair. It's only rain. Liar. Dirty, filthy, rotten, liar.

The rain came down hard, quickly killing the fire we had going. I peeked through slits, surprised to see a pair of boots only a few yards in front of me. I ducked, looking up through my lashes to see her staring down at my face, disappointment and disgust contorting her features. My heart skipped a beat.

I reached out to her like a child, my callused and battle-scarred hand open wide. But she had already turned her back on me, leaving me alone with my demons. A whimper rose in my throat as another thunderclap rocked my world. My limbs locked up. Why did she always leave me?

A twig snapped somewhere in the trees behind me, but before I could even think of turning around I was being yanked out from under the safety of the table by my hair. Large, hairy arms encased my frame, one wrapped firmly around my neck. If that arm weren't attempting to choke me, the smell of it alone would have done the trick.

I opened my mouth to call out, to scream, to do something, but nothing came. I was too slow, and too scared. A hand came up towards my mouth. At first I thought it was just going to cover it to prevent me from making a peep. Then two fingers plunged inside, gagging me and waking me from my stupor.

Biting down on the fingers, the taste of blood and dirt swirled around my tongue. A low curse hissed through clenched teeth above me. That was all it took for her to whip around, eyes locked onto my now rigorously struggling body. I jerked my head back, releasing the fingers and spitting the putrid mixture out of my mouth. The wounded hand wound its way through my hair, tipping my head back with a sharp yank. I stared up into the bearded face of a Mountain Man, something in my head growing taut. He sneered at me, tightening his hold on my torso.

"Let her go."

The Mountain Man glared at her, his sneer turning into a wolfish grin. His teeth were yellowed, one turning black from decay.

"That won't be happening, sorry to say," a gravelly voice stated, another Mountain Man materializing to my right. He held up her sword, lightly placing the freshly sharpened edge to my now-bare throat.

She froze, eyes wide. The expression looked foreign on her face. Almost wrong, in a way. She was supposed to be tall, strong. A wall of nothing but strength and power. She never had anything holding her back, unlike me. The perfect Adventuress.

I stopped struggling, examining her features to see if my eyes were deceiving me. The bigger Mountain Man put more pressure on the sword. Its wicked edge easily drew blood, the fresh wound stinging as rain continued to fall. There was no mistaking it now. She was afraid.

"Please, just let her go," she said, her composure slipping as panic took over.

"We have our orders."

BOOM.

Tears pricked at my eyes, tremors wracking my body as the thunder roared above the campsite. I had to force my eyes to stay open despite the voice inside me screaming to curl into a ball and hide.

"I know what your orders are, but I'm telling you, take me instead. She's a worthless little girl. She can't do what you want her for like I can. Please, just take me."

My brow furrowed, her words distracting me. The Mountain Man with the sword watched her smugly, acting like he was weighing her plea. His face was so twisted and full of malicious intent that it actually managed to send shivers down my spine. It was a look of actual evil.

"Jasper, drop her."

Reluctantly, the one named Jasper released his grip, dropping me to the ground. Another set of grimy hands gripped my upper arms, surprising me. I'd thought there were only two of them.

"Now go grab that one," the other one ordered, gesturing with her weapon. Jasper grinned.

"With pleasure, Boss."

Jasper lumbered over to her stiff body, his hooves sinking into the soil as the rain turned it to muck. He roughly pulled her hands behind her back, pressing her to his bare chest while he whispered things into her ear. I squeezed my eyes closed, but the Mountain Man holding me forced them back open with his grubby fingers.

"Now, now. We can't have you lookin' away just yet. This'll be the best part," he chuckled, his breath hot and rancid. I met her gaze, a sadness held within her baby blues that wrenched at my heart. This couldn't be happening.

The boss took his time stalking over to her, dragging the tip of the sword through the mud, tainting it. Confusion drew my brows together as the Mountain Man came to a stop in front of her, raising the blade with a grin. I looked back into her eyes only to see a fleeting look of acceptance as she closed them.

Realization ripped through my brain the same time as the leader of the dirty goatmen brought down her beloved weapon, slashing right through her chest and splattering blood across the ground.

Schwik.

An ear-splitting scream tore out from deep within me, pure, unadulterated horror washing out the last remnants of fear as my eyes followed her collapsing body. She landed face-first into the muck, Jasper having let go of her almost immediately. It didn't take long for red to begin pooling around her. My efforts to escape tripled and I struggled as hard as I could against the hairy man, but he only increased his hold on me.

I wriggled one arm free and reached for her, tears intermingling with the rain as they streamed down my face. The storm raged on around us, but I couldn't pay any attention to it if I wanted to. All I could focus on was her crumpled form and the pool slowly soaking her blonde locks.

"MOTHER!" I shrieked, earning a swift hit to the back of the head from the Mountain Man holding me. My vision blurred as he landed another hit, black tingeing the corners of my sight.

"I think it would be best if we were to report back now, don'tcha think, Boss?"

"Yes, I think so. Let her be, Raoul."

The hands left my body and the smell all but vanished as the Mountain Men disappeared back into the foliage. I curled my fingers into the soil. My body was trembling. But I needed to move. I needed to go to her.

Blinking rapidly, I attempted to get to my feet, falling down twice in my quest. But I pushed myself on. Clenching the edge of the table, I worked my way around until I finally got my bearings. Her sword laid forgotten a few feet from her body, the rain clearing away the blood from its surface.

"Mother?" I whispered, moving slowly toward her.

"Dez…"

I knelt beside her, ignoring how the blood soaked into my jeans. She turned her head gradually, her face contorted with pain. My hand hovered over her shoulder, ready to help despite knowing she wouldn't like it. To my shock, she reached up and grabbed my wrist, pulling me closer to her. Her breathing sounded clogged and wet.

"Take your bag and my sword and get out of here," she ordered through her teeth, her eyes still managing to look piercing. My brain stuttered to a halt, taking a moment to reboot.

"No, no, you'll be okay. We just have to clean it and stitch it up and-and-" I struggled to think of the words, my voice dying in my throat at the look she gave me. I bowed my head.

"Get going, Desdemona. They will be back. You and I both know it," she stated, her eyes still staring hard into my own.

"But, I can't leave y-"

"You can and you will. GO!" She growled, a cough wracking her body as she turned away. I stared at the back of her head feeling like my whole world was crumbling around me.

My body started moving without thought, collecting my backpack from where I had left it by the tent and pulling it on. I glanced at the dark green tarp that was our sleeping quarters, wondering if I should grab the few items I owned out of it before dismissing the idea. She told me to stay out until she gave the clear. I couldn't go against her orders.

When I turned back to her, I paused and observed her sheath, the one she normally wore on her hip, as it was gripped tight in her hand. How had she managed that?

"Take it," she grunted when I was closer, another round of hacking gurgling out of her mouth. I did so without another thought, clipping it to my weapons belt.

"Mother-"

"Hurry, Dez. And don't look back. That's an order."

She let out a cough louder than any before it, her body suddenly going startlingly still. I stared at her, sword in hand, waiting one beat, and then another, and then another. Waiting for her next breath.

It never came.

Lightning flashed off in the distance, the thunder echoing after it and sending my heartbeat soaring again. I screwed my eyes shut, my breathing ragged as I tried to keep myself calm. Weak. Weak weak weak weak. I couldn't even save her.

The sound of heavy footfalls in the distance brought me back to reality. I slipped the sword into the sheath, crouching lower to the ground and sneaking over to the safety of the trees. I hid behind a rather large one, eyes on my home. Watching. Waiting.

And there they were.

There were at least five of them, two of them I could identify as the boss and Jasper. The boss spoke lowly into the ear of another one as he scanned the clearing, obviously looking for me. Anger raged through my bloodstream, making me feel hot against the chill of the stormy air. How dare they. How dare they.

I slid one of my knives out of my belt, a snarl curling my lip up. I could fight them. I'd been trained. I could do it.

BOOM.

I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth to stifle the whimper. I looked pleadingly at her body, regret weighing down on my shoulders. I'm sorry, I mouthed, knowing that she couldn't see it, but not caring anymore. With one deep breath, I tucked the knife away and took off, letting the trees envelop me as I ran silently into the night. I'm so sorry, Mother.