Title: Not Just A Memory: Chapter 1
Author: Artemis Luna Diana
Type: Romance
Rated: PG-13 (has blood scenes in it)
E-mail: artemislunadiana@yahoo.com
Home Page: Casper's Sailor Moon Site
http://www.caspermoon.com
***********************************************************************
This story is based in the Silver Millennium except that everything is
totally different in respects to where the characters are and what
happens to them. Since I hate the name "Amara", Haruka's name is Alex.
You'll understand why I'm saying this later in the story. I will be
using both the English and Japanese names.
Oh yeah, I don't own Sailor Moon, yada, yada, yada...
***********************************************************************
"Serena?"
Serena sighed, 'Now what do they want?' Serena glanced down at the
still water beneath her. This was her favorite place, where she had
been found as a child. The peacefulness of the lake near her village
was soothing. She was sitting in an old willow tree. The tree was so
close to the edge of the lake that her branch held her above the water.
"Serena!"
Serena sighed again before rising and shimming down the tree. By the
time she reached the bottom, she was beset by two irritated people.
One was her adopted father.
"Serena, we've been looking everywhere for you! Do you realize that
you broke Lord Montaro's nose?!"
"He deserved it."
"I don't care! You can't keep punching every suitor who comes to
call!"
Serena looked down ashamed; she hated upsetting her father. Soran had
taken her in and raised her as his own. She had been found abandoned
in the forest at the base of the willow tree. Only three at the time,
he was the only parent she could remember.
"Serena, you're seventeen now. Soon it will be time for you to marry,
two months in fact. How will you be able to manage that if you punch
everyone who comes to ask for your hand?"
"I don't understand why a girl has to be married when she reaches
eighteen in this village. No one else in the world has that rule," she
replied sourly.
"I expect you both home within an hour," he said in defeat. For his own
reasons, he wouldn't press the issue and was glad Serena had refused
every suitor. He walked home leaving Serena to face her best friend,
Alex.
Alex was an orphan too. Soran had discovered Alex tending Serena.
Alex, a few months older, had been able to tell Soran their names. At
first he thought they were siblings, but Alex said that they were best
friends not sisters.
"Why didn't you tell me that you had suitors coming today?"
"Because I didn't know myself."
"Oh...." They stood in silence a moment. "Did he bleed bad?"
Serena's eyes met Alex's and a wicked smile crossed her face,
"Gushed." The two laughed and started home.
Serena was beautiful beyond question. Her golden locks touched the
ground when her hair wasn't pulled up into its customary twin buns.
She was petite and deceptively fragile looking. Her blue-blue eyes
held intelligence and laughter. She was unladylike in the sense that
she wore pants instead of skirts, but her female figure did not go
unnoticed even dressed as she was.
Alex was handsome as well. With golden-brown hair cropped short and a
considerable height, she was often mistaken for a guy. Her body
revealed her strength and agility. Her dark blue eyes were mysterious
and strong. Like Serena, she often wore pants, but was able to pass as
a guy much easier.
They chatted cheerfully on the way home. Their cottage sat on the edge
of the forest. The closest trees were only a few steps away. Upon
arriving, they were surprised to find the village elders in their
cottage. The two entered unnoticed and realized the topic of
discussion was them.
"...You can't let them run free forever! They have no discipline or
sense of their place in society!"
"I raised them to be independent, to take care of themselves!"
"Sword fighting?! Archery?!"
"Yes!"
"They run around wearing men's clothing! Have you no shame?!"
"There is nothing to be ashamed of! They have done nothing wrong!"
"Soran, it has gone too far!"
"Serena broke Lord Montaro's nose this morning!"
"He is one of the wealthiest men on the planet! Only the Royal Family
has more!"
"That doesn't give him the right to insult my daughter!"
"Soran, the decision is no longer yours."
"What do you mean?"
"It is the decision of the village that both be married immediately."
"Wha--"
"Lord Sibean Montaro says he will overlook Serena's actions earlier and
will marry her. Alex will marry his brother, Lord Jutine Montaro."
"They aren't even eighteen yet and everyone knows the reputation of
both men! One is a villain of the first order and the other is a rake!"
"They will be married in two days. Good day."
Serena and Alex quickly hid. The village elders stormed past them.
Once they were gone, the girls crept out and found their father sitting
with his head in his hands. Serena ran to him, sitting beside him, she
threw her arms around him. Alex walked slowly to him and knelt at his
feet. Soran sighed and looked up. His eyes met Alex's. "There's
nothing I can do..." Serena began crying.
"We'll have to run away," Alex said softly.
"I know," he replied.
"What?" Serena breathed.
"Do you have the swords you ordered?"
"Yes, they came this morning."
"We're just going to leave?"
Alex and Soran packed food supplies into two bags. Serena gathered
clothes for them, protesting the entire time. The protests stopped when
Alex asked her if she wanted to spend her life with Lord Sibean Montaro.
They were ready within an hour. Alex and Serena slung their packs and
swords on. Serena picked up her long bow and Alex grabbed her
crossbow. They exited the cottage with Soran close behind. They
stopped abruptly.
"Lord Sibean..." Serena exclaimed. Lord Sibean was astride a horse
approaching the cottage. His nose was black and blue from the punch he
had received earlier. His looks were passingly fair, other than his
current nose problem. His eyes, however, betrayed his dark spirit.
"Run now!" Soran shouted and pushed them towards the woods. He drew a
short dirk and took up a position to block Lord Sibean from intercepting
them.
Lord Sibean dismounted his horse and drew his sword, "I know who they
are. You can't keep them from me."
Alex and Serena hesitated, confused. 'What did he mean?' Soran's eyes
widened and then hardened. "Then you know why they can never be yours!"
Sibean charged Soran. Their weapons met with a resounding crash. They
watched the fight from the edge of the forest.
Soran met Lord Sibean blow for blow, but the dirk couldn't hold out
against a sword for long. The blade broke with a snap and Lord Sibean
had his advantage. Serena screamed as Lord Sibean's blade pierced
Soran's chest. Soran gasped and blood spurted from his mouth. Lord
Sibean withdrew the blade, heaving from the fight. Soran turned
and stumbled towards them.
"...go...get away...must protect...princesses..." One final gasp sent
him crashing to the ground, never to rise again.
"Father!"
"Come on, Serena!" Alex's eyes were fixed on the fast approaching Lord
Sibean.
"We can't just leave him!"
"He died to save us!"
"Father!"
"Serena!" Lord Sibean was almost upon them. Serena and Alex turned
away from the horrifying site, stumbling in their grief.
"You can not escape me!"
"Faster, Serena!"
They ran quickly deeper into the forest. They ran for hours, even after
the sounds of pursuit had died away. When they could push themselves
no more, they collapsed underneath a tall oak tree. Exhausted, slumber
reached them quickly.
************************************************************************
Serena and Alex woke with the sun. They calmly took stock of their
situation. They had enough food to last them three days. They had only
a small amount of water. They had weapons to hunt and to defend
themselves. They needed a better shelter than what the tree could
provide. They also needed to hide away.
Alex led them through the forest in search of a small stream or river.
Halfway through the day, they found a small river. Serena bent and
drank from it while Alex surveyed it as a possible site for them to
build a home. Serena rested while Alex looked for tracks. When she
finally returned, she brought good news.
"There aren't any tracks around. I can't find any evidence of people."
"Then can we stay here?"
"Yeah, for now, we can stay in that magnolia tree. Tomorrow, I want to
search further out and make sure we'll be safe here. When I come back,
we can build a shelter."
"Okay."
************************************************************************
Events happened as Alex said they would. When the new day dawned, Alex
left in search of tracks. At night she returned, they were completely
alone. They built a small cottage over the span of several days.
Serena hunted while Alex set snares. Slowly but surely, they established
a home. Alex made tools, like shovels, axes, etc., for them. Serena
made baskets and pottery, like bowls, a kettle, and a couple of cooking
pans. At night, Serena cried in her sleep. Alex slept fitfully, unable
to cry. Grief over their father kept the normally cheerful pair silent.
Days passed. Weeks passed. Months passed. Alex and Serena turned
eighteen without a ripple in the pattern of their lives.
Seven months after they arrived, Alex decided to go on a big hunting
trip. Winter would start soon and food would be hard to find. Serena
was left to take care of the cottage and capture smaller game. Two days
after Alex left, Serena heard shouts and dogs barking.
'Has he found us?!' Serena stood outside the cottage in fear. She
wasn't prepared to face him, Alex was gone and she wasn't even wearing
suitable fighting clothes. She was wearing a simple white dress with no
adornments. She heard a horn and breathed a sigh of relief, it was just
a hunting party. She would still have to hide but at least her fear was
somewhat gone. Alex had cleverly designed their cottage to be almost
undetectable. Serena quickly erased all evidence of living from outside
and entered the cottage.
The hunt seemed to be going smoothly until she heard shouts of alarm.
The dogs' barks were silenced with painful yelps. 'What happened?' she
wondered. Screams of pain soon sounded, then she heard it. The roar of
a giant panther. Without thinking, she grabbed her sword and ran
outside in the direction of the screams.
She came upon a ghastly slight. In the small clearing near the cottage,
three men lay dead on the ground, the remains of at least seven dogs
were scattered about, only one man was still alive. He was severely
injured, however. He was tall with dark hair. His right leg and
abdomen were covered in blood. She could see the deep cuts that caused
it. The panther was going closer to him, growling, its muzzle covered
in blood.
'I have to stop it,' she thought. "Hey! Over here!"
The panther and the man both looked at her. It growled at her, then
roared. She felt like her bones were rattling it was so loud. She
began walking towards it, "Hey!" she called again.
"Get...away..." the man panted.
"Hey! Over here!"
The panther came towards her, leaving the man alone for the time being.
'Okay, genius, now what?' Serena glanced around, 'How could she defeat
a giant panther?'
Holding her sword ready, she kept her eyes trained on the panther. The
panther sprang and she quickly spun to the right out of its reach.
Turning quickly she retaliated with a blow to its backside drawing blood.
The panther howled in pain and swiped at her with a paw. Ducking out of
the way again, she jabbed her sword through the bottom of its paw. The
panther screamed in pain, backing away from her. Once more it charged
at her. This time slower due to its limp. Serena moved out of the way
again, this time her sword sliced the panther's side. Screaming the
panther collapsed to the ground.
Serena carefully surveyed the panther. It would not be rising again
without help. She cleaned her blade on the grass and approached the
man. He stood leaning heavily on his sword. His armor was broken and
his cape was tattered. His blood was forming a pool around his feet.
"Sir? How badly are you hurt?"
"It's nothing..." he collapsed to the ground.
"Men!" Serena ran to him and examined his wounds. She needed to stop
the bleeding, fast. She could tell immediately she wouldn't be able to
pick him up without Alex. She needed something to staunch the blood.
'Well, it's not salvagable anyway...' Grabbing a hold of his cape, she
tore it into strips and tied them around his two wounds. The one around
his leg was easy, but she had to lift him up slightly to tie the ones
around his waist. Making sure he'd be okay while she was gone, she
stood. She quickly dashed back to the cottage.
"We had to have picked some medicinal herbs..." Frantically, she
searched their rooms. At last she discovered some in the bottom of her
pack. She must have put some there on her last hunting trip and
forgotten about them. There was birch bark, bayberry roots, astragulus
roots, and a few other things. The birch bark was for pain, bayberry
root bark helped to clot blood and reduce fever, and astragulus was for
colds and the like. Grabbing the bayberry roots and the birch bark,
Serena ran to the fireplace, quickly she set a large kettle boiling.
Then taking three small bowls she had made recently, she began grinding
the herbs to make two types of tea and a compress. As soon as she was
done, she went outside leaving the water still cool. 'I'll have to find
a way to get him here.' She ran back to him. He had a high fever and
though the loss of blood had slowed, it hadn't stopped. The panther was
making small sounds of pain, but it hadn't moved. Picking up her sword
where she left it. She cut down two small saplings. She picked up some
vines, cutting them an equal length apart. Taking a cape from one of
the fallen men, she streatched it across the two poles and tied it down.
Placing the makshift streatcher beside him, she carefully worked him
onto it. Grabbing one end of the poles, she dragged him back to the
cottage. By the time she returned the water was boiling hot. She
quickly poured some of the water into each bowl and covered them to
steep. She dragged him close to the fire and began undressing him. The
armor was difficult to remove due to the fact it was broken. When she
finally managed to take it off, she noticed that her actions had caused
the wound on his stomach to begin bleeding again. Moving ever faster
she grabbed a knife and cut his shirt from him. She was surprised at
how muscular he was. She dragged her eyes away from the site of his
bare chest and pulled his boots off. His leg wound began bleeding
again. She cut his pants off. She decided to leave his underclothes
on, she could reach both wounds without having to take them off.
Picking up a piece of cloth she dabbed it into the boiling pot, careful
not to scald herself. She wrung it then began cleaning the wound at his
waist. The moment it was clean, she made a compress from the bayberry
root bark. She placed it on his wound and binded it tightly. He moaned
in pain for the first time. 'He's strong,' she thought.
Next she repeated the process for his leg wound, creating another
compress and binding it. Once she was finished, she sat him up so that
he leaned against her. Picking up the birch tea, she forced a bit down
his throat. He would need the pain killer in it when he woke up. She
picked up the bayberry tea and poured a bit down his throat. Hopefully
it would significantly decrease his fever. She layed him back down and
ran to her room. Pulling the fur throw from her bed she dragged it to
him and covered him. She'd move him later.
She cleaned up the area around, putting away everything. She put his
bloody clothes and broken armor in a sack and placed it by the cottage
door. Picking up her sword and a shovel, she went outside. She
returned to the clearing. The men and dogs had long grown cold. If she
didn't bury them, scavengers would come. She began digging a mass
grave. It took hours by herself, but she managed it. By twilight she
had finished. The panther was still moaning. Serena, covered in dirt
and dry blood approached it cautiously.
The panther looked at her with sad eyes. Serena could almost hear what
it was thinking, Serena looked
carefully at the panther. It was very malnourished, she hadn't noticed
that before. Serena couldn't help but feel pity for it. "Alright..."
Serena began the process of healing again. The panther was light enough
to carry due to the fact it hadn't eaten in a long time. She carried it
into the cottage and layed it down near the wall. She dragged the still
sleeping man into her room and managed to get him into her bed. She
covered him again with the fur throw. Checking his temperature, his
fever had dropped. She returned to the panther. Picking it up again,
she placed it near the fire. She cleaned out its side wound first.
Carefully she tied strips of cloth around it. She didn't want to add
any medicine to it because she wasn't sure how the panther would react
to it. Next she tended the wound on its backside. Picking up the hurt
paw, she cleaned away the dried blood and examined the wound carefully.
Somehow, she had managed to miss the bones and ligaments, only muscle
had been torn. When it healed, there wouldn't even be a limp. She
bandaged it up.
"All done!"
"I wonder what your name is... and his name," she said and glanced
towards her room.
Serena looked back at the panther. 'Am I really hearing its thoughts?'
The panther stared back at her with equal intensity. "Are you hungry?"
Serena went outside and checked the snare closest to the cottage. A
jackrabbit was caught inside. She slit its throat and waited for the
blood to drain out. She brought it inside and skinned it. She placed
the skin on a drying rack, and cut a hunk out of the rabbit and placed
it on a spit for her dinner. She took the rest to the panther.
"Eat it slowly, or you'll get sick," she said doubting it knew what she
was saying. Much to her surprise the panther did just that. She went
and checked on the man, he was still asleep, but would probably wake
soon. The panther slept next to the fire and her dinner was done. She
ate quickly and began boiling water for her bath. She felt disgusting.
The moment the water was at a temperature she liked, she rapidly
bathed. She would have liked to enjoy it, but that wasn't possible
with her patients in the cottage. She stood clean, but naked next to
the tub. She forgot to get clothes from her room. Should she just
borrow some of Alex's? Deciding he probably wouldn't wake to see her,
she entered her room. She picked up another white dress and quickly put
it on. She then knelt and began putting her hair up. She hummed softly
as she did so. When she finished she stood and turned. Two glittering
eyes met hers and she gasped.
************************************************************************
How was that? E-MAIL ME! I crave attention!
These......hold animal thoughts
These...''...hold human thoughts
These...""...hold verbal communication (of course)
Thanks to everyone who helped me with this story...yep, that's you
Amber! Luv ya dearly! Thanks to Andrea for posting it!
I apologize to anyone who is anxiously awaiting on Dancing Earth...what
can I say, my mind wanders...
Credit must be given where credit is due, where did I get this idea?
Weellll...yesterday I was watching all these old movies: Willow, The
Princess Bride, and Clan of the Cave Bear. This story came from my
musings after my film festival was over. Pretty neat, huh? The
thought-talking panther is from an RPG I'm in. She's my character's
companion except I changed her name from Soria to Myrian...there were
just too many characters whose names started with and 'S' ya know. The
names all came from word-play...I think...
ANYWAY! Catch ya on the flip side!
~Artemis Luna Diana~
Author: Artemis Luna Diana
Type: Romance
Rated: PG-13 (has blood scenes in it)
E-mail: artemislunadiana@yahoo.com
Home Page: Casper's Sailor Moon Site
http://www.caspermoon.com
***********************************************************************
This story is based in the Silver Millennium except that everything is
totally different in respects to where the characters are and what
happens to them. Since I hate the name "Amara", Haruka's name is Alex.
You'll understand why I'm saying this later in the story. I will be
using both the English and Japanese names.
Oh yeah, I don't own Sailor Moon, yada, yada, yada...
***********************************************************************
"Serena?"
Serena sighed, 'Now what do they want?' Serena glanced down at the
still water beneath her. This was her favorite place, where she had
been found as a child. The peacefulness of the lake near her village
was soothing. She was sitting in an old willow tree. The tree was so
close to the edge of the lake that her branch held her above the water.
"Serena!"
Serena sighed again before rising and shimming down the tree. By the
time she reached the bottom, she was beset by two irritated people.
One was her adopted father.
"Serena, we've been looking everywhere for you! Do you realize that
you broke Lord Montaro's nose?!"
"He deserved it."
"I don't care! You can't keep punching every suitor who comes to
call!"
Serena looked down ashamed; she hated upsetting her father. Soran had
taken her in and raised her as his own. She had been found abandoned
in the forest at the base of the willow tree. Only three at the time,
he was the only parent she could remember.
"Serena, you're seventeen now. Soon it will be time for you to marry,
two months in fact. How will you be able to manage that if you punch
everyone who comes to ask for your hand?"
"I don't understand why a girl has to be married when she reaches
eighteen in this village. No one else in the world has that rule," she
replied sourly.
"I expect you both home within an hour," he said in defeat. For his own
reasons, he wouldn't press the issue and was glad Serena had refused
every suitor. He walked home leaving Serena to face her best friend,
Alex.
Alex was an orphan too. Soran had discovered Alex tending Serena.
Alex, a few months older, had been able to tell Soran their names. At
first he thought they were siblings, but Alex said that they were best
friends not sisters.
"Why didn't you tell me that you had suitors coming today?"
"Because I didn't know myself."
"Oh...." They stood in silence a moment. "Did he bleed bad?"
Serena's eyes met Alex's and a wicked smile crossed her face,
"Gushed." The two laughed and started home.
Serena was beautiful beyond question. Her golden locks touched the
ground when her hair wasn't pulled up into its customary twin buns.
She was petite and deceptively fragile looking. Her blue-blue eyes
held intelligence and laughter. She was unladylike in the sense that
she wore pants instead of skirts, but her female figure did not go
unnoticed even dressed as she was.
Alex was handsome as well. With golden-brown hair cropped short and a
considerable height, she was often mistaken for a guy. Her body
revealed her strength and agility. Her dark blue eyes were mysterious
and strong. Like Serena, she often wore pants, but was able to pass as
a guy much easier.
They chatted cheerfully on the way home. Their cottage sat on the edge
of the forest. The closest trees were only a few steps away. Upon
arriving, they were surprised to find the village elders in their
cottage. The two entered unnoticed and realized the topic of
discussion was them.
"...You can't let them run free forever! They have no discipline or
sense of their place in society!"
"I raised them to be independent, to take care of themselves!"
"Sword fighting?! Archery?!"
"Yes!"
"They run around wearing men's clothing! Have you no shame?!"
"There is nothing to be ashamed of! They have done nothing wrong!"
"Soran, it has gone too far!"
"Serena broke Lord Montaro's nose this morning!"
"He is one of the wealthiest men on the planet! Only the Royal Family
has more!"
"That doesn't give him the right to insult my daughter!"
"Soran, the decision is no longer yours."
"What do you mean?"
"It is the decision of the village that both be married immediately."
"Wha--"
"Lord Sibean Montaro says he will overlook Serena's actions earlier and
will marry her. Alex will marry his brother, Lord Jutine Montaro."
"They aren't even eighteen yet and everyone knows the reputation of
both men! One is a villain of the first order and the other is a rake!"
"They will be married in two days. Good day."
Serena and Alex quickly hid. The village elders stormed past them.
Once they were gone, the girls crept out and found their father sitting
with his head in his hands. Serena ran to him, sitting beside him, she
threw her arms around him. Alex walked slowly to him and knelt at his
feet. Soran sighed and looked up. His eyes met Alex's. "There's
nothing I can do..." Serena began crying.
"We'll have to run away," Alex said softly.
"I know," he replied.
"What?" Serena breathed.
"Do you have the swords you ordered?"
"Yes, they came this morning."
"We're just going to leave?"
Alex and Soran packed food supplies into two bags. Serena gathered
clothes for them, protesting the entire time. The protests stopped when
Alex asked her if she wanted to spend her life with Lord Sibean Montaro.
They were ready within an hour. Alex and Serena slung their packs and
swords on. Serena picked up her long bow and Alex grabbed her
crossbow. They exited the cottage with Soran close behind. They
stopped abruptly.
"Lord Sibean..." Serena exclaimed. Lord Sibean was astride a horse
approaching the cottage. His nose was black and blue from the punch he
had received earlier. His looks were passingly fair, other than his
current nose problem. His eyes, however, betrayed his dark spirit.
"Run now!" Soran shouted and pushed them towards the woods. He drew a
short dirk and took up a position to block Lord Sibean from intercepting
them.
Lord Sibean dismounted his horse and drew his sword, "I know who they
are. You can't keep them from me."
Alex and Serena hesitated, confused. 'What did he mean?' Soran's eyes
widened and then hardened. "Then you know why they can never be yours!"
Sibean charged Soran. Their weapons met with a resounding crash. They
watched the fight from the edge of the forest.
Soran met Lord Sibean blow for blow, but the dirk couldn't hold out
against a sword for long. The blade broke with a snap and Lord Sibean
had his advantage. Serena screamed as Lord Sibean's blade pierced
Soran's chest. Soran gasped and blood spurted from his mouth. Lord
Sibean withdrew the blade, heaving from the fight. Soran turned
and stumbled towards them.
"...go...get away...must protect...princesses..." One final gasp sent
him crashing to the ground, never to rise again.
"Father!"
"Come on, Serena!" Alex's eyes were fixed on the fast approaching Lord
Sibean.
"We can't just leave him!"
"He died to save us!"
"Father!"
"Serena!" Lord Sibean was almost upon them. Serena and Alex turned
away from the horrifying site, stumbling in their grief.
"You can not escape me!"
"Faster, Serena!"
They ran quickly deeper into the forest. They ran for hours, even after
the sounds of pursuit had died away. When they could push themselves
no more, they collapsed underneath a tall oak tree. Exhausted, slumber
reached them quickly.
************************************************************************
Serena and Alex woke with the sun. They calmly took stock of their
situation. They had enough food to last them three days. They had only
a small amount of water. They had weapons to hunt and to defend
themselves. They needed a better shelter than what the tree could
provide. They also needed to hide away.
Alex led them through the forest in search of a small stream or river.
Halfway through the day, they found a small river. Serena bent and
drank from it while Alex surveyed it as a possible site for them to
build a home. Serena rested while Alex looked for tracks. When she
finally returned, she brought good news.
"There aren't any tracks around. I can't find any evidence of people."
"Then can we stay here?"
"Yeah, for now, we can stay in that magnolia tree. Tomorrow, I want to
search further out and make sure we'll be safe here. When I come back,
we can build a shelter."
"Okay."
************************************************************************
Events happened as Alex said they would. When the new day dawned, Alex
left in search of tracks. At night she returned, they were completely
alone. They built a small cottage over the span of several days.
Serena hunted while Alex set snares. Slowly but surely, they established
a home. Alex made tools, like shovels, axes, etc., for them. Serena
made baskets and pottery, like bowls, a kettle, and a couple of cooking
pans. At night, Serena cried in her sleep. Alex slept fitfully, unable
to cry. Grief over their father kept the normally cheerful pair silent.
Days passed. Weeks passed. Months passed. Alex and Serena turned
eighteen without a ripple in the pattern of their lives.
Seven months after they arrived, Alex decided to go on a big hunting
trip. Winter would start soon and food would be hard to find. Serena
was left to take care of the cottage and capture smaller game. Two days
after Alex left, Serena heard shouts and dogs barking.
'Has he found us?!' Serena stood outside the cottage in fear. She
wasn't prepared to face him, Alex was gone and she wasn't even wearing
suitable fighting clothes. She was wearing a simple white dress with no
adornments. She heard a horn and breathed a sigh of relief, it was just
a hunting party. She would still have to hide but at least her fear was
somewhat gone. Alex had cleverly designed their cottage to be almost
undetectable. Serena quickly erased all evidence of living from outside
and entered the cottage.
The hunt seemed to be going smoothly until she heard shouts of alarm.
The dogs' barks were silenced with painful yelps. 'What happened?' she
wondered. Screams of pain soon sounded, then she heard it. The roar of
a giant panther. Without thinking, she grabbed her sword and ran
outside in the direction of the screams.
She came upon a ghastly slight. In the small clearing near the cottage,
three men lay dead on the ground, the remains of at least seven dogs
were scattered about, only one man was still alive. He was severely
injured, however. He was tall with dark hair. His right leg and
abdomen were covered in blood. She could see the deep cuts that caused
it. The panther was going closer to him, growling, its muzzle covered
in blood.
'I have to stop it,' she thought. "Hey! Over here!"
The panther and the man both looked at her. It growled at her, then
roared. She felt like her bones were rattling it was so loud. She
began walking towards it, "Hey!" she called again.
"Get...away..." the man panted.
"Hey! Over here!"
The panther came towards her, leaving the man alone for the time being.
'Okay, genius, now what?' Serena glanced around, 'How could she defeat
a giant panther?'
Holding her sword ready, she kept her eyes trained on the panther. The
panther sprang and she quickly spun to the right out of its reach.
Turning quickly she retaliated with a blow to its backside drawing blood.
The panther howled in pain and swiped at her with a paw. Ducking out of
the way again, she jabbed her sword through the bottom of its paw. The
panther screamed in pain, backing away from her. Once more it charged
at her. This time slower due to its limp. Serena moved out of the way
again, this time her sword sliced the panther's side. Screaming the
panther collapsed to the ground.
Serena carefully surveyed the panther. It would not be rising again
without help. She cleaned her blade on the grass and approached the
man. He stood leaning heavily on his sword. His armor was broken and
his cape was tattered. His blood was forming a pool around his feet.
"Sir? How badly are you hurt?"
"It's nothing..." he collapsed to the ground.
"Men!" Serena ran to him and examined his wounds. She needed to stop
the bleeding, fast. She could tell immediately she wouldn't be able to
pick him up without Alex. She needed something to staunch the blood.
'Well, it's not salvagable anyway...' Grabbing a hold of his cape, she
tore it into strips and tied them around his two wounds. The one around
his leg was easy, but she had to lift him up slightly to tie the ones
around his waist. Making sure he'd be okay while she was gone, she
stood. She quickly dashed back to the cottage.
"We had to have picked some medicinal herbs..." Frantically, she
searched their rooms. At last she discovered some in the bottom of her
pack. She must have put some there on her last hunting trip and
forgotten about them. There was birch bark, bayberry roots, astragulus
roots, and a few other things. The birch bark was for pain, bayberry
root bark helped to clot blood and reduce fever, and astragulus was for
colds and the like. Grabbing the bayberry roots and the birch bark,
Serena ran to the fireplace, quickly she set a large kettle boiling.
Then taking three small bowls she had made recently, she began grinding
the herbs to make two types of tea and a compress. As soon as she was
done, she went outside leaving the water still cool. 'I'll have to find
a way to get him here.' She ran back to him. He had a high fever and
though the loss of blood had slowed, it hadn't stopped. The panther was
making small sounds of pain, but it hadn't moved. Picking up her sword
where she left it. She cut down two small saplings. She picked up some
vines, cutting them an equal length apart. Taking a cape from one of
the fallen men, she streatched it across the two poles and tied it down.
Placing the makshift streatcher beside him, she carefully worked him
onto it. Grabbing one end of the poles, she dragged him back to the
cottage. By the time she returned the water was boiling hot. She
quickly poured some of the water into each bowl and covered them to
steep. She dragged him close to the fire and began undressing him. The
armor was difficult to remove due to the fact it was broken. When she
finally managed to take it off, she noticed that her actions had caused
the wound on his stomach to begin bleeding again. Moving ever faster
she grabbed a knife and cut his shirt from him. She was surprised at
how muscular he was. She dragged her eyes away from the site of his
bare chest and pulled his boots off. His leg wound began bleeding
again. She cut his pants off. She decided to leave his underclothes
on, she could reach both wounds without having to take them off.
Picking up a piece of cloth she dabbed it into the boiling pot, careful
not to scald herself. She wrung it then began cleaning the wound at his
waist. The moment it was clean, she made a compress from the bayberry
root bark. She placed it on his wound and binded it tightly. He moaned
in pain for the first time. 'He's strong,' she thought.
Next she repeated the process for his leg wound, creating another
compress and binding it. Once she was finished, she sat him up so that
he leaned against her. Picking up the birch tea, she forced a bit down
his throat. He would need the pain killer in it when he woke up. She
picked up the bayberry tea and poured a bit down his throat. Hopefully
it would significantly decrease his fever. She layed him back down and
ran to her room. Pulling the fur throw from her bed she dragged it to
him and covered him. She'd move him later.
She cleaned up the area around, putting away everything. She put his
bloody clothes and broken armor in a sack and placed it by the cottage
door. Picking up her sword and a shovel, she went outside. She
returned to the clearing. The men and dogs had long grown cold. If she
didn't bury them, scavengers would come. She began digging a mass
grave. It took hours by herself, but she managed it. By twilight she
had finished. The panther was still moaning. Serena, covered in dirt
and dry blood approached it cautiously.
The panther looked at her with sad eyes. Serena could almost hear what
it was thinking, Serena looked
carefully at the panther. It was very malnourished, she hadn't noticed
that before. Serena couldn't help but feel pity for it. "Alright..."
Serena began the process of healing again. The panther was light enough
to carry due to the fact it hadn't eaten in a long time. She carried it
into the cottage and layed it down near the wall. She dragged the still
sleeping man into her room and managed to get him into her bed. She
covered him again with the fur throw. Checking his temperature, his
fever had dropped. She returned to the panther. Picking it up again,
she placed it near the fire. She cleaned out its side wound first.
Carefully she tied strips of cloth around it. She didn't want to add
any medicine to it because she wasn't sure how the panther would react
to it. Next she tended the wound on its backside. Picking up the hurt
paw, she cleaned away the dried blood and examined the wound carefully.
Somehow, she had managed to miss the bones and ligaments, only muscle
had been torn. When it healed, there wouldn't even be a limp. She
bandaged it up.
"All done!"
"I wonder what your name is... and his name," she said and glanced
towards her room.
Serena looked back at the panther. 'Am I really hearing its thoughts?'
The panther stared back at her with equal intensity. "Are you hungry?"
Serena went outside and checked the snare closest to the cottage. A
jackrabbit was caught inside. She slit its throat and waited for the
blood to drain out. She brought it inside and skinned it. She placed
the skin on a drying rack, and cut a hunk out of the rabbit and placed
it on a spit for her dinner. She took the rest to the panther.
"Eat it slowly, or you'll get sick," she said doubting it knew what she
was saying. Much to her surprise the panther did just that. She went
and checked on the man, he was still asleep, but would probably wake
soon. The panther slept next to the fire and her dinner was done. She
ate quickly and began boiling water for her bath. She felt disgusting.
The moment the water was at a temperature she liked, she rapidly
bathed. She would have liked to enjoy it, but that wasn't possible
with her patients in the cottage. She stood clean, but naked next to
the tub. She forgot to get clothes from her room. Should she just
borrow some of Alex's? Deciding he probably wouldn't wake to see her,
she entered her room. She picked up another white dress and quickly put
it on. She then knelt and began putting her hair up. She hummed softly
as she did so. When she finished she stood and turned. Two glittering
eyes met hers and she gasped.
************************************************************************
How was that? E-MAIL ME! I crave attention!
These......hold animal thoughts
These...''...hold human thoughts
These...""...hold verbal communication (of course)
Thanks to everyone who helped me with this story...yep, that's you
Amber! Luv ya dearly! Thanks to Andrea for posting it!
I apologize to anyone who is anxiously awaiting on Dancing Earth...what
can I say, my mind wanders...
Credit must be given where credit is due, where did I get this idea?
Weellll...yesterday I was watching all these old movies: Willow, The
Princess Bride, and Clan of the Cave Bear. This story came from my
musings after my film festival was over. Pretty neat, huh? The
thought-talking panther is from an RPG I'm in. She's my character's
companion except I changed her name from Soria to Myrian...there were
just too many characters whose names started with and 'S' ya know. The
names all came from word-play...I think...
ANYWAY! Catch ya on the flip side!
~Artemis Luna Diana~
