Lyanne awoke at the edge of twilight, the dim orange of sunset creeping away beyond the gushing waterfall. She rubbed her eyes, accidentally poking herself in the nose, having forgotten she was still transformed. She glanced around the cave groggily, still sapped of energy, her muscles aching and underfed. After a second she realized Amora was gone. Her eyes flew open and she began to panic, but she needn't have worried. The water parted magically before her and a much cleaner-looking Enchantress stood before her.
"How filthy I was," she said conversationally, her light voice strangely loud enough to be heard over the rushing water behind her. "Nothing like a good bath."
Lyanne nodded slowly. Amora realized how awkward the situation was and knelt before her, groaning.
"Just because I don't tire as easily as you mortals doesn't mean I don't tire at all. If I'm feeling worn out, I can scarcely imagine your situation."
Lyanne tried to respond, but all she could do was croak feebly and nod. Amora lifted an eyebrow and conjured a dish from the stone beneath them, filling it with water from the fall and using her magic to purify it. She placed it into Lyanne's hands cautiously, nodding for her to drink. Lyanne was suspicious at first, but her tongue was dry and her throat burned, and she gave in to the cool, clear water in the dish before her. She stifled a laugh as Lyanne began to lap it up with her long animalistic tongue, but Amora stopped after a moment, as if realizing her poor manners. Lyanne didn't care; she was so thirsty, manners and etiquette were the least of her worries. When she had reached the bottom of the bowl, her long tongue scraping for the last drops, Amora filled it once more, purifying it. She sat silently this time as Lyanne finished gulping it down noisily, like a dog. When she was finished, she gasped with relief, leaning back against the cave wall and sighing with pleasure.
"How long can we stay here?" she asked.
"Not long, I'm afraid; they'll discover us soon enough if we're not careful. Not that being careful got you this far, anyway."
Lyanne smirked, baring a long fang. Amora studied her for a second before haltingly asking her the question both of them had been avoiding.
"Why did you rescue me?"
Lyanne shook her head, contemplating.
"It was obviously for a good reason," Amora said airily, not sure she believed it herself.
"For a couple reasons," she said, raising her eyebrows. "But they seemed better at that moment than they do now."
"I told you not to become delusional," she joked.
"I should have listened," Lyanne laughed.
They sat for another silent moment before she continued.
"I guess I should just be honest and blunt at this point," Lyanne said with a sigh.
"That would be best."
"I thought that maybe if I freed you, not only would it be punishing SHIELD for our poor treatments…"
"…Not that they weren't well-deserved," Amora interrupted as Lyanne laughed and nodded in assent.
"Yes, deserved, but… still... Anyway - not only would SHIELD be getting punished, but - and here's the crazy part - I was thinking I could… confront Loki. With your help."
"I thought you only kept your betrayals to once a month?" Amora said mockingly. "You really are a traitor."
"I'm also a liar," she snickered.
"Then how do I know you're not lying to me about something? For instance, what if I help you find your loverboy? What then?"
"Then you're free to go. I don't need you to help me battle him or whatever you Asgardians do when you've got vendettas against one another - I just want you to help me find him. That's all."
"But what if," Amora said, leaning in closely and hissing in her ears, "I do want to fight him?"
"That's your prerogative. But wait until after I'm done saying goodbye."
"You really are such a sentimental creature," Amora said harshly.
"Yeah," Lyanne admitted sadly, "But I don't care. I want to be able to look him in the face when I ask him why he did what he did."
"He tried to kill you - why wouldn't you try to kill him? Seek revenge? It's hard to trust you when your motives make no sense. Not that I would trust you if they did, mind you."
"Because I love him."
"Really?" Amora asked incredulously, scoffing, amusement in her voice. "Even after what he did?"
"Of course," she said defensively, but firmly. "No matter what."
Amora shrugged and leaned back against the cave wall as Lyanne did, lacing her long, sorceress' fingers together and letting out a soft sigh of resignation.
"You know what would make this evening better?"
"Hmm?"
"Some food," Amora said.
"I thought you didn't need to eat much?"
"I've been starving myself for at least a week, maybe two. I lost track of the days. I ate bits here and there, sparingly, so they wouldn't notice," she said almost guiltily. "Also, the water from the shower helped. I think a celebratory meal, in honor of our mutual freedom, is definitely in order."
"What do you suggest? It's not like I can walk to the nearest burger joint and get us a bag full of hot grease. I'm not even sure where we are, exactly… plus, so close to SHIELD? If I walked into public…"
"You have claws, don't you?" she asked quietly.
It took Lyanne a moment before her brain could process Amora's thinking. It had just never occurred to her - she had never hunted anything in her life. A small tumult began within her; she didn't want to kill anything, but she didn't want to starve, either.
"I've never hunted. I'm not even sure I could do it. Also, I'm still pretty weak - I don't know if I have the energy to go tracking down a deer or something."
"How about a rabbit?"
Lyanne made a sad, dismayed face. "I had a pet rabbit as a kid," she whimpered.
"For pity's sake," groaned Amora. "Just go get something or we're going to starve. You think you're worn out now? Try moving in the morning when you've gone another 8 hours without food."
"Fine, fine, fine, I might know some edible roots around here, maybe onion grass or something," she moaned, standing unsteadily on her feet and rubbing her stomach. Amora enchanted the stones to make steps again, and Lyanne snuck over to the soft earth, the sun almost completely set and the forest alive with sounds.
Lyanne did her best to pad softly along the pine needle-strewn woods, but she was malnourished and exhausted and every shuffling step seemed to echo for miles. It was getting darker and harder to see, and she walked straight into a bush full of thorns.
"Damnit!" she snapped, walking back out of the brambles carefully.
She tried to examine herself in the dim light and saw dark stains on her white fur. Lyanne looked at it curiously, wondering where she had been cut. She sniffed it - it wasn't blood that coated her hands, it was raspberry juice. She knelt down carefully and squinted, recognizing the small wild berries instantly and immediately starting to pluck them, cramming as many into her mouth as she placed into a pile for Amora, trying to be equal. She was so involved in gathering the fruit that she didn't even hear the slow, shuffling gait approaching from behind until she felt hot breath on her shoulder. Turning her head carefully, she came snout-to-snout with a very large bear.
It roared at her and swiped a large, clawed paw in her direction, making contact with the side of her face. Her face immediately felt hot and sore, her teeth were jarred in their sockets and her eyes felt like they were going to burst. It was blinding, searing pain, but luckily it had been a warning swipe and the animal had not used its claws. Lyanne rolled away respectfully, allowing room for the bear to eat its fill of the berries, but it no longer seemed interested. It followed her, snorting, opening its floppy-lipped mouth and revealing teeth almost as sharp as her own. Lyanne crouched down in a submissive gesture, but this wasn't much use on a bear - it tried to attack her again, and once more she rolled away, but only just. The bear stood up on its haunches, taller than Lyanne, letting out a foul, rank-breathed roar and falling back down, charging. She tried to weigh her options quickly but soon adrenaline rushed through her and a new, unfamiliar sensation swept over her, instinctual. She met the bear head-on, digging her teeth into its forearm deeply but getting only a mouthful of fur. She backed away quickly as the beast snarled angrily, stomping its paws upon the ground in rage. It charged her again and again Lyanne bit down, this time on its tender neck. Though she had not inflicted a deep wound, the bear roared in agony and Lyanne let go, dashing back into a defensive position, fighting as a dog fights. The animal howled, enraged from the bite, standing once more upon its haunches in a frightening gesture, and Lyanne took her shot before the bear could know what hit it. She drove her claws into its soft underbelly, raking along its stomach and using her back feet to savage it further. It cried out in agony and tried to back away, but Lyanne gored it further and it writhed against her, saturating both her and the forest floor with blood. She finally pulled away, removing her fist from the bear's stomach and retreating behind a large tree. Lyanne watched as it stumbled, fell, twitched, and finally, laid still against the ground, a final growl escaping its large snout.
Lyanne stood behind the tree for several minutes, dazed, her senses coming back to her slowly. After a little while, she felt it was safe to approach the bear's body, being careful to stay away from its formidable head and teeth. Examining it, she determined it to be dead, and stood over the body half-triumphantly, half-sorrowfully, contemplating. Leaving the pile of berries she had made undisturbed, Lyanne began to drag the carcass back to the cave slowly, hoping Amora had a large appetite.