Luna was surprised at how quickly the pain had faded from her transformed limbs. Once she’d finally gotten back to the house, she’d stopped in the lamplight to view her torn-apart hands to see the red claws protruding from between her fingers.
They were unlike the claws of any animals she’d ever seen - tipped with fine, bony protrusions and sharper than the scythe along their length, even after her butchery. The curious thing was how natural they felt to her. When she’d first seen Logan’s wings, she’d found them repulsive and alien and imagined with horror that she’d grow those of her own… but looking down on her ripped hands to look at the claws, she felt oddly at-ease, as if they were as natural as the fingers they had split apart.
“Thanks for the assist, girl.” She had muttered as they withdrew back into her skin to reveal a new feature of her body. There, in the deep wounds, she’d seen her for the first time - how her long, stringy growths tied the two ends of the wound together, closing it without spilling as much as a drop of blood. As if to thank her for the opportunity to unleash mayhem with her vehicle, the symbiote showered her with a memory of a particularly stimulating love-making, nearly depriving her of her feet with the unexpectedness of the memory.
When she wandered further into the light of the brazier, the night-owls of Longmire eyed her with wide apertures and she was made aware of just how much blood she’d sprayed on herself.
“Not mine. Found some meat out there.” She informed. As if it was the most natural thing out in the swamp, they nodded approvingly and tipped their furry caps in her direction, as if to welcome her into the life in Longmire. They never even reacted to the scrap of meat she had in her right hand as proof of her conquest.
Jorn and Serah had sat at their end of the table and listened to the recount with a keen interest, ‘ooo’ing and ‘aaa’ing at all the right moments. Abraham, however, was still horrified looking at the blueish tentacle laid out on the table. So far, he was yet to kill a single Monstrum, but Luna had done so with her… however enhanced… hands.
The tendril lay atop the wood, still bleeding while Luna gave her matter-of-factly report, much to the approval of their host, who waited until the end of her tail to sigh and nod.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“Well, congrats on findin’ her in your body. It ain’t perfect, but it’s a start- you’ll find she’s all over you once you start lookin’...” He nodded approvingly at the tentacle and smiled a shallow, pained smile.
“But this is bad news. If the meat’s gettin’ closer, we’re gonna have to move soon…” He smirked bitterly towards Serah, who seemed to share in his melancholy at the prospect.
Whatever disgust Abraham had felt until that point washed away on a single tear running down Serah’s cheek as she looked down at the table.
Abraham questioned: “What do you mean move? Like, the whole village?” Jorn looked up from the table to shake his head. “Just the folks. Braille and Zeke’s gonna come, too, but… we ain’t got the food to keep the rest of ‘em.” Serah raised her palms to her face and sniffled into her hands.
“What!? No - that’s bullshit!” Luna slammed her hand into the table and shouted - rising to her feet to point an accusatory finger down the table. “You can’t just up and leave! You’re warriors - strong warriors! We could find the hive and kill it - we can burn it!” Jorn’s lips remained thin and pained as he shook his head slowly.
“Maybe if I was in my youth. Maybe if Toofy was with us… but I’m too old and I can’t risk us goin’. Won’t be no one ‘round to take care of Zeke, Braille and the rest of ‘em out there.”
Abraham rose up from the bench - as infuriated as Luna was, albeit with a slight difference in his motives.
“Then we’ll go! M-Miss Luna, I can make fire - a lot of fire. Sir - Serah, I can burn it - I’m sure of it. The mire’s got everything I need!” Upon hearing his courageous offer, Serah looked up from her hands, as beautiful as ever. Her tan cheeks were streaked with tears, yet the heart-breaking smile contorting her lips was as sad as ever.
Jorn raised a flat palm in protest and decidedly spoke: “Ain’t none of ya going for no hive. You can barely swing a weapon’ and your meat’s just a babby. I’m sorry, but we’re gonna need to take a few days off of our trainin’ for the move and the cullin’.” He was obviously pained as he spoke the dreary words.
“I’m sorry, Abraham, but you can’t go either. You still got a lotta trainin’ to do before you can go up against the meat. I-...” Serah trailed off before resuming to cry into her palms.
Luna was enraged - furious as could be and her outrage echoed from the back of her mind. She hadn’t known the symbiote for very long, but the flashing memories of the hounds playing - and most importantly - Pupper’s empty stare spoke enough to know that they were in agreement. Lastly, she glanced to her side to see the half-bald, facial-hair-free Abraham nod at her with narrowed eyes of determination.
They were definitely going.