Stretched on a seat, she marveled over her regrown leg. Not even a mark was left over from the stubbed leg. It was not that she did not know that she could regenerate, but she never considered the fact that entire limbs could be lost and her body would grow one back.

A fire burned the early evening night, casting long shadows across the flat ground. Lady Hammer appeared before them, carrying a huge dead animal over her shoulders.

“Bulldillo is on the menu tonight!” Announced Lady Hammer.

A giant plated creature the size of a horse was tossed before Grusha, another anomaly created from the great World Light’s event many years ago. It was an over-mutated armadillo that grew into unreasonable proportions, the animal was bulky and wide. Grusha grimaced, bitter and bile odors reeked from the dead creature.

“You’re going to eat something as vile as that?” Grusha questioned. Surprised by even the thought of eating this.

“Yay!” A girl popped out from the camper, energetically running towards the bulldillo. She was hopping excitedly over the monstrous thing, salivating in full anticipation to eat meat. “Yum-yum-yum.” She repeated.

Aput rested a hand on her shoulder. “Enyo is a fine cook, she can make the most distasteful meats into a wonderful meal to eat.”

Grusha narrowed her eyes, darting eyes between him and Lady Hammer. Hammer was examining her game carefully, trying to decide what cuts to make.

“What?” Aput asked. Confused from her reaction.

“You called her Enyo.” Grusha gestured at Lady Hammer.

“Of course, that is her name.”

“For how long have you called her by that name?” Grusha questioned.

“Over five years now.”

“I see.”

The little girl slipped in between Grusha’s legs, bobbing her little head up.

“Surprise!” She quipped.

Grusha growled at the little girl, not amused by her disrespectful interruption. Eyes glowed red and quills frilled, her neck stretched over the little girl.

“Grusha!” Aput yelled at her.

He was abhorred by her unwarranted overreaction to a little girl’s childish frolickery, there was no harm from that. Grusha's reaction was even peculiar to her, she had no reason to act like her. Something inside of her compelled her to behave like that, even though she personally did not want to.

Kill her. Kill them. A voice whispered in her mind. Ominous and familiar, it disturbed her to the core.

Hammer stopped what she was preoccupied with, eyeing Grusha with suspicion. Settling her quills down, her hair rested and draped down her backside again. The eyes calmed down from the red glow, reverting back to their soothing gray color. Grusha gripped at her silky dark hair, scratching her head as she muttered to herself.

“Agatha dear, go back to momma. Auntie Grusha is not feeling well, let’s give her sometime.”

“Ok!” She piped cheerfully.

Running up to Hammer, her mother combed her hair back. “Momma, auntie sounds funny.” She giggled.

“Does she? I suppose that is good, anything funny for my little girl is a good thing.” She booped Agatha’s nose with her finger. “Hey, you know what my little princess could do?”

“What?”

“You can help momma carve.”

Agatha took an excited deep breath, jumping immediately onto her laps in giggly jitters. Lady Hammer fell backwards, stumbling onto her bottom. They laughed from the awkward fall.

Hammer drew a dagger from her belt, carving through the thick plating of the creature. The insides of the animal was less pungent than outside, having an extremely gamey allure to it on Grusha taste buds.

“I don’t think I have an appetite.” Grusha lied.

Truthfully, she was extremely hungry, but with them acting completely normal was making it all the more awkward for her. Standing up to leave and wander aimlessly in the wilderness, she wanted to be left alone for the time being.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

“Grusha. Where are you heading?” Aput asked.

She ignored him.

“Grusha?” Lady Hammer asked worryingly.

“Wait!” Aput ordered her from behind.

She stopped in her tracks, her toes dug into the tough earth. Being ordered around was not in her nature, few ever dared to order around. Only reason she would comply would stem from a life-debt or their clear superiority. Her head whipped around, sending her hair flying in the air. Angered that Aput would treat her like a child who would order her around.

Aput rushed up to her, as always, he was sincere and nonintrusive. “Let me join you.”

Grusha turned around, ignoring what he said. Wandering away.

He let Lady Hammer know what he was doing. “Enyo dear, I’ll keep Grusha company. If we’re not back by the time you’re finished, just go ahead and start eating without us.”

“Aye. Be wary, coyotes are amok as of late.” Lady Hammer warned Aput.

“Aye. Noted.”

She beat her chest. “Holler my name, I’d settle any dispute if Grusha snaps at you.”

Aput chuckled. “You’re just looking for a reason to wrestle with a worthy opponent again.”

“Aye, guilty as charged. A rematch would surely impress the gods of Greater Olympus.”

Turning around and catching up to her, Aput kept pace with Grusha as they walked silently in a straight line. After walking for half-an-hour, Grusha slumped to the ground. Staring blankly at the ground.

“Is everything alright?” Aput asked.

Genuine concern was in his tone.

“You’re voice.” She started.

“What about it?”

“You sound older, you smell different, and you taste different.”

“Aye. I guess I have aged some.”

“And you sound happy.”

A pause.

“Is that what’s bothering you?” Aput asked.

Silence.

Aput sighed. “I remember us making a promise six years ago, back during that night my…” His voice trailed off.

He smelled defeated, his aura completely changed to something a bit more sullen. It also tasted peaceful, as if he had made some amends over the past.

“Do you remember what happened that night?” He finished.

“As yesterday.”.

He chuckled nervously. “I guess for you it would seem only a day had passed. Funny enough, even though it had been six long years, for me it was as if it were yesterday too. When you left the village and I saw everything being brought down to nothing, I was ready to accept that fate.”

“But I came back.” Grusha finished his thought.

“Yes, you came back, and that gave me a new purpose.”

“You found yours?”

“Of course, I’ve been asking for another opportunity. A chance to be the one to demonstrate compassion first, and make a judgement based on the character and not the heritage.”

Grusha lifted her head from between her knees. “Another opportunity, you mean to say you made a different choice with someone before I?”

“Aye.” His fingers massaged his wedding ring finger. There was no band, but the quirk was sign enough he was a widower.

“What was her name?”

Aput took a deep breath. “Rose. She was the cheeriest person I’ve ever met, and I was the most reserved man that there was.”

“I’d find that hard to believe, you being reserved sounds more like me.”

He chuckled nervously. “Aye, I ‘suppose you are right in that regard.”

“A demi killed her?”

“Not a demi, a monster. Both her and my daughter were victims of this monster. The thing is, prior to losing them, I had a choice. I chose poorly. Ever since, I wanted to see if I was wrong, tormented everyday to live with that guilt.”

“How many years was this?”

“Close to a decade ago. I tried to let go by returning to my home village, and my family knew of the conflict I suffered, so they tried to convince me what I had done was the right thing.”

A long pause.

“I…” Grusha started. “I came back because I wanted to be with you. You’re the first real connection I’ve experienced, it distorted my reality and rocked the foundation that I was raised upon.”

A pause.

“Go on.” Aput urged.

She sighed. “I too want another opportunity, a chance to show compassion first. There is so much I must make up for, but I do not know where to begin.”

He leaned back and looked up at the starry sky. “Well, that is a start to say the least. To know you have to make up for damage done.”

“But it is not enough.”

“I wouldn’t say that, for the time being, it is enough. A thought gives rise to the seed, and from it flourishes produce. Give it time, and you’ll see where to go from there.”

“I guess.”

There was a brief silence between them, they had nothing more to discuss.

“Come on, let’s join back with the others. Food should be done now.”

“It is.” Grusha remarked.

“You can tell all the way from here?”

“The aroma is in the air, I can taste seared meat.”

“Well then, let’s head back. I’m starving, how about you?”

Her stomach growled loudly, betraying what she had said earlier.

“I guess that answers that.” Aput said.

They made the long walk back to the campfire, the closer the goat the more tantalizing the aromas became. She had to confess that Hammer’s cooking skills were exceptional, especially considering that she was more of a warrior than anything else. The rest of the evening was uneventful, with Grusha feasting in the darkness by herself. Aput, Enyo and Agatha laughed and ate together, happy in each other's company. This only further reminded how lonely Grusha felt.