\|/ Turn 16, dark
I'm getting ill.
I woke up extremely late this turn.
My left arm was scorching under the bandages. On the edges I saw that the scales weren't yellow, but a sick dark brown. The air tasted like rot.
"I did this to myself" I told myself in the empty tent. If I hadn't used my own damn body as bait in the worst possible way, I wouldn't have gotten this infection.
I need to help Mik, I thought to myself.
I just left Mik for a couple of turns, and I need to properly apologize. And since I can't do that verbally, I can do it by action.
I went to push myself up with my arms to stand up.
And I immediately crumpled to my left side. The pain that shot up my arm when I put weight on it was agonizing.
I lay down on my back, staring at the ceiling.
"At least my back doesn't hurt anymore…" I told myself; not at all reassuring when I can't use my left arm.
I touched the scales on where the thorns used to be. Still utterly deformed, but they didn't hurt anymore. The injury was healed.
Rather, the disfigurement was final.
Not wanting to continue lying in my own sorrow, I tried getting up again. This time I got up from a sitting position, helping myself with only my right arm.
I managed to get up this time, but I was immediately lightheaded and swayed dangerously. I caught myself on a post before I fell.
I'm going to be very useful like this, aren't I?
I managed to take a few wobbly steps and finally got outside.
The red dwarf was already high in the sky, going towards setting. It was past midlight. I had slept in.
I took a few moments to adjust to the light and went to search for Mik. It was cold now, even during light. At least it wasn't to the point of me seeing my breath.
"Mik!" I hissed to the forest. I couldn't see it.
I continued walking around wobblily, searching for it. I could carry wood or something.
I just want to be near it. I finally admitted to myself. I missed Mik.
I made my way around the tent when I finally heard some ruffling noises near a bush.
What I saw horrified me.
Mik was hunched over the corpse. It wasn't eating it, if only it was just that.
No, Mik was taking the cloak, and removing it piece by piece.
I arrived as it was removing another piece that it was intending to add to a pile. Mik held the cloak part, a round end connected with a sharp point that used to be embedded into the shadow, a perfect black color. Mik flailed its arm at me lightly when it noticed me, still holding the part.
I was so utterly surprised and horrified that I immediately collapsed to the ground and vomited. Dark thoughts harassed me.
Imagine if that was you. Scale by scale.Piece by piece.
It was removing the shadows "scales". One by one.
Mik hurried over to me and quickly crouched next to me, patting me on the back, careful of exposed thorns through my cloak.
It was too much for me. I continued panting, staring at the desiccated body. It stared back, worse than before.
Then, I lost consciousness, falling into my own vomit.
Suddenly, I was in the tent, Mik standing over me. It was warm, the warmest I ever remembered. There was the taste of meat in the air.
Just like when I saw the living shadow in my wake-dream, I couldn't move. I was staring into the celling. I was completely uncovered.
And Mik was standing over me, baring its teeth wildly. Its pupils were not one, but many. Far too many.
"Oooooooooh look who's awake!" it told me.
I can understand it!?
"Here's our brave little hatchling, who hunted things far bigger than her!"
The teeth baring vanished into an expression of pure hate.
"And left me to die."
I'm sorry Mik, I wanted to get food for you, you were healing!
"Oh, don't lie to me, Maya. You had no idea whether I even need protein. I could be herbivorous for all you know. You were hunting for yourself."
But-
"Now, now. No excuses. You wanted to have a bit of fun, and you had the perfect target. A little vendetta of yours, hm? The perfect excuse."
…
I would take it all back, if I could. I'm sorry…
"Oh now, you're sorry? How quaint. But I assure you, you can take it all back."
Mik took its hatchet. Its left arm was somehow healed and holding my left arm that with awful brown color. It was unbandaged, the wound directly in the air. The air taste was overwhelming.
It brought the hatchet against my scales, near the wound.
"Saying I'm herbivorous was a bit of a joke." MIk laughed. "I'm not."
"But that thing you caught? Bleh, black blood. You, however..."
Mik brought the hatchet between scales and started prying.
PLEASE NO!! PLEASE I'M SORRY!
" Oh, Maya, all is forgiven. What is it to you, just a bit of 'biomass', it's infected anyways, might as well remove the problem…" Mik's voice distorted.
It continued prying my scale.
And then my scale snapped with a loud crack.
I snapped upwards.
"NOOO!" I yelled into the tent.
Mik ran over to me, crouching quickly.
I tried to claw its face off.
It quickly dodged and took a step back.
Then, I took a proper look around the tent.
I was in the same spot, but I had my cloak and blanket on me. Mik had its splint. In the middle of the room there was something cooking over the fire, held up by makeshift cooking platform made by sticks. It was completely dark outside.
My arm was brown and extremely painful, but still in bandages.
Mik was standing now, staring at me with wide eyes, arms held up, palms facing me.
Horror and realization dawned on me.
I was dreaming. Like with the shadow.
And I almost hurt Mik again.
I immediately grabbed its leg near me, wailing that I'm sorry.
It seemed to realize I wasn't trying to hurt it again and patted me on the right arm.
After a few moments I let go and let myself breathe. The sickness was getting worse. I was so utterly cold, despite being next to the fire, under my cloak and blanket.
Mik slowly stood up. It went to the fire and took the thing cooking on top of it off.
I took it and stared at it.
It was black, but not from being burnt, but the meat itself. It was from the shadow. Mik had cooked it. Its air taste was actually palatable.
I immediately felt repulsed. I couldn't eat anything; my stomach was still cramped, and I had a sick taste in my mouth. I handed the bowl back to Mik.
Mik breathed deeply once and took a few steps, hiding the bowl from me and putting something inside and pressing it in.
I was too distraught thinking about everything that had just happened to concentrate on Mik.
It came back a few moments later and handed me the bowl. I pushed it away. Mik then shoved the bowl into my arms. I looked down.
The same meat was there, but now there were some berries over it, some smushed and some whole. It looked like a very poor attempt at a gourmet meal.
I laughed once, incredulous. Mik was acting as if I were a disobedient pet and it had to "prepare" the meal for me.
I looked at Mik, who was now crouching next to me.
"I'm still not eating this, Mik. I mean I just had a nightmare where you-"
As I was rambling, Mik snuck its arm behind my head and shoved my head into the food.
As my snout was open while I was talking, some of the food got into it, and a lot of the food was on it.
"MMH!"
I went to spit it out from sheer shock, but I managed to hold myself back.
I chewed a few times and swallowed. The berries were good as usual, and the meat was… chewy. It did not have the best taste, but it was edible enough.
I looked back at Mik, now with food over my entire snout.
Then we both burst into laughter.
"You idiot!" I said between laughs.
After quite a bit of laughter I finally cleaned my snout off and continued eating. It felt wrong, my stomach wasn't at all happy, but Suns know it, I needed the food. Mik managed to ground me with its stupid act.
Mik, after making sure I was eating, took another bowl with the same meat and ate. I "discussed" the meal with it as we were eating. Of course, no understanding, but it reciprocated.
Now I'm writing everything here. We both ate and Mik is writing to its journal.
Mik just chuckled again, I'm going to throw something at it.
Now Mik is just mocking me.
I threw a pebble at it. It bounced off harmlessly of course. Mik then made a few gestures.
It took its hand and "slammed" its head downwards, then it quickly recoiled, "chewed" and crossed its arms. Then it laughed at itself.
I'm still laughing as I'm writing this.
How can I have these awful dreams of Mik torturing me, when it actually makes a hobby out of mocking me? The sight of it de-cloaking the shadow was horrifying, but the shadow was already dead. My act was far worse…
At least Mik knows how to cheer me up.
Even if it includes slamming my snout into food.
I need to think of a way to get back at it…