in collaboration with @Anima
Alyssa
KimberlyFlirting was an art, and Alyssa was just starting to realize how woefully uneducated in the subject she was. Small half promises, witty remarks, suggestive gazes and words. It was fun sure, but it was also driving her heart a little crazy. Maybe that was the point though, she was just wondering in mild awe at the ease with which Kimmy flirted.
She laughed at her own introspection suddenly.
"How do you do this so easily? Everytime you open your mouth my head gets a little fuzzy, and everytime I respond I swear I'll turn purple!"Dozing off for the past few minutes, the sleepiness faded when Alyssa laughed. Kimberly looked over with an eyebrow raised. She inched a bit towards Alyssa.
"It helps when there's chemistry," she said.
"Otherwise? Having a wonderfully infectious personality never hurts."Alyssa grinned, turning towards Kimmy.
"Chemistry huh? Is that the cause of both nervous butterflies in my stomach, yet strange sense of comfort? Crazy stuff." She sighed happily.
"You do have a way of keeping everybody smiling, something I've always admired.""Super crazy," Kimberly said. She laughed.
"You admire that I'm the center of attention? It's nice when you're with a ton of people. You know me, I thrive in crowds. But you know? It sucks when noone's around. Extrovert struggles. Doesn't help that sometimes folks think you're flirting on them. Still trying to find that line. I wish I was more in the middle of the spectrum. Extreme's suck.""Extrovert struggles huh?" Alyssa laughed and rolled onto her back.
"I'd just be happy if being surrounded by people didn't feel like drowning. I do suppose I handle isolation better though, keeping myself company and all that. I just think it's awesome how you can handle the attention of so many people and not get overwhelmed, even thinking about something like that makes me a little sick.""See? I couldn't fathom being in a space all alone. It sounds ... lonely. People never really scared me off. How do I put it? Everyone I talk to is like a reenergizer. That doesn't mean I don't get nervous though. I figure everyone's a touch nerved when talking to stranger. I suppose that's what keeps everything 'controlled' for me."Turning her head towards Kimberly she grinned.
"As for people thinking you're flirting with them, has it ever occurred to you that you might be a shameless flirt?" She winked.
Kimberly laughed and shook her head.
"But I'm not! Well, not intentionally anyway. I'm just really friendly? Friendly affection," she said. Moving over, Kimberly rested her head on Alyssa's stomach.
"I'm only ever intentionally flirty with a certain someone."Alyssa's mouth opened several times with the start of a witty reply. These were days of realization for Alyssa it would seem, as the thought that she might haunt her girlfriend's thoughts as much as she did her own occurred to her suddenly. It was a strange thing to be held in such a regard, stranger even than someone else's face at the front of your heart. It was on one hand invigorating, and on the other limiting. She wondered if Kimmy felt the same small pressure to live up to her expectations as she did.
Everything had a price though. For these moments, and all the ones to come the worry and restrictions were a small price to pay. Alyssa's hand found Kimmy's, intertwining their fingers happily.
"How'd you get to be so perfect Kimmy?" She said, simply voicing her feelings at the moment.
Giving Alyssa's hand a gentle squeeze, Kimberly rolled her eyes at Alyssa's comment.
"I still have my flaws too, Lyssa," she said.
"Plus, perfect would be kind of boring anyway."She tilted her head to shift her focus from the tent's ceiling to Alyssa.
"You ever think back to when we first met? Good lord, I still remember the quiet angry girl I stumbled upon. Not really sure how it happened, but you really changed. Alot." Pursing her lips, Kimberly really had no idea where she was going with this. No idea whatsoever.
"Stranger to best friend to girlfriend. What a progression. Honest truth? I wasn't comfortable with you at all when we first met. Now? Super comfy."Still trying to piece together where she was going with this, maybe there wasn't a need to have some grand logic behind it. Maybe it was okay just to spew the nonsense.
Alyssa laughed.
"I still am a quiet angry girl most days. I just have more to smile about now. Besides, you might beat me up if I get into too many fights." She sighed.
"I certainly wouldn't have blamed you, I wasn't comfortable with myself much back then. I'm getting there though, slowly but surely. I have you to thank for that, you just keep taking me places I never expected I'd be. From a friend to a girlfriend."Kimberly blushed.
"Let's see how you feel about that when constantly fight block you. I'm sure you'll go completely mental," she said.
"But I'm always here for you Lyssa. Just like back then. Just like now. Yes?"The silence between them didn't last long. A howl came from outside followed by a cacophony of screams. The atmosphere ruined, Kimberly sat up and looked towards the tent flap. Her heart hammered against her chest. She wished she had her hunting rifle with her. Even with the freak accident, the wilderness felt just a tad bit safer with her long arms than without.
Before she could say anything, the tent entrance was ripped open by massive claws. Raw, virulent pain surged through her body as the massive wolf bit into her shoulder. Kimberly screamed. The smell of something coppery becoming more potent as the wolf's sharp teeth sunk in ever deeper.
Alyssa's first thought was to flee as the wolf clawed its way into her tent. She'd never know what the second was, as Kimmy's scream catalysed a strange alchemy in her mind. In the space of a heartbeat Alyssa's fear boiled away into an insensate rage. Scrambling to a crouch she launched herself at the beast, her mind clear of anything other than muderous intent.
When Kimberly thought the pain couldn't get any worse, she felt the wolf's grip shift to the side as it tore deeper into the mixture of blood, muscle, fat, and whatever else was in there.
She was no longer screaming as her body dulled the pain. Instead of intense pulses of agony, it turned into an ache and flaired whenever the teeth changed positions.
Feeling a claw against her chest, the pressure from the wolf's bite disappeared as something sharp racked across her abdomen. Falling back, she stared upwards to the tent's ceiling. It hurt to move. She stayed as still as possible.
Alyssa continued her assault, gazing on in horror as blood pour from fresh wounds on Kimberly's flesh. Her fists pounded against the wolf's side impotently as it seemed to ignore her in favor of continuing to maul Kimberly.
'Find something vulnerable' she told herself, even the voice of her inner thoughts sounded like it was coming from another room.
Her thumb found its way to the wolfs eye, pressing down with the intention of gouging it out. That the beast did not seem to like, finally rearing back from Kimberly and turning on Alyssa. There was a moment when their eyes locked, it hung in the air for what seemed like minutes, but was more likely even less than a second, before it launched itself at her.
Somewhere far away, Alyssa noted that she was in pain. A mild itch came over her arm as the wolf's teeth sunk in. She'd read somewhere that you were supposed to push into a dog's maw if they bit you, to prevent them from doing so again, so she did. All the while her other fist continued to batter her foe's head and snout.
Surprised, the wolf rose its paws to claw at Alyssa's lower stomach and hips in an attempt to escape, opening up long jagged wounds along the girl's lower body. Its head shook side to side, fighting to break free. With a loud crack the strength faded from Alyssa's arm, and the beast finally pulled away. With a snort her blood sprayed from its maw as it turned and fled back into the night. Leaving the girls in various states of disrepair.
'My arm's broken, that's gonna fucking suck' Alyssa spoke to herself again internally as she turned apprehensively towards Kimberly, who had fallen eerily silent during the attack.
"K-Kimmy...?"Cognizant of Alyssa's struggles against the wolf, Kimberly had the mental capability to understand or track what was happening with her girl. Instead, Kimberly continued to remain still and not say anything. She tried to inch her body into moving, but it only exacerbated her wounds. The bite and claws dug deep. In her mind that was.
Hearing her name, Kimberly's eyes roamed over to Alyssa. There was something wrong with her. She was bleeding and her arm was ... odd looking. Feeling the blood continue to trickle out from her stomach and shoulder, she forced herself to reach towards a nearby cloth.
"The ... bleeding," she said as she took deep breaths.
"We have to stop ... your bleeding.""Huh?" Alyssa took a glance down at her stomach and hips. She cringed as she saw the long, weeping wounds.
"I-I don't..." Tears formed in her eyes as panic nearly overwhelmed her.
She grew pale and shaky as the adenaline fled her limbs. Suddenly she could feel burning, ragged pain in too many places to track. Her arm was almost numb, but for a throbbing ache that flared every time she attempted to move it.
Alyssa took deep, labored breaths as she fought to calm herself. Retrieving the scraps of her shirt she layed down next to Kimberly. Pressing half over the wound on Kimberly's shoulder, she applied steady pressure. The other half she draped over her own lower body, resting her ruined arm over it and hoping for the best.
"Can you reach your cell?"Cringing from Alyssa's pressure on her shoulder bite, Kimberly whimpered. She knew she wasn't the only one hurt. Alyssa's arm was probably broken, her arm bitten by that crazed animal, and her side was shreaded. Compared to her, Kimberly could live with that claws on her stomach. Her shoulder though? All she could think of was losing all chances of an athletic scholarship. It was such a stupid thought.
Forcing herself to reach into her pocket, Kimberly took out her cell phone.
"No service ... out here. Remember?"Alyssa shivered. One look down told her that her hope for the best strategy wasn't going all that well.
"Damn... " She shook her head against her deepening fatigue.
"We've got to figure something out... don't we?"Dropping her phone to the ground, Kimberly went back to her vegetable state. Even the smallest movement hurt. As bad as it sounded, she preferred getting shot to the wolf beast's assault. Bullets were localized and clean. Unless they splintered. The wolf? Not local, not clean, and jerked like a rave dancer.
Still cognizant of the blood trickling out of her shoulder, a lethargic calm overcame her. Kimberly wasn't sure if it was from the blood loss or the shock. Either could be responsible as far as she was concerned.
"We ... why don't we just wait for someone," she said a bit slurred.
"Someone will come ...""That doesn't seem like much of a plan." Alyssa struggled to gather her thoughts. Kimmy's voice didn't sound right, and she'd been too quiet for too long. She increased the pressure on her wound.
"Kimmy? Stay with me ok?"Kimberly tensed her jaw when the pressure increased on her shoulder.
"Still here ... still here." She offered a strained smile.
"Sometimes doing nothing is the right thing ... I'm tired..."Seeing light spider around Alyssa's tall, strong frame, Kimberly tore her eyes away from her wounded guardian angel to the source of the light. A man stood at the entrance. She recognized the uniform. EMTs. She saw them every day at the hospital.
She raised a hand.
"... Help ..."Alyssa'd never been so relieved to see another human being in her life. She turned and flashed him her brightest smile, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
"Thank god, please help her." She continued to apply pressure.
Staring at the two girls, the EMT looked towards his colleagues and called them over. Not wasting any time, he took out his emergency pack and began to take over. "Don't worry, I've got you," he said to the two. "Just hang on."
When the other EMTs converged on the tent, Kimberly felt herself lifted onto a stretcher after whatever emergency stuff they did. Before she completely left the tent, she tapped the hand of one of the EMTs.
"Alyssa..""Someone's got her dear," said a female EMT. "You'll see her at the hospital. Promise."
Back at the tent, the first EMT stared wide eye at the wound, the definite broken arm, and the bite on the arm. Another stretcher was quickly brought over. Another EMT and he helped Alyssa onto the stretcher.
"Relax," he said. "We'll make a short trip to the hospital and get you patched up."
"Relax? I think I can manage that." Alyssa's... everything was catching up with her.
"Kimmy's fine right? I... I'm gonna sleep for awhile I think. That... sounds nice." Her eyes fluttered closed.
