z

Young Writers Society


Strengths, Smarts, and Subconsciousness



User avatar
935 Reviews



Gender: Other
Points: 2806
Reviews: 935
Tue May 11, 2021 5:16 am
View Likes
Shady says...



Jerica was glad when Eve finally dozed off. The silence between them had felt oppressive while she was still awake. And Eve had somehow made staring at ravenous wolves seem more preferable to having a conversation with her.

There was so much that Jerica needed to figure out. And, clearly, it was going to be on her to save them. Eve could probe her memories. Apparently. But Jerica had yet to see an actually useful skill emerge yet. So

She rubbed her face.

Someone was clearly orchestrating this. She'd been becoming progressively more and more convinced that it couldn't be someone that she knew from Beirania. At least, not one of the idiots who had come to her mind at first.

Whoever it was clearly had to be able to get between Beirania and Earth. And had to be able to abduct both of them without either of them knowing how. And was now managing to keep them both on the brink of death, despite her best efforts.

Was it an As'veri?

She forced herself to shake the thought away. She could deal with murder-wolves. She drew the line at having to fight with an As'veri. Been there. Done that. And vowed never again.

Jerica looked up as she heard Eve shift. Half a moment later she saw Eve falling past her. She leaned forward swiftly to try to grab her, but she was taken too off-guard, and Eve was out of her reach by the time she tried to catch her.

Jerica didn't have time to think.

There was Eve. And the wolves. And the two were about to meet. And that was going to go badly. And Jerica needed to help. And that was that. Jerica grasped her spear, kicked her foot over the branch, and threw herself off it.

She landed on the branch a few meters below her a moment after Eve grabbed onto it. Jerica's knees smarted but she reached to grab Eve to pull her onto the branch -- but there was no time. The wolf was there. "Fuck."

Jerica grasped her spear with both hands and stabbed at the wolf.

It was such an awkward angle. She was still crouching on the branch with both feet under her, and had to lean way forward to be able to get to the wolf before the wolf could get to Eve's legs.

Jerica stabbed as hard as she could.

Her spear sank deeper into the wolf's neck than she expected she'd be able to manage from this awkward angle. The wolf howled in agony as blood spurted from it. Jerica tried to yank her spear free, but just as she did the wolf jerked on its head, stumbling backward.

She was already perched precariously. And the extra pressure from the wolf is all it took to pull her the rest of the way off-balance. Jerica felt her stomach lurch as she fell head-first towards the ground, still clinging to her spear tightly with both hands. "Fuck!"

Jerica twisted so that she landed on her feet, on top of the wolf she'd just stabbed. She yanked the spear free as she stumbled off the wolf's corpse. She slipped in its blood, but caught her footing quickly, straightening her back. A moment later she saw the dozens of wolves now with their collective attention focused singularly on her.

"FUCK!" She jumped backward as the wolf nearest her lunged forward.

"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus
"From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf
"A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni
[they/he]
  





User avatar
147 Reviews

Supporter


Gender: Female
Points: 10085
Reviews: 147
Tue May 11, 2021 5:45 am
View Likes
Carina says...



Evaline barely had time to react when Jerica jumped down and stabbed the wolf about to nip at her feet. She stared with wide eyes for a moment, but without wasting another second, she heaved herself up and got back up to safety.

She felt her heart race as she watched Jerica defend herself because of her thoughtless action, but she knew she couldn't do anything. She didn't have a gun, and it wasn't like she could put the wolves in a chokehold position. Plus, she was weaker... So much weaker than what she used to be able to do.

Not physically weaker.

She couldn't do anything but stare, but she knew that in time, she could help. She just had to wait.

Wait to see how bad it was going to get for Jerica.
chaotic lazy
—Omni

the queen of memes
—InuYosha

secret supreme overlord of yws
—Atticus

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
—Anonymous Yelp Review
  





User avatar
935 Reviews



Gender: Other
Points: 2806
Reviews: 935
Tue May 11, 2021 6:17 am
View Likes
Shady says...



Jerica twisted in the nick of time, stabbing the wolf as came down on her. She grunted under it's weight and tossed it to the side, yanking her spear free again.

A force slammed into her back and drove her to the ground.

Fire tore through her as the wolf's claws ripped gashes down the length of her back. She flipped over and stabbed it in the underbelly, gasping for breath as she barely managed to get from under it as it collapsed on her.

She staggered to her feet.

There wasn't even a tunic to mitigate the damage. She could feel droplets of blood falling from the wounds on her back and splattering on her calves as she whirled around. She gritted her teeth and stabbed another wolf as it approached, barely holding back a whimper at how badly her back hurt at the movement.

Another wolf dove at her.

Jerica ducked under its attack, turning to drive the spear through its abdomen as it landed on the ground -- before it could stand up and try a fresh attack. She tried to yank her spear free. But saw -- half a moment too late -- that another wolf was coming at her from the left.

There was nowhere to go.

Nothing to do.

She screamed as its teeth dank through her left arm and its bodyweight drove her to the ground. The wolf was snarling and shaking its head to rip her upper arm as open as possible. Her vision flashed white from the pain.

It hurt too badly for her to speak. She panted heavily, right arm flailing to see where she'd dropped her spear. Instead, her hand landed on a rock, a bit bigger than both of her fists together. She grabbed the rock and slammed it into the wolf's head as hard as she could.

It whimpered and staggered backward. She hit it again. And again. Then she opened its mouth and physically pried its teeth out of her arm. Her head felt light. There were distinct teeth marks from almost to her shoulder to almost to her elbow -- deep and gruesome and freely dumping dark red blood.

Another wolf clamped down on her right leg. She howled in agony and grabbed for her spear. Her left arm was all but useless -- she couldn't force it to move to be able to grab the spear. And her back was so sore, the wounds getting battered and caked with mud the longer she was on the ground.

Jerica picked the spear up and stabbed it into the eye of the wolf gnawing her leg, but it didn't release its grasp. She barely muffled a sob and sat upright, driving the spear deeper into the wolf's eye, but it still didn't turn loose of her leg, even as it collapsed.

There were too many of them.

She couldn't win this one.

She should have just let the fucking bitch get mauled. But no. She'd had to play hero -- as always. And now she was going to die for it. Her vision swam. Her entire body screamed in sheer agony, making it hard to even draw a breath for how much pain she was in.

Teeth sank into her left shoulder and yanked her onto her back. She grunted, blinking stupidly in an attempt to clear her vision. But she couldn't make sense of what was happening. There was a blur of fur and teeth over her. The teeth came out of her shoulder and bit again -- this time, right where her neck and shoulder met.

Pain flooded through her entire body.

And then the darkness took her.

"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus
"From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf
"A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni
[they/he]
  





User avatar
147 Reviews

Supporter


Gender: Female
Points: 10085
Reviews: 147
Sat May 15, 2021 4:29 am
View Likes
Carina says...



Evaline couldn't do anything but watch with wide eyes as Jerica let out pained grunts when she tried to fight off the wolves. She couldn't help but notice that, as she continued to get mauled, her movements started to slow.

It didn't bother her anymore. The violence didn't bother her. The violence, the pain, the blood, the never-ending death. It seemed this was her legacy, even in a new world. To watch it happen and sit back, waiting for it to over before she could do anything.

...Why? Why did she do this?

Jerica didn't need to save her. But she did. She didn't ask her to. But she did anyways.

And now it was time for Evaline to save her.

Deep pain filled her heart as she saw Jerica's body start to limp from consciousness as blood gushed everywhere, and before the wolves could leap on top of her and bite through the last remnants of life she had life, Evaline tightly closed her eyes, taking a deep, deep breath, and letting the envelope of white fill her vision.

A ringing filled her ears as she could feel her surroundings melt away and she felt the time being unwound, going backwards. This felt short. Maybe a minute or two. That was all that was needed.

She opened her eyes again right in time with a sharp breath, back on top of the branch, and catching herself before she was able to slip away like she did earlier.

Evaline immediately sat up, feeling her heart beat still pounding against her chest.

It was okay. They were okay. The wolves were still prowling beneath them, but Jerica was just below her, keeping the silence between them.

But Evaline didn't want silence. Not anymore.

"Jerica?" she whispered, trying to not sound desperate and keeping her voice steady.
chaotic lazy
—Omni

the queen of memes
—InuYosha

secret supreme overlord of yws
—Atticus

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
—Anonymous Yelp Review
  





User avatar
935 Reviews



Gender: Other
Points: 2806
Reviews: 935
Sat May 15, 2021 4:39 am
View Likes
Shady says...



Jerica blinked hard and shook her head slightly. She wasn't sure where her thoughts had gone. She must have zoned out. But she felt like she'd been thinking about... something?

She felt vaguely unsettled. But she looked up towards where Eve had apparently woken up. "What?"

"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus
"From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf
"A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni
[they/he]
  





User avatar
147 Reviews

Supporter


Gender: Female
Points: 10085
Reviews: 147
Sat May 15, 2021 4:41 am
View Likes
Carina says...



Evaline let out a deep sigh, leaning back on the branch as she tightly closed her eyes. But this time, sleep was the last thing on her mind.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," she said softly.
chaotic lazy
—Omni

the queen of memes
—InuYosha

secret supreme overlord of yws
—Atticus

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
—Anonymous Yelp Review
  





User avatar
935 Reviews



Gender: Other
Points: 2806
Reviews: 935
Sat May 15, 2021 4:44 am
View Likes
Shady says...



Jerica furrowed her brow, looking up at Eve. Apparently, sleep made her nicer. That was good to know. Jerica would have to keep that in mind.

"Uh... yeah. I'm fine." Why wouldn't she be? She'd just been sitting on a branch. Had she said something while she was zoned out? "Why?"

"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus
"From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf
"A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni
[they/he]
  





User avatar
147 Reviews

Supporter


Gender: Female
Points: 10085
Reviews: 147
Sat May 15, 2021 4:46 am
View Likes
Carina says...



"No reason," Evaline said quickly, not wanting to get into it.

Jerica didn't need to know. She didn't need to be burdened with the same knowledge.

She paused for a moment before speaking again.

"Can you... make sure I don't go to sleep?" she said. "Or at the very least... I don't know. I just don't want to fall off the branch."

Not again.
chaotic lazy
—Omni

the queen of memes
—InuYosha

secret supreme overlord of yws
—Atticus

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
—Anonymous Yelp Review
  





User avatar
935 Reviews



Gender: Other
Points: 2806
Reviews: 935
Sat May 15, 2021 4:53 am
View Likes
Shady says...



Jerica looked at her thoughtfully, not quite sure what had changed between them. But the vibe was definitely off. Still, Eve didn't seem to want to continue the pissiness between them. And Jerica wasn't going to argue with that. No point in being in a war with someone you were trapped in a tree with. It's not like either of them could very well go down to the wolves just then.

"Uh, yeah, sure. No worries." Jerica shrugged. She hesitated, trying to piece together what was going on. "Did you feel like you were going to fall? It helps if you make sure your weight is right in the middle of the branch. And try to press your weight down into the branch. It makes it easier to tell if you're getting off balance."

She shrugged again, not quite sure why she was offering advice. "Or whatever. You do you."

"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus
"From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf
"A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni
[they/he]
  





User avatar
147 Reviews

Supporter


Gender: Female
Points: 10085
Reviews: 147
Tue May 18, 2021 12:29 am
View Likes
Carina says...



Evaline didn't feel like explaining what just happened to Jerica in the undone timeline. She didn't need to know, so for all she knew, Evaline was simply legitimately concerned that she would fall.

Which she was. She was concerned that she would fall. Again. And history would repeat, over and over again.

She took her advice, distributing her weight in the middle of the branch instead of distributing it evenly across her body.

"Like this?" she asked, but then realized Jerica couldn't exactly see since she was above her. "I mean, I think I can do that, but I just want to be extra careful."

She paused.

"Do you have something I can use to tie myself down while I sleep?" she asked.
chaotic lazy
—Omni

the queen of memes
—InuYosha

secret supreme overlord of yws
—Atticus

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
—Anonymous Yelp Review
  





User avatar
935 Reviews



Gender: Other
Points: 2806
Reviews: 935
Wed May 19, 2021 1:52 am
View Likes
Shady says...



Jerica blinked. Was she... serious? Jerica was trying to be nice but... really?

"I'm not even wearing trousers," Jerica answered flatly. She rubbed her face, trying not to be sarcastic, even though it was a stupid question. She looked down at the low-hanging branch her clothes were still draped over, with wolves prowling about. "I could probably go get our things, though. The wolves can't be that hard to fight off..."

"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus
"From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf
"A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni
[they/he]
  





User avatar
147 Reviews

Supporter


Gender: Female
Points: 10085
Reviews: 147
Sun May 23, 2021 6:17 am
View Likes
Carina says...



"No!" Evaline said too quickly, sitting up straight again out of panic. "No," she repeated. "It's okay. Don't bother. I'll just, um, not fall asleep. It's fine. Really, it's fine."

There was no way she was going to live through that hell again. There was no way she would let Jerica live through that hell again. Once was enough... and it was worth not sleeping to save her life, and save her sanity.
chaotic lazy
—Omni

the queen of memes
—InuYosha

secret supreme overlord of yws
—Atticus

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
—Anonymous Yelp Review
  





User avatar
935 Reviews



Gender: Other
Points: 2806
Reviews: 935
Sun May 23, 2021 6:50 am
View Likes
Shady says...



Jerica looked up, a little startled, as Eve panicked. It was such a strong reaction for such a simple proposition. Go down, get the shit, climb back up. She'd already killed one of them, surely she could manage it... but, still, that seemed like a lot of effort for a small reward, and she was feeling lazy.

"Alright." Jerica shrugged and settled back against the trunk of the tree. This was a nightmare. What was she going to do if the wolves didn't leave in the morning? They couldn't just sit up here and starve to death trying to out-wait the wolves. Jerica had already gone a full day without food or water, and her strength was going to start deteriorating before long.

If she was going to fight the wolves, she needed to do it soon. Still, there was no point in expending that kind of energy until at least the morning. If the wolves left on their own, it would save her a lot of trouble. If they didn't... well, maybe she'd manage to pick them off one or two at a time to give herself a better advantage.

There were only, what? One, two, three... There was a lot more of them than she'd initially thought. She counted each of them, chewing on her lip. Eleven. That was a lot to have to fight, with how big each of them were. Especially since she didn't even have her sword, much less her bow.

She sighed, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back against the trunk. There wasn't much she could do just then. She just had to wait it out until the morning and make a plan then. Maybe she'd just climb up a few more branches and go back to sleep. Her eyes snapped open as a thought struck her. Eve was already a prickly ho at baseline... how much worse was she going to get after a night with no sleep. Jerica would rather face the wolves than have to deal with that. She glanced up. "Have you ever... you know... gone a night without sleep before?"

"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus
"From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf
"A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni
[they/he]
  





User avatar
147 Reviews

Supporter


Gender: Female
Points: 10085
Reviews: 147
Thu May 27, 2021 4:39 am
View Likes
Carina says...



Evaline almost wanted to laugh when she heard Jerica's question break through the silence. Had she ever gone through a night without sleep? She wished the answer were no.

The thorny memories pricked the edges of her head, but she didn't tear it away since it'd tear her mind at the seams. Instead, she let it fester, digging deeper as she sunk deeper into the branch.

"Yes," she said quietly. "I have many times. Have you?"
chaotic lazy
—Omni

the queen of memes
—InuYosha

secret supreme overlord of yws
—Atticus

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5
—Anonymous Yelp Review
  





User avatar
935 Reviews



Gender: Other
Points: 2806
Reviews: 935
Thu May 27, 2021 5:32 am
View Likes
Shady says...



Jerica took a deep breath, trying to weigh that answer. It wasn't very well like she could do a follow-up question of 'Well are you a raging bitch when you do?' Jerica didn't mind calling herself that, but it seemed most other people were far less self-aware. Or, just in denial.

"Yeah," she answered flatly as Eve turned the question back around on her. Of course she had gone without sleep. "I don't sleep much."

"u and rina are systematically watering down the grammar of yws" - Atticus
"From the fish mother to the fish death god." - lehmanf
"A fish stole my identity. I blame shady" - Omni
[they/he]
  








The words you speak become the house you live in.
— Hafiz