The name sounded ominously cool, but Ingrid narrowed her eyes. ’The Whispering Ravine? Is it far?’
{Only a few miles west of the pack territory!} the System replied cheerfully. {However, there is a tiny, negligible downside. The locals completely avoid the place. Want to guess why?}
’Because it’s a romantic picnic spot?’ Ingrid offered sarcastically.
{Close! Because the entire ravine is infested with giant, territorial, man-eating Venus flytraps that like to digest trespassers alive!}
Ingrid’s heart did a violent backflip. ’MAN-EATING PLANTS?! You want a three-hundred-pound, uncoordinated woman with zero combat skills to go fight Audrey II for some flowers?!’
{Correct! Though on the bright side, if you get eaten, you won’t have to worry about the System Termination penalty. Look at the silver lining!}
Before Ingrid could unleash a flurry of silent, profanity-laced curses at her internal tormentor, the atmosphere in the clearing snapped her back to reality.
Hawk was practically vibrating with rage, his feathered arms trembling as he pointed a clawed finger at Lysander. "You dare speak to an Elder like that, you snake?! You are a disgraced exile! A half-mutated monster whose core is rotting away! You have no right to interfere in pack justice!"
Lysander didn’t even flinch. His single eye remained locked on Hawk, cold and entirely unbothered by the Elder’s shrieking. "Pack justice?" Lysander’s raspy voice purred, smooth as silk and twice as dangerous. "Since when does pack justice dictate that a loser may stab a winner in the back after a declared duel? If Chief Stiles permits such dishonor, then perhaps your pack has truly fallen."
Chief Stilles’ eyes flashed with warning. He grunted heavily, his gaze shifting from the bruised, whimpering Falcon, to the jagged dagger still sticking out of the dirt, and finally to Ingrid.
"Enough!" Chief Stilles boomed, his voice shaking the surrounding leaves. "The duel was witnessed. Falcon lost, and his subsequent attack was dishonorable. However!" He glared at Ingrid. "Ingrid’s excessive violence against a fellow pack member cannot go unpunished. She will forfeit her entire autumn meat ration to Falcon’s family as compensation."
"Meat rations?"
"Well, maybe she’ll be able to lose weight."
Snickers ran through the crowd but Hawk wasn’t having it. "WHAT?!" Hawk shrieked. "Meat rations?! She broke his wing! And you expect me to only accept meat rations?!"
"I have spoken, Elder Hawk!" Chief Stilles barked, his alpha aura flaring just enough to shut the bird-man’s mouth. "Take your son to the healers. The matter is settled."
Hawk spat on the ground near Ingrid’s feet, throwing her one last murderous look before slinging his groaning son over his shoulder and striding away. The crowd slowly dispersed, whispering excitedly about the day’s absurd drama.
As the noise faded, Lysander smoothly turned around. He didn’t say a word to Ingrid. He didn’t check to see if she was okay. He simply began to walk away toward the dark, dense tree line, his steps entirely silent.
"Hey! Wait!" Ingrid called out, taking a heavy, thumping step after him.
Lysander paused, half-glancing back over his shoulder. His brilliant purple eye held zero warmth. "Go home. I didn’t save you out of kindness."
Ingrid puffed her cheeks, feeling that familiar blush of embarrassment threaten to return, but she quickly stomped it down. She didn’t have time for a wounded pride, not with a 23-hour clock ticking down to her utter destruction.
"I don’t care why you did it," Ingrid said, taking a deep breath and squaring her heavy shoulders. "You saved my life. And whether you like it or not, I’m going to save yours."
Lysander’s single eyebrow raised fractionally. "Save me? From what?"
"From that disgusting black rot creeping up your face," she stated boldly, pointing directly at his horn. "I know how to cure it. But I need to go to The Whispering Ravine."
"You know how to cure this?" For the first time, a flicker of genuine emotion crossed Lysander’s stoic face, a subtle twitch of disbelief that was not so subtle after all. "The Whispering Ravine is a death trap. Even full warriors do not enter. You would be digested in minutes." He turned back toward the woods. "Don’t be delusional."
Ingrid smirked, a dangerous, desperate glint entering her eyes as she looked at the system panel floating in her mind.
’Just watch me, snake boy,’ she thought to herself. ’I survived a core explosion and a three-hundred-pound freefall. A few overgrown house plants aren’t going to stop me from getting my Weight Loss Pill.’
"It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. I’m still going to repay you anyway, if it wasn’t for you, I would have died back there." Ingrid puffed her chest up, slapping it.
Lysander crossed his arms, his one good eye looking her over, then the corner of his lips twitched into a smile. "How are you going to get there then?"
"What?" Ingrid blinked.
Lysander took one step closer, "Do you know how far the Whispering Ravine is? Do you even have any money? Going there on foot is... Not a good idea for someone of your weight." He said without mincing words and for a moment, Ingrid gasped from the pain of his words.
"You also can’t fight, so tell me, how are you going to get whatever you want to get? Where do you even get the guts?"
"Oh, that’s because..." Ingrid stepped closer to Lysander, panting slightly, "you’re coming to the Whispering Ravine with me!"
"Me?" Lysander raised another brow, "Why?"
"I mean... since you saved me once, we’re stuck together. And I’m also doing this to repay you so if I die there, isn’t that going to be a downside for you?"
"Hm..." Lysander hummer, or rather, hissed, "so you’re basically admitting that you want to use me as your personal bodyguard, meat shield, and tour guide," Lysander finished coolly, his single eye glinting with dry amusement.
Ingrid rolled her eyes so hard she nearly saw the back of her own skull. ’Well... yes, but he didn’t have to say it out loud with such clinical precision!’
"Look, snake boy," Ingrid huffed, resting her fists on her wide hips. "If we hit any mortal danger, you can completely cut your losses, leave me behind, and run! I won’t hold it against you. I mean, sure, I’d prefer if you didn’t leave my three-hundred-pound self to be chewed up like a stick of gum, but the point is: I’m trying to save your life here! The least you can do is walk me over to the death ravine!"
Lysander stared at her in silence for a long moment, scrutinizing her blood-smeared, dirty face with eerie calm.
{ SYSTEM NOTE: Host, your persuasion skills are abysmal, but his interest is vaguely piqued. Keep pushing before your core clock ticks down another minute! Current time remaining: 23 hours, 28 minutes! }
’Shut up, Lorna!’ she barked in her head.
Finally, Lysander let out a quiet, raspy sigh. "Fine. If you wish to walk into a beast’s belly, I won’t drag you back and I also will not fight your battles for you."
"Deal!" Ingrid gasped, instantly brightening up before he could change his mind. "Great! Let’s get moving!"
Lysander paused, watching her take two eager, heavy strides toward the forest path. "Are you taking anything with you?"
Ingrid stopped and blinked back at him over her shoulder. "Taking what? Weapons? Supplies? Nah, how far can it possibly be? It’s fine, let’s just hurry!"
Lysander’s lips twitched slightly, but he said nothing, stepping smoothly into the shaded path ahead of her.
Two and a half hours later...
"I... am... GOING TO DIE!" Ingrid shrieked, collapsing face-first into a pile of dry leaves with a dull, echoing THUD. Her lungs felt like they were bursting with hot steam, her leg muscles were trembling like wet noodles, and sweat poured off her face, washing clean rivers through the mud caked on her cheeks.
A few paces ahead, Lysander stood entirely unbothered. His posture was perfectly upright, his chest wasn’t even heaving, and he crossed his arms, staring down at her heap of a body with cool, unblinking indifference.
"We have barely cleared three miles," Lysander noted flatly, his raspy voice entirely smooth. "The Whispering Ravine is still across two hills."
Ingrid lifted her dirt-covered face, panting violently like a dying bulldog, her mouth dry as sandpaper.
"WHY... WHY DIDN’T YOU PERSUADE ME TO TAKE FOOD OR WATER?!" she screamed, her voice cracking pathetically as she gestured wildly at him from the dirt. "You knew it was this far! You saw me walking out here empty-handed! You’re a sadistic, scaly psychopath!"
{ SYSTEM WARNING: Host’s heart rate is dangerously high. On the bright side, you’ve burned approximately 400 calories! On the downside, you have 21 hours left to live. Get up, you lazy lump. }
’ I WILL DISMANTLE YOU!’ Ingrid shrieked back at the System in her mind, groaning in sheer misery as she tried, and failed, to roll herself back onto her feet.
Lysander looked down at the panting, sweat-drenched girl flailing on the forest floor, a faint smirk touching the good side of his face. "You said you didn’t need anything. How far could it be, right?"
Ingrid let out a muffled, defeated groan and buried her face straight back into the dirt.