Day Two: Afternoon

[Violet]

The blade slipped under the skin like butter, the fur pulling away from the muscle as easily as Velcro. She laid it to the side for later use; it would make a great blanket, or pallet at best. She needed some sleep, her hands were jittery, making the cuts on her kill sloppy.

The carcass was a study of muscles and tendons, the lidless eyes staring blankly into the forest. Her knife slipped into the hole of the ribcage, splitting the sternum as she worked it downward. Holding the top half, she folded it open, it?s internal organs showing as they were never meant to in life.

She had said a silent prayer before she began delving into the mass of steaming tissues, ripping them away and tossing them behind the rock. They weren?t needed. She just wanted the meat.

Finally, her job was done, and a perfectly dressed panther lay open on the rock. She was proud of her work.

?Breakfast is making, guys.? A few utterances of disgust echoed behind her, and she snapped back, ?It?s better than fucking bread, so quit bitching.?

Silence, all save for the sounds of flesh detaching from bone, the slippery noise filled that chasm of emptiness. After making several choice cuts, she laid the meat to the side, and picked up the rest of the dead panther and discarded it in the bushes for other creatures to finish off.

The fire was refueled, a makeshift tripod hanging over the low flames especially for the meal. One by one, she hung the chunks of meat over the tripod?s grill, the contact making the food sizzle as it began to cook. The aroma of roasting meat filled the camp, making her stomach howl out its hunger.

Washing her hands with a spare bottle of water, she shook them dry and wiped them against her leg, useless, but it was habit. ?How?s that wound feeling, Seventeen??

The android leaned against an old log, his face twisted in pain. He held it back like a true warrior, though. A little wound like his would never faze her leader. ?I?ll manage.?

She frowned. Blood had begun to seep through her pumice, and if it wasn?t stopped now, he?d surely loose too much blood to be useful to anyone. Right now, they needed all the help they could get, and with their leader injured as he was, the outlook of their making it off this island alive wasn?t looking so good. Walking over to her bag of supplies, she fished around for her old cotton shirt. Pulling it free, she made her way over to her leader and immediately stripped his shirt away, the thin build of his torso and chest was pocked with bruises and scratches, and then the gaping wound ruined the innocent effect of his tanned flesh.

Smacking her lips, she wrapped the shirt around his torso, tying it in the back, effectively covering his wound. Hissing as the stinging pain tore through him, she kissed his forehead in a feeble attempt to comfort the android, fingers lacing through his ebony hair. ?It?ll be over soon, Seventeen. We?ll find something.?

Their breakfast finished quickly, and she diligently set to work at serving her clanmates. They ate in silence, not much enjoying the sweet meat of the panther, but ate anyway, if only for the nourishment.

After the last of the meal was finished, Super Buu spoke.

?It?s time we move again;? he said simply. ?It is likely we will be found if we sit here like idiots.?

?Right.? Seventeen managed through clenched teeth. He tried to get to his feet, but quickly fell back down. He still wasn?t well enough to manage by himself.

The group packed up and extinguished the fire, then set off to their next location, the noon sun quickly taking residence in that zealous sky.