To Eat the Girl
Copyright© 2025 by Heel
Chapter 6: Shadows on the Snow
Her leg no longer obeyed her fully. Even with the splints and crutches, her foot dragged slightly, her ankle twisted unpredictably, her toes motionless. Sometimes her thigh tensed painfully, spasms running through her muscles. The damaged nerves meant her body betrayed her will, and every stumble reminded her of what she had lost.
She stopped moving for long stretches, leaning heavily on the crutches, eyes fixed on the snow at her feet. The spark in her gaze dimmed. She did not laugh. She did not tease. When she spoke, her words were soft, edged with bitterness.
“I cannot do it,” she said one evening, her shoulders slumped. The fire between them cast long shadows on the walls of their hollow. “I cannot walk like before. I am ... broken.”
Korr knelt before her, careful not to press her damaged leg, his hands hovering like a shield. “You are not broken,” he said firmly, “only wounded. And wounds ... they take time.”
She shook her head, tears brimming but unshed. “I am useless now. I slow you down. You carry me, feed me, keep me alive—and for what? I cannot fight. I cannot run. I cannot—”
He cut her off gently, taking her hands in his. “Listen to me. I do not see weakness in you. I see the woman who chased an aurochs into the snowstorm and refused to let it kill her. I see the courage that made me carry you all this way. You are alive. That is enough to matter.”
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