Whitebark Stream I'm swept up by the shape of all the centuries

sorry for the wait!

They had killed it. She had killed it. Her. Daylily. She knew in her head somewhere that the others had helped. It hadn’t just been her, alone. But in her heart, now that the bloodlust had faded, she looked down at the dead deer, tasted the blood in her mouth, and wanted to be sick. She looked around, saw that Dawn had been injured, felt the slight throbbing in her own leg from the glancing blow… The world filled with white noise, a ringing in her ears. Things went on around her, Connor moved closer to her, asked her something. She turned and stared at him with empty eyes. She had killed a beast so majestic. So beautiful. 

For sustenance, her brain told her, trying to rationalize it. And you’ve killed before. Rabbits, fish, squirrels.

This is different, she replied to herself. Cruel. I killed a being so lovely… Pure.

She stood frozen to the ground for a moment, breathing. Smelling blood, tasting blood, metal in her mouth. It had struggled so much. Fish and rabbits and squirrels could be killed instantly, nearly painlessly. This deer had struggled for life. It had not wanted to die. It had kicked, fought, harmed her, and Dawn, to try and live.

And she had murdered it.

Daylily turned and stumbled blindly away, oblivious to any calls that may have been aimed in her direction.

[Daylily out.]