[035] put to the test

                                                Suki was once again plagued with horrible dreams. But she couldn't make sense of them. It was so overwhelming, to the point where Suki woke up feeling absolutely drained. The energy was slowly being drained from her and she knew that it had to do with the wilderness. It was feeding off of her, off of them all.

                                                But Suki had to believe that it was all for a deeper reason. Suki was a part of the wilderness, used to carry out Its very bidding. And that came with sacrifice.

                                               "People of Europe, I send you the rainbow of Argentina!" both Misty and Crystal sang. They had been at it for a while, happily singing together while they did the chores.

                                              To be honest, it was annoying to hear. But Suki was pretty focused on the game of cards that she was playing with Courtney. Courtney, on the other hand, was growing pretty irritated. It was bad enough that she was growing hungry. But to hear that annoying fucking singing go on and on and on, it made her grip on the already delicate cards that much tighter.

                                               "I swear to fucking God, if they keep singing, I might actually lose my fucking mind," Courtney scowled.

                                               "I'm used to it," Suki shrugs. And truth be told, she was. She was too intensely focused on the game to even register the singing taking place behind her now.

                                              They were playing cards together, the cards randomly found one day and used to pass the time. No one else had wanted to play so it was just the two of them going against them with Suki already winning.

                                               "I'm not used to it," Courtney scoffed.

                                               "I win, by the way," Suki says as she sets her cards down, resting her chin in the palm of her hand.

                                               Courtney huffed. "God damn it. How about one more round?"

                                               "We've already done five of them. Just accept the fact that you're a big old loser," Suki teased, making Courtney laugh.

                                               "Oh, yeah? You're lucky you're cute," Courtney scoffed.

                                                The front door opens then, revealing none other than Shauna with more of the bear meat. Suki sighs in relief as Shauna walks inside. Finally, the wait for food was over.

                                                "Thank God, because I am tired of starling soup," Akilah remarked as she pushed herself off the ground, preparing to grab the meat from her to add to the soup.

                                                Shauna slams the tray onto the table, the sound echoing throughout the cabin, before glaring at them all. "So, who's the thief? Someone stole more bear meat from the shed. I guess they think they deserve more than the rest of us which, at this point, is pretty fucked."

                                                 Everyone went silent, none of them willing to fess up. Honestly, Suki couldn't think of anyone who'd do that. They were all hungry but which one of them felt desperate enough to steal food from everyone else?

                                                 "If anyone, I should be the one who should be taking more. Except I'm not because I'm not the fucking worst," Shauna adds. "So which one of you is?"

                                                  As expected, no one answered. If one of them actually had stolen the bear meat, no one was willing to talk. But obviously, Mari had a pretty good idea of who it was as she leaned over and murmured to Akilah, "It was probably him. He thinks he's so much better than us."

                                                 "I didn't take the fucking meat. Okay?" Coach Scott snapped, waving around one of his crutches as he faced Mari, "In case you forgot, not exactly nimble in the snow."

                                                 Mari had nothing to say against that so she fell silent, still scowling.

                                                 "You know what? If it had been me, what exactly would you do about it? Would you eat me?" Coach Scott continued, challenging them all now.

                                                 Mari was quick to rush to her feet, glaring at the man as she approached him. But Courtney beat her to it, smirking now as she too approached him.

                                                 "Why not? You have enough meat on your bones to feed all of us. And... we'd have the upper advantage. All of us have two functioning legs. Without that crutch, you're fucked," Courtney says, reaching over to snatch the crutches from him. The man stumbles back, landing against the wall as he continued to stare into Courtney's red eyes. "How far do you think you'd get away from us without them? How far do you think you'd be able to get away from me?"

                                                Natalie stepped in before things could escalate further, pushing Courtney back. "Stop it, Courtney."

                                                "Would you offer to take his place?" Courtney questioned, now focusing her stare onto Natalie.

                                                "No one is going that far. Let's all chill, you guys. There's no way that Coach Scott would ever -," Natalie began to argue.

                                                "This is all because of you, you know," Mari interrupts her, glaring at Natalie as she focused all her vitriol onto her.

                                                Suki now stands up, approaching the group and standing by Courtney's side.

                                                "Excuse me?"

                                                "Why we don't have any meat. Lottie and Suki try to bless you for the hunt, but half the time you're MIA. Or when you do show up, it's like you're practically holding your nose."

                                                Courtney frowned. "How dare you reject Suki's help after everything she's done for us?"

                                                "Court -," Suki began to say.

                                                "Are you joking?" Natalie scoffs, glaring at both Courtney and Mari like they had lost their mind. "You actually think that's why we can't find any game? Because of me?  I'm the only one that's even trying - me and Travis - while the rest of you guys are just fucking sitting on your asses."

                                                "If there isn't any game, then how did Lottie and Suki get the birds?" Mari challenged.

                                                "Um, they didn't get the birds, they flew into the cabin," Taissa corrects her.

                                                "Because they told them to," Mari insisted.

                                                "It did happen after Suki gave Shauna the necklace and the blood dripped onto the symbol that Lottie made," Akilah pointed out.

                                                "We're still not really sure that's why anyway," Shauna argued, although she held onto the necklace Suki made her which was still around her neck.

                                                "Yeah, you see, that's what we call a coincidence. Okay? Those birds were just, like, confused... or they had a disease, or something," Coach Scott added.

                                                 "No, if they were diseased then we would've gotten sick from eating them," Misty corrected them.

                                                 "What about the bear? I don't think anyone who saw that could call it a coincidence," Van pointed out.

                                                 "It listened to Suki. It obeyed her, all because of her power. Lottie wouldn't have even been able to kill it without Suki there," Courtney replied.

                                                 "It all goes to show, the only food we've had in months is thanks to Suki and Lottie," Mari concluded, seemingly sure of herself.

                                                 "Then we should have a contest, yeah? One on one, we both go out, just Lottie and me, and then at the end of the day, we see who makes it back here with more food. If Suki's so powerful, she can pray to the gods of the Wilderness to cover Lottie," Natalie challenged.

                                                  Suki and Lottie look at each other, and Suki can see the fear seep into Lottie's features. Suki was also afraid. She knew that Lottie wouldn't last a minute out there.

                                                  "Come on, Nat, that's not fair. Lottie isn't a hunter," Travis sighed.

                                                  "Exactly. She can't do this. Don't make her do this," Suki pleaded, but Natalie was too upset to see reason.

                                                  "Why not? According to them, she's better than a hunter," Natalie replied, focusing her attention onto Lottie who now had no choice but to go along with it.

                                                  As the others started to prepare for the trip, Suki then makes her way to Lottie and holds onto her hands. Lottie's eyes started to well up with tears as she thought about what she had to do. As much as she wanted to stay, she knew that most of the girls in that cabin counted on her to lead them and bring food.

                                                  But at the end of the day, Lottie was no leader. She was a scared girl, just like the rest of them. 

                                                 "Hey, it'll be okay. I'll cover you," Suki replied. "I'll ask It to protect you."

                                                 "But I don't want to go. I want to stay," Lottie persisted. "Please."

                                                 Suki swallowed hard as she suddenly thought of a choice. One that was foolish but she couldn't let them send Lottie out there. "There's been a change of plans."

                                                 "What?" Natalie frowned.

                                                 "Lottie can't go. But... I'll go in her place. I'm just as capable," Suki replied.

                                                 "Suki," Lottie shakes her head. This hadn't been what she meant. She didn't want either of them to go.

                                                 "No," Courtney immediately denied.

                                                 "Yes, I'm going. And it's final," Suki declared.

                                                 Courtney glares at the others, waiting for them to object. But none of them did, leaving Courtney no other choice but to drag Suki away by the arm so she could talk to her one-on-one. "You're not going out there."

                                                 "I have to," Suki insisted.

                                                 "Why?" Courtney frowned.

                                                 "Why? Lottie won't survive out there. But I have a chance. My mom will guide me," Suki replied.

                                                 "Let Lottie go. If something happens to her... well, maybe it'd be for the better if she just dies," Courtney argued.

                                                 Suki frowns. "What? How could you even say that?"

                                                "With her gone, you can take over. You see visions more clearly than her. You need to help Lottie half of the time. You're more powerful and it's only a matter of time before the others realize it," Courtney stated, as though the answer should've been obvious.

                                              Courtney couldn't understand how Suki didn't want to take advantage of the immense power she had. She could easily rule over them all and Courtney would be right by her side - her ride or die.

                                             "I don't want to be in charge. I just want to help," Suki shakes her head.

                                             "Don't be a fool," Courtney scolds her. "Don't you realize the benefit in sacrificing Lottie?"

                                             "What benefit would that be?" Suki's eyes narrow.

                                             "The bear meat won't last forever," Courtney replied, her words vague but her intentions clear as day.

                                            Over the years, Suki had ignored the warning signs surrounding Courtney. She had always felt like there was more hiding behind Courtney's beautiful facade. But the longer they were out here, the more the cracks were starting to unveil themselves. Courtney was a wolf in sheep's clothing, willing to get rid of anyone (even her own teammates) just to survive. Even if meant killing someone.

                                             "I'll be back," Suki says as she backs away from Courtney, going forward with her choice.

                                             Courtney falls silent, simmering with rage as Suki steps forward.

                                             "I've made my decision. I'll go in her place," Suki insisted.

                                             "Fine, let's go," Natalie agreed without hesitation. If she couldn't have Lottie, she'd challenge Suki instead.

                                             Suki was now suited up, feeling her heart race as the situation dawned on her. Although Lottie was grateful not to go, she felt guilty that Suki had volunteered to go in her place.

                                             "Okay, so one-on-one means no assistance of any kind. If you get a kill, just leave it where it is and we will come and help you bring it back," Misty replied as the others helped Suki and Natalie get prepared.

                                             Even Courtney helped but the look on her face let the others know that she was far from pleased.

                                            "You, yourself, have to be back before sundown, or you're automatically disqualified. If you're not back by then, we'll come out and find you. And for weapons... we only have one gun, so, um, maybe you can draw cards -," Misty started.

                                            "Suki doesn't need a gun," Mari interjected.

                                            Courtney glares at her. "If you don't shut your fucking mouth -."

                                            "It's okay. I'll be fine," Suki interjects before Courtney could finish jumping down Mari's throat.

                                            "Told you," Mari argued, earning another heated glare from Courtney.

                                            "Okay," is all Misty says, surprised but not willing to argue any further.

                                            Nonetheless, Courtney wasn't going to let Suki leave with nothing. As Suki and Natalie now prepared to leave, she rushed to her girlfriend's side to properly send her off.

                                           "Do you forgive me for what I said earlier?" Courtney asked, causing Suki to look at her. "I know I went too far and I don't want you to leave pissed at me."

                                           Suki shakes her head. Although Courtney's words were haunting, she still wanted to give Courtney a chance. If Suki were to abandon her, Courtney would be all alone. "I forgave you a long time ago."

                                           Courtney sighs in relief. But then again, Courtney could push Suki to her limits and beyond and Suki would still forgive her. Maybe it was a little fucked up for Courtney to take advantage of that. But she found comfort knowing she could do absolutely anything to Suki ad the girl would always find her way back to Courtney.

                                            "Just so you know, I still fucking hate this idea. But if you really want to be a hero, just bring something back," Courtney replied, sliding the hunting knife into Suki's possession as subtly as she could.

                                            Suki grabs the knife, stuffing it into her pocket before the others could notice. "Would you still love me even if I lose?"

                                            "Mm, maybe," Courtney teased.

                                            "I love you," Suki suddenly says, making Courtney smile softly.

                                            "I love you more," Courtney responded.

                                            Suki kisses the back of Courtney's hand before she leaves, splitting away from Natalie. She had no idea where she was going but she was going to let the wilderness guide her. Courtney watches until Suki disappears, swallowed up by the trees, and she reluctantly heads inside. But not before nearly knocking Mari over in the process.

                                            Suki ventured out, the cold air already nipping at her skin. Hugging her arms around her body, Suki kept going. She was being guided the entire time, her movements seemingly no longer her own. Eventually, Suki would reach the same clearing where the infamous Doomcoming party had been. The memories rush through Suki's mind before she sucks in a sharp breath, quickly willing them away.

                                           Pulling out the hunting knife, she approached the broken tree stump now covered in snow and knelt down in front of it. Closing her eyes, Suki tilted her head up as she prepared to ask It for help and guidance once more.

                                          "Please help me. I've done everything you asked me to. I just ask for you to guide me. If it's meant for me to find food, help me. And if not, just keep me alive," Suki says before slicing her palm open.

                                          She opens her eyes again, turning her palm to the side and allowing the blood to drip down. The once clear and pristine snow now became stained with crimson dots, seeping through the snow and going into the earth. The wind that howled in her ears slowly became a hypnotic tune, one that Suki couldn't ignore.

(🌲🔪🦌)

                                               Courtney continued to stare out of the window for what felt like an eterntity, waiting for Suki to come back. She didn't even care if she came back empty handed. As long as she was alive, Courtney would be happy. Everyone in the cabin was relatively silent as they waited for the two girls to return. To say that the mood in the cabin was tense would be an understatement.

                                              She's jolted from her trance when she feels a hand rest on her shoulder, making Courtney quickly turn around. Of course, it was only Misty who offers her a sympathetic half smile.

                                              "What do you want?" Courtney asked.

                                              "I just wanted to... comfort you, I guess. I just know that Suki will be okay," Misty assured her.

                                              Courtney scoffed. "I've known Suki for years. She ges scared of her own shadow. And you're telling me she can survive being out there longer than ten minutes?"

                                              "You were talking so highly of her before -," Misty began, frowning in confusion.

                                              "It's called talking out of my ass. Learn to try it sometime," Courtney remarked. "There's a chance she'll make it. But it's small. She's not a killer."

                                              "But we are," Misty replied, making Courtney nod.

                                              "Yeah. Yeah, we are."

                                              "There's that dripping again. Did no one hear that?" Mari exclaimed, frowning when no one answered her. "I'm gonna find out where it's coming from."

                                              But before Mari could get far, Courtney suddenly rushed up to her feet.

                                               "It's taking too long. I should go after her," Courtney shakes her head as she rushes up to her feet.

                                               "What?" Mari frowned.

                                               "She could be hurt or something. I'm going to bring her back. I don't care about this fucking game anymore," Courtney responded.

                                               "You had no problem when Lottie was going to be the one going," Mari scoffed, causing Lottie to look up at the sound of her name.

                                               "Well, in case you didn't realize it yet, I'm not dating Lottie. I am not letting my girlfriend die to satisfy Nat's fucking ego and help you with your stupid pride," Courtney retorted.

                                               "There's not supposed to be any help. Even from you," Mari warned as she began to pull Courtney back.

                                               "Let go of me! Suki could be dead or something over your stupid game," Courtney warned.

                                               "Courtney -," Mari tries again.

                                               "Fuck off!" Courtney exclaimed, punching Mari right in the face to make her let go.

                                               Everyone was stunned by the outburst, and Mari just clutches onto her nose which now felt like it was on fire. It thankfully wasn't broken but she could already feel the blood dripping down her philtrum and onto her lips, tasting metal in seconds.

                                              "If anything happens to Suki, a nosebleed will be the least of your fucking problems," Courtney threatened and everyone in the cabin knew that she was deadly serious.

                                              Courtney then makes her way outside, storming off in an effort to find Suki. She had no idea where she had gone but she decided to start on the path she had seen her take last - hoping it'd lead her right to Suki.

(🌲🔪🦌)

word count: 3097
notes: she protecc, she attacc but most importantly, she'll punch a bitch if they try to harm her gf

anywho i hope you guys enjoyed this and let me know what you all thought!