Somewhere in the Appalachians, Kathy's world
Misfit couldn't hunt for shit, but they did know a lot about edible plants and what they liked to call "forest craft". They could start a fire in what seemed like seconds -- which was good, since they weren't immune to the cold like Raven was -- and best of all, they knew where they actually were.
Virginia. Raven would never have guessed she'd made it that far north. She could be in Baltimore in as little as a month, maybe, if she didn't let the weather slow her down.
Misfit had also kept better track of the dates. They carried a journal with them in their pack, and marked the days off on a little calendar in the back. They'd been on the trail already when everything went to shit, doing a "section hike" down from New York. Raven tried to insist that meant she was going the wrong way for Misfit, but they only shrugged.
"You're the coolest person I've met in years," they said. "Besides, doesn't matter which way I go now. It's not like I'm going to go home."
Raven didn't ask where "home" was. She didn't ask how Misfit found out about what was going on if they were out in the woods all by themselves when it happened. Neither of them talked much about their past, other than the broad details of how they got here, where they wanted to go after. Misfit knew Raven needed to get to Baltimore to save a friend. Raven knew that Misfit had had a narrow miss with a group of exes when they tried to go back into town, and had decided the wilderness was safer. They both knew they felt a little better, a little saner, travelling together than they had apart.
Raven could keep Misfit warm at night, when they started shivering in their sleeping bag. She could hunt down deer and rabbits so they could have some protein, and she could keep larger predators -- bears and the occasional ex alike -- at bay. Misfit could cook the food and build a shelter when it rained, and they knew the trail, knew when to take a side path around the small towns that dotted the hillsides, which parts had washed away or been blocked by rockfalls in the months since civilization had collapsed. They knew about the ex that wandered blindly around just off the trail, still wrapped up in the nylon tent it had died in.
Misfit had wanted to avoid it. But they didn't complain too much when Raven insisted on putting it out of its misery.
"So. You can turn into, like, anything, huh?" they asked, eying the enormous, scaled club Raven had turned her hand into to smash the ex's head.
"Pretty much." Raven shifted her hand back and flexed her fingers. "For a little while, at least."
Misfit sighed and rubbed their beard. "God. That would have made my life so much easier."
Raven had a flash of a long ago conversation, when Kathy introduced her to the phrase "passing privilege". "Maybe," she said. "But it'd probably have made it harder, too."
Misfit didn't disagree. That night they made camp along the overlook, where they could watch the stars wrapped up together in Misfit's sleeping bag, and talked about a life lived in between.
"Tonight's the solstice," Misfit said the next morning, while the two of them lingered in their bag and watched the sunrise over the trees. "Longest night of the year." They were silent for a long moment, then rolled over and kissed their way up Raven's neck. She'd never felt anyone touch her scales the way Misfit did, easily and intimately, with neither fascination nor fear. Like Raven's natural skin was simply a fact of the world, both beautiful and ordinary.
Raven took one of Misfit's hands in hers, turning it over and kissing the tiny scars that ran along the inside of their wrist. Returning the favor. "We should do something special for it."
Misfit leaned their head against the place where Raven's neck met her shoulder and breathed out a warm, wet laugh. "Yeah."
They didn't speak again until they were cleaning up the camp, all wrapped up again in layers of wool and leather and fleece. "I never thought I'd make it this far."
Raven looked up from where she was rolling the sleeping bag.
"It's rough on the trail," they said. "Being alone. I thought I wouldn't mind, but. . . ."
Raven nodded. "I didn't know I missed people until you showed up." She slung the sleeping bag onto her back and went over to take Misfit's hand again, so they could start back up the trail.
"Hiking with you is like hiking by myself." Misfit searched Raven's eyes. "Does that make sense?"
"Do you like being by yourself?"
"More than almost anything."
[nfi, natch. ooc welcome!]
Virginia. Raven would never have guessed she'd made it that far north. She could be in Baltimore in as little as a month, maybe, if she didn't let the weather slow her down.
Misfit had also kept better track of the dates. They carried a journal with them in their pack, and marked the days off on a little calendar in the back. They'd been on the trail already when everything went to shit, doing a "section hike" down from New York. Raven tried to insist that meant she was going the wrong way for Misfit, but they only shrugged.
"You're the coolest person I've met in years," they said. "Besides, doesn't matter which way I go now. It's not like I'm going to go home."
Raven didn't ask where "home" was. She didn't ask how Misfit found out about what was going on if they were out in the woods all by themselves when it happened. Neither of them talked much about their past, other than the broad details of how they got here, where they wanted to go after. Misfit knew Raven needed to get to Baltimore to save a friend. Raven knew that Misfit had had a narrow miss with a group of exes when they tried to go back into town, and had decided the wilderness was safer. They both knew they felt a little better, a little saner, travelling together than they had apart.
Raven could keep Misfit warm at night, when they started shivering in their sleeping bag. She could hunt down deer and rabbits so they could have some protein, and she could keep larger predators -- bears and the occasional ex alike -- at bay. Misfit could cook the food and build a shelter when it rained, and they knew the trail, knew when to take a side path around the small towns that dotted the hillsides, which parts had washed away or been blocked by rockfalls in the months since civilization had collapsed. They knew about the ex that wandered blindly around just off the trail, still wrapped up in the nylon tent it had died in.
Misfit had wanted to avoid it. But they didn't complain too much when Raven insisted on putting it out of its misery.
"So. You can turn into, like, anything, huh?" they asked, eying the enormous, scaled club Raven had turned her hand into to smash the ex's head.
"Pretty much." Raven shifted her hand back and flexed her fingers. "For a little while, at least."
Misfit sighed and rubbed their beard. "God. That would have made my life so much easier."
Raven had a flash of a long ago conversation, when Kathy introduced her to the phrase "passing privilege". "Maybe," she said. "But it'd probably have made it harder, too."
Misfit didn't disagree. That night they made camp along the overlook, where they could watch the stars wrapped up together in Misfit's sleeping bag, and talked about a life lived in between.
"Tonight's the solstice," Misfit said the next morning, while the two of them lingered in their bag and watched the sunrise over the trees. "Longest night of the year." They were silent for a long moment, then rolled over and kissed their way up Raven's neck. She'd never felt anyone touch her scales the way Misfit did, easily and intimately, with neither fascination nor fear. Like Raven's natural skin was simply a fact of the world, both beautiful and ordinary.
Raven took one of Misfit's hands in hers, turning it over and kissing the tiny scars that ran along the inside of their wrist. Returning the favor. "We should do something special for it."
Misfit leaned their head against the place where Raven's neck met her shoulder and breathed out a warm, wet laugh. "Yeah."
They didn't speak again until they were cleaning up the camp, all wrapped up again in layers of wool and leather and fleece. "I never thought I'd make it this far."
Raven looked up from where she was rolling the sleeping bag.
"It's rough on the trail," they said. "Being alone. I thought I wouldn't mind, but. . . ."
Raven nodded. "I didn't know I missed people until you showed up." She slung the sleeping bag onto her back and went over to take Misfit's hand again, so they could start back up the trail.
"Hiking with you is like hiking by myself." Misfit searched Raven's eyes. "Does that make sense?"
"Do you like being by yourself?"
"More than almost anything."
[nfi, natch. ooc welcome!]