Jump to content
UnevenEdge

im still digging this shortest of short stories


fuggnificent

Recommended Posts

Small but strong female warrior is pitted against a giant male warrior. She is quick and hard to grab. She gets on his back and presses his pressure points to weaken him. She eventually knocks him out and wins the fight. Her opponent is her fiancee and they are to marry the next day. They marry but he has unresolved issues with how the fight went. He's never lost to a female.  He thinks she cheated and fought dirty. She reminds him that there are no rules in the gladiator matches. He says she has no honor; no valor. She says she doesn't fight for those things - she's fighting to survive. It was evidence of the cruel society that they lived in that pitted them against each other in the first place. The spectators enjoyed seeing them fight and had hoped the larger, stronger gladiator would kill his own fiance in the heat of moment. She can only imagine the disappointment stemming from the fact that she'd won. He sulks around the house nursing the wounds she gave him; really laying it on thick. She ignores him.

One day she's sent to the theatre to watch videos of long bloody matches. When her time is up, she's bored so she asks a lady from the upper caste if there's anything she can do for her. The lady sends her on a quest to find and kill a wild rabid coyote that's been attacking merchants on the roadside. The lady cruelly forces her to leave her weapons saying that to get them back she must first provide the carcass of the coyote. She leaves her weapons. She pulls out her phone to scan the area and get an idea of where she's going.

L:what are you doing?

S:using my gps

L: no need, wait here.

The lady leaves for 15 minutes then comes back with a dirty teenage girl.

L:Tessa will escort you. She knows the way well.

She realizes the girl is a slave of the lowest caste. She wonders what sort of disobedience the girl was guilty of to be given such a task. She doesn't wonder about it long and grabs her phone to use the flashlight app to light her way. The girl follows pointing out the way.

After an hour of walking they hear growling. A black ragged and mangy coyote appears out of the woods. It barks and charges towards them. She panicks and grabs a fist sized rock. The coyote lunges on her. Its paws scratch her face as she holds it at bay by grabbing its throat. She takes the rock and bashes it's head instantly killing it. She picks up the carcass and drags it back.

When they make it back the Lady seems surprised. She throws the carcass to the ground. The lady looks disgusted.

L:Tessa, get rid of it.

Tessa struggles with the body dragging the carcass much slower leaving a thick trail of blood.

L: clean up the blood when you're done, too.

S: you know, i could get rid of it for you

L: no, i want her to do it. Get your weapons and leave.

No hint of gratitude or appreciation. Common to the cold hearted upper caste. S goes home. Her husband scolds her for being so late. He sees that she's scratched up.

H:What happened to you?

She tells him.

H:why would you take on such a dangerous task by yourself?

He cups her face and carresses her bruised cheeks.

H: why are you always trying to prove yourself to them?

She flinches and tears herself from his grasp.

S: I'm going to go get cleaned up.

She marches up the stairs and draws a bath. She's irritated. Her husband's questioning of her bothers her. He didn't treat her like the warrior she was. He babied her like she was a weak pampered woman - like that of the upper caste. She snickers.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...