Valyrie: A Resident Evil: VILLAGE OC Fanfiction

Up a Tree

"10, 9, 8"-
Oh jeez..here we go again. I listen faintly to Daniela counting down somewhere nearby, initiating a surprise game of hide and seek. How foolish of me to think that I might actually have time to myself on this peaceful day. Being unexpectedly launched into Daniela's games doesn't bother me too much, but at this moment, it's strangely annoying just to hear her counting. Maybe it's just because it's too hot. I'm used to the castle being quite warm for the girl's sake, even in the summer season, yet it feels like too much for me to handle today. My skin is burning and I swear I can hear my sweat sizzling as it drips off of me. I'm burning up so much that even my feathers are sweating! Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but I am feeling incredibly hot. I even took my vest off to help, but it did little to cool me down. This morning I woke up uncomfortably covered in sweat with the sheets clinging to my skin. It was quite early, even earlier than I normally wake and I couldn't fall back asleep no matter how hard I tried. Feeling gross, I took a shower which only helped ease the heat slightly, but right now, I feel like I might need another one.
"7, 6,"-
Sitting in my usual chair in the library, I pitifully attempt to get comfortable, but even sitting seems to amplify the heat around me and spread rapidly to the seat. I try to ignore the heat by reading, but with my brain melting and cooking in my skull, it's impossible to focus on anything. This is ridiculous, I'm not sure how much more of this I can take!
"5, 4,"-
The floor in the hallway creaks slightly and Daniela's voice sounds like it's right outside the door. I sigh heavily and glare at the door, knowing what's going to happen next. Typically when we play this, I would have already been running to hide from Daniela and hearing her close by meant that she had found me and that I should start running again in order to keep from being caught. As angry, sweaty, and burnt as I am, being caught is the least of my worries.
"3......2..."
"Leave. Me. Alone", I growl quietly to myself, frustrated at my situation and at her voice. Daniela giggles quietly just outside the door. I feel my blood starting to boil with anger, raising my already extremely hot temperature by ten-fold. Suddenly, the door bursts open and I'm quickly engulfed in a massive swarm of buzzing flies. They lift me with ease and race me out of the library, soaring speedily across the balcony. I swear, snarl, and swat at them in blind rage, wrestling and flapping my wings as they spin and drag me over the balcony's edge. Oh boy, here we go.
"ONE!", Daniela shouts in glee as she tosses me over the balcony. I yelp and flail uselessly through the air as I hear the swarm speed down the stairs in order to catch me just before I hit the ground. Unfortunately, Daniela has yet to achieve this and I always end up crashing face first into the floor just BEFORE she can reach me. I always hope that maybe one day she will finally be able to catch me. Maybe this time she will. The floor is getting awfully close but I'm still hoping maybe, maybe, MAYBE,...nope. I collide hard against the floor with a loud *SMACK* just as she races towards me.
"Aww, I was so close that time!", Daniela whines as I angrily and shakily push myself off of the ground.
"YOU'RE ALWAYS SO CLOSE EVERY TIME, I'M STARTING TO BELIEVE YOU DO IT ON PURPOSE!", I snap at her.
"No I don't, I'll get it one day!", she protests.
I stand up, brush myself off aggressively and scoff filled with sarcasam, "Yeah, SURE you will"! Daniela steps back seeming confused. I don't usually lose my temper with her even after all the times before this, but with the heat and just wanting to be left alone, this sent me to the edge, just teetering on my last nerve. I huff at Daniela and start to storm off back up the stairs before I feel something brush roughly and repeatedly against my wings. Turning sharply, I see Daniela batting and beating my wings with an open hand, alternating between each one. "STOP IT!", I yell facing her, "DON'T TOUCH MY WINGS"!
"Your feathers are all ruffled!", Daniela explains as she reaches behind me and continues to smooth my feathers. Folding my wings, I back away from her and growl loudly as a warning. Daniela inspects her gloved hand with a look of disgust. "Why are they wet?", she asks.
"They're sweaty, I'm EXTREMELY HOT", I explain. Daniela's disgusted expression grows wider and she quickly wipes her hand off on her dress while screeching, "EWWW"! I roll my eyes. I'm almost sure she's had far worse interactions with bodily fluids than just a bit of sweat. Dismissing her, I try to quickly make my way upstairs before she stops me again. Unfortunately, I'm not so successful. Just before I can reach the balcony, I hear Daniela badger me with, "Where are you going"?
"Back to the library", I answer immediately, still trying to get away from whatever Daniela has planned next.
"Why, I thought you were hot?", she asks sounding quite confused.
"I AM HOT!", I sigh frustratedly, "SO JUST"-
"So then let's go in the woods for a bit", she shouts, "It's cooler outside, and you wouldn't be all sweaty"!
I almost start to yell at her again but quickly stop myself and consider her offer. If it's truly cooler outside, I'd happily go just to finally relax and cool down. Besides, it's always good to get some fresh air. I start to answer her, but then consider Lady Dimitrescu's rules. Thinking carefully although the heat is affecting my brain, I answer her with, "Go ask your mother, if she says it's alright, I'll go". Just as I refer to her, Lady Dimitrescu waltzes into the main hall. Daniela spins and rushes towards her with question.
"Mother", she starts excitedly, "Can Val and I go into the woods to explore"? Lady Dimitrescu looks up towards me as Daniela eagerly awaits an answer. The look in her eyes is hesitant, and I can tell she's searching for a reason to not allow it, but I can see in her heart that she doesn't want to tell Daniela no. She seems slightly afraid and as if she knows something we do not.
"Hmmm....only if you bring Cecily with you", she grants. Daniela squeals excitedly and thanks her mother. My heart drops and I suddenly feel ill. I figured she might have a maiden tag along with us, but why Cecily of all of them??
"I can trust that she will make sure you return safely", Lady Dimitrescu informs almost as if reading my mind and answering my question. I feel puzzled hearing her say that. Does she not trust me? No, no I'm sure she does, she just wants to be safe is all. Lady Dimitrescu begins to walk upstairs as Daniela races off to go get Cecily. Something in my gut churns and flops. I lean on the balcony, still sweating like crazy and wondering if agreeing to go on this adventure was a good idea at all. Lady Dimitrescu brushes my wings gently, making them tingle and making me feel a little better. "Valyrie, are you feeling alright?", she asks sounding slightly concerned.
"Yeah, just a....a little worried", I answer looking up at her, trying to seem not as bothered. Lady Dimitrescu gives me a puzzled look and asks, "Why"?
I hesitate, racking my brain for the source of my worry, but there's nothing. Only a growing feeling of dread with no reason why remains.
"Honestly...I'm not sure", I respond. Lady Dimitrescu pets my wings lightly, attempting to soothe me.
"Well, I'm sure you'll be alright, just make sure to avoid hunters", she comforts as she walks away breezily. HUNTERS??? I panic slightly and quickly try to think of an excuse to avoid Daniela's plan while rushing back downstairs. So what if I'm hot, I'll deal with it, just as long as I don't have to deal with any HUNTERS!
Before I can think of anything, Daniela races up to me with an enourmous smile, dragging a very annoyed looking Cecily behind her by her wrist. Cecily is holding something very large and black in her other arm. It looks to be a very large cloak. I stare at it puzzled, wondering what it could be for before she shoves it towards me.
"You're going to need this", she scowls. Cautiously and confusedly, I take it from her. Surprisingly, it's a bit heavier than I thought it would be.
"Thanks....what is it for?", I ask while letting it fall loose and inspecting it. It looks to be a large, thick material of some kind. Cecily scoffs at me and looks at me as if I'm a complete idiot.
"It's a coat", she sneers, "It'll cover your wings so in case we do run across any villagers, they won't know that you're a freak and try to kill you".
OH, GREAT. Why, oh why did I agree to this? I almost start to cancel and make up an excuse not to go, but I glance back at Daniela who is bouncing on her heels in pure delight. Now I understand why it was so difficult for Lady Dimitrescu to tell her no. Giving up, I sigh heavily and start to put the coat on. I understand that I'm not very big and it's difficult to find clothes that fit me properly, especially coats, but this coat is simply ENORMOUS. The sleeves are entirely too long and the ends of the coat are dragging on the ground even as I stand. It seems much more like a heavy cloak and yet it even seems too large for that. Who could possibly wear this? I look and feel ridiculous in it but it does in fact cover my wings so that I do not have to fold them so tightly against my back. As soon as I've got the coat on, Daniela eagerly skips to the door with Cecily and me trailing along behind her, only slightly trying to keep up with her pace.
The summer air is fresh, breezy, peaceful, and the smell of it instantly relaxes all of the tension built inside me. The sky is overcast and light grey, signalling that a gentle rain may occur at any time. Flowers are blooming brightly along pathways and mighty tree trunks and birds can be heard singing their harmonies. Everything around feels so full of life. Treading carefully through the wooded area, avoiding the village, I stick close to Cecily. Daniela walks with us for only a short while before speedily taking off. I almost start to chase her down but Cecily quickly stops me. "Don't bother, she'll come back to us after a while", she says. Trusting her judgement, I relax once more and find myself wandering aimlessly around the woods, allowing myself to become immersed in nature. There are so many sounds: water running, many creatures chirping, trilling, buzzing, and singing, wind blowing, grass and leaves brushing as they are being disturbed by movement, and rocks sliding all in synchrony, harmonizing to create a sort of natural music. There are other sounds that seem much more distant: people talking and whispering, children laughing and playing, fires burning, and metal clanging. Those are sounds from the village. As nice as it is here, I'm strongly tempted to travel a bit farther, entering the village once more and meeting some people. Although, I'm suddenly reminded of my wings. Though hidden, there is still a strong chance that the villagers would have dangerous suspicions of me and I could get hurt. Of course, I immediately dismiss my temptations and stick to the saftey of the trees. Cecily makes herself comfortable, sitting on a fallen tree and pulling a knife and a strangely shaped block of wood out of her bag. What's that for? I watch her for a bit as she carefully positions the knife along an edge of the wood and begins to shave it down seamlessly. She's carving it, she's a carver. Soon, she looks up at me, seeming annoyed and I instantly look away, getting the hint that she doesn't want me watching her as she works. I hear some branches crunch not too far from us and look towards the immediate direction of the sound. Intially, I see nothing, but looking far up into the trees, I notice a small child climbing near the top of a very tall tree about 50 feet from where Cecily and I are located. I look back at Cecily who seems too focused on her carving to notice the child. They're awfully high up, I really hope they don't fall. Fearing for their saftey, I watch them intensely, preparing for any moment where I might have to rescue them if they fall.
"So, what's it like?", Cecily asks, slightly interuppting my thoughts. Confused by the broadness of her question, I shoot back, "What's what like"?
"Flying, having wings, being....you", she answers. The child continues to climb, reaching dangerously and carelessly over to far away branches. I panic and startle, feeling my palms sweat and my nerves race as I watch them. Trying not to loose focus, I answer Cecily quickly with, "It's alright I guess...kind of uncomfortable, please don't fall".
"What?", Cecily asks sounding very confused. I look back to her then quickly back up to the child. "What are you looking at?", she growls sounding frustrated and confused. I point up towards the child in the tree and say, "There's a kid up in that tree".
"Okay, so??", Cecily sneers.
"They're way up there, I'm worried they're gonna fall", I explain.
"Well, it's not like it's your kid, so don't worry about it", Cecily dismisses coldly while going back to her carving. Ignoring Cecily, I continue to watch the child closely and express concern as they continue to climb. I understand that they may not be my responsibility, but I still care for their well-being and have a strong feeling to protect them from any sort of harm. I watch as they balance steadily on a bending branch threatening to break as they reach up towards another one. My heart feels as if it's pounding out of my chest and I'm standing on my toes nervously. Please reach it, please don't break. After an agonizing minute, the child reaches the branch successfully and stands up on the bending branch. I gasp loudly with relief when suddenly- *SNAP*
The sound of the branch breaking rips through the calm air and the child falls slightly, clinging to the branch they just grabbed and struggling to hold on as they dangle helplessly in the air. The sound is loud enough to startle Cecily and make her look up. Her eyes dart to where I was originally standing, but upon the danger, I immediately ran towards the tree, desperate to save this child.
"PAPA, HELP!", the child screams as the branch they're slipping from threatens to snap as well.
"JUST HOLD ON, I'M GONNA GET YOU!", I yelp as I start to quickly climb the tree. It's a good thing that I had done this a lot as a kid myself or maybe it's just the adrenaline kicking in that's aiding me in nearing her speedily. "VAL, WHAT ARE YOU DOING, ARE YOU CRAZY!?!", I hear Cecily shout. Ignoring her and seeing the child slip, I hurriedly continue climbing up the tree. C'mon Valyrie, you have to save them, you have to! Pulling myself up the branches and leaping up the tree, I steady myself on top of the branches near the child and start to reach towards them. They are a very scared little girl. They look to be no more than ten years old and I can tell that she can not hold on to her branch for much longer.
"Help me!", she cries.
"Don't worry, I've almost got you, you just gotta reach for me sweetie", I instruct as calmly as I can, reaching towards her as far as my arm will reach. She starts to let go, but the branch shifts and groans. Frightened, she clings back on to it tightly.
"I can't, I'm scared!", she whines. Feeling quite scared myself but trying to keep calm, I attempt to convince her.
"Yes you can, you have to, I'm gonna get you down but you have to reach for me", I beg. The branch shifts again, creaking loudly. The girl panics and immediately starts to reach for me. I nearly grab her when her fingers slip and the branch breaks. She screams loudly as she starts to plummet towards the ground. I jump off of my branch and nosedive towards her, reaching and grabbing her tightly in my arms halfway before meeting the ground. In an instant, I flap my wings hard, swooping upwards viciously to keep from crash landing into the dirt. The girl stops screaming and wraps herself around my torso, squeezing me tightly as I hover carefully and gently back to the ground. I can feel both of us trembling from fear and adrenaline still coursing heavily through my veins as my feet finally touch the ground. She still clings onto me tightly and I comfort her, assuring that she is safe. I feel her crying softly into my chest as I hug her.
"It's okay, it's okay, you're safe now, I got you", I console. Eventually she lets go of me and I put her down gently.
"Are you okay, are you hurt?", I ask concernedly, checking her quickly for injuries. Immediately, I notice a tear in her dress which reveals a nasty cut on her leg.
"No, I'm bleeding!", she cries. I look around quickly and spot Cecily rushing over towards us. Checking her leg closely, I can see that it's just a simple cut and all that can be done is to bandage it.
"Oh, it's not too bad", I reassure, "I'll patch that up for you and you'll be good to go, okay"?
She sniffles and nods her head eagerly. I kneel on the ground as she sits and ask Cecily for bandage wrap as soon as she's near. As she rummages around in her bag, I ask the little girl to distract her from her injury and help ground her from her nearly fatal experience, "What's your name little one"?
"Luiza", she answers while watching me with intense fascination as Cecily hands me the wrappings. I continue the conversation as I dress her wound.
"That's a lovely name, and how old are you Luiza", I ask.
"I'm eight", she answers.
I nod and smile, still monitoring her state carefully. "Valyrie", Cecily whispers as if trying to be secretive. I ignore her since I'm making sure to give Luiza my full attention as I finish wrapping her wound.
"Do you like climbing trees a lot?", I question. She nods eagerly then points up to the tree we just fell out of and says, "Not that one".
I chuckle slightly then instruct, "Well that one can be an exception, but you have to be really careful with climbing any of the trees okay, can you promise me to be careful from now on"?
"Valyrie!", Cecily growls a bit louder. I continue to ignore her as I watch Luiza nod and answer, "Yes ma'am". She stands up quickly as soon as I've finished and inspects her leg. She then quickly looks back to me and asks, "Are you an angel"?
I laugh slightly, amused by her question, but before I can answer, I hear a small branch snap close by. Turning towards the sound, I see a tall man with a frightened expression holding a shotgun. He's dressed similarly to the villagers and he's pointing the shotgun directly at me. "Papa!", Luiza squeals as she runs towards him. Instantly, I put my hands up, proving that I'm not a threat to him or his daughter. A dull ache starts to grow in my waist, but I ignore it. "Stay BACK", he orders as I begin to slowly back away.
"Sir, please I just-", I start to explain.
"The angel saved me Papa!", Luiza shouts excitedly. I continue to back away, praying silently that this man doesn't shoot me for saving his daughter.
"What the hell are you, what did you do to my daughter!?!", he shouts angrily. What do I do, what do I do???
"I-I-I just"- I stammer
Suddenly, Cecily grabs me by the wrist and we take off running as fast as we can away from them.
*BOOM* A gunshot blasts roars out loudly as we continue to run for our lives towards the castle. We run and run for what seems like miles, before I finally have to stop. The ache in my stomach grows stronger and sharper, making me wince and growl in pain. I touch where it hurts, wondering if it's my scar, but the pain feels stronger  just below my waist than my actual stomach. Maybe my body is just tired from all of the stress and is reacting badly. Don't worry, you're fine, just ignore it. Regardless, I simply cannot run anymore. Cecily storms over towards me wearing a mean expression and punches me hard in the arm.
"OW, What the hell!?!", I exclaim feeling confused. She points her finger sharply in my face and screams, "THAT'S WHY YOU DON'T GO AROUND SAVING RANDOM VILLAGER'S KIDS, YOU ARE A FREAK AND THEY WILL SHOOT YOU"!!!
With that, she throws the black, heavy cloak at me and huffs off. I pick it up and now realize why Luiza had asked if I was an angel. It must have fallen off while I was rescuing her and my wings were completely exposed. I sigh heavily, feeling like a fool for letting that happen. Now they know, and they'll tell others about the winged-girl in the woods. I try to get up and follow Cecily, but I'm immediately floored by a hot white pain stabbing me just below my waist. I yelp sharply and fall on the ground, feeling as my stomach throbs painfully. It feels like my guts are being scraped and ripped out of my body with rusty silverware and claws. What's happening to me? Every move I make amplifys the pain by ten-fold making me light-headed and naseous. I feel all of muscles tense up and tighten as I curl into a ball, gripping my waist, crying, and trying desperately to ease the intense, searing agony wracking my waist and pulsing through my body. I can't move, I'm stuck here. Suddenly, Daniela's face clouds my tear-filled vision.
"Hi Val!", she cheers with a smile. I start to answer her back trying to seem fine, but my stomach flops and I feel myself about to be sick from agony. Daniela's smile quickly fades as she looks at me. She looks off towards the right and shouts, "Cecily, I think Val's hurt". God, she has nooo idea. Daniela stays over me as I hear Cecily approaching. Cecily leans over me and asks, "What's wrong with you now"? Afraid to be sick, I refuse to answer and continue to lay there silently crying in growing pain. Daniela looks back and forth between me and Cecily before saying, "I think it's her tummy". Without another word, Cecily pulls me out of my ball position and rolls me flat on my back making it feel like I've been brutally stabbed.
"GAAAAWWHH!!!", I cry. Cecily and Daniela both startle and Cecily forces me to move my hands to check for injuries. She yanks my shirt up and undoes my pants, pulling them down slightly. The pressure and pain is alleviated just barely, but it gives me just a moment to breathe. A puzzled look comes over both Daniela's and Cecily's face as they notice there is no external injury causing my ailment.
"There's nothing there?", Daniela points out while looking back at Cecily. Still looking puzzled and examining me, Cecily places her hand ever so gently on the spot where the pain is stemming from. I wince as it throbs hard and swells against her touch making her yank her hand back in fright.
"It's internal, we need to get her back to the castle NOW", Cecily orders with a very serious tone, "Can you carry her"?
Daniela nods and tries to pick me up. The jostling of her moving me is agonizing and it's enough to make me violently sick. My throat and stomach burns as I spill its brownish black and bloody contents all over my shirt, pants, and the ground. Am I dying, what's happening to me??? Daniela waits patiently for me for finish puking before scooping me up like a child as I groan and whine from stabbing, tearing agony. "Don't worry Val, Mother's going to help you", Daniela comforts. Instantly, she turns into a massive swarm of large, buzzing flies and rushes me back the castle with Cecily racing behind us.