Moon Glaive

Chapter 7: Indu

Indu looked at his receding figure with melancholy. I'll miss him. Even if it was only for a short while, she couldn't forget the time spent with him.

"Now...how do I get into the town?" Indu looked down at her attire – a thick white robe and a blanket slung over her shoulder – and sighed. Nothing she had taken, not even her knife, had returned with her. They were her secret stash, and new ones without her dad's knowledge was easier said than done.

"Did Maxi already inform the guard?" Indu muttered as she bit her dirt-encrusted fingernails.

"Lucky for you, I didn't."

Indu jumped in fright as she turned around. There stood Maxi, her silver chest plate glowing slightly under the rising sun. She wore a short sleeve tunic beneath it, so her slim, muscular build could clearly be seen. She had removed her helmet, so her shoulder-length, grass-green hair fluttered in the breeze. Her arms were folded across her chest.

Maxi took a deep, audible breath, her hands visibly trembling. Even under the dim light, Indu could see the rage growing in her eyes.

"...umm, I can explain...?" Indu hunched a little as her gaze lowered, unable to look Maxi in the eye.

"Explain what!" Maxi lost her patience and screamed at Indu, who flinched. "Do you know what fucking time it is? 6. 6! A! M!"

"When did you leave? 10 p.m. How long did you say you'd be out? Only a few hours. Despite the threat of mountain lions and bears, I trusted you because I thought you were a responsible woman. Instead, you return at this ungodly hour in completely different clothing and act like you can get away with it." Maxi took a deep breath before continuing.

"Do you know how worried I was? When thirty minutes passed from when you promised to return, I felt my stomach sink. I thought the worst had happened." Maxi clutched her chest in relief. Tears had worked themselves in her eyes. "Thank goodness you came back."

"I'm sorry..." Tears welled up in Indu's eyes. I never realized Maxi cared for me as deeply as father and Anya.

"You better explain everything." Maxi pulled Indu into a hug.

"I will." Indu hugged her back.

"You don't understand how scared I was, Indu." Maxi pulled her head back to look at Indu. "I wondered how I could inform the town lord of your death. It gnawed on my mind like a zombie. I lost you, and it was my fault I did. Oh, thank goodness you're safe and sound." Maxi's tears flowed again, and she buried herself into Indu's shoulder again.

Indu had too much emotional empathy, so when she saw her best friend break down in front of her, worrying about her safety, she couldn't help but cry. She also buried herself into Maxi's shoulder, and the two of them cried their hearts out.

Even the others don't like me, at least I have you three...and maybe...just maybe...Axer as well.

Eventually, Indu was the first to pull back. She could still feel Maxi trembling from a mixture of fright and relief, but it was a lot better than before.

"Crouch behind those bushes." Maxi reluctantly pulled away and pointed to an area filled with chest-high bushes. "I'll bring you something suitable to wear."

They were far from the town's entrance, so they didn't have to worry about being discovered. Even so, it never hurt to be cautious. Maxi took one last look at Indu before leaving, her expression clouded in mistrust.

Does she really think I'll run away?

While Indu waited, she played with the wild bush she was crouched next to. It had long, flexible tentacles spilling across the ground like her hair when she woke up from her bed every morning. Each was covered in small leaves that together made the bush very soft to the touch. These tentacles extended from a central ball of bark – almost like a tree. Because they looked like tentacles growing from a head, Indu aptly named them tentacle heads (a very creative name)