‘We’re alive….’ Nell said in quite amazement.

  “We really are,” Ves responded in a raspy voice.

  “Are what?” Ryuko asked as Ves’s words broke her free from the stupor of being confronted with such a powerful beast.

  “Nell is pointing out that somehow we are all still alive”. Ves said with a contented sigh before wincing at her still severe injuries.

  “Wait, Ves! You’re still badly injured! We need to get you help!” Ryuko cried out as she looked over Ves’s bloody and mangled body.

  “How bad is it, Nell?” Ves asked.

  ‘It’s bad. As I said, I think I can get us moving again well enough to make it back, but it will be a while before we are in any shape to fight. Some food would help as well.’ Nell’s assessment wasn’t as bad as Ves expected. She was still amazed at the sorts of injuries she could recover from in mere days as opposed to months, if ever, for normal people.

  Turning to Ryuko, Ves gave her the news, “If I eat something and rest for a bit, Nell can have us well enough to make it back to camp, hopefully before nightfall. We will be in no shape to fight for a while, though.”

  “More importantly, are you ok?” Ves asked.

  Ryuko blinked before laughing hard enough that she clutched her sides. After a moment, she calmed down, “Sorry about that, but Ves, look at you. You look like you have a foot in the grave, yet ask me if I’m fine?”

  “Fair, but Nell can heal us back from just about anything. Which correct me if I’m wrong, you cannot.”

  “Don’t worry, Ves, it’s not the first time I’ve looked death in the face. The bear hardly managed to glance me. But back to you if you need food, I have a few dried rations in my bag if that will help”. Ryuko offered while digging through her sack.

  “Na, I’m good,” Ves replied as she pointed at the bear.

  “Here, let me start a fire, and we can… cook…. some….”

  Ves crawled over and, with some effort, pulled back some of the bear's hide where the core had been removed, exposing the thick muscles below. The smell was a bit gamey but no less appetizing. She had heard monster meat was a delicacy, which left her awfully curious. Ready to feast, she opened her jaw wide and was about to dig in when she stopped.

  Realizing what she was doing, Ves turned back to Ryuko with an apologetic smile. “Sorry if this freaks you out. I’m just really hungry, and I’m pretty sure these clothes are already ruined…”

  “You really aren’t human, are you?” Ryuko asked in amazement. She looked less shocked and more intrigued. Ves could see that her eyes were taking in the full view of Ves’s razor-sharp teeth. That caused Ves to snort out a laugh, which rather hurt with broken ribs and all. “What gave me away was it the claw?”

  “Well, yes, that fact you're still alive for another,” Ryuko said.

  “Ryuko, I was being sarcastic,” Ves responded with a sigh.

  “Oh…” Ryuko said, a bit embarrassed.

  “Anyway, I really need to eat something, you may want to look away,” Ves said as she turned to start her feast. With the first bite, she found the meat tough. Even with her new teeth and monstrously strong jaw, this was still a lot of work. Thankfully, chewing was a bit more optional now. She could just force down large chunks that would have caused a normal person to choke. As she ate, she grabbed one of the bones. How in the world were they so strong? As a test, she slammed the bone onto a nearby stone to crack it, yet the bone remained unscathed. And yet Old Gray snapped its legs effortlessly.

  ‘Ves, find a small bone and eat it.’

  “Wait, what?”

  ‘I want to see if we can digest it. See if I can learn from it to strengthen our own bones.’

  “Are you sure?”

  ‘Positive, just maybe pick a smaller one. Easier to pass if even our stomach can’t break it down.’

  Having nothing to lose, Ves grabbed a small bone and swallowed it whole, only to see, to her own surprise and a bit of horror, Ryuko still sitting there watching. Stopping, she turned to look at Ryuko. She had actually gotten closer…

  “Sorry, did I bother you?” Ryuko asked a bit timidly.

  “Not really, but I would think most people would find this sight horrifying…” Ves gestured around herself. “I mean, I’m kneeling in a literal pool of blood and gore. I’m pretty sure that’s an intestine around my knee… the heavy smell of blood alone would make a lot of people sick.”

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  “Oh, the smell is pretty bad, don’t get me wrong. But I am a hunter, I’ve had to field dress so many animals that all of this doesn’t really bother me. But I see you, a former city girl, digging into all this like it’s the greatest meal you've ever had. I mean, ignoring your arm, you look rather harmless.”

  Ves blushed a bit. “It’s not the greatest… it’s tough and gamey. I’m just hungry…”

  “Hungry enough to eat a bone?”

  “Nell requested it. She thinks eating it may help her make our own bones stronger.”

  “Ryuko, can I ask a question?”

  “Sure”

  “Why have you been so nice to us? While no one is rude to our face, the rest of your people seem to want us gone.”

  “They are scared.”

  “I mean, I get that, I’m used to it, but I know people fear us, it bothers Nell.”

  ‘Ves, it's fine, if they fear us, I am the reason…’

  Ryuko shook her head, “No, I don’t mean like that. Even getting this far, we have lost so much. When we left our old home, we had nearly twice as many people as we do now. We are scared to lose anymore.”

  “They want to hide and distance themselves from the outside world. We were already isolated, though. We had no allies or friends to call on in our time of need. We were forced to set out into a world we didn’t really understand.

  I disagree, and I think Lady Setsu does as well. We need help. We need to reach out and build bridges. So, while the others may not realize it, we need you. And I think the two of you need us as well.”

  “I think I understand, and you may be right. About us needing you, I mean. It was just me and Nell out there alone for weeks. To be around others again. Well, it's nice.”

  Even after her feast, it still took Nell over an hour to get them walking again, and only just barely. In turn, it wasn’t until late afternoon that they managed to get back. Ryuko had dropped Ves off with the clan’s healer, Ogata. As much as she wanted to stay, she needed to lead a group to harvest what meat they could from the remains of the bear. The beast was massive with plenty of meat to go around, even after Ves had her fill.

  Currently, Ogata was giving Ves a complete examination. Thankfully, they had a small tent set up for some privacy.

  “The fact you’re alive is remarkable,” Ogata commented, looking over Ves in awe as she lay on a cot in the tent.

  “Thanks?” Ves replied, unsure what to say.

  “You say you were a normal human only a little over a month ago?” Ogata asked. Ves was a bit uncomfortable under his gaze as she was undressed, but this was a medical examination, and he wasn’t leering at her in any untoward way.

  “Yes.” She simply said.

  “Again, remarkable, at first glance, aside from your arm and teeth, you look like a normal human. But upon closer examination, you are anything but.” He said as he gently continued his work, this time placing her arm into a sling. Even with Nell’s hard work, shattered bones took a while to heal.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “Take your stomach, for example, no human or few races, period, could eat as much food as you did. Their stomachs would have literally torn open if someone forced that much food down. It’s so much that it displaces your rib cage. At first, I wondered if your bones were somehow more flexible, but upon closer inspection, I can see that your sternum is no longer fused. Your ribs can spread apart as needed to make room for anything you swallow. Adding to that, you can unhinge your jaw. I suspect you could eat things whole like a snake. If you press on your chest, you can feel a new muscle that connects the two sides.”

  Ves did just that, it felt bizarre, like something pulled taut just below the skin.

  “You are essentially a new species that simply looks human. I don’t mean to be rude by asking this, but may I continue to examine you at regular intervals? It may also benefit you to know what’s going on with your own body.” Ogata asked this time a bit awkwardly.

  “May I ask why you’re so interested?” Ves asked in response, a bit concerned.

  “Outside of professional interest, treating and examining a new species, which you essentially are. It is a huge boon to ranking up my cultivation. Unique situations like this are perfect for a boost, which would only serve the clan as a whole.”

  “You’re a cultivator?”

  “Yes, but only an Amber. Just enough to help diagnose wounds and strengthen medicines. So does my proposal work for you?”

  “Nell, what do you think?” Ves asked.

  “Nell? Ah, if I recall, that’s the creature that lives inside you and caused your changes, correct?” Ogata asked.

  “Yes.”

  “And you can communicate with them?” Ogata asked.

  Feeling a mental nudge, Ves let Nell take control.

  “That is correct, we can communicate with each other. We can also swap control of our body.” Nell said, and Ogata immediately picked up on the change of tone and body language.

  “Is this Nell I’m speaking to?” He asked timidly.

  “Yes.” She replied.

  “Fascinating, do you mind if I continue to check on yourself and Ves?” he asked.

  “If you can keep what you find private, I have no issue. I think it would do me good to have an experienced healer to consult with on changes I make. For better or worse, Ves has handed me free rein on modifications to our body as long as we are careful about our outward appearance.”

  “As long as anything I learn, or you tell me, isn’t a threat to the clan, then I can promise to keep what we discuss between us,” Ogata spoke with a hand placed across his chest.

  “It sounds like we have a deal,” Nell responded with a smile.

  “Wonderful, then I must ask. What happened to your organs? Many normal ones, like the kidneys or liver, are missing. Far as I can tell.”

  “I’m not sure which ones those were,” Nell admitted, a bit embarrassed.

  Pointing to Nell's body, Ogata began to explain, “They are used to help filter toxins, among other things.”

  “Oh, those, they became redundant, so I removed them.”

  “Redundant? How so?”

  It was at that point that the two got into a detailed discussion on anatomy. It was making Ves think she should have paid more attention to the changes going on with their body. Apparently, her body was now filled with millions of tiny creatures that did everything from healing their body to even replacing the functionality of most of her organs. With most of the space now dedicated to the production of said creatures. In a pinch, they could fill in for nearly any bodily function. It was the main reason she was so hard to kill.

  For now, though, she was tired and still very sore. Letting Nell keep control, she tuned out the world around her and took a nap. Or as close to it as possible while her body was still engaged in an animated conversation…