Eve: Enduring

[Speech translated from Goblish]

Eve sits by herself in the rafters of the barn, holding the horned hornet baby in her arm. The child had finally gotten to sleep after eating tiny chunks of meat scavenged by the hunting party. But regardless of the hornets' state, she just didn't want to be with the other goblinoids. Being in the barn was already giving her flashbacks, but if she had to face anyone while up here, she thought she might have another breakdown.

Torch seemed to be the only exception, and she climbed up into the rafters to join the tyrant goblin, each of them having a hornet child in their arms. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but was hesitant for some reason. Eve sighs. "Is...something on your mind?"

The hobgoblin looks her up and down. "What happened to you?" As Eve's mind immediately returns to her torturous imprisonment, Torch continues. "The day we met, you were confident in Chief and yourself, but now..."

The former elf swallows hard. "I, uh...a lot...has happened, recently. I don't know if I should share it..."

"Eve, we may have come from different tribes, but we are united, now. If one of us struggles, all of us share in that struggle." A silence spreads, and the tyrant goblin shifts around uncomfortably before Torch continues. "Before Chief came, we had a ****; you know this. She was an elf that we captured many moons ago. She wasn't always alone. There was a second elf that we captured with her. They weren't good as breeding stock, too frail, but they were good for the tribe."

Eve begins shaking, hearing the story that the hobgoblin is unknowingly telling about the one right next to her. "Y-yeah. Th-the slaves can s-still be...used."

After a curious look, Torch continues. "Og evolved. No one in our tribe had become an ogre before, so we didn't know what would happen. He took the other girl and split her down the middle with his dick. Before the next moon, Shadow and I challenged him. He may have been our chief then, but just as a tribesman has a duty to the chief, a chief's duty is to the tribe." She takes a breath. "Eve. I'm not your chief. I'm not challenging you or Chief. I want us to do the best we can for our tribe." She lowers the blond child in her arm. Taking her free hand, she uses two fingers to lightly claw at her heart, a gesture Eve recognized as a vow of trust between goblinoids. "Chief gave up to save us. We need to hold together until he returns."

Eve stared, unsure how to continue. Her gaze drops to her own, still shaking hand. Her goblin hand. She raised it up to her chest, mimicking the gesture Torch had just done. With shaky breath, "I-I...I'm the one...th-that Og killed..." Her voice gets quieter as she continues.

Torch squints in confusion. "What do you mean? You're alive, and we haven't met before-"

"But we have!" The baby in Eve's arms stirs. "I-I don't know how...or why...but I'm that elf...the one Og killed..." Silence passes as Eve takes deep breaths to prevent herself from hyperventilating. "I died...in this barn. I lost my memory...woke up in a field...and my tribe found me... Then Chief found me, and...I started getting my memory back..." Another few deep breaths as tears stream down her face. "I remember...everyone here...using me...using Kristhyra... I know we killed a lot of you...but sometimes...I think it'd feel better if you had killed me, too."

Silence passes as the tyrant goblin weeps, and Torch contemplates this...frankly unbelievable story. The hobgoblin shifts to get closer to her counterpart, setting a hand on her head, the same gesture Chief had introduced to her not long ago. "You...are strong. To come back here...to fight with us...to stay..." An idea comes to the hobgoblin, but she's unsure if her brother would like it. Standing, Torch reaches down to help Eve up. "Come. Let's go somewhere you're more comfortable."