Facing The Past

You dressed up and started to gather dry wood from the nearest area, it was clear that none of you wanted to move yet, that you would spend there at least a few more hours.

Carmen just sat there, dipping her feet in the stream, in silence, looking deep into the forest. Still naked.

"I'm cold."

She complained the next time you passed her while carrying a dozen or so sticks. You could see her shivering slightly, and her cheeks being pale.

She looks hot to me.

"I'd recommend you to put your feet out of the water. And maybe put some clothes on."

You said while trying to sound as genuine as possible.

"No, no. You don't understand. Can you come closer?"

Oh. Round two?

You didn't respond to Ishtar's comment and just dropped the sticks to the pile you've been preparing for a while, before sitting next to Carmen

"Can you touch me?"

You did. She felt cold.

"Before... Before you arrived, I never felt all these things. I mean, not at that intensity. Cold, warmth. Sun rays, rain. The water hitting your legs, trying to push through. The near mind breaking orgasm. Human bodies are incredibly sensitive to all this stuff."

She explained. You just nodded, you knew she had more to say.

"As a Chimera... A lot of my senses were being tempered down by genetics. Elevated strength and pain threshold meant it was harder for me to feel anything, to feel the touch on my skin. I had to press for kisses very hard to even get anything going. Sometimes I didn't even detect it when someone smacked my ass. I... I think I like being human. Or whatever I am."

She said while resting her head on your shoulder.

"You look like a human to me. A beautiful one at that."

She started her response with a smile.

"I also feel more... All over the place? I don't know how to call it. It's like past memories of dumb things I've done are coming back over and over again in my brain and I'm trying to hide the embarrassment. It's interestingly annoying."

You smirked.

"That's just a part of being a human. We constantly push forward while remembering our failures. Those who can't move on, can't get on with life will stay in one place, haunted by their past. Those who can face it and face it everyday, will get far."

She looked at you with a weirded out face.

"That was the smartest thing that you've said so far."

"My... My dad used to say that."

You gulped, some of the painful memories getting back to you.

Stay strong, David.

"Used to?"

She asked the question. The one you never wanted to talk about. The one you never properly answered to anyone except Ishtar, and she only got the explanations after invading your memories.

"He... Passed away."

You managed to say through the squeezed throat. It was hard for you to come back to that. It was one of the things that always held you back, in the past, but also gave you the determination to move on. Gave you a goal.

Carmen looked into your eyes and saw tears gathering there, ready to start overflowing.

She moved her position slightly, so she was now higher than you, and went for the hug, burying your face in between her breasts. You could feel her softness, her heart beat.

"Tell me everything. Let it out."

And you did. You said it all. You let it all out.

You described what people your father and mother were. How they raised you, how you loved them despite their shortcomings and quirks. Their similarities and differences. Their absolute love and adoration towards each other.

And then you started talking about her. How beautiful she was all the time. How her laughter brightened up the every day routine, how coming back home from work was a highlight of your day, how you always stayed as long in bed as possible in the mornings just to get more time with her. How you faced problems together and were always coming out on top, how the life seemed perfect, only with her. How she was your sun, moon and stars. The only thing you continued to keep for yourself was her name.

And then you told Carmen how your wife died, along with your parents. How you were broken for months, had suicidal thoughts, were stuck in a loop of depression.

How a random occurrence gave you the knowledge of this world. How the man that murdered your family fled to it.

Tears were free falling throughout all of this from both of your faces. Ishtar stayed quiet, and Carmen just spoke soothing words right into your ear, while humming a soft melody. You felt safe. You felt like the weight of the world dropped from your shoulders.

"I know it might not mean much." You heard a voice coming from behind. A familiar one.

You turned your head to see a fairy sitting on top of centaur shoulder. Next to them was a wyvern and, creeping in the back, a spider. All the girls that you knew, all the girls that were your friends. Doris with an angry face, Kelara smiling through tears, Salahea shaking her head and Layla weeping.

"But I hope we will get that fucker."

Doris said and used her wings to fly over to you, to your hand.

For a brief moment there, you felt a true happiness again.