Orphelia: A Strange Meeting

This is my first story and fist submission. Please give critical advice.

All characters are over 18 years old.

*****

As day breaks in the village of Berchtwald, a farm boy lurched from his slumber. A smile spread on his face, "Today's the day," he whispered as he started putting together his daily ensemble. He slid on his wool shirt and pants, far too excited to care that the pants are on backwards. He laced his hide boots and wrapped his neck with a deer skin cloak. Finished, he prepared himself for his next task, getting his fathers bow undetected.

He quietly stepped into his fathers room, making sure he was still asleep. The snoring was evidence enough, so he tip toed into the room keeping a close eye on his father. Gazing at his face, he briefly remembered what his father had said several days ago, "Hewlett, just because you can silently approach your prey, does not mean you have the strength to kill it. Perhaps you are better suited for animal tending, rather than animal killing. You are so small, I do not want to see you hurt."

He shook his head, looked at his father and whispered, "I'll show you pa, I'll show everyone." He grabbed the bow and quiver, and sneaked back out to the front door. As silently as he could, he opened the door and stepped out into the brisk morning air. He closed it behind him, turned on his heel and broke into a sprint. He ran straight into the expansive woods that sat directly behind his house.

The same smile still lit his face as he hopped over bushes and weaved in between trees. Despite his optimism, he knew his fathers words were true, he was small and frail. Hewlett stood several inches shorter than most young men, about five feet five inches, and his physique was the same size of a bar maid. He also had wide hips for a man, giving him a more feminine shape. With long brown locks framing his delicate face, he could possibly pass for a young woman. He had been teased many times by the other boys in the village, but he always fought back against them. Though he did not win against them, he still felt a little pride at trying. "I will show everyone that I am a true man," he muttered to himself. Determined, he trudged on.

The midday sun began to shine brightly through the massive oaks that made up the forest. Hewlett had been searching for hours now and had not seen a single deer. 'Mr. Williamson had said deer roam in the west forest,' he thought. He had made sure to go in the exact opposite direction of the rising sun, but still no deer.

Distraught, he sat on a large, mossy boulder. He looked up at the trees surrounding him. Their full leafed bodies swaying gently in the breeze. Birds sung and danced with each other, enjoying their daily activities. His thoughts drifted around, not trying to remember anything, but not trying to focus. Then he remembered conversations other hunters had, with each other. 'Wait, I'm supposed to look for tracks or droppings,' he remembered. He stood up and began observing his surroundings. No droppings, but there were many different animal tracks going in all directions. He looked more closely at each kind. Picking out a smaller hoofed animal print, he followed its trail to a large patch of bushes. Huffing, he wiggled into a soft patch of shrubbery. Keeping his nose almost to the ground, he carefully went from print to print. The shrubs occasionally pricked and pulled at his clothes, but he was far too focused to care. He followed the prints until he exited the other side of the shrub patch. There was a grassy clearing about forty yards around. At the opposite side he spotted a single, grazing doe! 'Oh thank you Gods,' he mentally whispered.

He slowly retreated into the shrub, being careful to make as little noise as possible. He grasped his father's bow in his left hand and retrieved an arrow from the quiver with his right. 'Focus,' he thought. Poking his head out the top of the shrub, he looked to see if the doe was still there. It was. Blissfully unaware of his existence, the doe continued to nibble at the fresh growing grass. Ducking back down in the shrub, he focused again.

"This is it," he said as he began to slowly rise from the bush. Holding the bow straight out, he readied the arrow and started to draw. He lined up the tip of the arrow with the center of the doe's torso and inhaled deeply. "Now, just let go," he thought. He exhaled and released the string. The bow did what it was designed to do and sent the arrow sailing through the air. But, instead of hitting its animal target, the arrow soared straight over it into the foliage on the other side of the clearing.

From the arrows direction, something screamed with a guttural and deafening shriek. The doe jerked its head up and galloped off into the forest. "Oh no," he muttered.

Large footsteps started rumbling towards him. From the foliage on the other side, a massive, upright standing beast, rushed out into the clearing growling. Hewlett's face paled as he spied on this gargantuan monster grumbling and groaning. It held its arm where an arrow was firmly lodged. "An ogre," he whispered. Hewlett studied the beasts ugly complexion.

A mix of bumps, pimples and scratches coated its ape like face. Its skin was a sickly brown color and was almost completely hairless. But what frightened the young man most, was the beasts height. It stood over the size of three men. The creature stomped back and forth, desperately trying to find its attacker. Hewlett, snapping back to his senses, realized his predicament and began to shimmy further into the bushes.

The ogre stood sniffing the air and scanning his surroundings. It stopped and stood still for a moment, then started walking in Hewlett's direction. 'Did it spot me,' Hewlett thought as it stepped ever closer. Hewlett flattened himself on the ground and mentally begged every god he could think of to spare him. Then the ogre's footsteps stopped. His heart was drumming in his ears. His face pressed hard into dirt.

Suddenly, he felt his body leaving the earth. He opened his eyes, starring at him, was the ogre's ugly face. The ogre had lifted him up with his shirt in between its thumb and forefinger. It sniffed him with its large, wart covered nose. Its eyes wandered over Hewlett, but stopped at his bow still clutched in his fist. The ogre scrunched it's eyebrows and bellowed in his face. It brought its arm down, then lobbed Hewlett through the air.

His stomach dropped, leaving the creature's grasp.

Time seemed to slow down momentarily for him as he traveled through the air. He saw his families faces flashing in his vision.

Then he felt his body return to the earth. Hard. He tumbled through the dirt. Finally stopping, he grasped the side of his chest, yelping in pain. His eyes spun around in every direction, coming to focus on the ogre advancing toward him.

He tried to move his legs, but they didn't answer his command. He kicked at the dirt, trying to shuffle away. The ogre stopped and reached for him, and all he could do was clench his eyes shut.

Suddenly a voice roared, "Stop right there!"

His eyes flung open to see the ogre toppling onto its back. Another figure landed in between him and the ogre. The figure was definitely human, a very muscular human. Turning around, the stranger revealed itself to be female.

She had shoulder length, straight brown hair, with a single white streak running through the front. A fierce and determined face with bright blue eyes. Her taught muscles bulged and flexed with every movement. Then, he noticed her peculiar clothing, or lack thereof. Her breasts rested bare against her body, but her lower half was draped in a ragged, brown cloth.

Her words startled him from his rapid observations, "Stay down there, miss!"

'Miss?'

The ogre rose from the ground and shrieked at the woman who struck it. She turned back and leaped high into air. She reached the same height as the ogres face, and struck it with a mighty blow. It staggered backwards, groaning and holding its new wound. The woman landed and stood firm in between the ogre and Hewlett.

Hewlett, panicking, felt the return of the overwhelming need to flee. He tried to move his legs again, and to his surprise, they responded better. He was able to gain some traction and picked himself up, stumbling and clutching his side, he moved as fast as he could in the opposite direction of the brawl.

The ogre looked up at the new movement in its vision to see its prey escaping and started into a sprint straight towards him. The woman intercepted its charge, grabbing its hands and planting her feet firmly into the earth. Both locked in a stalemate, the woman glanced backwards. Seeing Hewlett hobbling away, she yelled, "Hey! I told you stay do-" The ogre released one hand from her grip and struck the side of her head. Hewlett looked back and halted.

His body froze. Gravity pulled down all of his strength at the sight of the woman's head leaving her body. Her head flew through the air in his direction. He fell to the ground, watching her head tumble and bounce towards him. The head came to a stop, with her eyes wide staring out blankly. Any willpower he still had, shattered within him. Tunnel vision began to form around the woman's head who had saved him.

"Why? Why is this happening," he thought. He began to weep. "I'm so sorry," he sobbed, "I-I shouldn't h-have come here, and y-you h-helped me and-."

"Oh, you're a boy," spoke the head. Hewlett yelped and fell back onto his bottom. The head looked as if it was still alive, now staring at him intently.

His voice quivering, said, "What?" The head's mouth moved and a voice came from within.

"You should not watch what happens next."

He looked back to the ogre and the headless body, still standing before it. He saw a blueish smoke emanating from the neck. Then, the body moved! It lunged forward striking the ogre in its stomach. Her fingers dug into the creatures flesh, blood gushing from the entry. The hand grasped one of its rib bones while the other hand struck and dug into the meat of the ogre's leg. The beast wailed and shrieked. The woman, then, lifted the beast up over herself and hurled it into a nearby tree.

The ogre slammed into the trunk with an overwhelming force, breaking the tree in half, causing it to come crashing to the earth. The woman's body pounced on the ogre, not giving it a second to recover, and began pummeling it in the face. Each blow sent blood flying, soaking her body and anything in the surrounding area.

Hewlett starred in horror, he had never seen anything so gruesome. His head started to feel light, everything around him felt like it was moving. Her body finally ceased her horrible abuse, pulling her fist out of the caved in skull of the ogre. Hewlett still sat, wide eyed and mouth gaping. Her body stood and turned towards him. She stomped in his direction and panic washed over him. "Wait, please," he pleaded, trying to scoot away from the advancing body. His hands could not grab the ground properly, his vision spinning. "Please, don't-." His voice failed. Everything spun out of control. He briefly felt his head hit the ground. Then nothing. As his vision darkened, he gave in to unconsciousness.

Hewlett felt the wind caress his cheeks, the sudden sensation made him stir from sleep. He started to open his eyes. Everything bright and blurry, slowly becoming refocused. He started to sit up, trying to remember what had happened.

"Take it slow," said a voice. Hewlett looked in the direction of the voice. His eyes widened and he yelled. The same woman that killed the ogre sat next to him. Memories surged in his head of her being decapitated and smashing the ogres head.

"Hush, child," she said placing a hand on his chest, "You are alright now." Her hand felt warm, even through his shirt. The simple touch took his attention away from the, horrific memories. He slowly started to feel calm, his sudden, ragged breathing returning to normal. He gazed up at her. She wasn't covered in blood anymore. He didn't know what to feel. She killed that thing with her bare hands. What should he do next? So much had just happened.

"Where am I," he mumbled.

"My camp, if you can call it that," she said crouching beside him. He laid on a fallen tree. He assumed she put him there. Why did she save him? So many thoughts, so many questions. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to relieve some frustration.

"What is your name," she inquired. A simple question, but one that felt hard to answer.

He looked up, cleared his throat and said meekly, "Hewlett, ma'am."

The woman chuckled heartily, "Do I look like a 'ma'am' to you? Please, call me Orphelia."

"Orphelia," he softly repeated. A pretty name. He glanced around at his surroundings. There was a fire pit directly in front of the tree he sat on and a single sack resting on a tree to the right.

As she stood she informed him, "You don't have any major injuries, just some bruising on your right side." He touched his tender ribs and hissed. He decided to stand up as well, still feeling a little woozy. She grasped his shoulder, steadying him.

"Easy," she said, "how do you feel?"

"That is a good question," he thought. How did he feel? So much had just happened. The other questions started coming back to his mind. He shook his head and glanced up at her. His heart almost skipped a beat. He truly looked at her for the first time.

She stood at least two feet above him. He guessed around seven feet total. Her shoulders were broad and covered in muscle, much like the rest of her. His head barely reached the bottom of her bare breasts. He stared at those globes of flesh resting on her. He noticed that her nipples weren't visible, but were buried in her breasts.

"Enjoying the view," she asked, interrupting him from his gawking. He jerked his head back to see her face smirking at him. He starred into her eyes. A deep blue color, glowing brightly. Below was her nose, small and slightly upturned. Further down, her full lips, tinged a slight pink. Finally, he saw a jagged line running horizontally across her neck that glowed with the same blue that filled her eyes. As he examined it, a feeling of guilt overcame him.

He quickly turned away and said, "I'm so sorry, you wouldn't have gotten hurt if it wasn't for me."

She looked at him puzzled, then quickly realized what he meant. She chuckled, "Don't worry, this was here long before that ogre."

"B-but, how are you alive? How d-did you kill that thing with your hands?" The questions he had trouble asking before, now easily fell out of his mouth. His curiosity had to be sated. She rubbed the scar on her neck.

"I'm... quite different than most people," she explained. "Well, to put it simply I'm cursed. Many things happened a long time ago. And the results are that I don't age, but I am a lot stronger. It's very complicated."

"Are you a... demon?"

Slightly taken aback, "Gods, no," she corrected.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"Why, I'm not sorry of who I am. You should not be sorry for me."

"I'm sorry." Orphelia sighed heavily and reached down to Hewlett. She put her hands underneath his arms and lifted him high into the air.

"Stop saying that you are sorry," she commanded. Hewlett squirmed and thrashed at the sudden man handling session.

"Okay, okay, just please put me down." She smiled and brought him back to the earth. He swatted her arms away and stepped back a foot. He briefly pondered on how easily she lifted him. "How strong are you," he asked.

She thought for a moment then said, "Hm, about six men put together I would say."

"That's impossible," he said disbelieving.

"Shall I prove it to you?" Excited to show off her strength, she turned and looked around for a moment. Apparently finding what she was seeking, she walked over to a fallen tree. It was about five feet thick and twenty feet long. She squatted down at the middle, grasped the bottom. Her muscles tensed and tightened as she lifted the dead tree up over her head. Hewlett's jaw dropped. He stood in awe at this unbelievably strong woman. Looking at the expression on his face, she grinned.

"Satisfied," she asked. He nodded vigorously. She dropped the tree to the ground. It crashed and shook the earth. She curled her arms towards her face and flexed her biceps. Hewlett just starred at her magnificent body, there was not a weak part of her. At that moment, Hewlett's stomach decided to growl loudly.

Orphelia laughed and asked, "Hungry?" He blushed furiously and nodded. She walked over to a sack that sat on the side of a tree and started to rummage through it. Retrieving something from within, she looked back at Hewlett and tossed it to him. He caught it and saw that it was a small loaf of bread. Cramming as much as he could in his mouth, he chomped into it.

Hewlett swallowed his bite and said, "Thank you, I have not had a thing to eat today."

"Hm, and why is that?"

"I had to leave early to get out here," he said, taking another bite.

"And where exactly did you leave from?"

"I live in Bertchwald. A village to the east."

"Gods, boy. That is several miles from here. What are you doing out all this way?"

"Hunting." he mumbled.

"Speak up." she commanded.

He pulled his shoulders back, then shouted "Hunting deer!"

She looked at him seriously for a moment, then said, "You're in the wrong place, boy. Deer don't roam this far south often."

'Mr. Williamson, you're an idiot,' he thought.

She starred at him for a moment then asked, "You have not hunt before, have you?"

He tensed at the truth being said out loud. Embarrassment welled in his cheeks. He didn't look at her, he simply shook his head. She walked over and crouched down to look at him.

"Don't be said. Most boys don't hunt well on their first time. Who else is with you?"

"Nobody."

"What, where is your father?"

"At the house."

Orphelia stood up and practically shouted, "You tried your first hunt by yourself?" He flinched at her sudden harshness.

She continued, "You could have died here today! Do you realize how fortunate you are that I was nearby, boy?"

Hewlett's anger and embarrassment were boiling inside him. She kept saying that word that he deplored. He frowned at her and said, "Don't call me boy, I'm twenty one years old."

"Age does not guarantee knowledge or skill," she stated matter of factly Orphelia briefly looked him up and down. "You are quite small for your age," she observed.

This woman captioning everything that he felt insecure about destroyed any mental barriers he still had. His emotions burst from their container and flowed freely from his mouth. "I know," he exclaimed. "Everyone always teases me for it. Nobody thinks I can do anything. 'Girly boy, where is your skirt? Why don't you sew my new pants? Leave the mans work to real men' they would say. Girls don't look at me like they look at other men. I'm just a runt to them."

He walked back to the fallen tree he had been sleeping on, and sat down. "Even my father. He thinks I'm too weak and frail to do anything." He couldn't help but sniffle at saying it out loud. He had never told anyone this. Why was he saying it all right now?

Orphelia came and sat next to him. She said, "I'm sure your father doesn't think poorly of you. He probably just doesn't want you to get hurt."

He snorted and said, "Maybe, or maybe he just doesn't want me to embarrass him."

"How would you know that? Have you ever talked to him about it?"

"No, but he has never wanted me to hunt. He says, 'You must practice more.' But he doesn't understand. I want to be able to do what everyone else can. I want to be strong. I want people to recognize my strength. And I don't want women to look at me like I'm trash!" He sniffled and huffed. Orphelia put her strong arm around him and pulled him to her. His cheeks filled with blood as she pulled his face into the side of her breast. They sat for a moment in silence. Hewlett sunk into the warmth of her body. She smelled sweaty and musky, but with a sweet smell mixed in. He could stay here forever.