//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Wawindaji // by Albi //------------------------------// ‘Zecora, we can't be together anymore. I loved the time we had together, but I should have known better. I know what happened last night, and I feel sick and terrible about it. Please, just forget all about it and about us. ‘Sunset. ‘P.S. I probably don’t have to ask, but don’t tell anyone. Not even my friends.’ Zecora looked over the message again as she marched down the street. Over the course of the day, she had ridden an emotional roller coaster of fear, sadness, anger, and finally, determination. Sunset could break up with her if she liked, but not before Zecora had her say. Sunset hadn't been the only one in this relationship to hide a secret. Sunset had not shown up to class today. Logical, given the circumstances. Her absence had given Zecora plenty of time to think about her response. As soon as the last bell had rung, Zecora took off with impassioned haste. Ten minutes later, she stood in front of Sunset’s apartment. She rapped her knuckles against the door. No response. “Sunset, please, it’s me. I just want to talk.” She thought she heard something move inside, but still, no one answered. Zecora bared her teeth. She had not lied to her baba’s face just to be shunned by her girlfriend. “Sunset Shimmer, if you do not open this door, drastic measures I will explore! ...Yes, that one was on purpose!” Something shuffled again, and this time, the door opened just a crack. Messy crimson and gold hair, and a bleary red eye appeared in the narrow space. “Go away, Zecora,” Sunset croaked. “I will not. Not until you’ve heard my thoughts.” She thought she saw a ghost of a smile somewhere beyond the door. Sunset sighed and retreated into her apartment, but left the door open. Zecora followed behind, closing the door as she gave Sunset’s home a quick scan. Everything was as tidy and organized as the last time Zecora had visited. The only thing out of place was the overcoat from last night lying in a heap in the middle of the hall. Now draped in her blanket, Sunset led Zecora to her bedroom and dropped down onto her mattress, pulling the blanket tighter over her shoulders. There were still pieces of leaves in her hair and dirt smeared on her arms. Zecora also spotted the cut she had given Sunset across her cheek, along with a roll of bandages wrapped around her hands. Looking tired and forlorn, Sunset kept her eyes on the floor. “Well?” she asked stiffly. Zecora sat down next to her. Sunset flinched but didn’t move away. No warmth exuded from her. Her golden aura was naught but a pitiful flicker. The feeling washed over Zecora: misery, sadness, isolation. She at least knew what the isolation felt like. “It seems we’ve both been keeping secrets from each other,” she said. It was not an accusation, just a simple fact. “Guess so. I didn’t know you could wield a spear.” Zecora smiled ruefully. “Yes, there are a few things I did not tell you about myself. But I promise to tell you everything now, if you respond in kind.” Sunset turned her head up to look at her. “What’s there to tell? You saw it. I’m… I’m a werewolf.” Sunset’s hand jumped to her mouth and she squeezed her eyes shut, tears streaming down her face. “I’m a monster! Every month, I lose control and become some feral animal! I hide in the forest and hope the wildlife will keep me busy so I don’t wander back into the city!” Zecora wrapped an arm around Sunset’s shoulder, and to her surprise, Sunset threw herself into the embrace, crying into Zecora’s chest. “I hate it, Z! I hate it so much!” “How long have you been like this?” Zecora asked softly. Sunset took a minute to get her erratic breathing under control. “Since winter break. My friends and I had been fighting, so I went for a walk to clear my head. Something big knocked me down and bit me, and then the next month…” She broke into a fresh wave of sobs. “I just got everyone to trust me again! I got them to stop thinking I was a monster! I thought my life was turning around! It’s not fair, Zecora!” She was right. It wasn’t fair. Zecora held her as tight as she could, running her fingers through Sunset’s matted hair. The brightest lights cast the deepest shadows. Sunset hiccuped. “I’m tired of being a monster. I’m tired of being alone.” Zecora moved a hand under Sunset’s chin and lifted her up to eye level. “You are not alone. You have me. I am not going to leave you, Sunset.” “Why?” Zecora gave her a soft kiss on the lips. “Because, you are the answer I have been looking for.” Sunset sat up and wiped her tears away. “What do you mean?” Moving her hand to Sunset and interlocking their fingers, Zecora said, “Wawindaji wa Laana. It means ‘Hunters of the Cursed.’ That is what my family is: hunters of the monsters that lurk in the shadows of humanity. I have been trained my whole life to fight ghouls and vampires and… werewolves.” She gripped Sunset’s hand tighter before she could pull away. “But that is not what I have wanted to do. My father says monsters are savage through and through, but I think he is wrong. I believe that the supernatural and humans can coexist. You, sweet Sunset, are proof of this.” Sunset shook her head. “How? I tried to attack you. I would have hurt you or worse—” “But you didn’t. And not just because I am good with a spear—” Sunset gave a weak smile. “—but because for a moment, your senses cleared. You saw me. You gained control long enough to remember who I was. Our bond, our…” Zecora’s heart fluttered. “Our love was stronger than your affliction. You are not a monster, Sunset. You are one of the most wonderful human beings I have ever met.” “Zecora, I…” Sunset gave a gentle squeeze in return. “I want to believe you, but… I’m scared. Scared of hurting you or my friends. The only reason I’m still here is because I’m terrified of what will happen if I go home. I’m lost… I’m trapped.” “I understand. I am Wawindaji who does not wish to be a hunter. Ever since I was little, I wondered if there was another way. I didn’t want to kill.” Zecora lifted her free hand to trace the black tattoos marking the right side of her face. “For each prey hunted, we are given a mark. A proof of victory. But all I see is a reminder that I took the life of a creature that could have been a friend. What else could I do though? “When I came here, I was a hunter who did not wish to be one, in a land that was not my own. I never felt so out of place. But you, Sunset, your juju was so overwhelming and warm, that I forgot my worries. I feel safe around you. I feel like I have a place.” Zecora moved her hand to Sunset’s face. “It’s my turn, now. Let me repay the kindness you showed me. Let my light guide you through this. You don’t have to be alone. Neither of us do.” As she had talked, Sunset’s light returned bit by bit. It hadn’t reached its normal brilliance, but when she leaned into Zecora for a hug, Zecora felt the loving warmth she treasured. “Thank you, Zecora,” Sunset said, struggling to keep herself from crying again. “Thank you. I really needed that. I… I really needed you.” “We needed each other. That’s why fate brought us together.” Sunset pulled away, looking closer to the fiery-haired young woman Zecora had fallen in love with. “So, this is what we are now. A monster hunter and her werewolf girlfriend.” “I can’t imagine what will happen if Baba finds out,” Zecora said with a grim smile. “Should we be worried?” “Perhaps. But, let’s take one thing at a time. I just want to savor a moment with you.” She rested her head on Sunset’s shoulder, and Sunset laid her chin atop of her, messing up Zecora’s mohawk. “It was nice to clear the air. We can start anew now that our secrets are shared.” Sunset let out a nervous chuckle. “Right. About that…”