"Mama–" Clem says softly, eyes wide. "They're– from the–" She whispers, Charlotte only able to nod numbly, throat contracting.
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Pointed canines, wide eyes the same shade as emeralds, like the poster said. Appearance of two small children, it had described.
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Charlotte agrees with that part, that being what she's seeing. The twins are just standing in the middle of the river, water rushing past their knees, staring at Charlotte with wide, fearful eyes.
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They look lost, scared. Charlotte wonders if they were walking through the river to move without leaving tracks.
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Both of them are in desperate need of haircuts, wavy brown hair all over their faces in a way that made Charlotte want to brush their hair back so to help their vision. It was terribly unkempt, and Charlotte could just imagine how tangled the locks were. Their clothes were in a similar state, torn up, dirty, and much too large for their small bodies.
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Time stopped a moment as Charlotte took in the sight of Alex and Ava in the middle of the river, identical green eyes staring right back. Ava's eyes went to Clementine, who was held in her arms, while Alex stared at the wings on Charlotte's back, sparkling in awe at how they were half stretched out to prepare to fly.
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Charlotte blinks as the twins fully processed there's an unfamiliar person on the other side of the river. Ava grabs Alex by the arm before taking a step back, Charlotte staying in place as to avoid scaring them.
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Charlotte remembers they're being chased when she hears yelling in the distance behind them. Ava's attention goes to the trees behind Charlotte, face twisting in a mix of confusion and panic, feet stepping back and fourth in the water, unable to decide if she should run towards or away from Charlotte.
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Clem reacts before Charlotte could, starting to try squirming out of Charlotte's arms, Charlotte nearly dropping her from the struggle.
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"Clementine–! Wait–" Charlotte fumbles, placing Clem on the ground, who looks conflicted on if she should run or not. She stands in a still as she stares at the twins, looking worried and panicked. If Charlotte had to guess, she'd say Clem had no idea what to say.
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The sound of hunters drew closer, Charlotte turning around just as they emerge from the woods. There's six total, each having a weapon in hand. She can see the realization and hesitation flicker over their faces at the sight of Charlotte, and she scowled deeply in response, wings folding back.
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"Clementine, behind me." Charlotte orders, pulling her crossbow out and hearing small footsteps in response.
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She glanced behind her and her heart drops when she finds Clem running towards the river, where the twins were wading through to water to get to the other side.
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Charlotte let’s out a soft sigh before turning her attention back to the Hunters, deciding that getting rid of the current threat would be the best decision. Her maternal and demonic instincts urged for her to grab the three children and fly her flock to safety, but her common sense knew two screaming children trying to escape from her hold from thirty feet in the air, was probably the worst idea to do.
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Turning her attention to the hunters instead, she positions her crossbow in front of her, eyes glowing crimson as she focused on a good gripe. Six people on horseback, two of which had crossbows while the others had weapons for melee, axes and swords. If she was human it would hardly be a fair fight, but she was once a Queen of Demons. A creature who has lived through much chaos and violence since almost the beginning of her creation.
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Stifling the worry from Clementine running off, she hopes Clem won't try helping her in the fight before shooting the arrow through the air, aiming just right.
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It hits a hunter's eye, and they fall from their horse with a scream. Charlotte rushes forward as soon as they hit the ground, dodging an arrow that's sent flying over her head. When the hunter on the ground looks up, Charlotte was there, picking him up by the throat with inhuman strength. With a simple squeeze, a snap was heard and their body went limp.
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Yells of shock fill the air, Charlotte not hearing the threats thrown at her as she raised her head, hands blackening in dark claws. She won't let them past her, not down the river. Clementine had gotten a better grasp of her magic and training lately, but she was still too small to fight. As for the twins, Charlotte doubts the two would trust them enough to fight alongside them. would rather not deal with any more hunters than she already has.
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She ducks as a second arrow is shot her way, taking this opportunity of surprise with both hands. Her wings spread as she pushed herself into the air, high enough that she slashed someone's throat with her claws, their head falling to the ground with their body quickly following.
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There's screams, hunters attempting to half-bake a plan to fight back against Charlotte, because they weren't expecting this, not to actually fight. They expected to capture two small monsters that's been evading them for months, children. Not Charlotte, who's far more a threat than the twins can be at the moment.
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Clementine easily ignores the commotion breaking out behind her as she ran, trusting Charlotte will fine. The Voice started screaming advice at her, which she didn't like.
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She'll be fine, she's Charlotte!
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I can't leave her!
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She won't get too hurt, focus on the children. Faster, they're getting away!
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I have a sword, I need to protect Mama!
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Don't lose the twins!
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"Stop!" Clementine yells at the twins, nearing the edge of the river just as they leave on the other side. Clem comes to a sudden halt, stopping just a few inches from the rushing currents. "STOP!" She yells, feeling a bit guilty for using her voice on them. The twins freeze up immediately, Ava looking at her with wide eyes.
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Clem scowls down at the river with an unhappy expression, actually taking a second to consider turning back around. Everything was telling her to avoid the freezing water, because she hates the feeling of being cold. She winced as her head started pounding from the Voice, demanding she just cross the river already.
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But she isn't given a choice, because the twins look behind her, seeing Charlotte fighting off two people at once. This broke the charm her voice had on them, the twins turning to bolt into the forest, vanishing into the trees.
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"Wait!" Clem yells, briefly glancing back at Charlotte to see she's doing good at defending herself. "Come back!"
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She can't lose the twins when they're so close, with only a river in the way. Clem shoved away the annoyance creeping up at the fact her boots will get wet, telling herself it's for Mama.
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Running into the shallow river isn't easy, but at least the Voice is praising her for it.
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It's freezing, her shoes get soaked and it takes too much time to run through the water, but she gets through anyways. The second she's on the other side, she pulls her shoes and socks off while ignoring how soaked her dress is, frantically going to follow the twins.
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She runs straight, silently stressing at the fact she left Charlotte behind, running into an unknown forest, and trying to catch two monster children she has next to no information about.
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From what Clem knows, they're a bit younger than her. Look mostly human, with canines similar to the ones Charlotte flashed occasionally when she was genuinely happy, but less sharp.
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She knows that poster she had before wasn't new. These kids were chased for awhile.
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Clementine kept a hand on the hilt of her sword at her hip as she sprints, hopping over the roots and sticks in her path easily, as to not trip. The Voice simmered down somewhat, now excited for a chase, although she still wanted to go back and use the sword on her side to protect Charlotte. She decided not to argue for now.
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"Oi!" Clem yells out again, pausing a second to catch her breath.
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She catches a glimpse of someone running past the trees, so she picks up on her running again, trying to follow.
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"Wait, please!" She runs faster, panting heavily and ducking under low branches, weaving through bushes and trees in her way. She wonders if they're slow, because Clementine catches up in no time, creeping up behind the twins with a rising hope that she'll catch them. "Hold on!" Clem yells out, Alex glancing behind with a shocked look before making a sharp turn and disappearing from view, practically dragging his sister along.
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Clem comes to a halt, panting heavily as she turns her head, trying to figure out where the twins went. She peeks around the trees, but doesn't hear the sound of footsteps or breathing. It's like they disappeared.
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"Hello!" Clementine yells out, pausing before starting again. "I just wanna talk! I think you'll want to listen, believe me!"
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Silence.
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Clem wonders if she's lost them, disappointment crawling up her spine.
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"I'm like you!" Clem tries, letting out a huff. "You both have people chasing you, trying to kill you, right? I almost got killed also. Because I'm–" She shrugs, resting a hand on her sword. "dangerous or something."
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She heard no response and just as Clem is about to consider checking if the twins climbed into the trees, there's a rustle of leaves and fast footsteps coming behind her.
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Clem let's out a yelp as she's suddenly pushed to the ground, barely managing to turn her body so she falls to her back instead of her face.
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Ava stands over her, trying to look threatening, despite's how Clem just feels more annoyed than anything. That, and Clementine had magic and a sword. Neither of the twins seem to have.
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"Ow." Clem deadpans, narrowing her eyes at Ava, who scowls back, face scrunched up. "That wasn't very nice!"
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"Stop chasing us!" Ava snaps back, although falls back as Clem pushes her off and gets to her feet, standing straight with a huff. She's tired, she's cold, and she wants Charlotte. These kids have to come with her though.
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Clem feels like Ava is making a bad first impression also. Could be better.
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"What do you want?" Alex asks, coming to help his sister up.
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"I'm just trying to talk to you." Clem huffs, crossing her arms. "You both have made it rather difficult–"
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"We really don't want–"
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"I don't want to either, but my Mama says you're kinda like me, so." Clem shrugs, swinging her arms slightly in boredom. "I... wanna help." She says, even if there's a part of her that wishes to turn around and let the twins disappear into the trees. Out of her sight and mind.
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Ava stares at her, confusion clear on her face. "You're nothing like us." She looks Clem over again, seeming to consider something before brushing it off. "Now, go away."
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"Nope." Clem deadpans. "You're both– we're like– Charlotte is better at explaining. Can we go back?"
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"No!" Ava refuses, turning around with her back to Clem. "So you can trap us? You're probably leading the hunters to us!"
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"No I'm not!" Clem exclaims, feeling offended. "I hate those people!"
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"Don't care." Ava says in a sing-songy tone, turning to Clem with a huff. "Now, leave us alone." Ava orders firmly, raising her hand up and a small green flame forming just above it.
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Clem just blinks. "Uhhhh, nope." She shakes her head.
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Ava growls, eyes narrowing and turns fully to Clementine. "You're so annoying! Just listen to me!"
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"Why would I?" Clem asks. "You pushed me!"
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"I pushed– because you were chasing us!"
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"Well, if you two weren't running, I wouldn't have chased you–"
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"Shut–!" Ava splutters, cheeks flushing a bright red as she glared at Clem. "Go away!" She orders, throwing the flame at Clem. Clem snickers when the flame abruptly shrinks in size and flickers out as soon as it touched her arm. It wasn’t even hot enough to burn her, only giving a warmth in that spot on her arm.
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"That was kinda sad." Clem blurts out, crossing her arms over her chest. "Anyways, we've been trying to find you. For like, awhile now?"
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"People are always looking for us." Ava mutters, looking absolutely perplexed. "My fire didn't hurt you."
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"Maybe you just suck–" Clem starts, scowling slightly.
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"Why can't I hurt you?!" Ava screams, stomping her foot on the ground. "I'm aiming at you, but it still goes out before..." She looks down at her hands, confusion clear on her face.
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"I mean, your hands look kinda red." Clem points out. "Are you hurt? Maybe my Mama could help."
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Ava scowls at Clementine. "Go away."
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"Nu-uh."
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"Leave us alone!"
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"Nope."
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"Just–" Ava lets out a growl before throwing a pathetically small flame, it vanishing before it could hit Clem in the face. Her eyes were glossy with tears of frustration. "Why isn't my fire working?!"
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"Maybe you overused it." Clem frowns. "Are you done now?"
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Ava blinks at her, not able to understand why she was so insistent on following them, her face shifting from confusion to curiosity. "Wait, hold on." Alex suddenly said, stepping forward from behind his sister.
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"What?"
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"You said–" Alex blinks again, suddenly looking excited. "You said we're all the same."
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"No I didn't." Clem disagrees, Alex's face falling and she rushes to follow up with a rephrase. "I said you're both like me. I'm not exactly the same though."
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"True." Ava mutters, Clem noticing how she pushed Alex behind her a bit in a protective manner. "You're like us?"
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Clementine nods her head, trying to remember what Charlotte said. Ava's gone to plain confusion, and Clem didn't want to go back to arguing. She just wants to nap.
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Ignoring the awkwardness slipping into the air around them, Clem stands up straight and tall, even with how she's shivering. She holds a hand out like how she's seen Charlotte do when introducing herself to strangers. She thinks of smiling for a second, but gives up pretty quickly.
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"I'm Clementine." She says, holding her hand up.
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Ava stares for an uncomfortably long time, although hesitantly accepted the handshake. "Ava. This is my brother Alex."
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"Hello." Alex greets politely, wrapping his arms around himself, Ava pulling her hand back after a moment longer.
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"Hi." Clem says back, tilting her head. "Why doesn't my voice work well on you two?"
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"Your what?"
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"My voice–" Clem clears her throat. "I can make people do what I say. I tell them something, and they'll do it, right away."
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Alex perks up, intrigued. "Really?"
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"Uh-huh." Clem nods. "Works on everyone. But it only works on you two for a minute it seems."
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"Can you try it again?" Alex asked curiously, green eyes twinkling in interest like his sister’s were now. They were leaning forward slightly in anticipation, eager to see magic from her. It made a small swelling of pride form in her chest.
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"It hurts my throat if I use it too much." Clem confessed, but listens anyways. "Give me a hug."
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The twins move to hug her, but Ava stops just a second before touching her. Alex seemed to want to follow his sister's lead, but gave Clem a shy little hug before swiftly pulling away, cheeks pink. Their faces have shifted to excitement.
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"That's amazing!" Ava exclaims, and Clem's cheeks flush slightly.
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"You think so?"
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"Yeah, I didn't have control of my body!" Ava nods. "I've never met someone who can do that to us! It's a bit annoying, but–" She stops, stammering over her words.
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"Charlotte says we’re part of a prophecy, so maybe that’s why our magic doesn’t work well on each other.” Clem suggests nonchalantly, Ava bursting out into a small laugh.
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"You're, you're like us!" Ava takes a step towards Clementine, grabbing her hands and squeezing them gently. “Our fire doesn’t work completely on you, like how your voice doesn’t on us! So you must be like us!”
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“Kinda.” Clem says with a smile forming on her face, glad Ava’s rise in mood happened. Ava looked prettier with a smile on her face, like how Alex looked adorable with a smile on his face.
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“We’ve never– we didn’t know people like us existed!” Alex joined in, grabbing Clem’s other hand gently. “There’s people trying to kill you too, right? You mentioned that earlier.”
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"They believe I'm dangerous apparently." Clem agrees. "I mean, true, but they're jerks."
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"They're assholes." Ava hisses, grinning wide despite's the hatred in her voice.
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"Charlotte says they're scared."
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"They should be! I swear, everyone is always–" Ava is cut off by her brother. "Who is Charlotte exactly?"
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Clem hesitates. "She's..." my mama, Clem almost said, but she changes her mind. "That woman at the river? With wings?"
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"The one like a pretty bird?" Alex asks, brows furrowing. "She was fighting those hunters, right? We have time, then!" The twins grab Clem by each of her sleeves, tugging at her and Clem dug her feet into the ground, pulling away.
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"For what?"
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"To escape!" Ava waves a hand. "We're good at escaping, we can all make good distance if we start running now. We do have to be careful though, 'cause sometimes there's traps down near towns–"
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"Nu-uh!" Clem yanks her arm back, the twins looking surprised. "We have to go back!"
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"Are you insane?!" Ava shrieks, trying to grab Clem again. "Do you want to get killed?!"
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"Charlotte is back at the river, we need to go get her–"
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"You can't trust random people!" Alex exclaims. "Listen, we've done that before, and it never goes well. They're a trap or will abandon you, so you shouldn't-"
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"She's not strange!" Clem yells, voice turning sharp that the twins flinch back. "She's my Mama, and a good person."
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Alex frowns at this. "Plenty of people seem good. You can't–"
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"I know." Clem interrupts, teeth gritting. "Mama's the best person I know. She's good. Everyone else is dumb, you're both right about that, but Mama isn't."
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Alex doesn't look convinced, a pitying look on his face. "Other people aren't good, Clementine."
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"Charlotte is." Clem insists. "She’s fought plenty of other people before." She explains, not bothering to hide the hint of sass.
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"Yeah, hunters always have their arguments and stuff." Ava waves off, rolling her eyes. "Don't see why they work together if they can't get along, so just cause she's fought—"
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"She's fights for me." Clementine cuts her off, reaching over and grabbing Ava and Alex by the hands, stopping them in their tracks. "She wants to fight for you guys too."
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Ava pauses, staring at Clementine's hand curled around her with a confused look. "How can you be sure of that?" She asked.
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"Why else would she fight the hunters?"
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Ava stays quiet a moment before glaring up stubbornly at Clementine. "Maybe they were hunting her."
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"Then she's like us!"
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"No, she isn't!" Ava yanks her hand away. "You don't know any better! You can't trust her, she's going to–" Ava freezes, going silent.
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Clementine frowns in confusion at her, before she hears it to. Footsteps crunching through leaves, coming fast towards them. Clem turns around immediately, hoping it's Charlotte.
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But when she turns, she sees not the person she trusts, but a stranger with an axe in hand and a bloody shoulder, staring at the three children with a triumphant expression.
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"Run!" Alex yells, grabbing Clem and his sister by the hand, the three children circling around a tree as they’re followed.
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"We have to find my Mama!" Clem yells, letting go of the boy’s hand to grab at her weapon.
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“We’re not–” Alex goes to disagree, but he ends up kicked back by the stranger before he could finish. Since he was still holding Ava’s hand, the girl also gets knocked back, the twins falling to the ground unceremoniously.
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Something gets thrown, and Clem ducks immediately, scrambling to move as the twins are suddenly caught in a net, trapped to the ground.
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Clem turns on her heel, head overlapping with the Voice’s panicked tone, yet she knows she can’t leave the twins alone. She holds her sword up, head exploding with cheer, clearly wanting a good fight. The weapon in her hand feels hot and everything felt too loud—
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"Drop your axe and get the net off the twins." Clementine's voice ordered, ignoring how her body trembled. The axe falls to the ground, and Clem watches as the hunter walks over to the twins to free them.
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Clem runs towards the axe, grabbing it with a tight grip. She lifts her head to the stranger with a glare, rushing towards him and swinging it as soon as Alex manages to get out of the net. Ava seemed to have hit her head on a root from the kick earlier, her eyes dazed with black blood leaking out of the back of her head. The person falls to the ground from the axe hitting his leg, swears leaving his mouth like a sailor.
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Everything is too loud, too much, and Clem fumbles with her sword, not knowing which she should do. Drive it into the Hunter’s chest or run off, try to hide until everything quieted—
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A hand curls around her throat and yanks, Clem letting out a choked scream as she’s pulled harshly by the hunter, the male bleeding out in his leg. Alex runs forward and jumps onto the adult’s back, arms wrapping around their neck.
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“Let go of her!” Alex cries out, struggling to stay on top of the man since he began to shake the boy off furiously. “Let her—” He’s cut off as his elbowed in the chest, falling backwards onto the ground with a cough.
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Clementine is yanked so harshly her head hits the floor and her vision blurs a moment, barely noticing her sword getting ripped away. She kicks her legs out, screaming at the top of her lungs as she tries hitting the person in the chest. She can somewhat see Alex stumble up, helping his sister out and looking ready to run over to her also.
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Before Clem's own sword could be used to end her life, the hunter is tackled from the side, disappearing as the demigod gasps for air. She turned her head and let’s out a relieved sob when she sees Charlotte sitting on top of the stranger, pulling Clem’s sword away from his hands and throwing it aside.
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She doesn’t hesitate to slash her claws deep within the man’s chest, a scream of pain leaving the Hunter’s lips as his heart was ripped out of his own chest. The sight of the blood, gore, and the man’s corpse made the Voice simmer down in Clem’s head, finding the victory to be satisfactory for now.
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Alex runs to Clementine, helping her up. "Come on, we gotta hurry—" He whispers, pulling at Clem's hand.
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Charlotte turns to them, panting softly. Blood stains her sleeves and there's a cut bleeding on her side that rips a bit of her dress, but she looks fine otherwise, so Clem sighs in relief.
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"Clementine–" Charlotte breathes out, starting to get to her feet.
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Alex grabs Clem by her hand and pulled her behind him, even if he was shaking like a leaf. "Stay back!" He orders, helping Ava up also. "Don't move!"
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"No, wait–" Clem tugs at his hand. "That's my mama."
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Ava glances back to her with a frown, before looking at Charlotte again, who's stopped in place, looking at the children with a gentle expression.
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"Hey darling." Charlotte says softly, kneeling. Ava steps in front of Alex, chest puffed out protectively. "I'm sorry you had to see that."
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Ava simply glared, frowning deeply. "Go away."
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Charlotte smiles, eyes twinkling. "I won't hurt you." Somehow this riles Ava up even more, the brunette pushing back against Clem and Alex again.
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"Use your voice so she can—" Ava is cut off by Clem reaching up and slapping her hand over the brunette's mouth. Charlotte tilted her head, looking confused a moment before glancing between the three children.
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"No, she's Charlotte! The one I–"
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"We know who she is!" Ava snaps back.
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"Then quit being stupid!" Clem crossed her arms, scowling. "She's good."
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"Sorry if we doubt it." Alex mutters, Ava glaring with narrowed eyes at Charlotte, more specifically the crossbow and bloody claws. Charlotte looks down at the weapon and her claws, before sighing quietly and give a tired smile.
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The twins flinch when Charlotte threw her crossbow aside, the weapon landing to the left of the three children. The twins stare as Clem raises her hands up in surrender.
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"See?" Charlotte asks as she turned her hands back to normal, although blood still caked her nails. “Won't do anything."
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Ava doesn't look convinced, looking at Clem who's cleaning her sword with a unhappy face. Mostly because she's not cleaning it well.
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"It's a trap." Ava whispers, Clem tilting her head. "There's definitely more hunters nearby."
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Clem rose a brow, looking skeptical before turning her attention to Charlotte. "Mama, did you get rid of the hunters?"
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"Most definitely." Charlotte reassures, Ava giving a dirty look. Charlotte wasn't offended by the constant glaring. Ava's face was too cute to give a harsh glare.
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"They're not a problem." Clementine repeats to the twins, trusting Charlotte's words.
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Alex looked around him, a small frown on his face. "We should get moving soon. The sun is going down." He warns, Ava turning her head to Charlotte. "You're not coming with us."
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"Yes she is!" Clem cuts in, Ava pouting.
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"No! You can't trust her." Ava shakes her head, leaning towards Clementine and lowering her voice. "She's gonna, gonna, take us as prisoners or something!"
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"How about we take her prisoner first?" Alex suggests, Ava blinking.
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Clem is sure that Alex liked Charlotte despite's Ava not thinking the same, which was fine, her mind would change in a matter of time. But Ava was ridiculously wary and while she's... silly, for not liking Charlotte, Clem likes both the twins. She's never found a reason to like other children, but she feels as if she was connected to the twins, somehow. Familiar, in a way.
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So she and Ava agree with the solution as a compromise, Ava declaring to be in charge. The purple-eyed demigod suggests tying Charlotte's hands together with the rope used from the net that was used on Ava earlier, and Charlotte holds back laughter as Alex nods his head eagerly in agreement.
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"You know how to tie a knot?" Ava questions, Charlotte sitting on the ground to the side, watching the three with amusement as they cut rope.
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"...Sorta?"
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____________________
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They were terrible at tying knots. It took several tries with Charlotte having to walk them through it before they get it right, even then just barely able to somewhat restrain Charlotte.
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