Chapter Text
Theo barely remembered her parents. She was so young when she lost them that they had been dead longer than she knew them.
Theo remembered the day she lost them. It taught her that tragedy wasn’t special, that it didn’t make itself known before revealing itself. It wasn’t some big event or holiday; it was just a regular day in her village. Theo remembered holding her mother's hand as she took her out to hunt, to watch her mother hunt so when it was time for her to learn, she wouldn’t be lost.
“Look closely, Theo.” Theo’s mother, Thorunn, pointed at the buck a few feet away.
Theo nodded and watched Thorunn intently.
Thorunn readied her bow and pulled an arrow from her quiver. She pulled back, held her breath, steadied, and released. The arrow flew through the air with blinding speed, eventually striking the buck in the throat. The animal let out a sound that made Theo jump, then stumbled into the forest.
“It didn’t work, momma,” Theo said.
“It worked, dear,” Thorunn assured. “Trust me.”
Thorunn held out her hand, and Theo took it. The two followed the buck's blood, it not taking long to find where it had collapsed. The buck laid their, wheezing.
“Theo, do you want to try?” Thorunn asked as she unsheathed a small dagger from her waist.
Theo was hesitant, but wanted to impress Thorunn, so nodded.
“Good.” Thorunn flashed a proud smile that made Theo think it would be worth it.
Theo and Thorunn walked over to the dying buck, kneeling beside it. Thorunn handed Theo the dagger, which Theo then held to the buck’s throat. Right as she was about to plunge it into the buck’s throat, Theo finally got a good look at the buck. The way the buck looked up at her, pain in its eyes, wheezing, desperate to breathe, caused her to freeze. Thorunn simply believed Theo didn’t know where to stab, so she gently took Theo’s hands and guided them into its throat. The buck gurgled its last breath and passed.
“Good start, Theo.” Thorunn took the dagger out of Theo’s hands. “You’ll be a natural in no time.”
“Step back, Theo.” Thorunn pulled out the knife she used for skinning. “You’re not ready for this part yet.”
Theo didn’t move. She just sat there, on her knees, looking down.
“Theo?”
Theo let out a snuffle, then the tears began to fall. Soon, she began to cry.
“Theo?!” Thorunn knelt beside Theo and gently turned her face towards her. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, momma,” Theo wept. “I’m weak.”
“Theo, don’t say that,” Thorunn assured. “You’re learning; it’s okay you didn’t know where to put the knife.”
“No…not that…” Theo shook her head. “Why did we have to kill it, momma?”
“Oh…” Thorunn said, realization setting in. “Oh, Theo, I know.”
“It was in so much pain.”
“Which is why we used the knife; to make it as quick as possible.” Thorunn held Theo close, wiping her tears. “We need to eat, Theo. We need to live.”
“What about it?” Theo asked. “Shouldn’t it get to live?”
“We’re all finite,” Thorunn began. “One day, my body will be used to grow the very plants others of this kind will feed on.”
“You won’t be in pain, though,” Theo sniffed.
Thorunn struggled to argue the point on that aspect.
“We try to be as quick about these things as we can,” Thorunn said. “You should never hate what you kill, Theo.”
“Never,” Theo said.
“Now please, step back; I need to skin this.”
Theo nodded and did as she was told, even going as far as to turn around as Thorunn skinned the buck. She needed to get used to this; she knew she did, but that she didn’t right now was all that mattered.
Theo held Thorunn’s hand as they walked back to their village. Theo held her mother’s hand tighter than usual, occasionally rubbing her thumb against Thorunn’s palm. She kept her head low, relying entirely on Thorunn to make sure she knew where she was going.
Suddenly, Thorunn came to an abrupt stop, causing Theo to look up to see why. Theo felt a lump grow in her throat as she saw her village burning.
“Oh Gods …” Thorunn whispered.
“Momma…what’s going on?!” Theo looked at Thorunn, confused.
“I-I don’t know, Theo.” Thorunn didn’t look at Theo, eyes still on the burning village. “W-We have to go.”
“What about Daddy?!” Theo cried.
“Thorgal…” Thorunn whispered. “Theo, sweetie, Daddy would want you to be safe.”
“No!” Theo shouted, snatching her hand from Thorunn’s grasp.
“Theo, please!” Thorunn begged.
Theo couldn’t abandon her father. So she did something she never thought she’d do, and defied her mother. She ran towards the village as fast as her legs could carry her.
“Theo, stop!” Thorunn shouted, but Theo wouldn’t listen.
Theo ran to her home, relief filling her as she saw their home was left relatively untouched compared to the burning homes that surrounded it. Maybe her father had hidden, maybe he scared them, maybe, maybe, maybe…
Theo saw her father’s corpse the second she walked through the door. Theo stood completely still, staring at her father’s body in incomprehensible horror.
“Theo!” Thorunn grabbed Theo, only to freeze as she saw Thorgal’s body.
Whatever ability Thorunn had to keep her composure broke right there.
“Thorgal…?” Thorunn said, voice small.
Tears ran down Thorunn’s face as she covered her mouth.
“Daddy!” Theo screamed and tried to run to Thorgal’s corpse.
“Th-Theo no!” Thorunn pulled Theo off her feet, hugging her tightly.
“Daddy! Daddy!” Theo screamed, thrashing.
“We have to go, Theo!” Thorunn wept.
“B-But Daddy!”
Thorunn was about to offer an attempt at comfort, only for an arrow to pierce her throat. Theo fell silent as her mother’s blood caked her face. Thorunn fell onto her back, cushioning Theo from the fall.
“Momma…?” Theo didn’t cry, scream, or thrash; she just watched as her mother looked up at her with the same pain as the buck.
“R-Run…” Thorunn somehow managed to gurgle out.
Theo didn’t move. She didn’t need her mother’s words. She couldn’t; she could only watch as whatever innocence was left from seeing her father’s corpse die as her mother’s eyes rolled back and she released her final breath before Theo’s very eyes.
“Momma?” Theo, even at this age, knew it was pointless, but she shook her mother’s body regardless. “Momma?”
Theo was so broken by what she had seen that she paid no attention to her mother’s words or the footsteps that made their way towards her. She felt a knife be held up to her throat, but before she could join her parents in death, the assailant was hit with an arrow of their own. The assailant fell to the ground, gurgling, but unlike her mother and the buck, went still relatively quickly.
Theo turned to see warriors from her clan had arrived too late to save this village, but at least saved her.
“Oh Gods, we have another survivor!” The Archer that had saved Theo placed his bow around his torso as he ran to her side. “It’s alright, little one, I’ve got you.”
Theo said nothing as she was picked up; she just stared straight ahead. Regardless of his comforting words, Theo couldn’t comprehend if a time when she’d be alright would ever come into her life again.