“Mmm, sister,” said Loathe.
”Ugh, what has your boredom made you think of now?” replied Seethe.
Loathe ignored the disdain in her other head’s words and answered. “Remember that knight who managed to cut my head off last week?”
”You mean the one I killed seconds later, despite your inability to do anything but drag my half down until I put your head back where it belonged?”
“Well, surviving the whole decapitation ordeal made me realize something.”
Seethe didn’t respond. Nor did she notice the tip of their shared tail rising up to their shoulders.
Loathe continued with a rueful smile on her face. “I realized I don’t really need a second head.”
“Wha—!!hock!!” was all Seethe could say before Loathe whipped their tail and slashed its’ razor-sharp tip clean through Seethe’s neck. Her head spun and flipped though the air. Seethe landed in the dirt at her and her sister’s feet. Seethe’s headless half reacted to her new predicament with futile neck-stump grabs.
“It was a fun few centuries, sister. But it’s time for us to take separate paths. Good luck out there on your own!” Despite Seethe’s half still stumbling and reeling, Loathe was able to step and kick Seethe’s severed head with force. She flew between trees and fell in line with the slope of the nearby hill. The momentum picked up as her head rolled and tumbled and bounced ever-faster, taken down the valley and hopelessly far from her severed neck.
Loathe put her hand on her hip and laughed with chilling cheer. “Ah, what a relief! Finally a body I can make my own!” She turned their body, already forcing her will over both of their legs. Seethe waved her arm uselessly as Loathe walked them further from her missing head. They walked in silence for close to an hour.
”Mmmmm, sister,” Loathe mocked the empty stump. She continued walking.
Seethe did not respond. Her hand clenched and shook aimlessly.
Loathe laughed loudly. “Oh, is something wrong, my dear sibling? You know you can tell me anything that ails you.”
Seethe was quite unable to do any such thing. Her hand stroked and slapped the top of her neck as though hope would bring her head back.
“Don’t want to tell me? Mmmm, you always were the strong, silent type. Would you mind if I guessed what was the matter with you?” Loathe was relishing every moment of her betrayal.
Seethe was back to waving her arm in front of them. They continued to stroll on.
”Is it your hand? No? Does your leg hurt? Are you hungry?” Loathe chuckled at herself. “We can get something to eat. Don’t worry, I can eat for both of us.”
Seethe moved her hand back to her headless neck, then crossed over it. She started feeling Loathe’s neck and face.
”Yes, we’ll eat with my head - OOOOHH,” said Loathe, feigning surprise as she pulled her sister’s hand away, “You don’t like that you don’t have a head anymore? Oh, dear sister, I would try to help, but your head has to be miles away by now, and I just don’t feel like going back for it.”
The headless half nearly pulled them off balance, then resumed fruitless waves of her arm.
“Besides, a wild animal has probably eaten you by now. Or a lucky hunter picked you up! Why, If I found a demon head, I’d be sure to turn it in to the king for a huge bounty. There’s no chance of you ever getting your bitch of a head back.”
Loathe had walked them to a wide but shallow stream of water. She strode onwards without hesitation. After several steps, the running water was above their ankles - enough to slow their stride. Seethe was having difficulty keeping balance. Both their arms and their tail were waving to compensate.
”Oh, devils, I can’t wait until I have full control and you’re just gone.” They struggled. A quarter of the way. Water up to mid shin as they crossed the halfway point. Close to three-quarters of the way through, Loathe was the one to step her foot on a crooked rock hidden by the water. They slipped wildly to her side. Their arms pinwheeled. Their whole upper body rotated.
”Woah - will, you, jus—!!hguk!!”
Something splashed in the water behind them and bobbled to the surface. Something round. Something a bit large with hair and light green skin. Something important that was being carried away from the sisters by the stream’s current.
Loathe’s neck now mirrored Seethe’s - short, flat, and headless. Their tail, erratically swinging from their balancing dance, had improbably cleaved their remaining head from their body.
Both hands were playing pat-the-stump now. Neither sister was conscious enough to realize that Loathe’s head was a hundred feet downstream and picking up speed. They stumbled in the direction their body faced and made it out of the water. They dropped to their knees and searched the barren bank of the stream.
Eventually, they stood up. They began to walk onwards, both Seethe and Loathe waving their arms blindly in front of them. As the distance between themselves and their decapitated heads grew, so did their odds of never finding them again.
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Patreon got this Manipulation on October 17th, 2022. Here it is for the masses with an appropriate story. Check my latest journal for the link to support my Patreon for $3 a month.