The Monster Girls’ Daily Life

In the early morning, the air in the woods was piercingly cold.

Mist, like a damp cloth, clung to their faces and fingertips.

Liuya, Annie, and Lilith walked along the forest path, each bearing an empty kindling basket on their back and carrying hemp ropes and tattered bags in their hands, ready to gather firewood.

The ground was slick with moisture, covered in piles of fallen leaves, and occasionally, stones lay hidden within the mud.

Liuya walked a little slowly.

The shoes she wore had been a farmer’s charity—a mismatched pair with soles worn thin, one of them even split open at the side, making a distinct ‘pat-pat’ sound with every step.

“Are your feet still hurting?” Annie glanced back at Liuya. “Those worn-out shoes of yours should have been thrown away ages ago.”

A few days prior, Liuya had ventured into the village, only to be beaten again, leaving her with quite severe foot injuries.

Annie and Lilith had insisted she rest for several days, but today, Liuya felt too guilty to stay behind and insisted on accompanying them.

“It’s alright, I’m fine…” Liuya whispered in response.

She tried to quicken her pace, but with her next step, she trod on a slippery tree root. Her foot slid out from under her, and she tumbled to the ground with a soft thud, her cheek scraping against the twigs scattered on the earth, leaving a faint red mark.

“Liuya!” Lilith immediately rushed forward and hastily helped her to her feet.

Liuya bit her lip and shook her head.

“I-I can keep walking…” She struggled to stand.

Annie frowned, knelt down, and pulled Liuya’s tattered shoe closer for a look.

“Tsk, going out in these things? Are you out of your mind?” Her words were harsh, yet her hand gently patted Liuya’s head. “Take one more stubborn step, and I swear I’ll hit you.”

Liuya froze, just about to speak.

Lilith had already knelt before her, and, with a wide smile, patted her back. “Come on, today you’re our little cargo.”

“I can walk on my own…” Liuya said.

“Don’t be so stubborn!” Annie complained. “Heal up properly; tomorrow, we still need to deliver firewood.”

Liuya stopped arguing and slowly climbed onto Lilith’s back.

“Once you grow a bit taller, someone else will have to carry you,” Lilith teased. “Otherwise, this little white mouse of yours will be squashed flat.”

“I’ll gather the firewood,” Annie said without looking back. “I’ll carry your share today too.”

Her tone was cool, but her intentions were kind.

Liuya buried her face in Lilith’s shoulder, her eyes glistening slightly, but she fought to keep her tears from falling.

In this world that didn’t truly belong to her, at least there were those willing to catch her when she stumbled.

That was enough.

“It’s all those rotten villagers’ fault,” Annie suddenly spoke. “Why do you always bother them?”

“I just wanted to see if any of the wealthy families in the village… would be willing to take my firewood,” Liuya murmured in defense.

“You could at least tell us, honestly,” Annie said, waving a branch in her hand. “Next time, we’ll go together. If anyone dares to hit you again, I’ll… I’ll bite them. They wouldn’t dare kill us anyway.”

“But wouldn’t the villagers hate us even more if we did that?” Liuya mumbled softly.

“We’re already monsters, aren’t we?” Annie scoffed. “They hate us, and we hate them, but we aren’t afraid of them!”

“Hmm… but monsters can feel pain too,” Liuya said softly. “And fear.”

Lilith paused in her steps, a slight jolt on her back, then chuckled. “It’s alright. When us three monsters stick together, there’s nothing to fear.”

They continued their conversation as they walked along the forest path.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees, illuminating the fallen leaves at their feet and scattering gentle fragments of light upon the otherwise dim path…

That evening, Liuya, Annie, and Lilith huddled around a small fire, its flames flickering erratically and crackling softly.

The firewood they had collected during the day was now neatly bundled and stored inside their dwelling.

The three of them sat in a circle, each gnawing on a small piece of black bread.

The bread was hard and dry, so much so that Liuya nearly chipped a tooth on it. She had to soften it slightly with the warmth of her breath before taking tiny bites.

Beside the fire lay a plate of fruit, mottled in color, some pieces already shriveled.

Spread out before the girls was a collection of discarded items they had salvaged from the village outskirts: broken cups, an old bracelet missing its beads, a mud-splattered wooden toy horse. All were things others had cast aside, yet they cherished them like treasures.

Annie clutched a tattered rag doll, its colors long faded, its head askew, and only one eye remaining. Still, she held it tightly, treating it as her most precious possession.

“Look at this!” Lilith unearthed a rusty metal shard from the pile of junk, faint patterns still visible on its surface. She waved it excitedly. “Doesn’t it look like a wizard’s mystical amulet?”

“It’s clearly a pot lid.” Annie rolled her eyes.

Lilith paid no mind, pinning it to her chest like a medal and puffing out her thin chest. “This witch has acquired another fragment of an underground ruin today!”

“What witch? Aren’t you a white rat?” Annie scoffed.

“A white rat is still better than a goat-headed monster like you.” Lilith squinted and grinned.

The two of them laughed and playfully shoved each other, eventually tumbling together…

The three girls ate and played, occasionally engaging in lighthearted scuffles…

Annie and Lilith soon grew tired and sat panting on their makeshift mats.

“Did you used to live in the village?” Liuya suddenly asked Annie.

“My mother used to make me rag dolls too. She used floral fabric from her own dowry, saying it was her favorite piece.” Annie touched the goat horns on her head, not directly answering. “The village I used to live in was burned by mountain bandits, and my mother brought me to this one. But when the villagers saw my goat horns, they all told my mother to abandon me. My mother had no choice but to take me to live near the forest, some distance from the village.”

“What happened then?” Liuya asked.

“After that? My mother fell ill and died, and the villagers drove me into the forest,” Annie said.

Annie gently hugged the rag doll tighter.

“Oh, let’s not talk about such things. Come look at this fabric I found; isn’t it pretty?” Lilith pulled her companions’ hands and resumed rummaging through the pile of odds and ends.

This was the happiest time of their day, and sorrowful topics were best forgotten.

“We’ll have to go to the village again tomorrow morning, won’t we?” Liuya said, holding a piece of floral fabric, a hint of reluctance in her voice.

“Yep, we’ll need to wake up a bit earlier.” Lilith nodded, her mouth still full of a half-chewed fruit. “I won’t go into the village tomorrow. I’ll head to the other side of the forest to find the hunter and trade for some meat.”

“Yay!” The others cheered.

While Lilith spoke of trading for meat, in reality, she usually only managed to get bones and other unwanted ‘scraps’ from others.

But even that was enough.

“Liuya, I’ll go to a few of those houses for you tomorrow,” Annie said, patting the rag doll on her lap. “You’re injured, so you should walk less.”

Annie was like an older sister to Lilith and Liuya; though her tone could sometimes be stern, she always considered the well-being of the other two girls.

“No need, my leg heals very quickly.” Liuya shook her head stubbornly.

“Alright, but don’t go to those wealthy households again, lest you get beaten once more…” Annie said, gently stroking Liuya’s head.

Even with the cold still present, and poverty still clinging, the three ‘monster girls’ could find solace nestled within the firelight and laughter.

How wonderful it would be if every day could be like this one…

To gather around the fire with companions, clutching cherished possessions, singing songs, and falling asleep nestled together…

But there were always unforeseen circumstances…