The Hunted: Book One In The Hunted Trilogy

Birthday

   

In Bacau, a small village in Romania, an event that hadn't happened sense 1606 tore a family apart. The date is 1781 its September twenty-seventh. The small village is quiet except for an older woman and a little girl. The boundary of the city, a wood, was dark. The little girl couldn't sleep so the woman, her mom, was taking her for a walk. Suddenly out of the woods a giant wolf bounded toward the two.

"Mommy!" the little girl screamed pointing at the wolf with her free hand.

"Run Sally!" the mother cried pushing sally toward the center of town where they lived with Sally's father, Johnathan. Sally listened, and ran.

"Suzan!" Johnathan, who had run from their house when he heard the howl of a giant wolf. A scream erupted from Suzan's lips as the giant wolf tore into her right leg.

"Werewolf!" a villager, who had woken at the yells from Johnathan and Suzan, pointed to the giant wolf. Out of the woods came another creature, one the city considered to be lucky if seen outside the woods. A centaur galloped out of the woods, shooting arrow after arrow at the beast. The werewolf eventually was killed. Suzan limped into the northern part of the woods. Years passed without sighting of any other monster or Suzan. Sally grew into a young woman. By the time another monster was spotted, Sally was betrothed to a boy named Henry Treator. She had also just graduated Sampson's School for Hunters. Learning from the best hunter after graduating, Menark Death, Sally still hasn't seen a werewolf, except in the dungeons at the top of a tower at Sampson's.

Now she lives in the same house she lived in when her mom was with her, with her father. Johnathan is a carpenter, his living space is right above his shop. Sally's fast asleep in her bed. It's her birthday, she's turning sixteen.

* * *

Laying under a red patched blanket, on her bed of straw, Sally Mueller looks ten years younger than the stress of peasant life makes her look when she's awake. Her face is caked with grease, soot, and dirt, hiding her beauty from view. Her golden, shoulder length hair it matted to her pillow, wood chips and mud cover it.

"Sally," Johnathan called from the main room of the little house, "Time to get up sweetie, we have to get to work!"

"I'm awake," Sally stretched her arms above her head and slipped out from her blanket. Sally slipped on her work gown. Patched and torn the brown gown had grown to short for Sally's long legs, "dad, I need more patches, there are holes in my dress again, what is that wondrous smell?" Sally added as she headed into the main part of the house.

"Bacon," Johnathan was a tall man with black hair. His beard was shaved off leaving only nubs of hair on his chin. He wore a brown shirt and black overalls.

"Oh dad," Sally gasped clasping both her hand on her mouth as Johnathan place the bacon onto a plate with a hot buttered bun, "that must have cost you a fortune!"

"Anything for you," Johnathan said. Sally placed her hair up into a bun placing her bonnet over it. She sat down at the little hand made table, her dad made it in his shop, "any way, I got a discount."

"Why?" Sally shoved a bit of bacon into her mouth.

"Well it's your birthday," Johnathan sat next to sally," and, well, because of-" 'Because of tonight,' Sally thought to herself. Eleven years ago today, sally was by the very woods she protected. On that night she had lost her mother and almost her own life.

"Sally," Johnathan's voice broke Sally's train of thought, "I know you probably want to relax before work, being you birthday and all, but could you pleas get water for the house?"

"No problem," Sally pushed her now empty plate away and got up to get the bucket, "where did you put the bucket?"

"Its by the shops front door," Johnathan seemed preoccupied.

"Thanks dad," Sally shoved her to-small shoes onto her large feet. Running down stairs sally saw a box rapped in gold colored paper sitting on her dads work bench.

'I wonder what that is,' Sally thought as she exited the shop. Bacau was a very busy village. People, even at 6:30 in the morning, where out buying goods and clothing. Many servants of nobles where out getting new cloth, to make curtains, and silk, for nobles great gowns. About ten peasants where at the town well when sally started to fill the little bucket her father and she owned.

A strange tall man strutted to Sally's side, "hey honey."

"Hi Henry," Sally laughed as Henry rapped his arms around her waist.

"Happy sixteenth," Henry kissed Sally's cheek.

"We still going to the peak to night?"

"I don"t think we should." Henry hung his head as Sally headed to the house.

"Why?"

"Its a full moon tonight."

"I'm a werewolf hunter."

"I want you to be safe."

"I'll be with you"

After hearing Henry mutter something like "that's why" sally slammed the shop door and stormed up the stairs.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Sally jumped spilling water on her dress at the shout from the large group in her small home. There was Ester, Sally's best friend, Elizabeth, Esters little sister, and Mrs. Treator, Henrys mom.

"Oh guys," Sally placed the bucket on the small door side table and sat down in the chair her friends where surrounding. Johnathan plopped the package from the shop in Sally's lap. Sally glared at the packages golden rapping.

"We all pitched in," Ester laughed at the way Sally looked at the package. Sally tore apart the golden paper to find a box. Inside the box was a red work dress. Brand new and not a stitch out of place.

"Dad," sally stood up and place the dress on her body to look at it. The dresses hem reached right above her feet. The front had a sown on apron stitched with little floral designs on the right corner.

"Now you can give that one," Johnathan pointed to the dress Sally was wearing, "to Elizabeth on her birthday."

"I love you so much dad!" Sally almost knocked her dad to the floor , "thank you all so much!"

"Your welcome," the group laughed.

"I gotta go change so I can get to work!" Sally worked for a noble twenty miles from her home.

Her father drover her in the carriage with Johnny, and ancient horse that it was surprising he was still alive. Being as Sally was supposed to be there at seven o'clock, and I was 6:50 they would have to hurry to get to Mrs. Danshums house. Johnathan pushed Johnny to his limit, galloping down the twisty road that lead to Mrs. Danshums house.