The Huntress in the Wood

1. Unpacking the baggage

New town, new college, new identity, new me. Easy enough.

Once every few months we move, my sister, brother, and I. It used to be 6 of us, but since the accident we were down to just us 3. We move to where rouge wolves run rampant in the streets and cause terror for the town's citizens. These wolves usually aren't trying to cause issues but leaving a pack, loved one, and community will eventually drive these people mad.

Their not wired like you and me. They yearn for blood to replace what was lost. They attack stray humans and wolves alike. They are a threat to humankind as much as they are werewolves. And my job is to stop the spread.

Of course the packs don't see us like that. They believe rouge wolves can be rehabilitated through rigorous training. I have never seen this work and only have bad outcomes to count towards this program. When a wolf leaves their pack it's only a short amount of time before they join a new pack or lose themselves to the beast within.

So that leaves myself and my two siblings to clean up the mess. Of courses there's other groups of hunters around but we mostly cover the more western side of North America.

Today was a new town in southern Oregon. I usually prefer the warmer climates, but I guess this would have to do.

"Snap out of it E." My sister was in my face as we pulled into the quiet neighborhood.

"Sorry." I pulled into the long driveway. The house sat on a hill of a cul-de-sac with tiny cottages surrounding it.

"Are you sure this place is safe enough? What if the neighbors hear something?" Austin perked up from the back seat.

"Oh shush. Devan picked this place out so you know it has to be legit." Madison said before jumping out of the keep.

Devan was our reporting officer. Hunters couldn't just roam and kill whatever they want. Back when hunters first set off there were a few that went off track, power hungry and trying to kill whole packs. Since then we've created a sort of government, a checks and balance system, to make sure that what we do is bettering the world.

That's probably why there is such a war between wolves and hunters. When we travel we do everything to cover our tracks and our identity. We have to, otherwise we risk losing our position and progress. We have to get to know the community well enough to figure out who's human, who's werewolf, and which of those are no longer in the pack. While we do have documentation on who the major pack leaders are, there are far too many members in each pack to keep tabs on them.

"Emily!" Madison yelled from the front door. "Come help me with these bags."

"Let her have her crisis before we load work on her." Austin commented as he grabbed another bag from the trunk.

I sighed and pulled the keys out of the ignition. It's going to be a long night of unpacking and dealing with these two bickering.

~~~

I opened the hallway door to a coat closet. "I thought you said the basement was through here?"

"Oh it does." Austin snuck under my arm leaning on the door frame.

He pulled in a floorboard and lifted it up. Underneath was a hatch that opened to a eerie staircase. There was plenty of padding on the underside of the hatch door to make the basement sound proof.

I followed my brother down the stairs and into the soundproof room. There wasn't much to it, just a wall with a few weapon racks and tools to fix them.

"Make sure Madison brings down the new arrows I made." I say before examining the target on the far side of the room.

"I'm pretty sure Madison wouldn't know a dagger from a sword, let alone which arrows are new." Austin smirked.

"Oh yeah? Then catch these." Madison threw a quiver of arrows at Austin. He didn't have much time to react before the bundle fell to the ground, bouncing off him and spreading out across the floor.

"You two can never get along can you." I sighed as I grabbed one of the arrows off the ground. I noticed the head has a chip in it, the head that I just finished sanding to perfection.

"I'm sorry E." Madison said as she picked up the rest of the arrows.

"It's fine. Let's just finish unpacking so I can go for a quick run. I'm all stiff after sitting all day."

"Dibs on taking the night off and hanging out here. You guys can go out tonight, I'm too tired." Austin said as he took a seat on the countertop on the side of the room.

"Sure, and we'll leave all the unpacking to you!" Madison said as she ran up the stairs, but not before grabbing my wrist and pulling me up with her.