Line Hunters

1. Madam

The freezing temperatures and troublesome snow make humans despise the winter season, but it's not the only reason they turn their noses away from the cold beauty. With the snow comes memories and a reminder, that life is moving on, and there'll be a new beginning. Humans feel depression and sadness upon them during the seasons of death.

For a particular boy, depression and death were upon him at the bloom of winter. So was a new beginning.

A small figure wandered in the thick snow, forcing his legs to continue forward. But the cloak felt heavy on him, the blizzard blinded his sight, and his body was struggling against the snow. His hair tucked underneath the cloak wasn't spared from the cold and felt like extra weight itching him. In his dazed mind, he wondered why he had such long hair.

Snow. Winter. It was the boy's first time seeing the season the way humans do.

This coldness... It's so cold like them, wanting to kill me. Who did I feel it from?

The boy stopped. Breathing had never been so difficult for him. What was this fear? Someone poured fear into him; it was the first time he ever felt so scared, and the first time he realized he too was vulnerable to death. He lost something precious, but what was it?

The boy clutched the cloak, trembling as his steps became sloppier and slower. He was so cold. When could he receive warmth? Shouldn't there be warmth waiting for him, especially enduring this harsh coldness he did not ask for? In the back of his mind, the boy knew this coldness was meant for him. Someone wanted him to feel so... isolated, and... vulnerable. Weak.

Finally, the boy collapsed, and his face was buried in the deceiving soft snow. There was no ounce of energy or will left in him. His eyes were half closed, partially hiding the dull look in his brown eyes. For the next few minutes, the cold wind was the only thing he heard. The boy felt sad.

He felt a hollow feeling in his dying heart that was yearning for something. What was it? What precious thing was taken from him, and why was it taken? It was his.

As the boy laid there, another being appeared. His fifty weight created a low rumble with each step he took as his sharp eyes glared wickedly at the fallen boy. He opened his large mouth, revealing sharp dirty teeth. The boy didn't flinch at the malicious presence set on killing him. Instead, the low rumble lured him deeper into sleep. At least, if he fell asleep first, he could ignore the painful bloodlust. But he couldn't ignore it. He slowly opened his eyes again.

The thumping footsteps stopped. The sound of a sharp blade rang. A thud followed. A person was present, properly dressed in winter gear and approaching the lifeless person. Even when the person stroked the boy's cheek, he did not move at all, like he hadn't felt the stranger's touch.

"Boy, do you still want to live?"

The boy's eyes fluttered. The feminine voice came above him, and when he looked up, he could see a woman's face under the large hood. Her eyes were covered by a blindfold.

"Am I... allowed to want it?" the boy whispered so softly.

The other person was taken back. The boy's voice was barely audible, and a normal person wouldn't be able to hear him, but the woman did. Her cold eyes wavered a bit.

"I'm dying," the boy continued. "That means I'm supposed to... Can I defy that?"

"Will you die with no grievances?" the woman said.

"I'm hurt," the boy replied as if he didn't hear her question. "I am... I don't know why. Do you know?"

"Everyone's hurting in some way," the woman said gently. Then, she turned the boy around so he was lying on his back, pausing for a moment when he saw his face, then picked him up and turned around, easily walking through the thick snow with her thick boots.

"I... I don't... have to be... hurt?"

"We hurt, and along the way, it stops hurting and we heal. But there's a different kind of hurting that won't go away. We move on, but this kind of pain leaves a scar."

The boy, through his fluttering eyes wanting to close, saw a glimpse of sadness on her face. He wondered if this was what the other kind of hurting looked like.

"For you, Boy, it's your turn to heal."

They reached a small cabin below a tall hill; this was the woman's home. Once inside, she laid the boy in front of the fireplace and lit the dry woods to make a fire that would warm the boy's body. With a better look at the boy, the woman concluded he was a young teen, a very thin one. She pushed his long bangs aside and saw his brown eyes clearer. She then took off the boy's cloak, pausing for a moment when she saw the large red stain on his lower abdomen.

The boy looked down as well. "Should I be worried?"

"Take off your shirt so I can access the gravity of the wound. Then I'll tell you if you should be worried."

Although what appeared to be a pole-pierced wound, it didn't appear to be fatal. The woman worked quickly as she tried to stop the bleeding, questions running through her head the entire process. She could blame it on adrenaline, but it wasn't enough to explain why the boy remained alarmingly unfazed by what he should feel, extreme pain, and yet his eyebrows only furrowed once in a while and no noises aside from his tired breathing came from him. When he was finally properly attended to and bandaged, the woman wrapped multiple layers of blankets around him and ordered him to keep warm.

"How old are you?" the woman asked as she handed him a cup of warm water.

"I don't know.."

"And your name?"

"Ian." The boy looked up at her, and she stared back into his dull eyes.

"You don't want to know anything about me?"

The boy tilted his head. "I should ask too?"

With a sigh, the woman responded, "I don't want to reveal my name, so if you wish, address me as Madam."

Then the woman turned her head and called a name. Instantly, a colorful creature appeared next to her.

"This is Arvak, my beloved beast. I don't have any herbs to make medicine for you, so I will be going to the nearest town while Arvak will stay behind to protect you. Stay here for a while, Ian. Do not wander off. This is a dangerous time we're living in."

The woman left, leaving the two beings alone. Ian stared at the creature. When the woman introduced Arvak, there was tenderness and love in her tone. Arvak, who was lying down by the fire, picked his head up when the boy stood up. Ian looked back at the best, who was simply watching him.

"Your master loves you a lot," Ian said. "Why does she feel that way?"

Arvak seemed to understand what Ian was saying, but if he did, he didn't seem to care as he put his head back down. Ian saw sharp objects hanging on a portion of the wall. He walked over to them and grabbed a knife. Arvak, hearing the noise, was alert and quickly got up, but it was too late.

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This will be a long novel, around 200 chapters then a spin off which may be around the same length (I hope to write while I'm still living). I will admit that this story was inspired by some of the anime I watched. This story was created for fun so I'm not concerned about good storytelling and grammar as I would with others (of course, I will still make it readable). 

I hope you enjoy this story!