Line Hunters

2. Book of Humanity

For the last couple of years, the woman only had Arvak as her company. As she made her way to a town, the woman wondered if they were alright. Her home had been attacked a couple of times, and even though the attacks decreased, she worried they'd come back upon smelling a new scent. Arvak could protect himself, but from what the woman knew, Ian was vulnerable like a toddler in front of an adult. There was something unique about the boy.

What would have happened to him if she had decided to go to town at a different time? Meeting Ian was a surprise to her, who was on her way to buy herbs and other necessities. Perhaps, if she'd gone earlier, she would have seen who hurt the frail boy–his attacker's scent was completely different from the beast who had tried to finish the task. Whoever did hurt him was not human... How would she have fared if she did meet Ian's enemy?

The woman was ready to return home, but her eyes passed a book that intrigued her.

Another woman passing by saw this and smiled. "I bought this book and it's rather interesting. It's a childish book but the author does a wonderful job of expressing human emotions. It's a long book, but the chapters and pages have words as many as it would be in a children's book."

"What is it about?"

"I think the story's strange, but beautiful. It's about a mother raising a human-like creature who's been abandoned and the mother teaches the boy about humanity."

When the blindfolded woman returned to her cabin, she stood in the doorway, staring at the boy quietly sitting in front of the fire. His long bangs that didn't go longer than his eyes were cut—too short. Even the cut wasn't straight, so the boy's bangs were just above his eyebrows, diagonal. The strands of his long, lovely light green hair laid neatly stacked on the floor. Now that his long hair was gone, the woman realized how he was so young—young in a way that brought a heavy feeling to her heart because he was only a child. The woman felt it harder to look into his innocent eyes so lifeless.

"You cut your hair," the woman stated.

"Could you explain why my hair was so long?" Ian said. His health looked a lot better now that he was warmed and dry, but his voice was as soft as it was before. Just more audible.

"And you couldn't find the answer in your memories?"

"My memory starts from me walking alone in the snow."

His memory's been messed with. But was it intentional or an accident?

"Is there a particular reason you cut your hair?" the woman asked.

Ian paused, his eyes looking at the ground. "It was bothering me," he answered.

"Really?" The woman extended her hand to Ian, who was still holding the knife he used to cut his hair. "Well, you seem familiar with your way around knives. People usually cut their hair with scissors. Let me fix your hair, Ian.

The boy handed the woman the knife, and the woman began to fix Ian's hair, starting with his diagonal bangs, then to the rest of his hair, where some of them were chopped to his shoulders and some were still long strands. Once she was done, Ian watched her put his hair into the fire.

"It reminds me of who I was."

The woman looked over her shoulder, understanding he was answering her earlier question. "Who were you before?" the woman asked.

"I don't... Who... Whoever I was before I cut my hair." There was a short pause. "It is the person no one loved."

He cut his hair, because that was who no one loved? The woman turned back to the fire. She wondered who it could be that'd hate a child so much to break him like this.