Into the Pages

Chapter 5

The bare trees were covered in inches of snow and icicles. The sky was clear with full sun, but the cold air plummeted the temperatures. A tall, slender man, wrapped in a thick black cloak with red and gold embroidery of large phoenix wings and an ombre red-orange for flames, the hood pulled up. In his bare hands was a longbow with tightened and iron-tipped arrows, all in a dark leather quiver attached to his back.

His dark brown eyes scanned the ground as a cocky smirk grew on his lips. The curved edge of a deer's front toes and the dot of the back. He moved swiftly and softly atop the frozen layers, following after the tracks as he tried to keep the snow crunches quiet. At a small opening between a wall of trees, he found his sweet spot.

A circular area was void of trees, but a pond iced over was filled with the sun's glowing rays. Standing on long, muscular legs near the edge of the frozen water stood a buck with four points on either horn, dark fur covered in light spots. His smirk grew wide as he slowly reached behind his back and retrieved a single arrow. At least two hundred pounds of pure deer meat.

He pulled the string back as tight as possible. He counted each breath as his dark eyes narrowed. The tip of his weapon, a single round point, aimed for its eyes. As he finished his final exhale, the arrow shot through the air.

He quickly pulled out another arrow with the same tip and fired again. The creature's body arched under the force before it collapsed into a mound of dead flesh. The man chuckled and cheered to himself at the kill. He praised himself for his immense skill in fluent Japanese as he jumped into the divet into the earth. He brushed the snow off his black kimono, a gold obi belt tied around his waist, and a leather pouch attached to his hip. A black-handled sword was attached to the other hip.

He stepped into the scarlet snow before he dropped his quiver to the carcass and started to pull out the arrows, the smell of the blood attracting possible predators with every second that passed by.

Just as he managed to tie the legs together with two strands of braided hemp cord, a deep, monstrous growl warmed the back of his neck as multiple crunches suddenly came from behind. A shiver moved down his spine like jagged pottery.

His body slowly rotated back to see three giant wolves staring him down, licking their deadly chops. His heart pounded in his chest. His skin flushed, and he started trembling. He slowly backed away, trying not to move too suddenly while simultaneously trying to reach for the handle of his sword.

His almond-shaped, nut-brown gaze eyed each of them, trying to find an escape. His back hit the crater wall when he finally ran out of the room.

His heart stopped.

He couldn't withdraw his sword fast enough, and his arrows were out of reach. Finally, he squealed out a desperate cry for help. As they inched closer, his eyes screwed shut, and he counted and savored each breath. He thought they would be his last.

So this is how it ends? He thought to himself. My dreams weren't nightmares; they were prophecies. The sound of their paws crunching the snow would be his swan song. Their growls were the last thing he heard as he clenched his fist even tighter.

Suddenly, he felt a strong breeze move past his face. The beast to him let out a loud yelp of pain followed by a thud. The terrified hunter opened his eyes to see a feminine figure dressed in strange clothing with a dark blue mask across her face. The figure turned back to ask if he was alright in fluent Sagren, the official language of Saiga.

He first noticed a unique shade of hazelnut brown hair tied in a bun. Her voice was powerful. He cleared his throat to gather his bearings but could only nod in response. He felt a tight clench in his chest. His throat felt tight as the figure turned back to fight. One beast took a leap with extended claws and bared teeth. She struck his throat and knocked him to the ground while roundhouse kicked the third. Each time a pack member got up, another went down just as hard. Her fast and ruthless moves not only caused pain but damage as well.