Red Within The Forest

Chapter Three: Loneliness Is One's Own Friend

A scream echoed against the forest trees as the first full rays of sunshine beat down on the village. A crowd started to gather near one of the alleyways of the village. Murmurs of disbelief came from the crowd as some parents ushered their children to go back inside to not see the unforgettable sight. Piran pushed past the crowd with some of the council members trailing behind him. A council member almost threw up at the sight and had to turn away from the scene laid before them. Piran glanced around and walked over to a man around his age. 

The other man turned his head to him, "There doesn't seem to be any trace of the animal that did this to these two." he whispered to Piran. Piran stared at him, "How is that even possible? You sure there was nothing?" he murmured. The man nodded, "Some of the men and I have already scouted at least a mile each around the perimeter and found nothing. It's...unusual." he explained. Piran sighed in frustration, "Alright...well...just gather some of the men and prepare some burial preparations while I talk to the families." he ordered. The man nodded his head and was about to walk away until Piran stopped him, "And Emmet..." he said.

Emmet stared at him, Piran placed a hand on his shoulder, "Have you been feeling okay recently?" he asked in a hushed whisper. Emmet gave him a tired smile, "Just having some trouble with getting sleep." he replied. Piran nodded and allowed Emmet to leave. Asena and Lieve were watching from a distance; Asena rubbed her forehead with a small groan. Lieve glanced over to her, "Are you alright?" she asked. Asena nodded, "Yeah...just a slight headache is all." she mumbled. Lieve nodded as she continued to watch Piran like a hungry panther. Someone called out to Asena. The young woman turned her head, "Oh! Good morning Mrs. Hughes." she greeted. Mrs. Hughes returned the expression and sighed, "I'm sorry to trouble you but are you doing okay Dear? You seem a tiny bit unlike yourself." she questioned.

Asena sighed, "I don't know if I'm being honest. I woke up with this splitting headache, thankfully it subdued for now. I just hope it'll go away soon." she admitted. Mrs. Hughes nodded to her, "If you'd like I can make you some tea to help with the aches?" she offered. Asena shook her head, "Oh, that won't be necessary. Thank you for the offer though." she told her. Mrs. Hughes nodded and turned her attention to the crowd, "It's strange." she stated. The two young females looked over to her, Lieve raised an eyebrow, "What's strange?" she asked. Mrs. Hughes bit her bottom lip, "It's strange with how the beast just...disappeared as if it never existed. Something like this happened when our founding members first came here from overseas." she mentioned. Lieve and Asena shared a look. Asena fiddled with her fingers, "Really? I've never seen any records stating about our founding members dealing with something similar." she pointed out.

Mrs. Hughes shrugged, "Oh, well, that's just rumors. Just stories, nothing more. But I'm confident that the men will be able to capture and kill the creature before anything else happens." she stated. Lieve hummed, "That would be nice. It's not like we haven't dealt with wolves before in these woods. I hope they'll find it in time before the Feast." she said. Asena gasped, "Oh! That's right! It's in three months, I can't believe I almost forgot about that." she mumbled. Mrs. Hughes smiled at the two but her expression became one of weary. 

She gently placed a hand on Asena's back, "I suggest that you two postpone your strolls for now just to be safe. Last thing we need is to lose more lives." she told them. Asena smiled, "Will do! Right Lieve?" she said to her friend. Lieve nodded and stared as some of the men gathered the bodies and took them away from the rest of the village's eyes. Her eyes went over to Asena who was still conversing with Mrs. Hughes about whatever at this point. She already knew Asena was the one responsible and as much as she would love to tell Piran, she can't. At least not yet. What Lieve needs to do is...

Lieve's thought was cut off when she saw Emmet making his way over to the three of them. Emmet glanced at Lieve and focused on Asena, "Your father told me that you weren't feeling too good earlier this morning. Saying how you woke up with a headache and body pains." he stated. Asena giggled, "Oh, I'm doing just fine now! It was a little strange but once I ate some food and took in some fresh air, that seemed to help." she told him. Emmet nodded, "Well if it does happen again, make sure to take up Mrs. Hughes's offer. Her tea does wonders." he chuckled. Asena laughed, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind Uncle!" she said. Emmet laughed with her and ruffled her hair, "And be sure to also stay out of trouble. Last thing I need to do is bust you out of the village cells." he teased. Asena giggled at his statement and watched him walk away, "I'll be sure to do so. Stay safe Uncle Emmet!" she waved.