Red Within The Forest

Chapter Eight: Longing Of Nostalgia

Nia wakes up early in the morning to see gentle snow falling from the sky. Her nose picks up the smell of cooked bacon and potatoes. She looks over to Anton who is spread all over his bed like butter is to toast. His chest heaves from the snores escaping his open mouth. Nia chuckles at his form and walks over to him. She carefully positions his body fully on the bed and places the wool blanket over his person. She trots out of the bedroom and gently walks up the stairs from the basement. Her feet led her to where the dining table was. 

Asena was humming to herself while she placed down a platter of freshly cooked slices of bacon. She pulled out a tray of sliced toasted bread with some fresh butter. Her ears picked up the sounds of someone's feet. But her nose caught the smell of a gentle orchid flower and the ocean seaside surrounding the kingdom's country. Asena turned her head, "Oh! Good morning Nia. How'd you sleep?" she asked.

Nia releases a yawn and Asena giggles, "Let me guess...it was good?" she teases. Nia chuckles at her response, "You are correct. I was awoken by the smell of bacon. I'm surprised Anton's not the first one up though...he's the one that immediately wakes up from the smell of food from within a mile." she tells her. Asena laughs at her statement and hands her a plate. She gives her a cheerful smile, "Then I suggest you start getting your plate before everyone else; with how Anton consumed most of the dinner last night, it would be for the best." she joked. 

Nia lowered her head with a laugh as she took the plate. Nia gathered the food she wanted and sat down to start eating. Nia looked over to Asena, "So your father...did he come home at all?" she asked. Asena shook her head, "No. He was held up at a meeting and when he is, he usually stays the night with my uncle. I'm sure you already met him, Emmet?" she replies.

Nia nods, "Oh, yeah, I've met him alright. He didn't seem too fond of the idea of us being here." she tells her. Asena shrugs slightly, "You see, we've had monster hunters in the past but they weren't the best. We tried to give them a chance whenever there was a monster giving us an issue. But they just...didn't do anything at all, in the end, we had to be the ones to deal with the monsters for good." she stated. 

Asena grabbed a butter knife and spread some strawberry jam onto her toast, "Ever since then we've stopped giving them a chance. We lost hope for monster hunters but with you all here, I have no doubt the four of you will be able to succeed." she explains. Nia hums, "Well, thank you! We'll try what we can...I can't guarantee much but I can promise you this..." she said. Nia gently grabbed Asena's hand, "We will do whatever we can to stop this. But we need to work together." she told her. Asena's body felt a sudden jolt of warmth flowing through her veins.

Nia drew her hand back and started to munch on a slice of bacon before taking a sip of tea. Asena was baffled, just what was going through her body. Why was her touch making her body react the way it did? Asena shook her head, she shouldn't be thinking about this right now. She had other things to focus on. Nia hums out loud, "When is the next full moon for this month?" she questioned. Asena stares up at the ceiling in thought, "If I remember correctly, it's next Wednesday." she tells her. Nia nodded, "Is there by chance we might be able to talk with your father about creating preparations for the lycan?" she quizzed. Asena nodded, "Father should be free today. I don't see why he wouldn't want to discuss things with you all." she stated. Nia smiles, "Hopefully we can speak with him soon." she tells her. 

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Gawen groans, "Anton, for the last time, no! We're not going to name ourselves the 'Deadly Hunters'." he scolded. Anton groans, "Oh, come on! Our group needs a name! Something that'll strike fear into the monsters but hope into the people!" he boasted. Corvina rubbed her forehead, "The name, 'Deadly Hunters' sounds like a band of bards." she added. Anton points at her, "Okay, okay, I can see why you would think that but we could easily fool the enemy!" he said. Corvina shook her head, "What gave you the idea to create a name for us anyway?" she asked. Anton sighs, "Everywhere we go, we are referred to as, 'Hey it's those Hunters!' and that's it. I want us to have some sort of recognizable name so people will know who we are." he explained.