Miscellaneous Things

Opening Practice - 1

"Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic, don't panic, don't panic," Maristela chanted continuously like a mantra as she wrapped her cut knee in a white cloth. "Don't panic."

She took a deep breath as she looked down from the tree to take a look at the five werewolves in moonlight. Maristela then checked the number of bullets on her. She stared at the two measly bullets in her hand blankly.

The cut on her knee was deep as the blood still continued to cascade out like a river to the ocean of air. Maristela reloaded her rifle hastily as she listened to the sounds of growling beneath her. Her heart pounded loudly in her rib cage as she stood up and leapt from branch to branch.

She carefully looked behind and below to see if the werewolves were upon her. They were no better than mere wolves. Maristela took a sharp breath, slid down a crooked tree, turned and fired straight. The last of her two bullets were gone. Two werewolves were down at least.

Maristela pulled out her silver knife as she ditched her rifle. It would now be useless in the face of werewolves. The remaining three snarled before they launched to attack her.

Instinctively, she swung straight for the heart of the first, kicked the second back and dived beneath the thirds rear legs. A loud thud was heard as she turned to face the remaining two. Her knee was still bleeding as she felt the adrenaline pumping straight through her veins like rigorous machinery. She gripped her knife tighter.

The remaining two dashed forth.

She slashed through the head, only to be met with a wide slash to her stomach. Maristela pulled back as the other werewolf leapt over its fallen kin and was about to slash her to pieces. Maristela stabbed it straight on when it had jumped.

There it fell as Maristela breathed a sigh of relief that she was wearing her corset tonight. She would have been dead if she didn't wear it. She keeled over as she felt her knee going from bad to worse.

She took her rifle and headed back to the opening of the woods slowly. Maristela tightened her bandaging once she reached her horse. She went on the saddle and there headed home under the moonlight.

Back to the manor.

"Welcome home, Lady Stardeville," the elderly butler greeted as he called forth servants to take her horse into the stables and her coat off. "Master Victor's been anxious to see you."

"I see. Victor's worried," Maristela said as she then walked upstairs. "Don't say anything of tonight, understand? Tell the servants too."

"Yes, of course, my lady," the butler returned before he went away to continue his duties.

Maristela climbed the stairs slowly. She knew her brother would be worried to death about her monthly excursions to woodlands hunting down werewolves. She knocked on his door politely.

"Maristela?"

"Yes, of course, it's me," Maristela confirmed as she then kicked the door open with her good leg. "Who else, genius?"

"Great. Now you've woken up Leo and Percy," Victor sighed as shrill cries of school-aged children echoed through the halls. "I'll have to calm father down now."

Victor exited his room to their father's.

Maristela sighed as she headed to her little brothers' rooms. They were a pair of nitwits when it came to sounds. She opened the door up and calmed them down.

"Big sis is sorry for waking you two up," she sighed as she tucked them in as the servants helped calm the twins down. "I'll play with you two in the morning, okay?"

"Really?" they said in unison.

"Yes, really. A Stardeville never breaks their promises after all," Maristela assured as the two servants adjusted everything and helped the two fall asleep. "Good night."