They're After Us All

Our first encouter

"What was that?!" Said Victoria with wide eyes, staring at the entrance to the thicket. "Did anyone follow you here?" Ivan also looking at the entrance. "No, no one knew I left" he said as he grabbed his metal pipe and standing up. "You better stay here, Victoria."

"Heck no, this is my thicket and I shall protect it like I always do, so you stay here and if I need you I will call you." She said as she grabs her bow and arrows and heads outside. After ducking under the low branches she reached the exit, and to her surprise found a large black bear about 50 feet away from where she stood. In somewhat of a shock she pulled an arrow from the quiver and readied it in the bow. "Okay Ivan I will need your help to take this one down." She said keeping her eyes fixed on the bear.

"Sure thing, Victoria, I'm coming." Yelled Ivan from inside the thicket, then a small bang came after a little rustling. "Oww dang branches I can never dodge them." He said as he came out, once he saw the bear he froze right where he stood, not out of fear but of curiosity. "What is that?"

"A bear what did you think it was a giraffe." Victoria said with a small giggle.

"I know it's a bear, what's..?" He never finished as Victoria shot an arrow next to the bear's head. Hoping to scare it away. Victoria seemed calm and relax, but Ivan was once again in shock because of Victoria. The bear was not effected by the arrow it turned to them growling. Ivan and Victoria ready their weapons as the bear walks slowly towards them with a small flow of black liquid comes out of its mouth. "What the heck is that?" Says Victoria fixing eyes on the black liquid. With Victoria distracted the bear came charging at them at full speed. "Victoria watch out!" Yelled Ivan trying to warn her, but the bear was to close to move out of the way. The bear knocked Victoria down and loomed over her breathing heavy as the black bubbly liquid streamed out of its mouth. Ivan started to get angry and a dark aura formed around him, he gripped his pipe in his hand and started walking towards the bear. 

The bear heard Ivan moving and turned his head to face him. Victoria thinking it would be a good time to escape from under the bear, crawled slowly away but the bear heard her, he growled and raised his paw and stroke it down cutting a large gash in Victoria's forearm. "NO!!" Yelled Ivan seeing the blood pouring out of her arm, he swung his pipe at the bear hitting the top of its head. The pipe sang a devilish tone throughout the forest. Victoria holding her arm finally runs to  a safer place and picks up her bow and a handful of arrows. "Ivan move out of the way, I don't want to hit you!" Said Victoria readying an arrow on the bow. Ivan does as she said and moves behind a tree away from the bear and her. Victoria not paying attention to the wound in her arm, pulled the string back and shot the bear in the eye making it blind. The bear roared loudly in pain, scratching at the arrow to bring it out. "Ivan stab under its shoulder and bring him down, he won't move then" readying another arrow in the bow. Ivan grips his pipe, charges at the bear and shoves the sharped point of the pipe under the bear's shoulder and instantly gets covered in black blood. "Victoria I think I know what this bear is... Its's a demon" Ivan said alarmingly.

"A demon but i thought those were just myths, fairytales, make-believe"

"No they exist and we found one that took form of a bear."

The bear weakly stands up putting all its weight on the wounded shoulder, and the pipe goes in deeper, just enough to go completely through its shoulder, it roars in agonizing pain and drops to the ground. Victoria shot another arrow exactly at the one in the bears eye, the one arrow hits the other and slips the first in two sending both arrow tips into the bears brain killing it instantly. Ivan stares at the motionless bear, feeling almost no pity for it rips his pipe out of the bear, and inspects the blood. Victoria knowing the bear can't possibly be alive lowers her bow, a sharp pain runs through her arm and to the rest of her body. "Aah!" She held the wound, as her arm was covered in blood dripping off her fingertips to the now soiled ground next to her feet. "Victoria are you okay, how deep is it?" 

"About maybe 4 inches, I need to get back to my thicket I hid a medical kit there." She starts walking that way, now clenching her arm trying to make the blood stop running. Ivan super worried follows behind her "Maybe this will help you for now" He said pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket, and ties it around Victoria's arm above the wound. "Ow, thank you that should stop it for now until I get the bandages." They reached the thicket and quickly went inside, Victoria rushed over to a deer pelt in the corner of the thicket, pulled it away and started digging with her good arm. Ivan again hit his head on the branches and walked over to her and helped her dig. After a few minutes of digging Victoria pulled out a small wooden box with a red cross on  the top, she opened it and pulled out a large roll of bandages. "Do you need any help, I know some medical things Yang Woa showed me." Ivan said worriedly inspecting the gash in her arm like it was something he's never seen before. "Actually yes please, its harder only using one hand." Says Victoria in a calming tone, even though she was in horrific pain. Ivan grabbed the roll of bandages and started wrapping her arm.

Ludwig finally got everyone to calm down and sit in their seats, even though Arthur and Francis were still murmuring insults to each other. Ludwig inspected the meeting hall to see if everyone was accounted for and to his surprise he didn't see the large Russian man in his seat. "Vhere is Ivan has any of jou guys see him? Or Victoria?" Everyone shook their head no, but Toris spoke a little shakily "I saw Mr. Ivan going to the forest and I haven't seen him since then, that was about an hour ago."

"I saw Victoria walk outside too, you think something has happened?" Said Arthur a little rude cause he was still mad at Francis.

"Vell if zhey are in trouble zhen ve should help, so all of jou guys stay here vhile I go and search, if any of jou vant to join jou can, the rest of jou stay here and don't fight." He said a little sternly, looking at Francis and Arthur directly. Both look down like they got their hands caught in the cookie jar. Ludwig looked around one more time and walked out following the perimeter of the house. Veneziano went after Ludwig and walked besides him, hoping Ivan and Victoria aren't hurt. After checking around the house Ludwig decides to go into the forest with Veneziano trailing behind him. "Ow thats a little tight." Said Victoria hidden in the thicket has Ludwig walked by, he stopped trying to listen more to locate the sound. "Well you need it tight or else the blood won't stop." Ludwig heard the Russian speak and snapped his head in that direction. "Ivan, Victoria, vhere are jou?" 

"Right here" Victoria came out of the thicket with her forearm bandaged as Ivan came out behind her.

"What happened, Bella?! Your arm?!" Yelled Veneziano staring at Victoria arm with some blood spots on the white bandages 

"It's fine Veneziano, Ivan and I had to fight a bear and it scratched me, that's all." She said reassuringly, pointing at the now decaying bear's body, with the shoulder ripped and arrows in its eye.

Ludwig's jaw dropped, same as Veneziano's looking at the massive bear laying only a few feet away. Victoria patted some dust off her dress, and Ludwig's head turned to them. "Jou two took zhat beast down all by jourselves?" He said astounded, also thinking a girl like Victoria can't do something like that, but yet she has. "Oui, but why are you guys here instead at the meeting?"

"We were worried about you both when Ludy didn't see you guys at the meeting, when everyone calmed down finally, so Ludy and I went searching and here you are." Veneziano still a little scared spoke fast and it was hard to understand what he said.

"Well we are fine and should be heading back, it would be a ruckus back at the meeting." Said Ivan nonchalantly, walking the opposite way of the house.

"Umm, Ivan the meeting is this way" Victoria replied, pointing towards the house. 

"O-Ohh... okay lets go" Ivan turned around and headed the direction Victoria pointed to. After a few minutes Ludwig, Veneziano, Ivan and Victoria entered the meeting room. Victoria was bombarded by all the others countries asking about her arm, and making a scene. She just kept replying to everyone that she was fine and once that was over everyone continued with the meeting.