Blood Hunter | Tales of the Wild #1

Prologue

Happy endings used to be what she looked forward to each story that was told by her grandmother, Aileen. They were the ones that made her feel like there was more goodness in the world than she was led on to believe the second she started to retain her memory. Even in the darkness that they covered in, her grandmother told her much about how the darkest, evil monsters would never win if she had faith as they would be punished by the Gods and Goddesses that watched over her with smiles on their faces.

To which she always thought that was the case. They were happy. Just her and her grandmother in a small cabin out in the woods. Her grandmother didn't have to hold her hand as they went into the woods, the two of them having their own bows and arrows for training and hunting animals for sustenance and warmth. It didn't take long before she could shoot an arrow straight or even throw a knife that they carved from a rock. It was a smile life they lived and as a six-year-old, she wouldn't have had it in any way.

One day, on what was supposed to be a normal day, the sun had set as they walked back to the cabin, her grandmother carrying a deer around her shoulders like it weighed nothing until she dropped it. Her hazel eyes raised to glance at her grandmother. She could tell that she was more alert and in alarm just by how her eyes glowed gold.

Without saying much, Aileen dropped down and carried the little girl in her arms and ran straight to the cabin. What normally would take them an hour to return turned into five minutes. She shut the door behind them and placed little Robin down to her feet. Before she could even question what was happening, the comforting hood that her grandmother always wore was now blanketed around her small body and she was being pushed by the empty cupboard.

"Too soon, too soon," Aileen kept repeating, pulling the hood up to her face and only letting her eyes be open. "Ma lumière, do you remember what I told you if the bad monsters find us?"

The little girl nodded, her answer muffled from the cloth in front of her face. "You said to hide and never show yourself if they're here."

"Good," she held Robin's face in her hands, her glowing eyes misty. All the little girl wanted to do was to tell her not to cry. "Now go inside. Don't go out until you're sure that they're gone, alright? Do you remember our training of scents? This cloth will protect you, hide you, and when you're sure that it's safe, you run and never look back. Comprenez-vous, ma lumière?"

"Oui, mémé. Are you leaving me now?"

The woman couldn't help it. She choked on a sob and released a tear. "Yes, my little Robin. I have to."

Normal children would cry, ask why, or even plead to the ones they loved that they don't leave them. Yet, here was this peculiar little Robin, stepping closer to wrap her fragile arms around her grandmother. "I'll miss you, mémé."

Aileen returned the hug for a millisecond before pulling her away and pointing to the cupboard. "Dear, go. Don't make a sound, keep your breathing studying no matter what you hear."

Without much response, Robin walked inside the cupboard as her grandmother shut it as soon as she was comfortable. She jumped slightly but didn't make a noise when she heard the growling sounds that surrounded their little home. It wasn't long until a loud bang was heard and the smell from outside entered the house, filling her nose.

Little Robin scrunched her nose, holding tight to the hood. It smelled like the woods still but it was mixed with sweat and the animals that they used to kill for food. From the constant growling, she could tell that whoever was outside brought friends and all she wanted to do was run out and be with her grandmother.

She couldn't. Grandmother made her promise to always stay in the cupboard if anything happens. She was a little girl of her word. A little light from outside streamed inside the cupboard and she peaked, seeing her grandmother standing in the middle of their cabin, staring at a man with glowing red eyes. It was different from what her grandmother had—gold.

"Where is the prize, Aileen?" The man snarled. His gray hair that reached on his shoulders swayed in the air as he moved closer to her grandmother. In a blink, Robin stared as her grand-mère was suspended in the air, being held up by the man's hair hand on her throat. "Speak, little traitor."

Aileen chuckled or choked. Robin couldn't hear well to see which was which. "Gone. Poof. You'll n-never see it, Vic."

His mouth opened and all the little girl could think of was the wolf that her grandmother described. The one that destroyed the three little pig's house and the one who ate Red Riding Hood's grandmother and proceeded to trick Red Riding Hood so that the wolf could eat her too. The scary red-eyed man let out a deafening roar that shook the ground.

What she saw once were normal teeth that she and her grandmother had and it turned into something more sinister. Sharp ones descended down and he pulled Aileen closer, chomping down on her throat. Robin closed her mouth, tears running down her tears as she watched as the monster really bit at Aileen with her screaming.

But never pleading to be saved.

Then she was dropped on the floor, blood running down the man's face as he spat the chunk of Aileen's flesh.

He turned around and walked out. "Useless. Find it and bring it to me!"

She couldn't hear the howls that surrounded them, all she could focus on was her grandmother that laid on the ground, facing the cupboard where she was. The glow of her eyes was gone and another tear left her eye as she could see her chest stop rising and falling.

It's what happened when they would hunt animals. The first time she shot at a wild pig, she didn't hit any vital arteries and instead of killing the animal quickly to put it out of its misery, Aileen made her watch for hours as the pig cried, slumped down, kept taking short breaths, and finally, its last breath. Since then, she trained harder so that she wouldn't see any other animals suffer. They would just be dead.

It was just like her grandmother now.

Then, she heard a voice. It sounded like it was beside her but she knew it was in her mind.

"Run to the woods, Robin. Go! NOW!"

Her instincts kicked in and she carried her grandmother's hood and ran out of the back door. She didn't look back as the voice continued to tell her to just disappear into the woods. She ran, and ran, and ran.

Until her legs burned.

Until her lungs felt like they were out of air.

Until her mind became exhausted and she laid on the muddy ground.

And when she awoke, her life was no longer the same.