The Tale of the Huntress

7. Beastly

"How much for that pretty red piece?" A lady clad in furs for the winter questioned. Nova followed her pointed finger to a pelt from a blood fox. Most furs were around the same price other than the rarer beasts that fell prey to her.

"Two silvers miss," was her reply. A smile broke onto the woman's lips as she pulled a coin pouch from a pocket in her dress and proceeded to extract two silver coins from it. She handed them over and waited for Nova to exchange the fur to her.

"Shouldn't your husband be dealing with sales miss?" Came a question none too uncommon for Nova's ears in the few months she had occupied a merchant stall here. Her reply was always the same when faced with the stereotypes that were brought upon her gender.

"Haven't got one. I hunt, skin, and sell them all myself. It's how I choose to live," she replied with a slight smirk while giving the lady her fox skin. "Have a lovely day madam."

The lady left content with her purchase but with a bit of confusion in her eyes. As was custom in most of Tyrial, women married young and became housewives other than the few exceptions such as Nova. She was seen as quite peculiar in the village that she chose to settle in since usually parents assumed the role of matchmakers for their children as soon as they were born. It was a safe way to ensure families remained alive and usually wealthy which was a good reason for Nova to stay and sell her wares there. More customers visited her little portable stand throughout the day and when the sun went down, she packed up and strapped everything to Armageddon. He stayed out of sight for the most part so as not to alarm the villagers who were unused to his kind. Axius were primarily found in Samaria's home country which was across the map from where Nova currently resided. He happily accompanied her into the town early in the morning before prying eyes could witness his arrival, then slept most of the day behind the booth that Nova had built. They lived a good enough life in the wealthy village and enjoyed their hunts at night together.

"Come, we will drop everything off at home and then go hunting," Nova said earning a happy flickering of his tail paired with a purring response. With one leg missing she continued to use the support of a crutch-like cane but that never seemed to burden her much. Still she could run on her one very strong leg and use her arm to hold the crutch. When hunting though, Armageddon held her up while she shot at creatures with her bow or he simply made a clean kill using his own predatory skills.

They arrived at their small hut in the last row of homes at the end of the village and Nova grabbed the pack off of Armageddon. She lazily threw it down on the rug inside and emerged with her bow across her shoulder and knives strapped to her waist. Armageddon began to prance anxiously until she nodded, allowing him to go track down whatever prey he desired. They made their way to a patch of forest less than a mile away from civilization which was far enough for the citizens to be a safe distance from beasts that roamed the wild but close enough to be convenient for Nova.

The pair made their way quietly through the brush, staying away from the small path that cut through to keep out of sight. Glowing crimson eyes stared at them through the dimming light that peeked through the branches but Nova and Armageddon remained unaware. The Axius had picked up the scent of a blood fox, a good hunt to replace the rarer skin sold earlier. His tail waved up when he encountered small paw prints in a muddy patch and his partner smiled. They made their way carefully to the entrance of its home in a hollowed out log; an easy kill.

She readied her bow and leaned against the tree while he crept to the other side and a growl rumbled out but not from Armageddon. All of a sudden a flash of white descended from the branches above. Nova's eyes widened as the claws of the creature plunged into her shoulders and tackled her to the ground. A scream bubbled up from her throat as her eyes bulged in a mixture of pain and shock. Armageddon flinched at the fast and unexpected movements but snapped out of his trance to leap into action. His trusted friend was pinned to the ground with sharp canines inches from her neck when he shoved his short tusks into its side, knocking it away from the crippled woman. She groaned in pain at the pierced flesh of her shoulders that burned mildly but the adrenaline was slowly numbing her to the feeling. The two beasts fought viciously until Armageddon was declared the victor and looked up from his kill with hardly a scratch and glowing red coming from his skull's eye sockets. Blood dripped from his muzzle as he panted and made his way to check on Nova. With a bit of medical ointment to keep infection away, the claw marks would fade out of existence within a couple of weeks. A golden light replaced the bright crimson as he checked her injuries and nuzzled against her outstretched hand.

"Thank you friend," she whispered between gasps of shock that had settled in. Their eyes went to the white creature that was very new to them though it resembled a large wolf. It's now lifeless scarlet eyes stared ahead and its mouth hung open as the pierced artery of it's neck continued to bleed, staining it's once pure pelt. Nova stood up with the assistance of the Axius and a nearby tree before making her way slowly to the defeated beast. Her hand reached out to touch it and instead of feeling fur, her hand melted through as its skin dissolved. All that was left was its skeleton and two raw rubies for eyes which fell into the dirt as soon as it's flesh fully disappeared into nothing. Her nimble fingers picked them from beneath it's skull and examined them closely. "An Ivud. I've never...these rubies hold magics powerful enough to grant wishes," Nova said completely astonished at her luck. They were the least known of animal species because of the fact that they were always killed on sight in order to acquire power. The moonlight shimmered in the core of the gems in her palm and reflected the deadly color into her own eyes. Her heart whispered for the life of her loved ones but her brain reminded her that it was impossible. To raise the dead would very simply bring life to a body but leave the soul behind. Armageddon didn't realize this and nudged her hand while his fur flashed to blue for a brief second in remembrance of their loss. She placed her empty hand on the side of his skull and brought their foreheads together.

"It would be pointless to bring back a body when the soul has already left, my little star. I must be wise with my wishes," her voice was soft and carried a ghost of that melodic child she once was. That innocence had long since faded and been replaced by a huntress whose sole interest was in survival. The two emerald eyes she possessed passed over her body and landed on her missing leg. A new shock of energy lit up her body as one ruby involuntarily dissolved in her hand. Blinding pain and a screech ripped through her core and caused blood vessels to burst in her nearly glowing green orbs. Tears of the crimson liquid began to flow down her cheeks staining them a frightening red and a tingling sensation came from her phantom limb. When all agony left her, her eyelids fluttered back open and a startled Armageddon was leaning over her in distress. A strange numbness was coming from her right leg and she inclined her head slightly from the forest floor to be met with quite the sight. The eye of the Ivud had interpreted her feelings and created a new limb for her but it was no pretty sight. In the place of her knee-less stub was the delicate clawed appendage of the mythical being. A strange feeling also crept into her chest as if the beast she killed would always lay dormant beneath the surface.

Shudders wracked her body and her hair raised on end as she stared with deadly focus at her new limb. Nova pulled her knee to her chest and the clawed foot responded to her brain's signal. It was an unreal experience for the two and the girl felt that she might awaken from this scene at any moment. The rest of the Ivud had faded away but the last ruby remained tightly clutched in her palm. Her body urged her to toss the dangerous magic away but she knew better than to dismiss the blessing bestowed upon them. A gust of crisp night air brought Nova back to the reality of where she was and she shivered. Her shirt was torn where the claws had met her body leaving a bit too much skin exposed to the elements.

Slowly but surely, she pried herself up from the dirt and rose to test the new leg. No doubt she would have to hide it or all of her customers would believe her to be a beast herself. A few steps and it became natural once more though Armageddon stayed at the ready by her side in case she fell.

"A huntress becomes a part of her prey," she scoffed at the glaring bones of the Ivud which were now a piece of her own body. Armageddon still looked skeptical but had no choice but to accept the new addition to his friend. Nova stared up at the sky that was beginning to show as the forest trees thinned out, and sent up a prayer of gratitude of all who might listen before retiring for the night.