The Demon's Fate The Endborr Chronicles

Chapter 1

A fresh blanket of snow covered the ground and trees. Forests covered most of the land with open fields that held a plentiful bounty of wild plants such sweet grasses, clovers, and wildflowers in the spring and summer. In one such field there was a small valley with trees growing on the rim and part way down the southeast slope. Trees ringed the other sides of the valley. The fleshly fallen snow drifted smoothly down into the valley, unmarred save one grey lump where the snow dipped and rose around it. 

Silvery wolf ears pocked out of the snow at one end of the mound and swiveled around listening to the silence. The snow fell and tumbled as the rest of the body emerged from the snow. It was a girl clad in warm leather and furs. Long silver hair cascaded down her shoulders and a bushy silver tail swished behind her.

Sasuke stood in the waist-deep snow looking around for any signs of unwelcomed villagers. Seeing that none of them had traveled this far from their village yet was good, maybe Sasuke could do some hunting without being bothered today. Villagers would sometimes come saying she was stealing their food.

She stretched a bit in the snow her back cracking slightly as she twisted and turned, before slipping back into her rock. 

The inside of the rock had been hollowed by some unknown force. It was in this rock that Sasuke made her home. The doorway to get into or out of the rock was small so small and thin that Sasuke even had a hard time getting in or out with her winter clothes on. Inside were some simple wooden furniture pieces; a bed, a small table next to the bed, a dining table, and two chairs; covered with some furs. She never expected friendly visitors but just in case she had a place for someone else to sit. Furs also hung on the walls as well as some woven grass mats. One such mat lay at her door. At the foot of the bed lay a pile of tanned leather. On the small table lay a few small statues and a clay bowl and cup. Under the same table were some cloths similar to what Sasuke was currently wearing. Along much of the walls were piles of raw material; metals, clay, wood, leather; and small statures made of one of more of those materials. A partially finished dagger lay on the table with the leather for its pocket and grip lay on the table next to it. In one corner, it wasn't much of a corner as the inside was fairly circular, weapons sat organized on the floor and against the wall. The weapons consisted of a bronze broadsword with a leather scabbard, two bonze longswords, a bronze short-sword with a leather scabbard, a yew bow, a hardened leather quiver full of bronze-tipped arrows, several dozen bronze daggers in individual pockets on a leather belt, and a great sword made of layered iron with a leather grip and a red gem inlaid in the pommel.

Sasuke walked to the weaponry and picked up the bow and arrows, belt with daggers, and the sheathed broadsword. She unsheathed the broadsword and checked its edge and, having found it of a satisfying sharpness, she walked over to the door, sheathing the broadsword. The weapons were places next to the door as Sasuke crawled through the door and listened for any noises. Hearing nothing suspicious she reached back inside and pulled the weapons out. She quickly slipped the broadsword's sheath onto the belt and buckled the belt snuggly around her waist. The quiver of arrows and the bow were both slung across her body going from shoulder to the opposite hip. She circumspected the area and adjusted the quiver of arrows before heading off into the forest to the south of her house. 

The forest quiet and peaceful, some bird sang in the trees and flew around looking for food, snow fell off of laden pine branches, and squirrels running after each other and doing battle over a single seed found in a snow drift. Sasuke followed their progress with her eyes, they made a poor meal and larger prey could be found deeper in the woods but if she had no luck elsewhere then she would come back and catch a few of them. As she walked through the woods she looked around for the quick movement in the trees that showed a deer or moose. The snow here was not as deep only half way up her calves.

The sound of a cracking stick came from the trees behind Sasuke. She turned, sliding off her bow and notching an arrow, and began to silently creep forward. Another stick cracked from behind a large rock as Sasuke crept forward. She leaped up the rock swiftly and silently. As she crested the top of the rock she looked down at the animal at the rock's base.
A large, pure white doe stood at the base of the rock eating a stick and the fungus on it. It was unusually fat for winter and its meat could possibly feed her for the rest of winter and possibly into spring and its pelt was extremely beautiful. She pulled her bowstring and arrow back to her shoulder, the bow creaked with the strain. The doe looked up at the sound, it had soft brown eyes, kind eyes that looked right into Sasuke and examined her soul. She gazed at the doe unable to look away or let fly her arrow. She lowered her bow and let the arrow fall to the ground, she couldn't shoot it. The doe looked at her with those big brown eyes before turning and running off into the woods and out of sight. Sasuke sighed, both disappointed and relived. It was not often she let a catch go. 

Another stick cracked to her right on the rock. Sasuke whipped around and drew her bowstring, the arrow aimed strait at the intruder. A village boy stood hands up and eyes wide, staring at the arrow pointed right at his chest. With a huff of indignation Sasuke lowered the bow, the boy's wide eyes following the arrow point as it moved down to the ground and away from his chest. He relaxed a little when Sasuke put her arrow back in the quiver.

The boy was short and of medium build. He was maybe 12 years of age. He had short strawberry-blond hair, green eyes, and freckles across his nose. He wore cloths fairly normal of villagers: leather coats, pants, gloves, boots and hats with fur lining. Though this was similar to how she dressed the villagers had one main difference in their clothing designs, they dyed their leather. This boy had his leather dyed a faded, emerald green. 

"What is your purpose in this portion of the forest?" Sasuke asked the boy her voice tense with suspicion. He lowered his arms nervously and wrapped them protectively around his body.

"I got lost." He looked down at the snow around his boots and shuffled his feet before continuing. "I was hungry so I left the village to find some food and I got lost."
Sasuke sighed with a mix of relief and annoyance. "What village do you live in? I can help you find your way home." She stood up shouldering her bow, her silver tail sweeping through the snow. The boy turned his gaze from her face to her tail.

"You're an Animatam!" He unfolded his arms and took a step backward. "You, you're gonna kill me!" He stumbled backward and fell over a log that cut him off at the knees. The boy's breath was coming in quick, shallow breaths as he scrambled to try and get away from Sasuke. His face was that of one who was experiencing pure terror.

"I don't want to hurt you!" Sasuke exclaimed exasperated, her tail sweeping through the snow around her. "Why does everyone think I am going to kill them the moment they see me? Just because I have the ears and tail of a wolf doesn't I act like one!" She put her gloved hands on her hips and looked down at the boy's shocked expression. "What?"

"I didn't know Animatam could be wolves. There are only dog, cat, bird, and a couple fox Animatams in the village. I never knew they could be other animals as well." His face now had some curiosity in it and not just fear.

"First of all, Animatams are only part animal. Second, it can be any animal. I just happen to be part wolf." She explained looking down at the boy. She stepped forward and held one gloved hand out to the boy, upon seeing him recoil from her hand she said "I just want to help you up out of the snow." The boy grudgingly took her hand and she pulled him onto his feet.

"How did you become an Animatam?" he asked wiping snow off his pants.
"I was born like this. And no I don't know why." She said seeing the look on his face. She looked at the boy with a puzzled expression. "What is your name?" she asked him.
The boy brushed some snow off of his shoulders before saying "William. What's yours?"
"Sasuke." She said.

William looked up at Sasuke as scanned the area for any other villagers. He shuddered a little but seemed to think she had not noticed. Sasuke had noticed the shudder but said nothing, it was none of her business.

"What was the name of your village again?"