The Huntress Beneath the Stars

Chapter 1

6 years later

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sunlight blinded me the moment I looked to the sky. It was bright outside, and the clouds overhead were a blinding mass of color and fluff. I could see shapes in them, and one looked like a cupcake. Even though I was living in the woods, I still loved treats that I had cherished as a child. Not anymore. I shielded my eyes away from the rays of the shining sun, looking over to a tree, and at the squirrel gripping its branches and scaling the trunk. A breeze blew through the forest, letting the smell of pine wake me up. Another morning. Another morning without them. Addie, you know you should just let go. They aren't coming back. That's the thing. I knew they were still here. You know the feeling you get when something is going wrong? That's what I got that night. It's still here. Even after almost 7 years in the forest with them. They disappeared two months ago. I couldn't forget them. I couldn't, and I wouldn't.

The forest path opened up to a clearing where my tent resided. It had been days since I had moved locations. In the spring, it was nice and cool to stay longer than I needed to. It was also the place where I felt safest in the woods, where the trees didn't swallow me whole. "Cana! Come here, girl!" I called into the shrubs. They rustled softly, a small snout poking out slowly. A young wolf ran out, heading straight towards me. Her coat rippled as the muscle on her limbs contracted. She was a gray wolf, and the only difference that made her special and different from her pack was that the tips of her fur were tinged silver. They shone like the moon, especially when the light reflected off of her. When I saw her for the first time, I used to think someone dipped her in liquid metal. Of course, that was when my imagination flowed through my brain like a river. Now the riverbed was dry, my imagination gone with my parents. I closed my eyes slowly. Surely it wouldn't hurt to remember, right? Oh, how I was wrong.

~*~

"Addie, darling. Go stay inside of the tent. Lock it. Don't come out. I have to check on your father. He went into the forest and isn't answering. He hasn't even taken his bow and quiver. Something is wrong. Stay here."

"But Mum, I-"

"Stay. Nothing bad can ever happen to you, okay? That must never be the case. You are too special to let yourself go. Even if you are alone." My mother grabbed me by the arm, and even though it ached, I didn't pull away. I needed to memorize her touch, to soothe me when my heart ached. When she was no more. I needed to make sure I could see her in my mind, hear her voice, love her. When she was gone. "Just remember, Adrianne, we love you. And you will find us. I'm sure of it."

She ran from the tent with her bow loaded, hiding behind a tree. Loud thumps could be heard, and the ground shook. A large shadow loomed before my mother, the woman notching her arrow to the bow, aiming with precision. I could hear an arrow whiz through the air, hitting its target, whatever it was. A roar split my eardrums. A scream followed, and then all was silent.

~*~

The shivers still ran through my spine. I couldn't stop it. I never could. Sighing, I grabbed my bow and quiver. The craftsmanship, making the weapon worthy for a warrior, made me gleam with pride. My father had carved it one day from a tree that was my age so that I would stay young, and my weapons would stay sharp. Women are not to be messed with, especially armed women. And you never knew when one was armed. My advice- never risk it. Cana nudged my combat boots with her snout, and I knew she was getting impatient.

"Hey, Cana. Do you think you could get my journal from the tent?" I ask the wolf that I had befriended a while back. She yipped in reply, bounding over shrubs and rocks with a silky agility that I envied. Then again, that was the beauty of animals. You got to see their magnificent aspects with your own eyes. Cana looked like my mother just then, vaulting over obstacles easily, with her lithe figure, her red hair flying in the wind. The only thing she was missing was her bow, aimed to shoot. My mother's family was from Ireland, and my father was from The United States. I had never really mixed with my mother's side of the family, even though they lived right in Canada. My father's side held all the happy memories, with Hailey, and-

Cameron.

I had never met her before, but my aunt used to gather me up in her arms, tell me stories about the good times, and breakdown at the loss of her daughter. My younger cousin. Everyone said it was a miscarriage that broke the once happy family, but I knew better. Every mother would be emotional over their child, gone by the will of the world, but what mother would be that emotionally attached to her child unless she had actually given birth and spent time with her? Also, now that I thought about it, Aunt Charlotte hadn't come right back to my grandmother to break the news to her. She and Uncle James hadn't come back until months later. It was suspicious in itself, but I knew Cammie wasn't gone. I was going to meet her soon. I was sure of it.

A whimper shook me away from my thoughts. Cana tugged me towards the tent, gesturing up to the sky. The cloudy gray was forming angry masses, poised to strike. I launched myself from the rock, savoring the moist air before the calm storm. Or not. Lightning flashed overhead. I had known that it was going to be a stormy week, but this far into the forest, the weather was unpredictable. I rushed into the tent, tugging Cana with me gently. Making sure she was safely inside, I stood in the open, the flashes of plasma illuminating my face. My thoughts flashed with the lightning, and a tear raced down my cheek with the rain as I remembered.

Daddy, why is the world crying?

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey, guys!
Hoped you like it! It's late again, but with only one character so far, it's hard to make the length of the chapter as long as possible. I had to add as much detail as possible. In case you didn't know, Cana means wolf-cub in Irish. Adrianne's family is part Irish, so you can say that makes sense. Anyway, it'll be better soon! See ya!
-Sree :D

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