Memoirs of a Hunter [ Phantasia series ]

[ Part 1 ]

  Hello, and welcome to my very first original Wattpad novel. I apologize if I make any mistakes while writing it, so feel free to point them out as I consider constructive criticism essential and needed in many situations. We're in for a big ride and I assure you will recieve plenty of plot twists ahead. I hope that you will like it and enjoy reading this novel until the end (I actually hope you will be able to read at least part of the novel but deep down I'm wondering if someone will read the whole novel)! Story is a bit slow-paced at the beginning, but it will develop later on as I already have almost the whole plot in my mind. There will be some 'Author' chapters throughout the story so I might return with news, trailers or edits. Until then, farewell. Hope you have a good time reading my first novel.

Best wishes,
Verona Lotte.

Bark.

I felt my mind slowly returning to reality as I heard determined cry which was meant to awake me, feeling her sweaty nose brushing my cheeks. I slowly opened my eyes to the sight of my friend who obviously was happy to see me awake. She was wagging her tail in joy, barking once more just to ensure my full awakening.

  Usually I would have been angry at someone for waking me up so suddenly, but I always forgave this perky, yet loyal golden retriever who has been my companion for far too long. Besides, I didn't need an alarm clock anymore- all I needed was a little barking to wake up from my beauty sleep. I smiled gently at Maggie, patting her on a head just like always. It only filled her with more joy as she jumped straight on me, dragging along something in her teeth.

My backpack.

I sighed, rolling my eyes and getting up gradually while rubbing my eyes as Mag jumped from me, staring at me with a pleading look.

I realized what she was asking for, the dog was too eager to have a walk after spending a whole night in the house. Not a long ago I thought of having to wake up for a walk early was a slight disadvantage of having a dog as a companion. But the time has passed, and I realized that these early walks were actually good for my health, so I wasn't hesitating to wake up at six A. M. almost every single day. Besides, most of the creatures weren't hiding at that time which allowed us to take a little look at them.

Thought of returning to the hunting business made me shiver- I was afraid of the creatures and I knew it, yet I always tried to seem intimidating and courageous in order to survive as I never wanted to be seen just as weak, mortal homo sapiens. 

Luckily the little research facility I have been working in lately has decided to grant the workers a little rest- it was Summer, so most wanted to take a vacation. I wished I could have done the same. Yet I had to stay in this little town with my own duties. Even my father didn't force it upon me- it was my idea to investigate all of these mysteries once and for all. And I craved for knowledge so much that only one thought of recieving it and hunting down beasts who posed a threat to the town made adrenaline rush into my blood.

I got up, making up the bed and putting my clothes on soon after. Even though I felt determined there was still a conflict within me- I wasn't sure if what I tried to do was right. I knew that I wanted to know more about this hidden part of our world- observe it and solve everything I needed, I was hesitant to just go out absolutely alone. But thanks to my dog friend I felt much safer, even though I realized how dangerous it was to go out in the wild forest without any other human being. I could just get myself killed- or caught. Before my father was helping me and now I relied only on myself as there were no other people aware of supernatural existing and  hunters around.

I followed my dog to the kitchen, pouring some milk into my glass. None of things I had planned to do seemed to be right. Yet I chose to just stubbornly move forward. If no one  made the step, then I should have. Or so I thought, even if I desperately hoped that none of these mythical things ever existed. But I couldn't have been mistaking myself for my whole life. Something in me told me that all of it was indeed true and threatened our peaceful human lives. As the only local hunter and person who was aware of supernatural existing, I felt responsibility for keeping the city safe. Or at least trying to do that.

I yawned in need of more oxygen as I opened the window slightly after offering some food to Maggie, letting the warm summer wind caress my face as I peeked out of the window to see what my neighbours were doing. Most of houses weren't lit still, which showed that all of them were still sleeping deeply. Who else could have been awake at such an early hour except me? None of these people would like to miss a portion of a good beauty sleep. I sighed, glancing back at my friend who had just finished eating and was beaming in an anticipation of upcoming walk. Surely sleeping wasn't as worthy to me as it was to my neighbours.

Smiling, I patted her and picked a yesterday's newspaper from the desk nearby. Main theme of most articles there had drastically changed since someone has provided the journalists with photos of 'Forest Spirits'- odd silhoettes found in a forest which surrounded our little city. I rolled my eyes again while reading this article once more. As if these people knew something about spirits in general. But the same could be said for me- not that I didn't know anything about spirits, I just knew that they existed and have resided across the globe- nevertheless, our forest seemed to be full not only of them. There were photos of undead, fairies, witches even in this newspaper already. I knew that most of them were created thanks to photoshop- but some of these things were actually true. It was almost as if people knew that something was wrong with our world deep down, and they expressed their hidden thoughts in such a way.

However, it seemed like the creatures themselves realized it as well and started hiding more carefully; it has been a long time since I spotted a spirit or other creature in the forest while hunting. They were aware of me being the only hunter there is, yet they were afraid that the truth would unfold at last even if I wasn't stupid enough to just tell everyone about the  supernatural invading our world because no one would believe me. I sighed again, placing the newspaper back and heading to the exit with Maggie. She dutyfully followed me- I never even bought a collar for her as I knew she wouldn't run away.

It was a bit colder outside than I expected and I shivered once I got out, feeling the wind tickling my skin. Maggie was extremely happy- the dog was running in circles before me, anticipating a good walk. I hated to break it out to her that this day we would continue our hunting business instead of just running along the streets.

"Maggy, we're hunting today. Sorry, but the walk can wait."-I said out loud, patting her. She calmed down instantly, staring at me with a confused look. She surely wanted something more peaceful than a hunt. I sighed and smiled a little bit.

"Oh, come on, I know you enjoyed hunting as well."-I added as I went toward a forest, luckily my house was near it so we wouldn't have to walk long.

The dog let out a silent grunt, but barked- 'Hey, wait for me!' as she ran to me, almost bumping into my back as she finally approached me which made me chuckle a bit. I knew she wouldn't mind hunting, besides I couldn't do it without her.

The way of my hunting wasn't the one someone would usually expect. Sure, I was hunting some beasts- monsters who could pose a threat to our city but not humanity in general as they weren't that strong. But more often I was hunting for knowledge, which was important in order to understand the supernatural and its motives better. I tried to find every piece of it and continue my little journal with my weird notes. It helped in 'actual' hunting, yet many didn't want me to know particular things, and it wasn't too hard to realize why.

Once I even found an old spirit haunting an oak tree, a ghost warned me about my thirst for knowledge and justice. 'Beware, human,'-it said to me,'All knowledge comes with a price many are not willing to pay. And many hunts  are not justified. You are going down the dangerous path. It will not be long before something stronger notices you. Then, the end will be nigh."

That spirit made me confused if not shocked; I would have tried to ask something else, to get a proof or explanation of what it meant exactly if it didn't happen. Instead, I stood near the tree, lost in thoughts, until my dog had awakened me with her barking full of worry. I was sure I would remember that odd speech for long- even it should have meant nothing to me as this spirit might have been lying to me after all. But regardless of that I couldn't get a proper sleep night after that hunt. And I quitted hunting for some time after that, trying to make out what the spirit has meant though I knew that I had to get back eventually.

I looked at the forest which was covering an enormous area before me. The huge trees and sight of mountains far away made me feel extremely small, yet I had that soothing feeling of being in awe. I always loved nature, especially forest and mountain terrains- they could surely be breathtaking with magnificent sights. Yet, I knew that I had a work to do, so I could enjoy sightseeing a bit later. I inhaled the fresh air and went into the trees with my dog companion, not sure of what was awaiting for me in the deep, dark forest.