The Huntress

Chapter 2

*• about a year later •*

  She looked up at the sky through the trees, it was about midday, she should make it to her destination just before nightfall. If there were no unexpected interruptions.

  Giving a small sigh she pulled a piece of jerky out of her pockets and began munching on it. The past year and a bit... has it been that long? Well, the last year has been rather eventful but also uneventful.

       *~~~ flashback ~~~*

She tossed herself off the edge of the waterfall after giving the man the finger. She clutched tight to one backpack strap and the strap of her gun with one hand, and clutched her knife with the other. She hoped she wouldn't die.

She maneuvered her body so she facing her possible rocky death at the bottom of the waterfall and was relieved to find no such fate awaited her. But that was all she was able to be relieved about before the water was too close for much more thought. She quickly protected her head with the hand holding her knife, with it still in her hand, and braced for a possible broken arm.

She plunged into the freezing depths and opened her eyes. Disoriented, she looked around and eventually righted herself in her mind and began to swim up.

Breaching the water she took a big gasp of air and the coldness of it seared her lungs and throat. She looked around then swam to shore, dreading freezing before she made it.

Despite her fears of freezing, and drowning, and being eaten by some unknown and possibly radioactive monster form the depths, she made it to land.

She dragged herself onto the shore and completely out of the water, coughing and trying to shiver herself warm. She took off her backpack and gun, and took off her outer layer of clothing. She blearily searched the bank for some sort of tinder. When she found some she tried to quickly set up a fire pit, and did after a few minutes with practiced ease even despite her numb fingers fumbling around.

She knew it wasn't very smart to start a fire within view of the top of the falls, and with night encroaching, but she needed to dry off and warm up. She light the fire with ease on the first try and was thankful for her innermost pockets being waterproofed for this purpose.

She huddled near the fire for most of the night, dozing off and only wakening to add more fuel to it.

When morning finally came and she was all dry, she picked her bag and gun up and turned northeast and started walking.

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~~~~~

She gave a small scoff at herself. Her reminiscing had taken up her thoughts for a few hours at least and she was now closer to her destination. She supposed it must have been about 4 by now. Then again it could be later, she had travelled quite a long way and the sun lasted longer in the sky in this country. Or so she was told. She didn't think she had been here yet, she been to most other places in this world.

She gave a small sigh, the nomad life was a hard one. She looked to the rabbits and other small mammals tied to her waist. At least she could sell her hunting to butchers. It also apparently lessened their yearly fees to whatever a 'Kage' was.