Chapter 1
An Unsought Sighting
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Green grass roiled around her knees as she somberly stared out at the still over run and intimidating landscape that was her home. Already a month had passed and she felt no closer to taming the beast she'd considered so easy to take control of. It made sense, even as a child, she'd spent more time milling around in the woods, exploring the small cave to the north, and scaring her grandfather's old dog for laughs than she'd spent farming. The result was evident, growing pains were real, and her stomach was often growling by the end of each day. The change to summer had varied her meals though, and now she looked forward to grapes and spiceberries. She had planted far too many parsnips, taking up the majority of her land and hadn't bothered to check how much they sold for, the rate so low she thought it better to eat them than sell them and have to buy something else to fill her pantry.
Next year she swore to herself, I won't be eating a single parsnip at all. The promise sure to fall flat by the spring, but she held her hopes high anyways. Besides, around a year in and her father was sure to take some pity and send a few gold over. Maybe she could even get a whole meal at the pub rather than her usual cola, just to feel "apart" of the town. Her farm was so far away from people, and having been very social her whole life sometimes she wondered if this whole journey had been a mistake.
But now, surveying the land around her, she felt some pride. It wasn't easy, days were spent clearing out trees thick with the years of abandonment, repairing her shoddy fence, and watering crops. And although it wasn't much- it was all hers. Not Joja's, not the city's, not even the town's. Her land, that she worked on her own. She smiled now, mood brightened, and strode off towards town eager to look through Pierre's catalog of seeds, maybe do some fishing, and chat with the townspeople.
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"Aubrie! Hey!" a voice shouted, and she turned to her right to see local jock Alex, grinning and waving at her to come over. Smiling, she made her way to him, catching a gridball tossed towards her midsection as she jogged closer. Never much for sports herself, Alex had been the one to teach her how to throw and catch as a kid when she visited her grandfather. Evelyn and George had always been close with her family. Alex and his grandparents were more or less the only ones she would see at length, their visits to the farm common so as to see her grandpa, who was commonly described a bit of a hermit.
"Hey Alex, how ya been?" Aubrie asked pleasantly.
"As well as I can be in this town." Alex responded, laughing casually but Aubrie rolled her eyes anyways, still smiling. He shuffled back a few steps as she pelted him back with the gridball, her technique much more sloppy.
"You could always go to ZuZu. It's still there if ya didn't know." she joked, but Alex shrugged.
"Yeah, I heard rumor it was still there but… my grandparents are getting older, sometimes I dunno how Gran would be able to handle Gramps and all his mood swings. He's kinda been more the woman of the house if ya- oof!" he was cut off by a quick jab to the arm.
"Alex! C'mon, y'know not to talk that trash 'round me!" Aubrie said but giggled a little as she did so, knowing he only did that sort of stuff to bug her. "Besides, you know Mrs. Evelyn is tough as nails. And the town is so close knit, you gotta focus on your own life." Alex only shrugged again in response, a small upwards turn to the corner of his lips as he began tossing the ball lazily into the air.
The wind blew gently then, as though tugging her forward and she made her way past him, slapping him twice on the back jovially as she went. He nodded at her.
"See you around, Aubrie!"
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Down to the beach she eventually traveled, her fishing pole in hand now, bait in the other. Relaxing and simple, she wasn't a complicated woman and so fishing just really called to her as something that unwound her nerves when the fear of not making it nudged her mind. Casting out, she stood for a moment looking out at the ocean, the sun dipping low and spilling color across the blue seascape. The ocean breeze a bit more chilly, mixing with the warm summer air. In times like these, she had no doubts. This peaceful life full of moments like this could be for her forever. She squeezed her eyes shut for just a moment, praying to Yoba that this peace could go on in her life, and that any calamity could be kept at bay. The action wasn't wise, her pole nearly slipped from her hands in the moment of laxity as a bigger fish took up the fight.
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The sky was clear, and so dispelled her worries of groping in the dark all the way home as the sun winked out its last ray. The moon at its most full had already risen high up into the sky, casting out light strong enough that she quickly packed her bait and freshly caught fish and took off. Although the town's worst crime might be the occasional bin scavenging by Linus, Aubrie took no night strolls with leisure, she was alert and glancing over her shoulder now and then the whole way home. A bit of respite for her mind came when she was under the comforting glow of the town's street lamps, but as she walked past the bus stop her pace quickened a bit more and she clutched lightly at the symbol of Yoba she wore on a short silver chain around her neck. The world's biggest weenie lives in the middle of the woods… she lamented to herself, sweat gathering at the nape of her neck even as she flicked the thick brown hair over one shoulder. Every evening so far was a test to herself, a test that pretty much just proved that she still didn't trust this new place. She'd try to rationalize that her chances of crime in Zuzu had been much greater than any woe she may run into deep in the valley. But her anxiety took off each night despite her inward reasoning.
As soon as her house came into view her heart started to beat a little quicker. It had always been that way, the closer she came to feeling safe, the more her body tingled in apprehension.
It was unfortunate that tonight was the night for that fear to be warranted. She was just outside the perimeter of her small, fenced off garden when she heard the tall grass rustle, and as she caught sight of the noise maker her blood felt like it had stopped while her legs actually did. There, just about 30 yards from her, was a massive wolf, it's fur so dark in color it looked more like a shadow than an animal, but it's eyes glowed in the moonlight betraying it's stealth. To her dismay, Aubrie's breath began to come out in tiny, non-discrete gasps as she clasped her pendant so hard it nearly bent under the force. The wolf growled low, hackles raising in aggression making Aubrie swallow painfully. Very slowly she edged towards her home, glad that the animal was not between her and the door to her home. The wolf snarled at her, and it took all her mind to refrain from dashing up those steps and into her home. But some grade school lesson in the back of her mind reminded her that she shouldn't start running.
To her surprise, she kept her eyes on the beast and got to the door after what felt like an eternity, but she was finally able to crack the door and slide inside. She slammed it shut behind her, wailing as she did so, unable to keep back the noise any longer and hastily fumbled to secure the locks as though the wolf would be suddenly standing on two legs and waltzing into her home. She collapsed bonelessly against the door, the sweat from her walk past the bus stop pale in comparison to how her brow and back were drenched in it now. Adrenaline still coursed through her, enough that she mustered the energy to press her ear against the door, still hearing the snuffing and rustling. Eventually though, the noises began to drift away, farther and farther until she was sure the creature was gone. Taking a deep swallow of air, she forced herself to peek out at the farm from behind a white linen curtain and let out that breathe as she saw nothing. She leaned back against the door, sighing and kissing her pendant. This had been enough excitement for her to last a long, long time. And though she felt safe at first, the crawling uneasiness was what kept her wide eyes set on the door with a mind racing to calm down. Sleep, as it sometimes did, took her without her being aware of it.
For now, I'll be only posting here on FF . net. I would love to hear thoughts on this! Something I've been thinking about for a while, and have the plot more or less finished. A couple possible endings, but the basic skeleton is finished. Thank you!