The forest was still and quiet as can be.
Not even a single footstep on the spring leaves could disturb its silent composure.
The stream slithered through the center of the area, glistening in the warm sunlight. Birds swung around in the air, as squirrels chattered as they scampered up tree trunks and into their dens.
A large stag walked gracefully to the stream. He held his horns proudly in the air like a trophy. His black eyes were alert for danger at any moment, flickering from one thing to the next.
Finally, he dipped his head down to the water's surface. Ripples went out in all directions as his muzzle made contact with the sheet of clear blue.
Suddenly, a sharp ping sounded off in the forest, as an arrow zoomed through the air like a bullet.
The stag raised his head, only to have his neck pierced by the threat. A trail of blood trickled out of the wound, before the stag gave out one bellow, before toppling over onto the earth below.
The hunter soon walked out of their hiding place; a row of dark green bushes.
Their auburn hair bobbed behind them in a tightly-tied pony tail, a cap holding it in place.
As soon as the hunter was crouched over their kill, they removed their cap to reveal a beautiful, 15 year old girl's face.
The girl, known as Faith, stared down at the stag, taking in its features. On hunts, she never really paid attention to the condition of her kill, but to how big it was.
The stag had finely tuned muscles, wound tightly around the bones and intestines. That's good, thick meat. Faith thought as she made a mental check in her head.
Her eyes wondered over to its horns. They were thick, with a light ivory tint to them. She wrapped her hands around its horns, place one foot on its neck so that it wouldn't move, and tugged on them. They wouldn't budge an inch, and didn't make a sound.
That's good too… She thought with a smile, that means more tools for the shack.
And finally, she placed her hands on the stag's hide. She ran her hands over its warm curve, stopping to just feel how soft it was.
She sighed. "Well, I'd better get him back to the farm…" Faith said out loud.
Grabbing onto both front legs of the deer, she pulled on it, twisting around so that the carcass would lean over her shoulder.
She huffed out a breath as she realized it was too heavy. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she tried again.
She was slightly shocked to realize that the load had lightened. Pulling a bit more, she felt the stag's chest against her shoulder, while the rest of its boy was dragging behind her.
She reached back to grab its back legs so that she could swing it around her shoulders.
Nothing came to her hand.
"Come on…" Faith mumbled through gritted teeth. She reached farther and was shocked to feel not the cold feel of hooves, but the warm curve of a hand.
She gave out a shocked gasp, before dropping the stag entirely and scooping up her bow. She readied an arrow and whipped around, the tip pointed straight forward.
A boy, looking around the age that Faith was, stood there. He was dressed in farm clothes like hers, only with whiter clothe than hers. His hair was a light blonde color, like the color of the sun's rays as it reached down to the earth below, while his eyes were a soft blue that matched any stream.
The boy grinned. "Hi!" He said in a casual tone, showing no fear in the hunting girl with the readied bow in front of him. He gave a little laugh, before saying, "I didn't know girls could hunt!" He turned to the stag. "And, man! I didn't know they could catch something this big!"
Faith cocked an eyebrow. "Are you trying to say that girls can't do what boys do?" She'd talked to many boys in the village, and they all had the same joking tone as this boy. They all said the same thing over and over; 'Pfft! Girls can never be as good as boys!' and 'Come on! Girls were obviously made to sew our clothes and cook our food! While us boys hunt and fish!' It was the same thing, over and over again…
And Faith was sick of it.
The boy just grinned. "Oh sure," He said playfully, "I'm one of those idiots who travels around in forests making fun of girls!" He laughed before stepping towards Faith.
Faith took a quick step back, jerking the bow upwards.
The boy stopped in his tracks. "Honestly, do you think that I would hurt you?"
Faith hesitated. It was true, this stranger had no weapons on him, and he didn't look like the murderous type.
But Helga had taught her that even the most innocent looking people could have something shoved up their sleeves.
Faith jerked the bow up once more, positioning the arrow so that it would pierce his shoulder to just distract him.
"Well, apparently I should have introduced myself." The boy finally said as he let his hands drop carelessly to his side. "The name's Kesh."
Faith slowly lowered her bow. Sighing, she said, "Faith."
Kesh smiled. "Faith, huh? So, 'Faith,' what is a girl like you doing out here instead of inside of her house like a normal girl?"
She ignored him and turned back to her stag. "Well, apparently I'm not a normal girl." She said softly.
Silence filled the forest before she heard Kesh's voice again. Only he was right in front of her this time.
"R-really?" He asked quietly. "A-are you truly?"
Faith cocked an eyebrow. What kind of a weirdo is this kid? She thought to herself. She gripped onto the stag's front legs, before hefting it over her shoulder once more.
"Here, let me help you with that!" Kesh said. He grabbed onto the hind legs of the carcass, before putting it over her other shoulder.
As soon as the stag was securely around her neck, she stooped down and scooped up her bow. "So tell me," She said as she stood up again, "is it just your hobby to walk around woods and help out girls that are having trouble?"
Kesh laughed, walking forward. "No, not really. I was just out for a walk, y'know?" He ran his fingers through his golden hair. "Fresh air does you good, like they always say!"
Faith just gave off a crooked grin, glad that the awkward 'not a normal kid' subject was dropped.
Silence enveloped them once more.
It would have continued longer, if Kesh hadn't said, "So, um… what did you mean by you not being a normal girl?"
Faith was silent for a moment, before saying, "When I was a baby, I was found on the Nightingale's doorstep."
"Wait, you mean Helga and Greg Nightingale?!" He interrupted. He gave out a short chuckle. "My parents always buy crops from them due to how well they grow them!"
Faith was silent. These memories weren't considered happy to her.
Kesh finally calmed down, realizing that his audience wasn't getting as much fun out of it as him. "So… you were just found there?"
Faith just nodded, not feeling like explaining it over again. "It was storming that night, and dawn was rising." Her eyes gave a far off look as she recalled this from her childhood 15 years ago. "Twilight was descending to where it would be no more. I was wrapped in a lavender cloth, according to Helga, and I was sobbing like another rain storm.
"Then, Greg apparently heard me and found me lying there in the gloom. He had scooped me up and given me to Helga." Faith grinned. "She smiled at me as if I was her own, and so did Greg. They took me inside and fed, bathed, and took care of me."
She looked down to the earth. "But the one thing that they thought was weird, was that when they undressed me to bathe me, I had a strange marking traveling down my spine; they were three dark birth marks in the shape of three claw marks, ending in one graceful twist to where it mimicked a tail."
Faith paused, unsure if Kesh was breathing or not.
She turned to her walking companion. He was staring at her with wide eyes, large pools of blue crystal.
She turned her head away. Jeez, this dude is weird! She thought.
"Um… so… that's it?" Kesh's voice spoke up. His voice sounded softer than usual, as if he was trying to hold the moment in a dramatic grasp.
Faith just nodded. The ground soon sloped downward to where it overlooked a farm. Dense smoke coiled out of the wooden chimney like a thick snake. Chickens clucked from the coop in the back. Cows grazed on the lush earth that surrounded the area, their hooves placing imprints in the soil.
Faith smiled. Home.
"Well, this is where we part." Faith said, already trotting forward.
"Yeah… bye!" Kesh said.
Faith suddenly thought about how lonely she had been on hunts, and how grateful she was when Kesh arrived to talk to her and give her company.
She turned back to ask if she would ever see him again, but he was already gone. Not a trace was left.