Embrace
The First Encounter
"Where are you?" The girl asked, staring at the ivory ceiling she'd grown accustomed to. A lone candle at her nightstand provided light for the small hospital room. Being born to a family who relished in the lore and supernatural side of Valoran, she had heard many things about the supposed Eternal Hunters – Kindred. And yet, for the past few weeks, she had called their name over and over, but they had not yet come for her. She shakily stood from her bed and propped up on her tiptoes to see out the window into the darkness of the night, her silvery hair barely skimming the floor. The moon was not out, and a slight drizzle could be heard but not seen through the darkness. "Please come soon.." She sighed, retiring to sleep.
The days dragged on in a similar pattern. She was woke by nurses in the morning only for them to give her medicine that would not help, they ran tests that would not find anything new, and sentenced her to rest even though a light nap was not the slumber she wished for. And each day that drew by she found herself getting weaker, thinning out, and becoming more pale. Yet night after night she called for those hunters, but they did not come to her. Those nights were where she felt the loneliest, when her saddened parents had to go because visiting hours were over, when the night was still and dark, and when her wishes of death would go unanswered.
Another sunset, and another night of staring at a ceiling. The small girl yawned deeply and stretched her underused muscles. She was earlier subjected to a long day of testing, and she was especially worn out. The candle on her nightstand was glowing dimly, and the chill of the autumn night forced her back under her covers.
Something scraped lightly against the windowsill. She slowly got up and dragged herself over to look outside. The moon was shining that night, and she could see the nearby trees – nothing was to be found. Yet, on that window, there were a few fine, almost invisible scratch marks resembling the scratch of a claw. "Are you here?" She asked, a slight gleam in her eye.
Out from the darkness sprang a dark and shadowy figure with a mask of white. It had a large, furling mouth and a blue glow omitted from its eyes and open jaw. The girl instinctively jumped back, letting out a quiet screech. The spirit was floating and staring right at her with slightly sadistic expression. So this is Wolf, she thought.
From the corner of her eye she could see the other half of the duo, a graceful spirit coated in white fur and a black mask and an equally blue glow coming from where it's eyes should be. She had a slightly calmer presence than wolf, yet her face did not show emotion. So this is Lamb, she thought.
A sense of relief flooded her after the initial scare. Standing once more on the tips of her toes, she pushed the window open with the little strength that she possessed, and the duo mad their way inside. Wolf slunk in, making sure to get up close to the girl's face in the most intimidating manner possible. She did not mind; instead, she gave a small smile to the wolf, who slunk back.
Lamb hopped the window quietly, with precision. She stood a bit away from the child, silently observing her reactions with Wolf. So she does not fear him, the Lamb thought to herself.
"I've been waiting for you." The girl spoke at last, after a silent moment elapsed. "It's so nice to see you both in person. You're exactly the way I thought you would be!" The girl jumped up with glee, a twinkle back in her eye that had left long ago when she first became ill.
"You do not fear us?!" The Wolf snarled, hissing in the child's face. The girl did not back away. "Do you know why we are here?!" The girl nodded in response, and once again, the black spirit slinkered back to his counterpart.
"We are here to bring you to death." Lamb spoke at last, her calm, soothing voice causing the girl to smile. "Today is the day you are marked to die. This is what you are aware of?"
The girl nodded once more. "I've been told lots of stories about you two. But it's okay – I'm not scared anymore! You see..." The girl's voice hushed into a quiet tone, yet she knew the hunters could hear her perfectly. "I've been sick for so long and these doctors can't help me...Mommy and Daddy are sad all the time because I won't get better." She looked up at the spirits with clear eyes. "So I've been praying each night that you would come here. And now you are! Now I can sleep, and Mommy and Daddy don't have to be sad anymore."
"Not many welcome us." Wolf huffed.
"We admire your spirit." Lamb soothed.
The girl smiled the widest she had in years at their small praises. She moved to stand atop the bed and slowly reached out her hand to the Lamb. She grinned, petting Lamb's soft fur before moving her hand to Wolf, who let out a growl of protest. Still determined, she patted his head, his mane of hair courser than the Lamb, but still soothing to touch.
She sat down without a word. "I'm ready to go now. Thank you so much...for taking me." A tear welled up in her eye, and she smiled as bright as she could muster and stretched her small arms as far as they could go. "It was an honor to meet you both!"
The hunters looked between each other. "I don't get to chase..!" Wolf grumbled, sulking back a bit.
"Now now, dear wolf. Let us say goodbye to this girl."
"Do you mean -?!"
"I do, dear wolf."
The white figure gently placed her hand upon the girl's silvery mess of hair. "Today you shall be given new life. Go now, child, and enjoy your future."
"Huh?" The girl gasped, her eyes widening. "Wh-what do you mean? I thought you were here to..."
"Next time.." Wolf howled, a glint seeping from his empty eyes. "Next time we hunt. Our mark has been lifted."
"For now." Lamb finished. "But we shall return for you once more."
"But...but wait!" The girl's pleas went unanswered. The duo left from the window as quickly as they had came, leaving the child all alone.
The girl collapsed onto her bed, the effort of her movements becoming too much for her sick body to bare. Her eyes shut, and the night drew to a close.
The next morning a nurse woke her. The child, with her mind still whirling from her encounter with the hunters, sprang from her bed. Seeing the girl's unexpected energy, the nurse called for a doctor. "I'm cured!" She sang, dancing around her room with energy she had not used in years. "I'm cured, I'm cured, I'm healthy!"
Later that evening, the child's parents came to visit her after being alarmed of their daughter's miraculous recovery. The girl embraced them instantly, and her parents cried tears of relief. "Kindred did this Mommy! They came for me but made me all better!"
"Now now," Her mother soothed, trying to calm her energetic daughter. "You must have had a wild dream last night. Kindred is just a fairy tale."
"But it's true!" She protested, jumping back to her feet. "I met Wolf, and Lamb, and -!"
"Lets get you home," The child's father said with a smile. "You've had a long day. Finally, we can live together again as a family!"
The girl huffed her cheeks, coming to the realization that she would not be able to convince her family that her life had been spared by the eternal hunters. Still, she smiled in response and followed behind her loving parents. Life was Kindred's gift to her, and she was not going to waste it.