"Karru!" A female's call shrieked throughout the forest, loud enough to send frightened animals scattering. A young woman, Karru, flinched at the sheer volume of her sister's voice. She was only laying a couple dozen feet away, there was no need to shout.
She rolled her eyes, pulling her hood over her head and down over her eyes to block the sun. "What?" She screamed back in return, feeling too comfortable on the moss under the tree to get up. She received no answer. Sitting up, she cupped her hands around her mouth and repeated her question. Again, no answer. With a groan, she hoisted herself up and stomped towards their home.
'Home' was more or less a small cottage tucked away in the dark forest near Hamelin. Karru lived there with only her sister as company. It was a hard place to live, more so at night, but the two of them made it work. And it was nice to be away from all the hustle and bustle of the town, especially with all those silly pig costumes Prince Marcassin forced everyone to wear. Whether he believed in himself or not was something that shouldn't be forced upon everyone in the kingdom.
Ducking under the clothing line, where wet dresses were drying, Karru stamped over to the open doorway of their home. Her sister, Zodonu, was quietly chopping up vegetables. She put her hands on her hips and stamped her foot, waiting to be noticed.
The older sister's eyes flitted up for a moment and widened. She smiled kindly, but her dark-haired sister only crossed her arms. Zodonu didn't seem to notice how the sour attitude filled up the room. "I need you to head into town and buy some fruit and juice. I would do it myself, but I have soup on the stove. And we both know how well you cook."
The last time Karru had even attempted using the stove, every edible item became like a brick. So, while making as much noise as possible to disturb her not easily disturbed sister, the raven-haired woman pulled on her boots. She threw her hood over her head and took her leather bag from the hook beside the door, throwing it over her shoulder.
"Be back by sundown, I guess. Love ya." She held up two fingers in a V to say goodbye, waited while her sister told her to stay safe, and walked out the front door.
The sun was a little low in the sky, the sky itself turning from blue to deeper shades. Hamelin looked as polluted as ever with all its machines. At least she could just get in and out, no complications, and no interacting with anyone.
Or, at least, that was what she had thought.