The life of an immortal hunter

How long has it been since I felt tears threatening to escape my eyes? How long has it been since I felt this sad? I believe the last time may have been some millennia ago, though I am not entirely sure. I stopped counting after a few centuries, so it does not matter. What matters to me is my lack of knowledge about my current predicament. But I am getting ahead of myself. We, my dear wolf and I, are known as Kindred, the eternal hunters, always together, never apart. I can't help but smile at this. Humans -and other species too, I suppose- are notorious for exaggerating in retelling stories and twisting the truth after a longer time span. Our story however, even after so many years, remained the same. Of course, people are not aware of the WHOLE story of my past...
How long has it been since I last thought of my past? While wondering a question I know there will be no answer for I notice that our mighty campfire has been reduced to a small flame, moving in sync with the winds of the night, as if dancing to a never ending song. Though small, the reddish light our little fire radiates is enough to illuminate my companion's face along with his... erm, body? I suppress the urge to snicker. Even after such a long time I still have no idea how to describe my only friend. You see, he is a wolf, but by no means an ordinary one. His body solely consists of his floating head along with flowing extensions, each ending in a peak. His fur and extension can be as dark as the night, however when illuminated it appears to be an otherworldly black, almost resembling dark matter. It would most certainly fit his character if it were actually made of it. I watch him sleep near the fire, slowly breathing while his nose twitches from time to time.
I suppose he's dreaming about chasing some souls again.
I put the last few logs of wood we had to spare into the fire and watch it rekindle.
If you are thinking that I hope to scare wild animals away then you are sorely mistaken. If anything, wild animals have enough common sense to fear ME along with my partner. Well, I believe my enchanted bow also plays a part in my reputation. This enchantment makes my bow a lot more durable and unbreakable. It does not change my reflexes and abilities though. My aim has always been true, well, at least in this life...
I am drifting off again, am I not? Sighing, I realize I will not be getting any sleep tonight. It has certainly been a long time since I lastly thought of my past. I wonder if this is the reason I feel so sad? Well, if there is one thing an immortal has enough to spare, it certainly is time. I sit down and relax. If I am going to spend my night reminiscing about the past, I can at least make sure I will be comfortable.

I had a life before I became immortal. A real life. With a real soul. While I sadly admit that I barely remember my early childhood, my later childhood years are still clearly present in my memory.
My name was as simple as it was ordinary: Kīndd. Well, at least a few millennia ago it was. I lived in a nowadays long forgotten culture whose name I didn't care to remember. My father was a skilled fisherman while my mother was a sewer. Our living conditions were above average and we lived in a spacious house near a river with plenty of fish in it and we owned a little herd consisting of sheep and lambs. I was a fairly small girl with smooth snow-white hair and roundish piercing blue eyes. Because of our choice of living next to the river, we lived far away from big cities, the next one being a few days away. I loved looking after and playing with the little lambs. I always admired my father for his fishing skills and hoped that one day, when I grew older, I could assist him with his work. He would always tell me that the hook was way too sharp for me to use. "A hook is very similar to an arrow, Kīndd. It may be smaller, but it can be just as sharp if used properly.", is what he'd always tell me when I asked him how he was able to fish like he did. It's funny how I would use these words later in my 'life'.

This is all I remember from my early years. At least until IT happened. I can still remember it clearly. I was lying in bed, awake, listening to the flow of the river outside, wondering how many years I would have to grow until I could join my father fishing. I cuddled into the sheet my mother sewed for me. It was a cold winter night outside and it was snowing a lot, which is why I was very thankful to have a warm bed to sleep in. I knew that it was not natural to have one, so I always considered myself very lucky to have what I had. I suddenly heard glass shattering, loud noises and a few seconds later a scream. I climbed out of bed, worried sick, put on my pullover and bolted down the stairs. I looked into our living room to see a few men dressed in black rags wielding large knives. One of them made an attempt to attack my mother, but she was able to dodge it. My father was lying with his face down on our carpet, a large knife sticking out of his back. Blood was flowing out of the stab wound, spilling onto the carpet, painting our red carpet to an even darker shade. I noticed that he was not moving.

"Oh, look guys!", one of them said when he noticed me standing in the doorway to our living room, "a little girl!". The others started to notice me too. I was shaking, what was going on? Why were these men attacking my parents? Did they do something wrong? I saw one of these men catching my mother. I attempted to somehow free her, but I was slapped and thrown down on the floor along with my mother. A knife was thrown in front of my feet. I looked up to see the men grinning with a sick satisfied grin. One was licking his broken yellow teeth before saying: "Look, lil' girl, you wanna live, dont'cha? Well, you're lucky, cuz there's only a little thing you hav' to do to survive!". He then pointed his dirty fingers to the knife in front of me, then to my mother lying next to me, who had a look of terror on her face. My world was spinning. I didn't know what to do. I didn't understand. What was happening?

Slowly, cautiously, I picked up the knife. It was huge and heavy, I could barely lift it. Once I securely held it in my hands, I hesitated. Whatever happened to my father, I certainly knew it was bad, so of course I didn't want it to happen to my mother. Growing impatient, the man snarled: "Hurry up, lil' girl, it's you or yer' mother. I'd choose quickly if I were you, or else". He then started to lick his teeth again. I didn't know what to do. I just didn't understand. I turned to my mother with the intent of asking what her what I should do, only for her to suddenly hug me while kneeling. She gasped, as if in pain, and loosened her grip on me to look into my eyes. Blood was escaping her mouth, running down her neck. I looked down to see the knife I was holding buried deep in her stomach, unimaginable amounts of blood pouring out of the stab wound. I looked into my mother's dull, glassy eyes, which continuously lost their warmth. "You must survive, sweetheart", my mother whispered between ragged breaths, "please, for our sake, you must survive. Run away as fast as you can. We love you Kīndd.". She closed her eyes and then leaned on my shoulder, embracing me one last time. I hugged my mother with all my might. I still didn't exactly understand what happened, but I knew it would probably be the last time I saw my mother and father. Her grip on me started to weaken and her head slipped from my shoulder, hitting the ground with a heavy thud. I kneeled over my mother, weeping, while I could hear the men behind me laugh and clap. My vision started to get blurry and was then invaded by black, I started to lose consciousness.

I awoke in a place unlike any other I've ever seen. I was in a forest filled with dead trees, it was dark and the sky was filled with green-bluish clouds and bright stars. A mystical fog surrounded the trees, preventing me from seeing what lay beyond them. Suddenly I heard a voice, barely louder than a whisper, though powerful and smooth.

"My, oh, my. A little girl, barely younger than a decade, having to watch her parents perish. How tragic. I sincerely pity thee, young one. Thy time has yet to come, there is a great destiny awaiting thee that thou still have to fulfill. Does thou desire retribution? It shall be granted, if thou choose to do so. Does thou desire revenge? Perhaps Justice? In any case, I shall make thee an offer.

You see, I am the eternal hunter. I have 'lived' since the dawn of time, wandering between thy dimension and the one known as 'purgatory', freeing lingering spirits of the past with my sacred weapon, the hunter's bow.

However, I have grown rather tired of this. I desire to leave these responsibilities to another individual. If thou agrees, I will leave my duties to thee, so thou may wander these lands like I did, as an immortal, as indestructible as the gods themselves.

But I must warn thee: thou may feel free to do whatever thou wants to do, however thou may spend the largest time of thy existence in purgatory, as to not upset the balance between life and death. For if thou agrees, thy life known as 'Kīndd' shall be erased and thou shall henceforth be known as the aspect of death, the eternal hunter 'Kindred'.

So tell me little one, what is thy choice?"

Never in my life have I felt so uncertain and overwhelmed. I understood that I would never be able to continue living as I had before. I also understood that what had happened to my parents was unjust and cruel. But could I really shoulder the responsibility this mysterious voice described? On the other hand, these men would never face justice for their actions. We had a very secluded lifestyle, so it would most likely be too late whenever someone discovers what happened. After coming to this conclusion, I knew what I had to do. I stood upright and said: "I accept.".

At first, nothing happened. I continued to stay standing tall, waiting for a response. After some time, the whispering voice returned.

"Very well little one. I hereby pass to thee my sacred duty and weapon."

Suddenly, a bow materialized in front of me, floating, bathed in an ethereal light. I took it and instinctively knew how to properly hold it. It was surprisingly light and it fit into the palm of my hands flawlessly. It was made of a strange wood, with many roundish lines carved into it glowing in a bright light blue color. I drew the string, and immediately an arrow, bathed in a similar light, appeared, ready to be shot.

"It is now my time to pass, little one. If it is thy wish, thou one day may pass thy duties to another individual like I did with thee. I wish thee luck, little one, though thou may not need it, for thine aim shall always be true. I shall leave thee to thyselfe, then. Now go, little one, and fulfill thy destiny as the eternal hunter, Kindred."

I lost consciousness again.

I awoke to a very familiar scene. I was kneeling above my dead mother, my back facing the laughing man, delightedly celebrating their victory. I closed my mother's eyes and stood upright, imagining my bow appearing in my hands, which after a split second it did. I turned around and immediately, all laughing stopped. I can't say for sure if my appearance somehow changed, but I immediately noticed I was taller, although still shorter than the scum standing before me. But I didn't really care about that. I drew three arrows at once and did not hesitate to immediately kill three of these men. I shot directly into their carotid artery, blood splashing from the wound, and readied another load of arrows. I hit each of them into a vital spot, be it artery, heart or lungs, before they even had the chance of attempting to escape. I patiently waited until each of them drew their last breath, for I knew once a soul leaves the mortal plane of existence, they arrive in purgatory, in MY dimension. Earth and purgatory are essentially the same place in the same time, one could say they are overlapping, however purgatory is the dominant one, enabling whoever currently resides in purgatory to see into the mortal existence, but not vice versa. Once all of them had died, I willed myself to change my body into the purgatory dimension. The only thing that was changed by shifting dimensions were the colors. While the colors of human corpses and souls became more dominant, the colors of everything else becomes less livelier and more dull, tending to fade into a grayish color. I noticed that my body seemed to radiate a light blue light illuminating the whole room, however I'd wonder about that later. In front of me stood the souls of the men I just killed, looking at me with nothing but pure terror in their eyes. It was a wonderful feeling, exhilarating and satisfying at the same time.

My duty would dictate that I must shoot these souls with my sacred weapon to make them leave purgatory to send their souls to whatever happens after one truly dies. I realized that it would be a long time before I'd discover what happens after death. But I wouldn't make it so easy for these abominations. Oh no. I looked behind me to see the souls of my parents hugging each other, looking at me with a look I can't interpret. Well, I suppose in my past life they have been my parents, but now, they were just a restless couple. So I simply took their essence of which a soul is made of and willed it to form a sentient wolf's head with piercing, flaming light blue eyes. I commanded him to attack the men and he immediately started to do so. He bit several limbs off the men's bodies, while I watched them being sent to oblivion with a sick satisfaction. Once the deed had been done, I left my former home and set it on fire. I walked to the river to look at my reflection. Gone was my human body, replaced by a humanoid body reminding me of that of a lamb with white fur, though I suppose the fur on my head may still resemble my former hair. Light blue glowing roundish marks similar to that of my bow decorate my neck, arms, thighs and torso. My human fingers have been replaced by pointy, sharp claw-like fingers with a black color. My eyes are filled with a flowing blue color, radiating power and wisdom. My ears were the most obvious change, however. They now reach past my shoulders and were given the shape of a real lamb's ears. They, too, have the blue marks on them. I think that my face, largely humanoid, still looks like the one of my previous life. While I had had a fairly slim figure as a human, my stomach could now probably fit into my toned thigh three times, allowing for maximum flexibility. I even spotted a pair of hooves having replaced my feet. To sum it up, I looked like a lamb that had been gifted with a humanoid body, except for my face and stomach, which, although the latter is now furred, still looks human. However, since my old life just ended, I took a half-burnt piece of wood from my former home and willed it to form a wolf's mask my size and a lamb's mask the size of my wolf's upper half of his face. I put them on, only leaving holes for our glowing eyes to be visible through the masks.

With that I severed all bonds to my old life.

The little lamb called Kīndd was no more, I made sure of that.

Because my sacred duty dictates that I must do so.

I took one last look at the burning house that once upon a time in another life had been my home and then disappeared into the woods, my wolf obediently following.

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