The night was motionless, the dark landscape painted by the radiant silver light of the full moon, reflecting off the layer of snow that had fallen the morning before. Clouds dotted the sky, but a brooding veil of clouds approached from the east. Holo moved away from the window and returned to her fire, the crackle of burning wood echoing throughout the small hunting cabin, drowned out by the occasional gust of winter gale. Stretching her hands out, the young 21 year old lady warmed her front and her nearly frost bitten hands, grimacing at the pain of her thawing body.
"Something is wrong, don't you agree?" Her father, Ambrose inquired, lying on the bed behind her; he scratched his graying beard, pondering the chilling storm. "Never in my years have I ever seen a winter so fierce, something is amiss." The strapping gentlemen late in his 40's had already removed his equipment, retiring to his bed. His greying hair a testament to his hard working life, farming as his father did only to move to the city and begin his own shop and inn. Needing extra work on the side, he decided to pick up hunting, as it not only benefited his local community, but his trade as well. To his relief, his daughter took after her mother's beautiful looks, her gentle complexion enough to win over a blind man, however, she did inherit his striking hazel eyes and his accomplished ability at being a merchant and hunter.
"Perhaps, it is quite queer." Holo replied, not looking back, rather her attention was focused on her hands, dripping with water as the snow and frost melted. It was true, this winter had been more extreme than others, she had brought her normal hunting gear, but it felt more as though she had brought her summer clothes to a winter expedition. During the winter in the north, out came the packs of wolves, known for their fine silver coats that sold for a handsome sum in the western and southern regions, where it was used for exquisite clothing, the meat as well, would satisfy Holo's village for food, as well as trading. She was a trader by nature, following in the footsteps of her father, and those before him. Although, she had a keen eye for hunting, her hawk like vision proved valuable for her archery and her agility coupled well with her bow.
"He must be unhappy." Ambrose shifted uneasily, rolling over on his side pulling the covers over his chilling shoulders.
"Where have we erred?" Holo turned around to warm her back side.
"Maybe he is not angry, perhaps he is old and he requires relief from his divine position"
"You think a God gets sick of his throne?" She inquired touching her index finger to her chin. A large pop snapped from the fire causing her to jump. Out glided several small embers from the fire onto the flagstone hearth; she turned around momentarily to sweep them closer to the dying fire with her bare feet.
"Surely, even a God as wise and generous as he must grow weary, he was after all, once a mortal." Ambrose closed his eyes, weary from the day's hunt. They were out all morning only able to hunt a rather meager amount of the wolves.
Holo said nothing; rather she reached out and plucked a red apple from the table. The maroon coating glistened modestly from the yellow-red flames behind her. She rotated the apple, taking in its every bump and curve; she caressed the smooth fruit with her hand before taking the produce to her mouth, and taking a small bite. Closing her eyes, she savored the sweet tasted as it overwhelmed her senses, grinding the coarse interior, while keeping the peel from getting stuck between her teeth, she to, pondered the storm.
Man had trouble with their own crop, causing massive famine, making reasonably sized communities unsustainable, which, due to the small size led to tremendous difficulty of defending territory from wild animals, harsh environments and the fortunate cultures that took what they saw as theirs. As humanity stood on the brink of extinction, man begged the Gods for salvation. Their desperate prayers were answered as the Gods replied and took a man from the northern most village and sent him to the obsidian woods, he was never seen or heard from again. But from that point on, the harvests grew immensely, food became abundant and hope had been given to the people. Now, humanity flourished, with sprawling empires to humble villages, hunger was low to non-existent, and for the most part, war was as well, with the exceptional family feud. Accomplishments such as inter-city commerce, bustling metropolises, and peace were easily attained with the help of the Gods.
Holo had finished her apple, placing the moist core upon the table. Licking her sticky fingers, she walked over to bed, across from her fathers. His gentle snore filled the space of the cabin and had always helped her sleep. She slipped into her frigid covers, and pulled them up to her shoulders, then rolling onto her stomach. Her eyes stayed half open, absorbing the silver light flooding in from the window above, blanketing the small cabin, a glistening point shining at her, the tips of her arrows nearly sparkling. Rolling her head to the other side, she closed her eyes, and drifted into a deep slumber.
A roaring fire warmed the room, atop sat a kettle with a pot heating up as well. It was the scent of fresh oatmeal that awoke Holo. Eyelids slowly opening, her hazel eyes captivated the surroundings where she saw her father tending to the food. Sitting up, she yawned loudly, stretching out her arms, her bones popping softly, as she brought them back to ruffle her auburn hair.
"Good morning, I've just finished breakfast." Ambrose commented, as he stood up to remove the pot and kettle from the open fire, setting them on the nearby table.
"Good morning." She groaned, still very dreary. Normally the heat and light of the sun would flood through the window and awake her, however, the room remained a dark grey, as she looked up out the window, the sun was obscured by the ominous clouds that had moved in overnight. Turning her attention back to her father, he had just finished pouring the oatmeal into bowls, as well as the hot water into the mugs for their morning tea. The silverware gentle tapped against the hard wood table as he finalized setting the table. Holo mustered the strength to stand up from her cozy cradle, only to gasp loudly as her bare feet touched the freezing cobblestone floor. Her teeth chattering, she quickly slipped on her loafers that hid under her bed and threw her wool blanket over her shoulders as she quickly scurried to the table where her meal awaited. The old wooden chair clattered along the floor as she pulled her seat out, creaking as she took her seat.
"This will probably be the last day of our hunt" Ambrose commented, taking a spoonful of the oatmeal in his mouth. "It may snow us in, and we haven't enough provisions to survive until spring."
"I agree." Picking up her warm mug, Holo brought it to her nose, inhaling the rich aroma of the steeping tea taking a small sip, testing the temperature. The scalding brew caused her to wince, as it slid across her tongue. Putting down the uncomfortable hot tea, she turned towards her breakfast. The two ate without much communications, the silence between them filled by the howling wind, racing across the tree tops, as the hundred year old wood creaked and groaned during the storm. A cold draft crept from the bottom of the door, snaking its way across the floor, attempting to harass the feet of hunters, but the wool slippers proved too warm, causing the waft to go unnoticed. Almost standing up in unison, the two pushed the bowls and silverware to the back of the table and moved the logs away from the fire. Holo kneelt down at the foot of her bed, opening her chest of clothing letting the blanket crumple upon the floor beneath her. Topping her cotton long underwear with several layers of down and wool, she appeared the have gained 10 kilograms, only to top off her winter ensemble with her gloves and her own knitted hat. Her father reached above his bed to retrieve his spear and bow, handing Holo her bow as well as her arrows. Slinging the quiver of arrows over her back, she clutched the bow in her hand, as she dug in the chest for her final piece of equipment. A ceremonial knife passed down since the family's first generation, normally it would go to the first born son, but her brother had died at child birth months before her, and they settled on a daughter. The dagger gleamed in the flicker of the fire, the edge as sharp as her wit, and as deadly as a cornered hound, she slipped the straight edged iron dagger into her boot sheath.
"Are you ready?" Ambrose inquired his hand on the doorknob. Holo nodded once, taking position behind her father, as he opened the door, and the two set out into the arctic conditions.
The bone chilling wind sliced against her exposed face, her eye lids rapidly shuttering as the flurry of drift snow assaulted her exposed regions. The snow fall was gentle with save the exceptional gale, but that won't last for long. Ambrose warned her that the unusual conditions may lead to an all-out snow storm, the most severe in centuries. The hunting grounds weren't too far, as the two trudged their way away from the cabin, the smell of the burning cedar faded into the countryside. Hesitating for a moment, a sound caught her ear and she turned her head, stopping in her tracks. For a moment, nothing was heard but the sounds of the gently falling snowflakes upon her cap, but she heard it again, a deep growl, a very low and faint one, but surely nothing was out here this close to the cabin, that and it was too far from the wolfs hunting grounds, there shouldn't be anything out here, but she knew she had heard something. Squinting her eyes, she scanned the surroundings, scrutinizing every limb, branch, stump, rock and snow covered surface, but saw nothing. Her focus became broken at the bark of her father.
"Don't stray off! It's hard enough to find our way as it is, stick by me!" Ambrose shouted, waving to his companion. Holo slogged to her father through the ankle deep snow, but turned around one last time, and swore a pair of eyes were upon them.
Catching up with Ambrose and her weaved back and forth, around trees and over rocks, a light piercing though the end of the woods, the clearing was just up ahead. Crouching by the edge of the clearing, the two had taken cover behind several tremendous trees and scoped out the clearing. The storm had picked up, and the snow fell harder, the gale also proved unrelenting. Their visibility cut in half, the two struggled to make out the familiar surroundings. Ambrose patted the flanks of the tree in front of him, making his way down the trunk. The snow had piled up to thick, as he scrapped the ice to the side and continued his search, Holo stood guard. He found his prize, the long rope which led out to the field and on it, a spider web of fresh meat they had laid the day before. Giving the stiff rope a hard tug, he noticed some of the snow drifts stirring, as the meat bellow was being tugged along, he sighed in relief, but realized the next problem.
"We must bring the meat to the top; I won't attract the wolves if it isn't exposed." Ambrose stated hoarsely, he cleared his throat. "I'll pull upon the sting, look where the snow bunches." Holo set off without a word into the blizzard, her eyes glued to the ground. She knew she had the supervision of her father, she felt as though another pair of eyes were upon the two, a burning sensation on her side screamed at her, calling out to her that something had their attention, the two were not alone. She approached the first lump of snow, sticking her hand in about wrist deep, searching through the frozen drifts. She found her reward and pulled the leg of lamb to the surface. However, the meat was frozen completely, and this may be a problem, but in the mean time she scattered about, retrieving all the bait. Returning to her father's side, the two waited, hoping for a bite.
An hour and a half passed, the two hadn't moved from their hiding spots, something needed to be done.
"I don't think the wolves can smell the bait." Holo whispered remembering the frozen meat chunks.
"I know…" Ambrose sighed, nothing had come or gone and the storm hadn't let up. "We should abandon our efforts."
"Wait, I have a plan." Holo interrupted creeping back out onto the field. Drawing an arrow from her quiver, she held the end of the arrow in her hand; pulling the glove off between her teeth she brought her free hand to the tip. The razor sharp edge pierced into the top of her palm and made her way down to the bottom, just above her wrist. Choking back her cries, the scarlet blood oozed to the surface, as she squeezed her hand tightly, forcing the drops down onto the snow, where she formed a path between the hunks of frozen flesh. As she finished, she dug into her pocket to retrieve a cloth and bandaged her hand.
"Very good call Holo." Ambrose congratulated her daughter keeping an eye on the surroundings. Nocking the arrow to her bow, the two would wait out another hour, but it didn't take nearly that long to catch the attention of the wolves.
"See them?" Holo's excited voiced eeked out. From the opposite ends of the wood, several gray silhouettes crept from the cover of the woods. She heard Ambrose nock his arrow as well.
"We shall wait until they are near, then strike." The two watched the gray figures bend at the neck and feast upon what seemed to be a free meal. After a short time, the figures made their way closer and closer to the hunters, now visible through the white curtain. She counted three, maybe four, two of them close enough to hit, the third one was hanging back, and the fourth, seemed to possibly two wolves, as one that size should have been impossible. Shaking the thought from her mind, she drew her bow. Resting her cheek upon her left hand, she took aim the arrow resting just over the wolf's chest, right behind the shoulder blade. Steadying her breathing, she awaited the signal. Ambrose paused, waiting for calm in the winds.
"Three… Two… one…" In unison, the team released their strings, and the arrows flew silently through the snow, closing the 30 meter distance in a matter of a second. A dull thwack broke the silence, followed by the quick yelps of the mortally wounded creatures, the pair hitting the ground simultaneously. The third wolf became skittish and became rapidly aware of his fallen brothers, rearing up on his hind legs, looking for a target to pounce. By that time, Holo had nocked another arrow and let fly, striking the beast on the skull, sending him to the ground without as much as a thump. The "two" wolves in the far background became obvious it was just one, as he sent his head into the air and arched his back he gave a deep long howl, stunning the stalkers, something was not right.
"Throughout my time, I've never seen a wolf so large… nor one who howled as deep as he…" Ambrose, for the first time in a hunt was nervous, something larger was happening, and he didn't know what. Both Holo and Ambrose watched as the regal beast slipped further behind the snowy veil, a couple of dead silent seconds between the two, the patter of the snow upon their headwear, finally broken by the sound of paws clawing their way through the snow covered woods on their sides. Growling filled the silence.
Ambrose dropped his bow and clutched his spear. "T-two on my side, one to you." He stuttered nervously. Holo stared down the enemy at her side, a large foe poised to strike, fangs at full bear, saliva dripping from the snout of the hungry fiend. The hunters had become the hunted. Reaching back to her quiver, she slowly drew and arrow, bringing it to her bow, as the creatures advanced cautiously, the click of the arrow mating with its string reverberated through the forest, but the movement of the draw, set the wolf into action. As the wolf assaulted, she took quick aim and let the arrow fly, where it collided with the wolf sticking into his flank, causing him to stagger and fall over, however the shot was not enough to kill and he sprang up to his feet, to rejoin the struggle. Behind her, she could hear her father grunting as he rammed the back end of his pole arm into the ground, right as his target pounced, he lifted the tip of the javelin and speared his target, forcing him to drop the weapon. Holo dropped her bow digging into her boot to grab her family dagger. Grasping it tight in her left hand, she charged her assailant getting within arm's reach. She slashed down vertically but the predator was one step ahead, and hopped to his left, regaining his footing and pouncing on top of her. Holo's free arm shot forward to defend her face against the attackers' vicious snap, rows of razor sharp teeth sank into her arm without effort, hitting the bone, letting out a desperate scream, her left hand stabbed up into the gut of the heavy beast, over and over again her knife entered and existed the chest and stomach of the wolf, where she stabbed in a final time, and pushed the knife down, opening his gut, and his bite loosened and let out a weak groan as she was able to shove him off.
Blood and tears running down her face, she wheeled around, only to see her father lying on his back, a dead wolf to his side, and a predator standing above him, a blood stained muzzle. Holo let out a high pitched scream of despair, the wolf turned his attention to her as she bolted the opposite direction. Sprinting through the woods, she weaved through trees hoping to lose her aggressor, as she turned around, the wolf was gaining ground fast, and another object was behind her, the larger animal had appeared from hiding. Her distraction proved fatal however, as she tripped over a stump and rolled down a hill crashing into trees and rocks on her rapid decent, attempting to stop, she used her legs, only to hear a dull crack in her left shin. After a few moments of the slide Holo came to a stop, and remained motionless. Eyes flicking back and forth, vertigo set in from the rough tumble down the steep slope, she looked up and the brooding, ominous clouds, and realized she was to die like this.
In her last moments, her heart throbbed in her throat as she tried to move her left leg, causing her to wail in pain. Sniffling hard, she looked over at her right arm and it had already formed a pool of blood in the slush beneath her. The clothing torn and tattered, she couldn't feel much from the blood loss and the cold. Thinking of her father, seeing her father slumped against the tree caused a flow of tears to run down, as she babbled hopelessly for her deceased. A soft padding was heard nearby, she couldn't turn her head far enough down to see what was coming, but it was not an animal, it was a biped, and it came into view. A nude man stood above her, very pale skin an almost holy aurora about the man radiated around him, his white hair atop his head fell just above his ears, or where they should have been. Normal human ears were missing, rather, two wolf like ears stood on top of his head, and even more peculiar a tail was wagging slowly from side to side. He looked to be in his late 50's, his body flawless from scars and abrasions and he stood nude as if it were a bright summer day. The man straddled the helpless girl and leaned in within a meter of her face.
"Do you wish to live?' He asked, his voice weary and that of a tired, aged gentlemen. All she managed was to gulp, her teeth chattering too much to force a reply, her vision tunneling in slowly. The helplessness, youth and innocence in her eyes screamed "yes" for her. "Then to you… I release my burden, and my life." He leaned in closer, bearing his fangs bringing them to her neck, the teeth sunk in, causing blood to run freely from his body to hers. "Thank you…" He moaned and Holo let out one final cry as a mortal human.