Chapter one

After a whole lifetime of poverty Gwen was used to being rumbles of her empty stomach were drowned out by the howling winds of the sea,like wolves formed from water they crashed their translucent bodies against the pebbled through the thick layer of mist surrounding the moors.

Sixty long years her people had lived in starvation and fright,fright of what lurked beyond the lapping thought made her shiver,three had three days left,until they would arrive in their boats,bigger than villages,armed with the deadliest weapons and carrying the most terrible of if you could even call them that,they were monsters,creatures that prefered the shadows and the smell of rotten .

Here she stood on the boundary between the worlds,gazing onto the bleak nothingness which her people called the end of what,exactly?Humanity?

The rusting sword at her side felt too heavy,like it was pulling her towards the ground trying to anchor her to this world before she was dragged into the ends of her tattered cape blew around her ankles,it had come too moon was almost upon them all and there was nothing they could do,last night it had already shone a light pink the next few nights that blood colour would grow stronger,until it would be as red as a cherry,or a ruby, or blood.

The demon ships would sail down to the wash and where she was standing,Gwen looked down at her toes wrapped in pieces of thin broken to even be considered as boots,she now understood why the gods had didn't care anymore.

Nearly all animals were gone,no food or that surrounded her remote town were marshes,bogs and and teaming with bugs,so sticky that if you even dared cross over one you would be dragged to your many foolish people had lost their lives that way,the countless stories of lost ancient treasure that had lured those seeking riches into the marshland.

She twisted around spotting her cousin's blonde head among the purple sea flowers,her perfect brow furrowed in had been trying to find partially edible plants for the past ten minutes and had already taken three brakes.

"It had to be so far away,didn't it,"she glared at the small island far out into cousin had never been a reliable person so to say,far too worried if her skin was free from pimples than what they would eat for pushing away the roasted squirrel and later saying she was famished.

"What? the island?"Gwen said walking up to her cousin and sitting down onto the long seagrass.

The island,it had no real had tried experimenting with different names,like 'The island of mystery' or 'The island of flightless birds.'But nothing really stuck,it felt all too grand for a little heap of pebbles.

"What else would I be talking about?"she hissed, "If those stupid birds could fly we could get a few of those to eat then sell some more,only if they would get off that island!"

Apart from pebbles the island was inhabited by birds,flocks of white one had ever seen a bird leave the island,not for one thousand a single white feathered bird left the island or the waters nearby.

"By we do you mean me?like you would ever even dare to try and swim out there,"Gwen smirked.

"I would," chirped a voice from peered over her shoulder and sitting with his skinny legs tucked under his chin sat her little brother, was only nine and insisted he come out on these trips?huntings?there wasn't really a right word because they never caught anything because there was nothing.

"It doesn't matter anyway for you two,you'll be gone in two nights anyway,"He said stupidly,immediately regretting it as he saw his cousin's face fall.

"He doesn't mean it Cassie,"Gwen murmured patting Cassandra awkwardly on the shoulder,all these years of preparation had not readied became as weak as a flower in the mid winter when you mentioned Red Moon,it was if reality hit her straight in the face when those words rolled off your had that gift everyone wishes for:for thoughts not to bother her,but as soon as you remind her it enters her mind making it fragile like glass.

Cassie brushed back her golden locks,her blue eyes shimmering with continued to stroke her luscious yellow waves,scrunching up her face.

"I'm no ready to g-go not yet,"Cassandra gulped,swallowing the lump in her throat.

Cassie was never ready for anything,not for trying a trade maybe she was good with sewing or pottery or cooking but she had never Gwen had cut off all her hair and sold it,she had spent the money her cousin had made from it,on a rabbit's good luck,but Gwen already knew long ago that luck was long dead.

Gwen had tried almost every trade,hoping for a hidden to no avail none came,she was completely rubbish at could throw a good punch but demons didn't take humas for fighting unless it was to fill out their armies,to pad it out with bodies.

Gwen sighed, hopefully this year she wouldn't be taken,some lucky one escaped until the next year rolled mother and father always dressed it up to be worth it,seven years of slavery then parseled back to the continent with enough money to by a pair of second hand shoes.

"Try everything,"her mother had always told her and Cassie, "Show them what you can do,you may earn extra money show them how good you can be."

Gwen's parents always made parital slavery seem like a good thing,like it was something to be proud of if you got a famous had always blubbered throughout the entirety of all these convocations nodding at the 'important' parts,Gwen just sighed and tried not to count the .Days now,two nights left.

Cassie's crying could not drown out the crashing of the sea,her beautiful face tear streaked and hid his face in his hands,while Gwen glared at knew how sensitive the subject was,how he would be the same in eight his seventeenth year rolled around.

"I think Finn,you are going to have to find a better hunting spot than The wash,"Gwen finally said breaking the gathering silence.

The gave a ghost of a smile,his auburn hair falling into his eyes. "But this is the only place with no people,they're all too scaredy unlike us."

The common people of their village and surrounding areas had ravaged the forest,tearing down the few trees and food and shelter for their ever quickly growing population,the only place no one dared enter was the wash,or demon port as some folk called it.

Gwen dragged a hand through her short almond-brown hair,listening to the was a bit crazy coming here,but there was nothing to be afraid of apart from on red nights.

"Do you want to go home?"she asked Cassandra quitely,Cassie just sniffled which she took as a up her cousin,careful not to make her trip on her long skirts.

"Already?!We haven't even caught anything,"Cried Finn enjoyed these trips more than anyone,a time to get away from their crazy parents and cramped school master yelling at him as he crawled out the window and fled down the street,until Alfred Gibbs (the owner of the local pub)had caught him by the back of his shirt and dragged him all the way back.

"Finn,shut up,"Growled Gwen,shoving her cousin's arm over her shoulder.

"But..But...I could stay,to find things!"

"Don't be a pain!"Gwen said angrily,stomping through the grass.

Finn was silent for a moment then hissed under his breath, "Why does she have to come?"

"You know why,"Gwen snarled.

"Just because she parents are dead doesn't mean she can't do things,your friend Jacob Gibbs, can still hunt and stick up for himself even though he lives with his uncle."

There was a muffled cry from Cassie,Finn was quite once more.

"Just come home,"

Finn gave a sigh and shook his head,he wasn't always the wild child he could be he knew when to all the time,but most of it anyway…

They trundled down the grassy path back home,empty yet another hungary night…