AN: This should turn into a multi-chapter story, as long as I've got people still willing to read it.
A History of Ikana. Legend of the Four Giants. Myths of the Carnival of Time. A Warrior's Guide to Terminian Monsters. The Undead of Ikana. Titles like these, while old and faded, were what appeared on the covers of books in the bookshelves that belonged to Kira's great uncle, Dampè. They had a thick layer of dust caked to them, and upon pulling out a book, she discovered many of the pages were sallow, with a few being torn from old age.
Like the books, the entire hut was seemingly ancient and bathed in grime. I guess I shouldn't have expected anything else, Kira thought. According to the letter that she had recieved about a week ago from the Postman from Clock Town, Dampè had passed away nearly a year ago. Nobody was quite sure why his letter stating that the hut and everything in it, which was all that he owned and was to go to his niece Kira, had reached the post office so much later after he had deceased. Furthermore, nobody was sure who had sent it, who buried Dampè's body, and who knew that Kira was his niece. There was speculation that Dampè did not write the final statement, since he was not close to any relatives at all, let alone the niece mentioned in the final statement, but unwilling to go against the potential reality of going against a dead man's wishes, the letter was delivered.
There wasn't ever much mystery in Kira's life, so she found it strange that suddenly now it would come to her in the form of inheritance from a relative she might have met twice at most. Nonetheless, after losing her home in Clock Town to a freak fire accident and feeling unwilling to continue staying at Romani Ranch until more permanent lodgings were found, she gratefully took the offer of the old hut.
She remembered Cremia's reluctance to let her go. "Are you sure?" Cremia had asked doubtfully. "It's very far from town, and is in the middle of a graveyard."
Kira had shrugged. "It's just a graveyard. Maybe a bit spooky, but I don't see any real danger in it."
"What if you need help in case of an emergency? There won't be any soldiers stationed out there."
"I'll be fine," Kira laughed. "I have an old dagger and I planned on bringing the war horse with me."
Still skeptical, Cremia finally gave up.
Kira had left that night. Escorted by a guard, it had taken nearly three days to make it to the border of Ikana.
"Are you sure you'll be alright out here all by yourself, Miss?" he asked, frowning. "Patrols don't go far enough out here."
Slightly exasperated, Kira had replied, "I'll be fine. No need to bother the entire town for one person."
"If you say so..." but she had watched him write down specific directions to her abode later on a piece of parchment in between carrying her stuff inside once they finally made it to the graveyard.
The guard had reluctantly left a few hours ago, and Kira finally had time to snoop unsupervised through Dampè's small home. After examining the decaying books and changing the repugnant smelling bed sheets with her own, she wandered outside.
The old war horse, Onyx, was in the stall that had been newly built; Kira could see that it had been built recently, as it wasn't nearly as run-down as the "house." She hadn't heard any stories of Dampè owning a horse, but didn't think much of it.
By now, it was very late in the afternoon, and was within about half an hour of touching evening. The autumn sky lazily tossed orange across the clouds. Sunlight could barely leak through. Intertwined with the cool breeze was the scent of dead grass and isolation. All of the trees were bare of leaves, and stood with their branches slightly shivering like dry old skeletons.
Kira meandered down the pathway that led to the headstones. Many were crumbling at their corners and some were written in a language that she suspected to be ancient Ikanian. Keese swirled above her head, and although more of a mere annoyance, she drew her blade anyways and continued to slip through the graveyard. An unfamiliar uneasiness creeped slowly up her spine, that left small chills in its wake. However, a defiancy more familiar snuffed it out.
I told everyone that I'd be fine by myself out here. I'd look ridiculous going back just because I felt a little creeped out, she told herself. Turning her back on the graves, she made her way up the path towards her new home.
Unsure if it was the clattering of the bony tree branches, the occasional squawk of a Keese, or even her own magination, an eerie noise vibrated through the stagnant air. Unwilling to be chased out by a few superstitious beliefs or childish fear, she chose to pass it off as something rational. However, Kira could have swore that the sound, whatever it was, had come from the underneath the ground.