Chapter 2 - A Proposition for a Crumbling Village
Moga Village, the place of Light's current residence was home to humble fishers and tradesmen. Because the small establishment was built upon docks which extended over the water, it took constant management -sadly, wood didn't put up much of a fight against salt water. The village elder, a crabby old man, refused to move the village further inland, bringing up the point that the sea was what gave the village strength or some nonsense along those lines, almost everyone thought him to be crazy from his nearing expiration date.
Within the populace, there were few women, most of them trader's wives or gatherers -some simply served the purpose to reproduce considering there was a loss of at least four villagers every few months; the waters and surrounding land was somewhat wild and dangerous. Men were generally gone on business of trading or on sea voyages to bring back food or material. The village was nothing special, but it was still running.
It took a few months to get it approved, having to go back and forth between the mothers and the Village Elder, but with the persistence shown, a proposal was made to give Light a job that went beyond her normal hunting duties. Kit, one of the village's few women and also the Moga Shaman, was one of the main heads of those for this idea. Pressuring the Elder, easily done since she was practically his right hand, she eventually convinced him that Light should be the one to take in a select few children and teach them the ways of a hunter.
Some protested, saying their futures lead to them being hunters just as their fathers and others were completely clueless as to what a hunter even did. Eventually, the future of the children of the current generation and Light were intertwined -Light had yet to hear the news.
Stepping foot upon the rickety docks of the village, Light finally returned home carrying a rather large leather bag filled with Ludroth rewards. It took her throwing it down on a woman's shop table for anyone to notice her and her ripped up arm. Some children ran to her, excited for her return and a woman in particular was automatically glued to her side, barking at her for the dangerous looking wound. In reality, Light had barely noticed. She was too involved in stripping parts of the Royal for her to care.
"Light! What on Earth happened?" the woman yelled as the surrounding children dug into the leather sack to find bits of Ludroth.
"Wha? Oh. I guess I hurt myse-" the hunter started, finally looking at her arm, the side looking like it had gone through a meat grinder.
"You GUESS?" the woman barked back, causing Light to have a rather scared look across her face. The woman who was rather displeased was her sister Cahni, and she happened to be scarier than any monster according to Light.
"What! I was hunting and wasn't paying attention! The salt water probably sterilized it anyways, yeesh. No need to freak on me." Light responded carelessly as she ripped away from her sister and stormed off towards their hut.
Flinging her body across one of two beds which looked out to the fisher's docks, Light sighed happily. She was finally home, regardless of her rather rude welcoming home by her worrisome sister. The woman got maybe a minute of light sleep before a body was suddenly atop her and pouring water over her arm.
"Gah! What are you doing?! Cahni!" Light yelled as she struggled to move.
"You need medicine on this! And salt water can make it swell! Besides, there's no telling what was left in that water after you killed that thing!" Cahni yelled as she held her sister's shoulder's down with her knees.
It was maybe a few minutes before Light gave up and just let her sister take care of her. As the two sat together on the bed, Cahni applied some horrible-smelling ointment before wrapping the wounds in a soft cloth.
"You may be a hunter, but you aren't invincible, Light." Cahni said matter-of-factly.
"I know Cahni. You don't have to give me mother's speech every time I come back from a hunt." Light said lowly as she looked out to the water.
"Well, it was the lack of the speech that took dad and mom isn't exactly here to give it to you." Cahni protested. "You'e the only family I have left and I don't intend on-"
"It's a scratch Cahni." Light interrupted, looking her sister in the eyes, her expression telling her to stop.
Cahni sighed and tied off the last bandage. Standing up, the girl with hair and eyes which matched Light's walked over to a chest. Placing her medicines in it, she came back to retrieve Light's gear and put it in the same place. Light also sighed as a thanks and laid back, crossing her good arm over her eyes and letting her body melt into her bed. Cahni bit her lip and walked over to the small furnace in the middle of the hut. Throwing some hollow wood into it, she sat down and warmed herself.
"You don't have to pout Cahni. I have a job, and sometimes it gets dangerous. I wont ever not come home to you though..." Light said, unmoving.
"I know, I just-" Cahni prepared a small speech in her head, but just as she was about to deliver it, she was interrupted by a woman entering the hut.
"Evening." a voice nearly hissed at the two.
Cahni looked up to view the village Shaman, Kit. Naturally beautiful, the woman's cocoa-shaded skin was covered in tribal markings and gold jewelry. Her neckline was decorated with feathers, scales and bones of killed monsters. Her skirt was decorated in the same way, her midsection showing and breasts covered by a silky cloth. She looked shamanistic to say the least plus her attitude to match.
"Evening Kit." Cahni offered politely.
Kit waved her hand in response, her wrists jingling from the large amounts of jewelry she fashioned. "Huntress Light, I have something to speak with you about." she said with a smile.
Light groaned before she turned over, saying few words as a reply, "Maybe later. I'm tired."
"Oh, I am so sorry. I guess the state of the village comes after your beauty sleep in ranks then?" Kit sneered, crossing her arms as she stared the hunter down.
Light bit her lip, hiding her distaste for the woman and forced her body up so that she may view her. "What," she spat out.
Kit smiled in a displeased way, it was forced, if you will, but quickly went on past Light's bad attitude. The thing was -Light and Kit never got along. Kit viewed Light as a mannerless peasant whereas Light viewed her as an entitled witch.
"The village has agreed to make you the honorary Hunter." Kit said, folding her hands in front of her.
"Aren't I that already?" Light retorted sarcastically.
"Well, yes, but you have no real responsibility -as a hunter, that is." Kit said slyly.
"Besides keeping the village that can barely keep itself above water safe on my own? What other responsibility do I need to be considered a real hunter, Shaman?" Light asked, sitting back on her elbows.
"Well, killing monsters mindlessly isn't all a hunter is supposed to do..." Kit said as she neared Light's bed.
"Have you recently written the Hunter's Handbook or am I missing something here? I'm pretty sure if you don't kill for guilds you basically hunt as you please. I only do it with a purpose because I have people I want safe." Light said, glancing to her sister before glueing her ice blue eyes back to Kit's dark chocolate ones.
"Funny. But no." Kit said, turning back around and slowly pacing around the room. "The council has decided to give you specific duties if you would like to continue wielding your sword."
"The council? So, you and and our senile Village Elder, then?" Light said with a laugh.
"You are foolish to speak of our leader this way!" Kit snapped.
Light raised her hands slightly in response, giving off a sly smile. Her sister looked over with a 'what are you doing, stop it!' expression and Light let her playfulness fade away. "What duties have been placed over my head, Shaman?" Light asked, her eyes displaying her distaste for the woman.
Kit adjusted some of her jewelry to the way she liked it before speaking again. She would not look to Light as though she didn't need to. "You are responsible for training our next generation of hunters."
Light stared at the woman in disbelief. Her brow line arched as her lips parted. Sitting up more erect, the hunter placed her elbows on her knees to lean on. "Excuse me?" Light asked in an irritated tone.
"You heard me Hunter. It is your new duty to form these children into what we need, which is more of you... regrettably.
Light glanced from Kit to her sister who had a certain look of horror on her face, then back to the Shaman. "You know the surrounding areas are dangerous. You really cant expect me to just whip up a few hunters!" Light said tensing up.
"Sure I do. The mothers have agreed to place them under your care as needed for them to learn." Kit said, speaking as though she knew everything on the subject of hunting.
"There is no way in hell that I can do that, Kit. Sending a collection of children that haven't left their own village and gathering perimeter to hunt animals that aren't only bigger but also faster, stronger not to mention vicious. That blood is on MY hands if ANY of those kids get killed!"
"They have to learn some day, don't they?" Kit hissed.
"No!" Light boomed as she stood, "No, they are in a fishing and trading village for a reason! Let them grow up to be what they're meant to be!"
"You would deny these kids a sense of fulfillment on the grounds of birthright?" Kit asked angrily.
"On the grounds of safety, and on the grounds of them being spared a death by being eaten!" Light said in frustration. "Leave he village's protection to ME, and me alone, Shaman." Light said as she got in Kit's face.
"You cannot tell the truth in saying you are our sole protector- or that you like to be." Kit retorted as Light moved around her. "We need hunters, Light. You are alone in this, and we cannot afford it if you somehow are killed."
Light turned and frowned at Kit, her voice low as she spoke, "It's funny, how you sound like you care. You wouldn't even flinch if I was killed while protecting this village. And it's even worse that you would do the same if those children died. I'm pretty sure if I failed to protect any of them the blood and blame would forever be on my head."
Kit stood there, her eyes glaring at Light as she stood strong. "You are the only one capable of training those kids, Huntress. Do it so that you may live on to protect Cahni, at least!"
"How DARE you bring my sister into this. My answer is no, Shaman. Now leave." Light spat at the woman, holding the cloth open for Kit to walk out of their hut through.
"I will have the Elder know that you no longer want the right to hunt then. He will expect you to turn in your weaponry within the next few days.. ex-Huntress... Agree to do this and there is no penalty on moral or hunting grounds. Refuse and you will be not only stripped of your rights to hunt and protect us, but also your allowance to live here." Kit said as she walked out.
o o o
Hours of Light stomping around the hut passed as she contemplated her future. As of now, she refused the duty. But the life of her and Cahni was at stake. Fallen asleep by the furnace, Cahni looked so peaceful. Light sighed and brought a fur blanket to throw over her. Cahni was literally the only one Light had to protect and provide for. She couldn't just let her sister uproot from the village and leave. She had friends and was even looking forward to the day she was old enough to start a family.
Light on the other hand had no ambitions of giving birth. She was in no need of a husband. Love was strictly reserved for the hunt. The woman looked across the room to her sword which sat atop her shield. That was her life. And for Kit to simply threaten it took one too many chips out of her back. Light bit her lip, contemplating her decision. Her sister was the greatest influence and it took so much in her to admit that. But the lives of other children? How would Light be able to protect them? How could she defend so much?
As morning crept into the village, Light sat up from a sleepless night. Cahni was already up and out on the bordering gathering grounds assisting the villagers. With each step Light made towards the Elder's hut, she became more and more conscious of her weight and the sound of her own steps across the old wooden docks. Standing before the hut, she noticed a purple smoke sneaking through the cloth used at the door. No doubt it was Kit preforming some spiritual rant to keep the Elder's mind at ease. Light's shaky hand lingered just before the fabrics of the door for a minute. Finally, she pushed them aside and immediately viewed the wrinkled man beside the beautiful Kit. Her eyes opened slowly and sleekly as if she knew something. Light, choking on both her words and the awful smelling smoke, spoke up at last,
"Guarantee my sister will have the comfort of living to see her grandchildren and I will agree to this arrangement." Light said in a low tone to the Elder and Kit.
Looking rather cluelessly bliss, the Elder looked to Kit with a toothless smile. Kit returned the smile with her own secretive one. "Of course..." she said smoothly.
LIght closed her eyes tight and nodded her head. Something in her knew she did the wrong thing, the worst part was that it was for all the right reasons.