The damn bird wouldn't stop crying out. It was the day before Evelyn's hunt, and it would not shut up while she was trying to sleep. She knew what it meant, of course, it meant that it would be raining while she was on her hunt. She sighed and rolled over in her sleeping roll. The walls of her tent fluttered in an afternoon breeze. "No sleep for me, I suppose." She sat up, rubbing her eyes and clutching her blankets to her chest. Hunters slept naked when with their clan, since they had no such thing as pajamas. When on the hunt, they slept in their armor. She glared in the direction of the squawking, huffing a bit.
She pulled on a pair of pants and a loose shirt, the clothes she used on hot days when she wanted to work with the craftsmen, and got up out of her sleeping roll with a resigned sigh. She smoothed her hair and stepped out of her tent. She stretched, groaning softly, and looked around, squinting in the daylight. By then, news of her acceptance into Hogwarts had spread, and she got a number of different looks. Most were congratulatory, while others were wary. Not everyone in the clan was willing to accept magic into their world.
Evelyn's cousin and Einar's son Simon made his way over. He was two years older than her, and was a solemn boy who was already giant. He was a warrior, like his father. His mother had been a rogue, but she had been slain by a sea serpent that wasn't as caught in her trap as she had thought. People died in the Hunter world all the time, it wasn't a big deal to them. Sure, it was a sad affair, but it wasn't something to be terribly upset about. It was more important to know that they hunted in the heavens, and to learn from their mistakes.
"I heard." He was a man of few words, even at thirteen. His hair was a soft light brown, silky to the touch, like his mother's had been, and extremely unruly with its untamable curls, and his eyes were forest green. He had an extremely hot temper, but he was caring at heart. He was like another brother to Evelyn, and was more protective of her than Cole was, if that was possible.
"I wanted to tell you myself." Simon shifted his gaze and changed the subject. "Why aren't you sleeping?" The augurey called out agin. Evelyn frowned, her lips in a tight line. "That's why." Simon gave her a sympathetic smile and patted her head. "Walk with me?" Evelyn nodded, her bare feet walking across the cool grass of the clearing where they were camped as she followed them. Most of the Hunters were out, the craftsmen and smiths were making a water run, and everyone else was busy with their chores, so the two went unquestioned as they went into the forest.
"So you're actually going?" Simon began a conversation once the camp was no longer in sight. Evelyn replied quietly, "yes, I am. You wont change my mind." "I wasn't going to try," he chuckled softly. "There's no talking you out of something you've set your mind to it." Evelyn smiled a bit.
Simon looked up at the tree canopy overhead. "So what are you going after on your hunt." Evelyn tsked and waved her hand dismissively. "I can't tell you." Simon pouted and looked at her, "why not?" Evelyn grinned. "Because it's a secret." Simon ruffled her hair a bit. Then he seemed to remember something. "Hey, I've got a present for you!" He looked excited. Evelyn looked at him expectedly. "Close your eyes!" She laughed and covered her eyes with the palms of her hands so he could be sure that she wasn't looking through her fingers. She heard him rustle around, then he said "okay." She opened her eyes. He was holding a small golden coin. It was worn, but it was still pretty. "That looks ancient," Evelyn exclaimed. "Where did you get it?" He put it in her hand. He didn't answer her question, instead saying, "it's a good luck charm. It'll keep you safe." Evelyn grinned and hugged him, then tucked it in her pocket.
Evening finally arrived. Storm clouds gathered over the bloody sunset, but they didn't deter Evelyn. She went with Zerif to a secluded clearing alone, where a short ceremony was performed in silence. He painted her face, half of the marks of the assassin apprentice, and half of the true assassin. Evelyn sat very still. He put his hand on her shoulder, and they nodded to each other. She put on her armor and weapons, a water skin, and tucked a single slice of cheese in her pocket, wrapped in a large cloth. That was all she was allowed. "By sunrise, I will return with my prize." Evelyn turned to head off into the forest, and didn't look back.
Her prize was a Manticore. Normally, they weren't in this part of the world, being native to Greece, but this one had escaped captivity and now resided in a mountain cave a few leagues north. She knew about it from Zerif, who had suggested the ambitious prize in the first place. It was already wounded, with a dagger in its paw, which only made it more dangerous. Evelyn would have to do this quickly and carefully. It was quite the task for a girl of only 11, but Hunters mentally matured faster than other humans, mainly because of their demanding life style.
Evelyn travelled quickly. Soon, it began to rain, but the mountain was in sight. The rain was cold and blinding, especially when she moved past the tree-line and onto the bare rock. She lowered her head against the howling storm and kept climbing. She reached the lip of the cave.
Evelyn took a deep breath and stepped inside. It was dark, nearly too dark to see, especially with the storm. Then, a flash of lighting illuminated the cave. The Manticore was only a few meters away, and was poised to strike. Evelyn jumped out of the way just as its deadly tail struck where she had been heartbeats before. She drew only one dagger, darting at the beast. It brought up a mighty paw and tried to smack her away, but the young assassin apprentice was quick, and got away with just a small nick in her arm. She hissed, displeased with the breach of what was supposed to be a perfect kill. She darted in again, darting between its legs, ducking low, and slashing at its ankles. She quickly learned which paw had the dagger in it, and stayed on that side of the beast.
"You will die here!" The beast hissed in a rattling voice. Evelyn knew better than to answer it. When the cave was illuminated by another lightning strike, she went for the throat. The tail just missed her as it struck, and her blade met flesh. However, she missed the central vein, and the dagger was ripped out of her hand as the beast roared in fury. She quickly jumped away and pulled out her other dagger.
The beast went into a rage, striking at anything within range, hurting itself more on some sharp rocks. Evelyn stood back and let it exhaust itself. She knew this kill was hers. However, she let her guard down too soon, for suddenly the beast leapt at her, knocking her to the ground and digging its claws into both her arms. She let out a cry of pain, tearing herself free. She knew there was no chance of escape, so she moved closer and drove her other dagger into its neck. This time, she hit her mark. Blood splattered all over her, warm and sticky, and the beast let out one final earthshaking roar before it fell. It was over.
"You were a worthy foe," Evelyn whispered softly as she removed her daggers from its flesh, checking for any signs of life. There were none. "I will never forget your ferocity." She looked at the wounds on her arm, but it was impossible to tell what blood was hers and what was the manticore's. She winced at the stinging. She loathed the idea of dragging the beast back, but knew it had to be done. She rinsed blood off her hands in the rain and unwrapped the cheese, devouring it quickly. She then used the cloth to wrap the end of the tail of the manticore, just in case.
The trip back was a long and painful one. The manticore was heavy, and the sting in her arms, weakness in her muscles, and sour adrenaline in her system only made it worse. She struggled until she finally reached the camp, where everyone was waiting, even the day-breakers. The sun peered over the horizon just as she reached camp, and the rain slowly faded away in the morning light. People gasped softly as they discovered the nature of her prize.
She had done it. She was now a true assassin.
However, she couldn't celebrate just yet. She left the massive manticore body at Zerif's feet. He inspected it, then nodded in approval. "You have done well, young apprentice." He walked over to her with paint in one hand and a cloth in the other. He used the cloth to wipe the apprentice markings from the half of her face that they covered. He painted on the rest of the full assassin markings.
"Evelyn Dracaena, I proudly welcome you to the ranks of the true assassins." He bowed his head to her. She returned the gesture.
Then celebration began. She was congratulated as one of the healers cleaned blood off and tended to the wounds on her arms. "They'll scar, but at least they're even. It'll look cool." She laughed a bit and thanked them. Many people fawned over their prize. Cole and Simon soon found her and shouted in unison, "a Manticore? Are you mad!?" Evelyn grinned sheepishly. They went on shouting. "You could have been killed!" "Eaten alive!" They hugged her.
"We're proud of you." Evelyn hugged them tightly. "Thank you." She stood and stretched. "I need a nap. We depart for the clan gathering this afternoon. I'll get to be introduced as a full assassin!"
That she was. The gathering was lots of fun, especially since she could now join the ranks of the true assassins. She stood proudly when introduced, and smiled when she was welcomed. It was nice to be with all of the clans one last time before she left for Hogwarts. She would be back of course, but it was still significant in her eyes. There were eight clans in all that wandered the British Isles. She placed sixth out of roughly 25 assassins. They applauded her talent, even the snobbish Rafaela clan. The gathering lasted a week. Little did she know, Evelyn would never be quite the same as she was at that last gathering. Little did she know that everything was about to change.
So I need you guys to vote. Should I put her in Slytherin or Gryffindor? I have ideas for both, and all the romance will still happen, but I cant decide on my own, so please tell me which you think I should put in there.