Zero has always been different, and people hated him for it.
He was know as "Red", or just, "The strange hunter boy in the red cloak". Hardly anyone talked to him unless necessary, except Cross. But Cross was a little bit of a crazy old man, even if he was nice and treated him like a son. Cross didn't exactly improve his reputation, as it was.
XxX
"Hey, Red! I need you to do something!"
Zero sighed and looked back at one of the older hunters of the village, his red cloak fluttering in the wind, contrasting his black pants and shirt.
"What is it?"
The man grimaced and handed Zero a package, obviously trying to avoid physical contact. What a prick.
"There is an older couple, hunters, that live up on top of Láng Mountain. Could you deliver this to them? You are the only one that can."
Zero nearly scoffed.
More like the only one that would even think about it.
Láng Mountain didn't get its name for no reason. It was known for being full of wolves, and if rumors served to be correct there were probably plenty of actual werewolves as well. People always came to Zero with the dangerous tasks.
Zero would of been a Hunter, if not for the fact that his parents died when he was very young, killed in a dangerous hunt. He didn't end up training and taking the course but he did, by law, get a weapon. He trained himself over the years, relentlessly pushing himself until he knew he was practically Hunter level, even without being certified.
But Zero was also no fool, eyes narrowing as he stared the man down.
"How much will you pay me?"
The scowl the old man directed his way was unsurprising, the large sum he named however...let's just say Zero was used to people trying to scam him at the first offer.
After going back and forth with the man for a while Zero got him to add a completion bonus onto the already large amount, and agreed to the offer.
Pockets heavy, he turned around and headed towards Cross' house, package held close.
XxX
"Waaaaa, Zero! You can't, It is far too dangerous!"
Zero rolled his eyes, ignoring the loud, whiny man practically laying across his back as he collected various herbs and medical supplies to line the inner pockets of his cloak and his small travel bag, along with foods that would last him a long time.
"I'm going to do it. He'll pay me good money for it if I do. Besides, a few wolves don't scare me, I have Rose. I highly doubt I'll somehow run into any Werewolves, and if I do I'll book it."
Cross whined and continued to harass Zero as he finished up gathering the items he needed, standing up to walk to the door and grabbing his package along the way. Zero sighed in frustration and tried to push his overly clingy "father" off of his leg.
"I'll be back in a day or two, I swear, so please don't worry."
Zero finally managed to detach Cross from his side and practically ran out the door, unaware of the true worry Cross had.
Cross held onto the doorframe and watched Zero walk away, only once the young hunter disappeared from sight did his face lose it's bubbly mask, worry and fear obvious in his frown.
"Zero, be careful. You have no idea what you're really getting yourself into. Goddess, please protect him."
XxX
Zero trudged through the thick trees of the forest, hood drawn up to shield his face from any wind, and the package tucked safely in the sack he had strapped towards his back, hidden by his long cloak
He had taken some cloth and wrapped it around it inside as well, to give it extra support. He wasn't sure if it was fragile but he wasn't taking his chances, if he happened to fall.
He cringed as his shoes snapped anything they came into contact with. While the knee high boots did offer protection, and the steel toes could easily be used as a weapon if he was desperate, they weren't exactly stealthy in a dark forest with lots of leaves, branches and other things hidden in the thick grass that covered the ground.
Speaking of grass, the surrounding area was starting to make him uncomfortable and wary. The grass was almost to his knees already and he wasn't even to the mountain yet. Most of the grass was yellow and dying in this particular area and would provide perfect cover for things that he reallydidn't want to run into. The least of his worries was snakes at this point, though still a concern. Every crack of a twig in the distance had him tensing, his hair standing on end and his hand twitching nervously toward his gun as his sharp lilac eyes scanned the dark shadows intently, waiting for the faintest hint of unnatural movement.
He had plenty of extra bullets in his sack next to the package, along with about a week's worth of dry and quick foods. He honestly doubted he would need that much but it was best to come prepared for anything, as he had often learned the hard way over the years.
The lace of his boot caught on a large branch standing up from the groud, yanking him to a stop and forcing a curse from him as he bent down. Because he wore tight riding style pants, they clung to his legs like a second skin and he couldn't fit them over his pants, leaving the laces open to things like this. He quickly adjusted his laces on both legs, yanking them tight and tucking the excess into the tops of the boot, praying they would stay because he really didn't want this to be regular distraction.
He straightened up and continued on his way, remaining alert as he watched the shadows of the forest move and shift.
XxX
He had finally reached the part of the journey that would be the hardest, uphill. He had been walking up the slope for several minutes and his thighs and legs were letting him feel their obvious displeasure at the uphill path. He groaned and stopped to lean against one of the massive trees, reaching into his sack and getting one of his canteens of water out. He still had a lot left but he hoped he would come across some fresh water of some sort, maybe a downhill stream, that way he could refill it the rest of the way.
He recapped his canteen and put it back in his bag, securing the straps before he stood again and stretched, his sore muscles protesting to the sudden movement and his shirt riding up slightly, allowing cool air to drift across his stomach.
Suddenly a loud and deep growl sounded, making the leaves on the branch hanging above his head vibrate. Zero froze, the hair on the back of his neck standing up as he stepped foward, dominant hand twitching by his gun as he looked into the shadows. He was in a clearing, an obvious error on his part as far as safety went, and couldn't see past the first row of trees on each side of the natural made path between the woods.
He knew he wasn't alone, even though the forest was now deathly quiet, especially with how quiet it had become. As a hunter, trained to kill supernatural predators, he knew there were werewolves, probably even some in Láng Mountain. However, he didn't believe there would be many here and doubted he would encounter them. Werewolves usually inhabited warmer regions, and he had honestly never come in contact or ever seen one since he was a child. He had killed his fair share of Level E vampires, however, and he knew there was a ranking system for werewolves as well. Here's to hoping this Werewolf wasn't too strong.
He jerked as he he heard a branch snap to his left, back from the way he had come. He spun around and froze, his eyes widening as he saw the massive wolf stalking toward him. It was huge, bigger than a horse, and as tall as him if not taller. It snarled, baring a mouthful of fanged teeth as it's rusty colored eyes and brown fur glinted in what little sunlight the large trees allowed in.
Zero cursed, knowing he couldn't outrun it in the open space, he would have to run into the woods and hope to lose it there. If worst came to worse he would use his gun but he knew he needed to save as much ammo as possible if he was already encountering creatures.
He darted into the tree-line, wincing at the bloodthirsty snarl that came from behind him. He pushed his protesting legs as fast as they would go, racing through the trees and narrowly avoiding the fallen branches and logs that would have tripped him up. He didn't even need to look back to know it was trying to chase him, it's massive paws crunching branches underfoot as it charged through the trees, uncaring of anything but the prey it had locked in it's sights.
Zero spotted a low hanging branch on a tall tree up ahead and grinned, with a burst of speed he shot foward and jumped up, grabbing ahold of it and swinging himself onto it before jumping onto a higher one, right before the one he had previously been on was snapped between the massive jaws of what had to be a werewolf.
He looked down at it as it snarled and tried to get to him, not quite big enough to reach his branch when it jumped. A quick glance when it jumped confirmed that it was a female. Just his luck to get chased by a shewolf in the middle of a dark forest. He could only hope and pray she hadn't called any of her pack dow-.
Zero inhaled sharply as a massive figure came up behind the other werewolf . He had thought the first one was big but this one was fucking huge. It's fur was pitch black and it was easily twice the size of the tan one. It's muscles bunched and curled with a dangerous and deadly grace and it's crimson colored eyes seemed to almost glare at the smaller wolf before him who quickly spun around, lowering her head in submission before coyly prancing up to it. If the way the tan one was acting was any indication he assumed it was a male, a male she was obviously trying to impress.
Zero snorted before he could stop himself, tensing when that crimson gaze swung up to meet his. Shit, unlike the tan wolf he knew it could easily reach him. He had to get higher. Zero's eyes darted above him. There was a branch a little to the right, it would be rather difficult but he thought he could make it.
His gaze was drawn back down and he realized the first Werewolf had left, slinking off into the dark forest as the larger one had started to slowly creep toward him. It sniffed the air and growled lowly before coming to stand right under his branch, staring up at him in a way that made Zero shiver, it's eyes glowing with an intensity that Zero has never encountered before.
He tensed his body, getting ready to jump, when the beast under him growled, crouching down and obviously getting ready to jump as well. Zero made a noise of alarm and jumped before he was ready, barely managing to grab the branch and swing himself up. He glared down at the werewolf below him before grabbing his gun and training it on them.
"Back the fuck off before I shoot you."
The creature gave what was almost a snort of amusement before a foreign voice filled Zero's head, causing him to gasp and nearly drop his gun.
That gun can't harm me, little hunter. Why don't you come down, you smell delectable and I'm sure we can make a...'deal'.
Zero shivered at the suggestive way the last word was spoken, not really sure what the creature meant by that and unsure if he wanted to find out. He continued the keep his gun aimed at the large wolf as he muttered a hell no under his breath.
Fine then, I guess we'll have to do this the hard way.
Zero yelped as the branch under him suddenly disappeared, bursting into tiny fragments. He quickly tucked his gun close to him as he braced his body for impact, but instead of hitting the ground he was yanking out of the air by an unseen force and pinned underneath the massive wolf. Zero yelped as sharp teeth grabbed at the neck of his shirt, ripping it down the front and leaving his bare skin exposed to the cool, almost cold, air. He squirmed underneath the large creature that was looking at him with amusement and something else in those depths, and yelled the first thing that came to his mind.
"Why the hell did you go for the shirt?!"
