Hunter was the only one in the laundromat, scrubbing off the blood that stained his yellow shirt. The same one all the kids who lived here at Gravesfield's Home for Troubled Youths had to wear with black-brown pants. The only pieces of clothing any of them owned. Headmistress Dandridge told him it had to be stain-free before he was allowed to go to bed. Though technically, he was not alone; a guard was stationed outside, so he would not try anything.
The place was a school, orphanage, and juvenile detention center where the ash-blonde seventeen-year-old had spent his entire life. He hated this whole damn place. "I can't wait to get out of this place." He muttered to himself. Hunter's parents died when he was little, and he could barely remember who they were, except they named him Caleb. Legally, that was still his name, but he prefers the new one he gave himself.
A few hours ago, Hunter had sat in the Headmistress's office, with Steph looking as smug as ever. She was a kid whom Dandridge gave the job of sticking her nose into other people's business and reporting to her in return for special privileges. Her lapdog. The guards would even turn a blind to the Headmistress abusing her power to belittle and bully everyone. She has had Hunter beaten for disobedience more than once, giving him the scar on his cheek as a reminder of her authority.
Along with Hunter were two other boys his age; Dean, who had an ice pack over his left eye; and Jordan, tending to a nosebleed. The same blood Hunter was scrubbing off. He took immense satisfaction in giving it; the punk had it a long time coming.
Dandridge asked for Steph's statement, every word sounding rehearsed, claiming that Hunter attacked Jordan and Dean without provocation. But he had his reasons. They tried killing Bird, a pigeon who liked Hunter, probably his only real friend here. Every lunch, the blonde would break off breadcrumbs from his crappy bologna sandwiches for them in the courtyard. Today, Hunter found Dean holding the pigeon in his hands and Jordan about to crush his feathery buddy into a paste with a rock for shits and giggles.
What Hunter lacked in muscle, he made up for it with speed and maneuverability. Hunter closed the gap and punched Dean, setting Bird free and giving him that shiner. Jordan tried hitting Hunter with the rock. He dodged and eventually tackled him to the ground, hitting him until he started bleeding. The angry teen would have kept going if Steph had not called security, bringing him to Dandridge. She proceeded to discipline him, but he did not even flinch, not giving her the satisfaction. Never again. Before letting him go, she told him that there would be consequences for breaking the rules.
A sudden clang close by then grabbed the teen's attention. "Someone there?" There was no response. Hunter threw his stainless shirt on and went to investigate, stepping out of the laundromat, noticing the guard stationed outside was no longer there.
He heard another clang, purposefully sounding like it was trying to draw him closer, proceeding with caution. Hunter wandered down the empty halls as everyone else was already in bed. He noticed there were no guards out monitoring the aisles, either. Hunter heard the clang again. It was closer… too close.
"Hello, Hunter." The teen turned around upon recognizing the voice; Dean was standing behind him, holding a pipe. He hit it against the wall, the source of the clanging. Hunter looked back down the hall and found Jordan and Steph were now blocking his path.
"Don't look surprised," Jordan said. "You knew this was coming."
"And what is 'this' exactly?" Hunter asked coolly.
"Headmistress Dandridge wanted us to remind you what happens when someone breaks the rules," Steph said, stepping closer with a shit-eating grin. "And don't bother finding a guard; they were all given the night off. This isn't personal." She then looked at Jordan and Dean. "Well, for me, at least. But we agreed this would be the best way to help the message stick. There are always consequences."
Without a second thought, Hunter turned and ran straight at Dean. He swung the pipe at him, but the teen sank to his knees, sliding underneath and skidding back to his feet as the missed swing rattled against the wall. Hunter proceeded to get as far away from them as possible. "Don't just stand there! Get him!" Dean, Steph, and Jordan followed behind him. Hunter wanted out of this place, and if all the guards getting the night-off is true, this might be his chance.
"You can't keep running forever!" He heard Jordan shout from behind, knowing they were not wrong. Nowhere was safe inside. Hunter made it to the cafeteria, vaulting over a table, and ran straight for the door. He pushed at it, the door swinging open. Thank God the guards forgot to lock up. A high-pitched sound went off, making Hunter cover his ears. But of course, they remembered the alarm. Hunter rushed to the chained fence at the end of the courtyard, scaling, then vaulting over it on his way to freedom.
Hunter ran all night until he arrived at the empty park. The moon shone through the clouds, casting halos of illumination below, highlighting how few people were outside tonight. He leaned against a bench, trying to catch his breath. The teen had exhausted himself from running up and down the town for hours and probably miles. Now that he was out of that place, he did not know what to do next.
Someone suddenly ran into Hunter's shoulder, nearly throwing him. He thought Jordan, Dean, or Steph had caught up with him. Or someone else who was going to bring him back. But Hunter saw it was someone in a cloak. "Watch where you're going!" He shouted, but the cloaked figure kept running. Hunter then noticed something on the ground. He knelt and picked it up, a key with a slit yellow eye. Hunter figured it must belong to whoever bumped into him as his thumb brushed over it.
There was a flash of light, making him drop it. Then a door unfolded right in front of him, with the same eye in the center, and opened to reveal a forest. "What the hell?" Hunter's brain was screaming at him to run in the opposite direction, but another part of him was utterly curious. He stepped through the door and found he was in another forest. The air felt warmer; the smells were different. He had so many questions.
He heard a crashing sound and walked towards it, moving some foliage to the side. He gasped as he discovered a beach, an entire sea with waves crashing on the sand. "What the fu—" Another crashing wave interrupted Hunter, who could have sworn the body of water bubbled like it was boiling. The adolescent looked to his left and right, puzzled about how he ended up there, only to discover more water and sand.
"Well, I think I've seen enough." Hunter turned around and headed back for the door with his curiosity satisfied. Except that it was nowhere to be found. "Where's the door? It was right here!" He did not travel that far, yet the door was not where it should be. "Okay, Hunter, calm down. You don't know where you are, and I probably shouldn't stay here for too long. I gotta find help. Yeah, there are probably people here who could help me." Hoping for the best, Hunter ventured off into the unknown woods, trusting he would be able to find a town sooner or later.
Hunter had no idea how long or far he had been walking. It seemed like hours, but he had no idea; there were no longer sounds of waves crashing, which placed him far away from the beach. Hunter was getting tired, however. He needed rest or was going to pass out from exhaustion. "Some shut-eye wouldn't hurt," Hunter told himself and sat against a sturdy tree, feeling his eyes getting heavy.
"Come on, scouts!" A deep voice shouted, grabbing Hunter's attention and waking him up.
"People." Hunter got up and stealthily neared the voices, crouching behind a bush.
"These prisoners should've been brought to the Conformatorium by now."
"Sorry, Commander Tusk." Another stuffier voice said. "One of them tried escaping again."
"I don't want excuses, Mosh!"
"Why are you doing this? We did nothing wrong!" A third, elderly voice shouted.
Hunter peeked over, and his eyes widened upon seeing a small group of people. They were garbed in two-toned dark blue uniforms with dark gray gloves, pants, boots, and a pointed dark blue hood that looked like a raven's head. However, he could not believe what he saw from one of them, making Hunter think the lack of sleep had him seeing things. There was a hoodless one with green skin, a tusked jaw, and an eyepatch over their left eye.
There were also four people dressed in long black robes and chained together: one older man, a young man, and two young women. They looked like they were monks straight out of Medieval Europe or something. They also looked like humans, except they had pointed ears like elves, leaving Hunter questioning his mental state.
"Oh, you did nothin' wrong, did ya?" The green-skinned person and owner of the deep voice, Commander Tusk, mocked.
"We saw you actin' real suspicious by the Boilin' Sea. The lot o' ya coulda been doin' somethin' treasonous for all we know."
"Yeah, treasonous." Another scout, with a clownish voice, repeated.
"Shut up, Carolynn." Tusk snarled before looking back at the older man. "Ya knows what the punishment for treason against the Empress is, right?"
"Then just take me." The older man begged before looking at his fellow prisoners, then dropped to his knees. "Please, just let them go. Marcus, Coleen, Maria; they have nothing to do with this."
"They are guilty by association." The commander walked over and shoved the older person to the ground, laughing as he did.
"Grandfather!" One of the female prisoners shrieked but was ignored.
"Coleen…" The elder looked at the distressed woman, his granddaughter. Tusk proceeded to kick the older man in the head, leaving him there crying and bleeding from his wound.
"Leave him alone!"
Hunter felt a twinge of anger at what he had witnessed. Beating up an old man was just low. He felt overcome by a sense to leap in there and knock the green thug's teeth out. "Hey, ugly!" Hunter shouted, leaping out from the bush, which got Tusk's attention. The teen charged at the bigger man but then stopped. "What the—" Hunter could not move his body and found an orange aura surrounding it.
"Looks like we got ourselves a hero here, Sir." One of the scouts was spinning a circle made of orange light with their fingertips.
"Sure, looks that way, Lawrence." The commander laughed, approaching the immobilized Hunter. "And what do ya think ya were gonna do, boy?"
"Why don't you let me go? Then you can find out!"
Tusk and the other scouts laughed off Hunter's threat. "Well, the Empress doesn't need little upstarts like ya runnin' round, causin' trouble."
"We should bring him to the Conformatorium, Sir." The scout named Mosh suggested.
"Just what I was thinkin' there." Hunter spat on the commander, who wiped it off, unimpressed. "Still got some fight. How's bout I rough ya up, so's you remember yar place!" Tusk pulled his fist back, ready to beat up the teen. But before he could, Hunter saw a purple tendril grab the bully. It lifted him off the ground and thrashed him like a rag doll. Neither Hunter nor the scouts or prisoners knew what was going on. The thug was tossed around in the air before being thrown headfirst into a tree. "Ow." He pitifully cried.
The tendril then contorted into a blob, which began to mold into a tall and muscular humanoid shape. The color and texture changed from a purple sludge to dark brown skin. It finally fully formed into a man with bright green eyes, purple hair, sideburns, and a goatee. "That feels much better." He spoke in a posh yet lax tone. His outfit consisted of a pointed-shoulder black vest with dark purple highlights, gold buttons, and a collar. He also had a pair of white and black heel boots with purple toes, light reddish-purple pants, and white mid-length gloves with black palms. The final item worn was a pink side cape with a bat's face, sans the chin and mouth, stitched onto it.
"It's Wild Witch Darius!" The scout, Carolynn, shouted. Mosh took a position as if they were ready for a fight against the wild witch, whatever that meant, while Lawrence kept up the spell that had Hunter trapped.
"I was scheduled for some me-time today," Darius said. He extended his hand as a spiraling hole made of the same purple sludge that he morphed from appeared on the ground beneath him. A staff made of porcelain-colored wood shot out of it and into his hand, twirling it, then taking a fighting stance. It was topped with a carving of a tiny human head with long black hair and bat wings; the ornament's eyes glowed red. "So, let those prisoners go before things get nasty."
"You don't scare us! We have you outnumbered three to one!" Lawrence boasted. Hunter noticed a trail of dirt was being pushed up behind the scout as if something was digging towards them. Something did jump right out of the ground, leaving a molehill behind and grabbing onto the scout's face.
"Ahh! Get it off! Get it off!" Lawrence screamed, frantically running around as they were attacked. This caused the spell to dissipate, and Hunter could move again. The assailant leaped off as the scout tripped over a bush, falling flat onto the ground.
It was a child-sized beast-person covered in orange fur with a wild mane of auburn hair tied into a fluffy ponytail. They had magenta-within-yellow eyes with slit pupils, pointed feline-like ears, and claws and fangs. The creature wore a black vest with gold buttons and a sage green collar, a dull-brown loincloth in the likeness of a paw over red pants, and dark brown boots with gray soles. They also had a pair of spiked yellow arm bracers with the same bat faces stitched onto them. Hunter guessed they were another wild witch.
"Nice of you to join us, Eberwolf." Darius greeted them. "But must you make such a filthy entrance? I'll have to clean your uniform tonight." Eberwolf responded with grunts and howls that Darius understood and looked offended by whatever was said. "I'll have you know; my entrance was superb."
"Don't just stand there!" Commander Tusk shouted at the scouts, rising to his feet, his whole face covered and bruises. "Get 'em!"
"They always have to do it the hard way," Darius commented, annoyed.
Mosh pointed at him, tracing their finger in a circular motion as a trail of light blue light followed. Upon completing the circle, a fireball shot out of it. The wild witch spun around with his staff like a dancer, creating a ring of light that was pinkish purple. A protective barrier appeared in front of him, absorbing the attack. He then morphed into sludge and quickly closed the distance between him and the scout before becoming humanoid. His right hand changed into a much larger fist and decked the scout so hard that he was sent back by at least a foot and knocked unconscious.
"Stay still and die!" Tusk attacked Eberwolf with a sword, but they avoided every strike, jumping around like a hyperactive child. The tiny creature even yawned mockingly.
"I got them, Commander!" Lawrence, now identified by the leaves and twigs stuck to their uniform from tripping over the bush, shouted. They tried tackling Eberwolf, who dug into the dirt beneath them, disappearing and causing the scout to dive at their superior. The scouts tumbled onto the ground, and Eberwolf popped out of the earth, blowing a raspberry, pointing as they laughed childishly.
"Get off me, you idiot!" The commander ordered, only for him and the scout to become ensnared by purple slime conjured up by Darius.
"That should hold you until we're done." The Wild Witch said with confidence.
A high-pitched scream drew Darius's, Eberwolf's, and Hunter's attention to the other prisoners. "No, don't!" The elder shouted as Carolyn took his granddaughter hostage, with a blade pressed to her throat.
"Drop the staff Wild Witch, or else!" She threatened. "And if anyone tries anything, I'll do it! I'll kill her!" Darius clutched his weapon with both hands, and Eberwolf snarled at the scout's cowardly act. "Drop them!" The scout pushed the sword further into her flesh. "I'll do it!" Hunter knew they were not bluffing from the desperation in their tone. They would do it, and someone needed to do something. The teen looked around and found some pinecones on the ground next to him and got an idea. Carolynn did not seem to notice him grab one. Using all the strength he could muster, he tossed the pinecone like a fastball, hitting her head. "Who did that?!"
The scout looked around, moving the blade away from the prisoner's throat. Darius transformed his left arm into a lasso in that split second, wrangling Coleen and pulling her to safety before the scout even knew what had happened. "Wha—" Before they could finish their exclamation, they were punched right in the face by a giant purple fist, knocking them out.
"That takes care of that," Darius said, transforming his fist into a sickle and walking over to the prisoners. He slashed at the chains, breaking them apart with ease.
"Thank you, kind sir." The elderly witch said.
"You won't get away with this!" Commander Tusk shouted. "The Empress will have your heads!"
The slime extended to cover the commander's mouth as Darius deadpanned, "Like I haven't heard that one before. We must leave before more show up."
"Excuse me..." Hunter stepped toward Darius when Eberwolf suddenly jumped right in front of him, growling. "Ah!" Hunter screamed, falling backward.
"Eberwolf, down," Darius ordered. "He's just a witchling."
"A what?"
The tall man approached the boy, standing over him. "What are you doing outside of the city on your own?"
"I… I don't know what you're talking about."
The eyes of Darius's ornament glowed again, and the wings began to flap before it dislodged itself from the staff, becoming more flesh than wood. "Darius." It spoke with a wise-sounding voice, in an accent that Hunter could not quite pin down.
"What is it, Bat Queen?" The Wild Witch asked, with Ebewolf also looking at the living ornament.
"He's not a witchling." This Bat Queen flew around Hunter's head, making him recoil.
"What are you doing?"
"His ears are round."
"Round?" Darius asked, surprised. "A human, here on the Isles?"
"Hey, I don't want any trouble," Hunter said. He sat upright. "I just want to know where I am. I don't even know how I got here."
"Poor thing." Bat Queen said with a look of motherly concern for the teen. "Separated from his people."
Eberwolf looked at Darius and spoke to him with more grunts and howls. "We'll take him back to Latissa with us," Darius said. "We'll bring him to Whispers, and they'll know what to do."
"Who's Whispers?" Hunter asked as he stood but was ignored.
"Everyone, to me." The freed prisoners approached Darius, Eberwolf, Bat Queen, and Hunter. The tall man's eyes glowed as he morphed into sludge, enveloping everyone in slimy darkness.
The next thing everyone knew, they were out of the forest and in the middle of an old, medieval-looking town. "What… What just happened?" Hunter asked, with the prisoners confused at the sudden change of location.
Darius returned to his humanoid form with Bat Queen and Eberwolf joining him. "Welcome to Latissa." He spoke. "The only town on the Boiling Isles free from the Empress's Coven."
Hey everyone, here is the first chapter of my rewrite for "Of Mud & Blood," now renamed "From Earth to Bones," as suggested by Mr. Spinner. I went through multiple drafts until I settled upon a version I liked, and I hope you enjoy it.
I also want to give a special thanks to those whose suggestions they made for "Of Mud & Blood" helped develop this story. Clevinger, Elnine27, GrimoireWeissDHades, Jss2141, Maurie_mirin, Mr. Spinner, nightmaster000, phantomwolfblue, and zoinksscoob. And, of course, all the readers who encouraged me to continue.
Please favorite, follow, and leave a review; feedback is appreciated. And feel free to leave suggestions to help improve the story.