Alrighty, sorry for the wierd symbol thingy, I'm currently working on the font, but somethings wierd and I'm technically challenged! Please try and read, I'll space it out, but that'll look kinda wierd too becuase of this wierd double space thingy!

CH: 5

The smooth metallic sliding sound her rapier made as she slid it into her sheath calmed Anna's nerves. It's familiar weight on her left side acted like a security blanket, her constant friend. Her heels clicked sharply on the tiled floor of the palace hallway, which echoed creepily around on the smooth polished stone walls. She stopped in a pool of moonlight and looked up at the full orb in the sky, offering a silent prayer to God, let me prove myself...please let me make them proud of me...

"Anna!" Her mother's tone was sharp and Anna turned quickly. There Vanessa was standing with her hands on her hips. "What are you wearing?" Anna looked down at her clothes, slightly puzzled. She was wearing a black fencing shirt, a small red jacked, black leather gloves, comfortable riding pants, and black boots with fur lining.

"Uh...fighting clothes." Anna shrugged.
"Why are you...oh yes..." Vanessa looked up at the full moon and her eyes glinted nervously. "Are you sure your ready for this?"

"Yes!" Anna eagerly responded.
"No your not." Vanessa muttered. "You have no idea what your getting yourself into. Nobody who understands what"s really going on responds that quickly."

"I am too ready." Anna insisted stubbornly,

"I've trained my whole life for this! It's my life's duty!"

"I know..." Vanessa's eyes glistened for a second as she looked on her daughter. Then she wiped them and shook her head.

"What are you bringing?" She asked in a rather clipped tone.
"My rapier." Anna answered simply. "That's it?" Vanessa placed a hand thoughtfully on her cheek.
"Yah. I can't wait to cut through some werewolf flesh!" Anna pumped her fist in the air and Vanessa's face darkened.
"Anna, don't be so keen on killing another creature. Werewolves...they aren't...you'll see. I just hope when you do...you'll finally realize." Anna was about to reply when Velken appeared.

"Hey squirt." Velken ruffled Anna's ponytail. Anna rolled her eyes,
"Stop calling me that!" She had instantly forgotten her mother's cryptic words.
"Velken, are you ready?" Vanessa cut in before her children could start fighting. They would need each other tonight.

"Yah." Velken shrugged "I've done this before ma."

"I know." Vanessa sighed and hugged her son lightly,

"You worry me sometimes."

"It's my job." Velken grinned.
"Alright! Ready?" Boris joined his family and smiled grimly. "This should be fun."

"Boris..." Vanessa hissed at her husband. He shook his head for a second and seemed to some back to his senses,

"Right. Everyone else is waiting for us by the front doors. Let's get going. We'll be back around three in the morning O.K?"

"Are you sure you'll be warm enough?" Vanessa began but Velken reassured her,
"We'll be fine! By!" He and Anna followed their father to the front doors and out into the cold night. Vanessa watched them and her eyes filled with tears. Anna looked around her at the snowy forest. The moon shone on the bare trees, bleaching their bark white. The snow shimmered under her feet, and even though it was the dead of winter, the woods radiated with life. Every tree seemed to be moving in some invisible breeze, she felt like they would bend down and let the shadows swallow her whole.
"Eerie huh squirt?" Velken asked her with a dangerous grin.

"Yah." Anna whispered. She really wasn't frightened, but the intimidating woods seemed to demand her respect.

"Sh." Boris sharply ordered his children and bent down to examine a track in the snow. It was one of four, widely spaced, it looked like a large paw with gigantic claws attached. The creature who had made the track was so heavy that it had fallen through the thick layer of snow and left it's tracks in the dirt.

"The tracks are fresh sir." One of Her father's guard reported. There was only one of them on the hunt.

"I can see that." Boris snapped. "It's heading this way, you, stay here and attack if it comes back this way." Boris ordered his guard and crept left and off the path they had been on. Velken was the first to follow Anna was next, not willing to show fear, but on the inside... "Anna, Velken, let me go in first, then you lead and attack to the monster's rear." Boris ordered. They were hiding behind what used to be a thick bush, but was now a tight bundle of sticks sticking out of the ground. The werewolf would know they were there very soon. Luckily however the wind was blowing towards them. Velken nodded and Anna gripped the handle of her sword so hard her hand hurt, even through her gloves. Fear means weakness. I am not weak. She hissed in her mind. But her racing pulse told her otherwise.

"If you don't want to go in..." Velken looked at her for a second, but she shook her head stubborn yet again. "Good." They saw their father go in and heard a vicious snarl, their father's war cry rang out and a second later blood splattered all over the dead bush, Velken jumped up and ran to aid his father, who was clutching his face and screaming in pain. Anna ran to her father's side,
"Goddamn it Anna! Get to monster." Boris shouted at his daughter. Anna snapped her mouth shut and obediently turned to face the creature. She was not ready for what she saw next. The werewolf was huge and a brownish/gray, it's claws glinted in the moonlight and were covered in crimson blood. It's teeth were yellow and jagged, stained from years of man eating. Anna's body went into shock and her body refused to work, the werewolf seemed to smiled and went in for her throat.

Just in time Velken hacked at the monster's foreleg and it fell off, wriggling into the snow. Anna caught her breath and realized what danger she was in is she didn't start moving. With great force she made her body move, circling halfway around her opponent she moved with lightning speed and embedded her sword in its side. Screaming in pain the werewolf turned to attack her, but Velken ran his blade across it's muzzle, blood bubbled up from the wound like a spring. Anna took her chance and embedded her rapier in it's chest. Smiling Anna pulled the weapon out and stood back, but the monster only howled in pain and bowled her over into a tree.

"What the..." Anna gasped in pain.
"Idiot!" Velken said sharply. "Only silver to the heart can kill a werewolf!"

"You could have told me that before!" Anna was getting impatient. This was going to end now. She moved as the werewolf took another swipe at her, instantly splintering the tree. Anna knew of only one thing made of silver on her person at the moment. "Distract it."Anna ordered taking off her boot.

"Are you mad? What are you going to do, kill it with fashion?" Velken said incredulously, but for once did as he was told. He moved into a sequence of perfectly timed attacks that kept the creature at bay. Her father had given her these boots at Christmas, the tips of the heels were silver.
"So when you ride you won't need to bother with spurs." Her father had proudly announced. When it was off she ran directly at the werewolf, slamming herself into it's chest.

The creature froze in shock for a second, then howled in pain falling backwards. Anna felt blood cover her hand holding her boot, that was embedded into the sword wound she had inflicted earlier. The werewolf looked down and desperately snapped at her, but she jumped backwards and fell into a snow bank. Velken covered for her, catching the werewolf's jaws on his sword. It snapped down and shattered the prince's weapon, but it was too late. The werewolf collapsed backwards and began to shudder uncontrollably. Anna watched the creature in it's death throws and was torn between pity and pride.

Pity won out when she saw the monster's true form. The hairy flesh melted away and there was a man laying in the snow with Anna's boot sticking out of his bloody and scarred chest. Anna felt every part of her body go cold. She had never been told what a werewolf truly was.
"I-I killed him." Anna shuddered.
"You certainly did. Good job." Boris laid a hand on his daughter's shoulder. The other one covered the gash across his face. The moment was bittersweet. Anna had waited so long to hear those words from her father, but at the expense of this...

"I killed a man." Anna's voice was hollow. So this is what mom meant.

"No, you killed a monster. Trash. Scum. Nothing more." Boris said coldly walked up and kicked the limp body. Velken nodded and Anna winced. "Let's get going you two. Your mother's going to have to have a look at this." He motioned to the gouge in his face wearily.

Boris and Velken left the clearing quickly, but Anna stayed behind. She tentatively walked up and gazed into the face of her victim. He was an older man, about forty. His hair was brown and graying, and his face even in death, looked anguished. His eyes were dark brown, like her father's. This was a man, not a monster, not a creature of fear. A man. And Anna had killed him. She knelt down in the snow and closed his shocked and gazing eyes. Making a cross she silently prayed, please God, welcome his soul...and forgive mine.
"Squirt!" Velken called to her from beyond the clearing. Anna got up and slid her boot out of its bloody sheath.

"We shall see each other again." She whispered to the corpse, then ran off to join her brother and father.

Okie dokie, sorry for the odd spacing! I hope it's easier to read!