Hunger
Fantasy-Horror
Jaune Arc / Pyrrha Nikos / Saphron Cotta-Arc / Terra Cotta-Arc
Having survived a slaughter by Mistral forces during the Great War, the Arc family was forced to make a dark choice in order to survive the winter. Now decades later the last remaining members of the Arc household work to stay hidden, amid a world that no longer knows of their existence.
/==/
A dark skinned, black haired, brown eyed woman wearing red framed glasses sat alone upon a fallen tree. The remains of five or six grimm dissipating around her, as he brought a hand to her lips. The squelch of flesh being torn and the crunch of bones being crushed emanated from her. It repeated several times, as the pale torn off hand she held slowly grew less and less.
"She's a glutton. Reign in the impulses of your mate Saphron."
"Leave her be Jaune. She's enjoying her treat. Besides it is her skills with the CCT that are finding us these little treasure troves."
"We wouldn't have to find so many to keep the larder full, if she had more self control." Jaune grunted as he effortlessly ripped an arm from the torso he was holding down with his foot.
"She's new to the hunger Jaune. She's suffered it for less than twenty years. She is doing well all things considered." Saphron countered as she took the offered limb and stuffed it into a padded sack.
"She needs to do better. Things will start getting suspicious if hunters keep ending up missing." Jaune spoke as he ripped the corpse's second arm free to hand it to Saphron.
"But Hunter meat is just so tasty. Plus that fear they have when they realize they can't stop us. Utterly delicious."
The blond pair ceased talk and focused on the task at hand. Dismembering the pair of bodies at their feet. With the ease of someone tearing tissue paper they removed limbs, and pulled open torsos. Butchering the once living like game animals.
"Do you want to play with that one's titties before we break her up, Jauney?" Saphron asked with a dark giggle.
"Let's get this over with." he grumbled. "The sooner we have everything packed the sooner we can get back to the larder."
"You're no fun little brother." Saphron pouted. "Still upset about what-is-her-face running off on you? That was almost twenty years ago, either go find her or let it go."
"And what good would it do to go find her?"
"You could convert her like Saphron did me." the dark haired woman remarked as she approached having finished her treat.
"Terra, she vanished after discovering my larder. I seriously doubt she would be as open to contracting the hunger as you were."
"In that case you could just kill and eat her." Terra offered.
"I will not be eating my former mate!" Jaune snarled, as he whipped around to face the smaller woman. His mouth bristling with thick dagger like teeth, and his fingers growing long and clawed.
"Jaune, enough!" Saphron scolded as she stepped between him and Terra. "She is my mate, and you will not treat her like she isn't now part of our pack. Mother and Father would never have wanted such a thing to happen."
Jaune huffed as he allowed his form to return to that of a lanky blonde haired teen. With an additional huff he walked over to the second corpse, and twisted her head off. Pulling her mouth open he reached in and tore out her tongue. Dropping the head to the matted and blood stained grass, he lifted the piece of flesh to his lips and took a large bite out of the bloody and tender muscle.
"Feeling better now that you have something fresh in your stomach?"
"Some." Jaune replied as he finished his little snack.
"We should hurry than. Like you said the sooner this meat is butchered the sooner we can get it home and into the larder."
Without another word the trio set to work. Tearing the remaining corpse apart, and stuffing the individual portions into one of several insulated packs they had brought with them. Leaving behind gut piles and the heads, minus their tongues; the trio walked off silently into the brush.
/=/
The trio bypassed Argus' wall, and the guards with simplistic ease. They knew the schedules, and rotations by heart, but even then they could pass by them as silent and noticeable as shadows. Passing through the rest of the bustling city was even less of an obstacle. So with the insulated packs upon their backs they slid into their shared dwelling and moved into the basement. Lining the walls where several chest freezers, and in the middle of the room a heavy well used counter with a thick, and heavy wooden top. Lined with an assortment of butchering tools.
With the packs placed on the floor, they set to work, processing their haul. Meat was peeled from bones, and set aside for further processing, as they set upon the bones. The larger ones where sawed into more manageable pieces, and as they sealed them away in vacuum packs. Once complete they carefully moved the packages and placed them into one of the freezers.
"Keep a few out." Saphron idly commented as she started to cut some of the more choice sections of meet into thin slices. "I'll make marrow stew tonight."
Terra moved to be near her mate, and began placing the slices onto mesh trays, and then sliding the filled ones into a wire metal rack. Jaune took his place on the far side of the counter and began with practised ease working the hunks of meat Saphron wasn't using into packets, before sealing them with the vacuum sealer.
"We will need one more hunt to be sufficiently stocked." he mentioned as he moved the packets to a different freezer. "We have plenty of organs and bones, just not as much meat as we should have."
"I'll sneak a peak into the duty roster, when I'm at work tomorrow." Terra informed, "See if there are any patrols or missions coming up soon."
"Pick something a week from now, or a little later. Too many too close together may get us noticed."
"You worry too much Jaune. We've been doing this for how long, and you still fret about the livestock noticing?"
"We still need to be careful. We are the last of our pack." Jaune fixed his older sibling with a glare, "Or don't you remember the only reason we survived the slaughter, was because we were away on a hunt."
"You don't have to give me that look, or remind me." she snarled. "But that was over fifty years ago, and they all paid."
"Aye, that they did." Jaune chuckled remembering the events of that day so long ago. "We had quite the glorious feast. But still... there are risks, and we need to keep them minimal."
"I'll look for something a week or so from now. I'll even try and track down one that is further from the walls."
"That would be a good choice of action. These last few have been too close to our den."
"I still say you worry too much little brother." Saphron stated again, "These ones don't know of the old ways, they have nothing that can harm us. I doubt any of these so called huntsmen, or huntresses even understand what we are when we close upon them."
"There are still some who could, or might know."
"Old and feeble, they are. Telling stories ignored by ignorant youth."
"Be that as it may, caution is always best." Jaune responded, "We need to finish up,. I'm looking forward to that marrow stew."
/=/
"In other news. The remains of hunter were discovered 10 kilometres from the outskirts of a logging camp just south of Argus. While attempts to identify have been hampered by what authorities are calling animal depredation upon the remains; it is believed they will be confirmed as those of Oliver Hamserstone." and still image of a smiling brown haired man appeared on the screen next to the news anchor. "Hamerstone was assigned to the camp to eliminate a small incursion of grimm that had been sighted in the area."
The trio watched the broadcast with little interest. The large wall mounted monitor was on to provide background noise, as Terra and Saphron cuddled on the couch, while Jaune idly thumbed through videos on his scroll.
"The search is still on for Azalea Primrose, a huntress who has gone missing during a routine patrol on the outskirts of Argus' wall." A still image of a smiling purple haired woman appears on the screen. "While their on no further or confirmed details at this time; suspicion is that a rouge grimm is responsible for her disappearance."
Juane looked up from his scroll to regard the tv. Snickering at the uselessness of the information, as the broadcast turned to the newest by-law that council was opening for public debate, he rose from his seat. Stretching, he yawned, and turned to head upstairs to his room.
"You know Jaune," Terra spoke causing him to pause in his exit from the living room, "If you give me some information I could cross reference it against the census database."
"And why would I want that done."
"So you could go and find her, or at least know that she is still around." Terra spoke softly from her placed wrapped in her mate's arms, "It would be, it is up to you if you want to know."
"Again why?"
"You are my mate's brother. You are the leader of this pack. It hurts to see you troubled." she spoke with a soft tender tone, "Maybe it would give you closure to know she is doing well?"
Jaune just sighed, and without a response left the room.
"In celebrity news, it has been reported and now confirmed via press release from her agent. That four-time Mistral Champion Pyrrha Nikos has declined an offer to attend Haven Academy in Mistral. Instead she has accepted an offer to become an alumni of renowned Beacon Academy in Vale." A stock image of Pyrrha is shown as the anchor continues to speak. "While there is much disappointment from her fan base her in Argus and Mistral, we here at Argus TV wish her the best, and look forward to her continued success in and out of the ring."
/=/
Jaune lay upon his bed. He was restless, and though he really didn't need to sleep, he forced himself into the habit. The better to pass as something he hadn't been for decades. The passage of time really had no meaning to them, and it just slipped by; barely noticed. Closing his eyes he thought back to the first times the hunger gnawed so strongly in his gut. It was five years into the war. The world was steeping in chaos. Mistral and Atlas forces had forced his family to hide, as they tore through their remote mountain village. It had been a slaughter. The fields were torched and all the storehouses raided.
When the Arc family returned, there was nothing to salvage, and with winter close, they had little choice but to attempt to survive. It was hard, much harder than they first would have imagined. The snows came early sealing the passes, leaving them trapped. Hunger gnawed at their guts, and he could remember the pitiful crying of his younger sisters. Out of options his father had made a desperate choice. The bodies of their fellow settlers had been well preserved by the cold climate. Coming down from the cave system they had first sought sanctuary in, they entered the ruins of their once home.
Using his ancestral sword his father hacked at frozen limbs as his mother gathered what little else that had yet to be scavenged. The scent of boiling meat churned their stomachs making the pangs of hunger even more pronounced. They new where the meat had come from, but the want to survive pushed them into a desperate path. He couldn't recall how long it took for the family of ten to work their way through the carrion left by the attack, but soon enough they were driven from their cave, ragged and dirty. Pangs of hunger still clawed with in them. Urging them out of their isolation into the rugged forests and mountain slopes.
The cold did not bite at their flesh as it used to. The darkness didn't hinder them as before. They knew they were changing, adapting to this new life they had been thrown into. An existence that was a twist to the natural way. In those slopes, and dense copes of trees they moved with swiftness and ease. Like a pack they searched, spreading out looking for that which they now craved. Stumbling upon a small Atlas scout part they set upon them, like feral beasts. It was a slaughter. Crimson splattered rags, and stained unkempt golden locks.
He could remember the deliciousness of those first kills. The sweetness of the fear tainted raw flesh. It gave them strength. Focused their purpose. In the next five years they ranged the mountains and deep forests. They feared not grimm nor faunus or man. They paid back the Mistral and Atlas forces ten times over, focusing all their anger and rage upon the trespassers, and transgressors.
Jaune shook his head, causing his blonde locks to flip about his head. A wicked grin crossed his features as he remembered those first years of the pack. He chuckled when his father and mother trained them in control, forcing them to be able to suppress the want to slaughter and feast. Then they moved. The war had ended, and as a single group they emigrated to the wilds of Anima. For many years they patrolled, gaining control and strength. Taking when they needed feed; until the decision was made for them to move back to Sanus. His father having decided they had spent enough time on vengeance.
They settled in Ansel, and for many years things were good, almost joyous. They easily hid what they truly were, keeping themselves slightly isolated and out of the public eye. He never knew how it happened, but only that it had. He and Saphron had been away. Scouring out possible new hunting pastures; but upon their return they found their home, their larder destroyed. Their loved ones nothing but ash.
Jaune rose from his bed, and took a seat at the desk. Pulling out a note pad he played with a pen before beginning to write. He wasn't sure if he really wanted to know, or if he could pass up the chance.
/=/
As Terra prepared to head out to work, Jaune approached her. With a questioning look she regarded him and the slip of paper he was pushing towards her.
"This is?"
"If you have time. I need to know."
"Of course." she responded with a nod of her head.
Jaune watched her leave. Her job being the linchpin of their ability for such successful hunts, but also a cover allowing them to keep up the facade of a regular home. Turning her regarded his sister Saphron as she descended the stairs from the second floor.
"We need to start making plans."
"What for Jaune?"
"We've been here for ten years. Soon people will start to talk."
"That is still a few years off. At least five, but more like ten."
"We should still start to plan."
"I will not go back to huts and caves, dear brother. I like having amenities."
"As do I, but we must be cautious. Too much can go wrong if anyone starts to suspect."
"They have nothing to suspect." Saphron laughed, in a musical tone. "We hunt outside the walls. Terra and I hold jobs. We look like a proper, human family. There is no reason for anyone to think any differently."
"I still want to be prepared."
"What happened to rest of our pack will not happen to us. We are too strong. We are much more discreet."
"Still..."
"I understand, and tonight we will start to discuss our options." Saphron sighed, "I do not like starting over, but if we must, we must."
Jaune just nodded, and stepped out of Saphron's way so she could finish getting ready to attend to her own job. After she had slipped out through the front door, Jaune was alone. Alone with his thoughts and fears. They had been in Argus officially for ten years. Unofficially for thirty. Every passing year in which the three did not age, like those around them; increasing the chance of discovery. Setting up a new home and larder would take time to do right, and he knew it was best to start the preparations sooner rather than later.
/=/
Terra had slid the piece of paper back into Jaune's hand when she returned from work. After supper he had opened it. He read the details it contained; and now he stood hidden in the shadows of a small two bedroom home, on the far side of Argus. Gaining entrance was of little difficulty. Sliding his thing clawed fingers through a gap in a barely open window, he just brute strengthened it open; snapping the flimsy lock that tried to keep it secure.
He had taken his time to roam around the dark and empty building. Taking in the displays of trophies and pictures of two red haired women. He knew one of them, not the other. Hearing the approach of heeled feet upon the walkway leading to the front door, he stepped back, allowed himself to meld with the shadows of a nearby corner. Slowing his breathing he waited. The door slowly opened, and in she walked. Framed in the light of the entryway, he knew for certain who she was. Her short crimson hair surrounding a soft pale face. It was her. She had aged, but aged well. Her green eyes framed by brown framed glasses still as vibrate as he remembered.
He waited hidden in the shadows as she put down her purse, and removed her heels and then coat. He watched as she moved into the main living area, and reached for the light switch. Flipping the switch activated a lamp situated in the corner near a well used arm chair; a basket of knitting needles, and yard on the floor beside it. He remained hidden, taking in the sight of her; trying to decide if he should just leave or reveal himself. When she moved into the kitchen and flipped on the light, he made his move.
"Helena." she whipped around in fright at the whispered name. Her hands grabbing along the kitchen counter for anything she could use as a weapon. Her green eyes grew wide and her voice was choked off as soon as she saw him standing there in the kitchen doorway. It was him, just as she remembered him, just as he was nineteen years ago.
"I just wanted to see you one last time." he whispered, keeping his distance from her. "I noticed all the pictures, you have a beautiful daughter. From all the awards and trophies it seems she is very talented. You and her father must be very..."
"You can't have her!" Helena screamed as her hand closed upon the handle of a chief's knife.
Jaune took a step back at ferocity of her outburst, and quickly snatched out his left hand intercepting Helena's right which was brandishing the knife. He closed his fingers about her wrist in a steel like grip; just enough to hold her at bay, but not cause any injuries.
"She's mine! You can't have her! You have no fucking right! Monster!"
"What are you..."
"Leave! Get away! Crawl back into what ever fucking pit you came from!"
Jaune held firm, his strength easily holding her without effort. His sharp blue eyes studied her, trying to understand her reaction. He could understand her fear, he knew she was well aware that he was unnatural. She had fled from him upon discovering his hidden larder during his short time in Mistral. What he couldn't understand was her sudden rage at the mention of her daughter. He tightened his grip slightly causing her to gasp.
"I'm not here to hurt you. I only wanted to see you one last time." Jaune spoke his tone soft almost like a gentle breeze. "As soon as you calm down I will leave. You will never see me again."
"You can't have her!" Helena sobbed, dropping the knife and gripping at his wrist with her free hand. "You can't have her. I wont let you take her. I wont."
"Why would I want her?"
"You can't..." her voice grew weaker as her sobs grew stronger. Jaune just looked at her, unsure of what was triggering the reaction. Allowing his mind to replay the time before and her reactions, he noticed something. All the pictures were of her and her daughter. There were none with any male figures. While he reasoned that didn't mean there was no father.
"How old is she?" Jaune asked, only getting broken choking sobs in response. So he reached out with his other hand and gripped her shoulder gently, "Helena, how old is your daughter?"
"(Sob)"
"Who is her father?"
"(Sob)"
"Helena? Tell me."
"You... can't... have... her. She's... mine..."
Jaune released his grip on the distraught woman, causing her to collapse to the floor. He stepped back his mind rolling with a chaotic flood of thoughts. Turning from her, he moved through the living room and left through the front door. Behind him, Helena curled in upon herself. Tears freely streaming down her cheeks, as she let out wordless choking sobs.
/==/
So not sure how I like the "origin" portion of this chapter, but for now it is what it is.
As so everyone knows. Saphron, Terra and Jaune are Wendigo, not vampires or werewolves. I've had to take some liberties due to the lack of a solidified description of their powers and appearance. Every ability I am using is at least mention in one of the several searches I have done, but again this depiction is not true to Native American Lore concerning the creature.