Grimwood Hunting

The sky was a bright orange as the sun rose back in place, shining over the woods and the traveling Victoria as she marched through the brush and dirt.

Her inky black hair spilled from the red hood she wore that protected her from what the woods held, underneath it she wore a white blouse and a dark pair of pants, with her boots caked entirely in mud.

Her olive green eyes scanned the horizon as the village she was traveling to came into view, with its large walls peeking over the treetops. She eventually reached the gate where two guards in dark green uniforms stood, both their eyes sagged by bags and darkened by rings of sleepless nights.

They stood at full attention upon noticing her, both brandishing rifles at her despite their unsteady grips on them.

The tallest one steadied himself, his greying brown hair limp with sweat as his tired green eyes attempted to look her over.

"You there, state your name and business for entering Railen!" His voice was deep and rough, like it was the first time in a while he had to properly use it. The man next to him was trying his best to stay awake, showing he wasn't fully accustomed to missing sleep.

Victoria held up her hands, knowing they were mostly suspicious of the axe on her waist and rifle peeking over her back, as the older man barked at her again.

"Again, tell us the purpose of your visit or we will use force to remove you!"

"My name is Victoria and I'm only visiting to gather supplies for my trek." She spoke, pulling her compass that lacked its red needle from her pouch and presented it to the guard. "As you can see my visit isn't to cause harm, so may I pass?"

The guard stammered, lowering his rifle and forcing his younger partner to lower his as well, his posture relaxing as he stepped aside whilst he watched Victoria put up her compass.

"Yes, right away ma'am, sorry for the inconvenience!" His voice became softer as he made a welcome gesture for Victoria. "Our village has seen better days, but enjoy your stay for however long you need it."

The village of Railen was dense with buildings and market stalls, yet it wasn't reflected by the people roaming about as there were hardly any children. It was mostly adults with hollow looks on their faces, whatever children that Victoria could find were clung tightly to their parents as they passed by her like she'd take off with them or the child would suddenly vanish if let go. Everyone gave her sideways glances and hushed murmurs the second they looked at her, like she wasn't allowed to be in the village or her very being was a problem in its own right.

She didn't let it affect her, even when the locals became more rigid and made it harder to pass by. The only thing affecting her was the emptiness of her stomach and the relentless growling as it demanded food.

A delicious meaty scent caught hold of her nostrils, guiding her through the streets to the marketplace with that scent pushing through the scent of fresh bread and other aromas. At the source of the delicious scent was a tanned burly woman with round eyes the color of silver, her face decorated with the natural smile of a salesperson seeing a fortune. In front of her were steamy fresh meat pies the size of Victoria's hand, almost definitely packed with delicious flavor.

"Welcome welcome, I see you're a new face to the village." The woman's voice was like honey on top of the enchanting scent. "We haven't been getting much visitors lately, so you must be quite the special one!"

It seemed odd, she was the only one not giving an ugly look to Victoria but it only made her more suspicious. She instinctively reached for the axe on her hip only for the woman to hold up her hand, that smile still resting on her face.

"Relax, the people of this town are just cautious of visitors right now, they're letting it affect their judgement." The woman's eyes narrowed as she looked Victoria up and down like she was a piece of inventory for sale, before finally resting on her pouch. "If ol' Darrius at the gate let you pass you must be one of them monster hunters, a Weaver."

Victoria smirked, moving her hand from her weapon to her pouch.

"You're quite perceptive and correct, though I'm not here on official business just passing by  to gather supplies." Victoria spoke, relaxing a bit chatting with the woman. "How much for a small basket of meat pies? Approximately ten or twelve of them."

"About twenty-five crowns, young one." The woman spoke, already putting together a small basket for Victoria without questioning the order. "And you're right about being perceptive, you won't make it far in Everfar without sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong. Word of the wise dear, start wearing your Starchild where everyone can see it otherwise they'll only see the weapons first."

Victoria nodded, placing silver and bronze coins with crown patterns on the stall as she took the basket.

"Noted." Victoria spoke, one question crossing her mind. "Do you know why the town is acting the way it is?"

The woman's expression turned sullen, sunken completely from the happier mask it once held.

"Aye, the recent kidnappings are why, with children going missing every night from their homes."  Victoria flinched at the words, how callously the saleswoman spoke them as if discussing the weather. "The men who frequent my stall suspect it's women taking out their frustrations they couldn't be mothers, the women suspect it's men trafficking them for money, but I refuse to think humans could be that cruel to the children of others. Of course, it might just be luck or coincidence, but I think your arrival tells us what it really is. One of those monsters, a Fairy Tale."

Victoria grit her teeth, the woman's gaze burrowing into her until she nodded. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was wanting, and Victoria crossed her arm over her chest with a stern look.

"I promise on my honor that I'll help this village, you can count on it." Victoria spoke, a more genuine smile on the woman's face appearing on her face.

True to the saleswomans' word the nasty glances seemed to disappear as they glanced at the compass hooked onto her hood, though some still moved wary about her. Granted that may have been to her lacking the proper manners as she was busy tearing into the meat pies at the same pace she was walking, not caring about the crumbs or attempting to be ladylike. Its not like that ever bothered Victoria, she felt more comfortable just unabashedly being herself.

"Excuse me, miss!" The young voice came with a tug on her hood. "Those are Mrs Barna's meat pies, right?"

It was a young boy, dirt on his cheeks and his brown hair dusty though his emerald eyes were still pure. All his clothes were dirty and caked in mud, the sleeves torn and he seemed to be missing a shoe. He looked at the meat pies like he hadn't eaten in forever, so Victoria grabbed a meat pie from her basket and tore it in half as the  scent was unleashed to her nostrils and she handed one half to the boy.

"Christopher!" An older woman cried out, running up to the two to snatch the boy's wrist before he could take the meat pie half, she looked much more presentable and clean complete with bright rosy cheeks and silky hair. "I take my attention away from you for just a second and you're already doing this, you little glutton?!"

Victoria watched it confused, a couple passerbys chuckling to themselves as they watched the woman and boy bicker to one another until the woman looked at Victoria with a hand clamped over the boy's mouth and a worn look on her face.

"I apologize for my brother, he just likes doing this so people will take pity on him and give him food, I think the brat has an endless pit for a stomach." The woman sighed, only to stiffen up at the sight of the compass on Victoria and immediately picked up her sunflower print dress to curtsy and smacked her brother up the head so he'd bow. "Forgive us, acting this way in front of a Weaver! I am Amelia Hertz and this is my younger brother Christopher!"

Victoria attempted an awkward bow, trying her best with how many eyes were on them and chattering amongst themselves, and as she got a better look at the boy Christopher he did seem to be on the plumper side.

"Excuse me, I hope it's not much trouble but I suspect there might be more trouble regarding a Fairy Tale here." Victoria spoke, looking at Amelia and her brother. "Would it be alright if I lodged with you two for the night?"

The brother and sister looked at each other and nodded then to Victoria with large grins. Their home wasn't what one would expect from Christopher's appearance, it was decorated from floor to ceiling with lanterns hanging and illuminating the space to a bear skin rug in front of their fireplace. According to what Amelia said on the way, their father was a successful lumberjack and thus that's where their fortune came from.

Of course once Victoria asked about their mother Amelia's face turned sullen, the only thing she got was the two were half siblings and that was it. It wasn't her business to really pry further into it.

Victoria rested in the warm water of her bath, it had been far too long since she's rested like this, usually staying barely asleep while camping in case of bandits ambushing her or hungry predators thinking she was easy prey. Hence while Amelia washed her clothes, Victoria still kept her axe and rifle nearby. She had gotten too used to wearing her hood at all times she usually forgotten what she looked like without it, her ears long and pointed with dark fur tipping them.

The water was soothing to the scars and cuts that decorated her body, some inflicted by people or monsters whilst others were self inflicted. Not like it really mattered much in the grand scheme of things, she wasn't really planning on settling down or retiring anytime soon.

"Ms Weaver, your clothes are ready! Shall I leave them out here for you?" Amelia's voice came with a knocking on the dark wooden door.

Victoria jolted up, she didn't think she lost track of time that quickly, granted it's not like she had much downtime to herself.

"You can leave them out there, it'll be fine!" Victoria responded, leaning on the edge of the tub, a small grin on her lips. "Also please don't be so formal with me, I'm just a regular person like you, alright?"

It took a while for Amelia to respond, the girl must've been taking a while to figure out what to say and all she had was a quick "Ok!" before what sounded like quickly scampering off. Victoria finally emerged from the tub and wrapped herself in a towel as she got the basket of her clothes from outside the door.

Her clothes felt fresh and brand new, even some tears and holes were sewn up, though the boots were still caked in mud. The brother and sister watched in excitement as Victoria came downstairs as she fiddled with her hood to get it right. The scent of the food enveloped the living area and only drove to make Victoria even hungrier.

"I also made you a plate, I'm not sure meat pies are a good substitute for a meal." Amelia spoke, handing over a rather full plate of steak and vegetables with mashed potatoes.

"Oh no, I can't accept this." Victoria shook her head, her stomach arguing with her as she pushed the plate away from Amelia. "It wouldn't be right, I'm not even a proper guest."

Amelia fought back with the growling of Victoria's stomach, a pleading look on her face.

"Please, its fine, you won't be harming anything." Amelia said, shoving the plate into Victoria's hands with a satisfied look on her face as Victoria just gave up. "You don't have to be a proper guest to need a good meal, so get some drink and take a seat."

The juicy steak exploded in Victoria's mouth, the meat was medium rare and packed with herbs and flavor, the vegetables were fresh and prepared so well they blended in flavors with the steak and rich creamy mashed potatoes. It was so heavenly that Victoria wanted to forgo the fork and knife and just shovel it all in her mouth to finish it all quickly, yet she had to be somewhat presentable.

"Its really good, yeah?" Christopher chuckled, watching Victoria all amused as he ate around his vegetables. "My sister's cooking is the best is the whole village!"

"Oh please, I'm not that amazing Christopher."  Amelia replied, taking a bite of the asparagus on her plate. "And eat your vegetables, they'll keep you healthy and hopefully keep you thin."

Victoria smiled, watching the siblings as she decided to slow down her eating. It reminded Victoria of her own family and how long it had been since she ate a proper meal like this, she hadn't seen them in quite a while due to her travels and being a Weaver so it would be nice to see them every now and then. Her attention got brought back to reality when a pea bounced off her forehead into her mashed potatoes followed by more bickering.

"Ms Weaver, can I hold your gun?" Christopher asked,  another pea primed on his fork ready to flick at either Victoria or Amelia instead of actually eating it. "I've never seen anything like it before!"

"Christopher, you don't ask Weavers if you can touch their equipment!" Amelia shouted at her, grabbing his wrist before he could flick the pea at her. "Don't get your nasty mitts on it!"

Victoria just watched and grabbed her rifle from under the chair, surprising the two. It was a hunting rifle with a wooden finish and golden highlights, she usually carried the bullets inside her coat at all times.

"Your sister's right, you can't touch my gun." She spoke, wielding it with ease like one would casually use a pencil, its weight familiar and comfortable in her grip. "But I don't mind if you watch me clean it after we have dinner, I don't mind."

Christopher smiled and began furiously eating, not caring if he got vegetables in his bites as well, while Amelia watched over to make sure he didn't choke himself by accident. Victoria just chuckled and ate, keeping to herself as she finished her food and topped off her drink.

"Oh, you don't have to!" Amelia spoke as she watched Victoria wash her plate in the sink. "I could've done it for you, you're a guest and on top of that a Weaver!"

"It's fine, I don't like being a guest who expects everything to be done for her!" Victoria responded, finishing up her plate as she walked back to her seat to grab her weapons. "The food was amazing, Amelia, now if you'll excuse me."

Tending to her rifle was always second nature to Victoria, she knew every piece and where it went, how to clean it. Her axe was like an extension of her arm, her fingers managed a groove in the handle and the head seen fair use alongside loving attention with how she made sure it always stayed sharp and polished.

"If you're wondering, keeping everything in my hood and cloak is more convenient than pockets." Victoria spoke already knowing Christopher was watching her, putting a strap of leather into her cloak. "Any other questions, boy?"

"Have you really shot monsters dead with it?" It was clear his attention was more on the rifle than anything else with Victoria, maybe it was first time seeing one. Nonetheless it wasn't really a good idea to humor him with it further.

"You sure seem interested in this more than anything." Victoria spoke, looking at the boy with a confused look. "Are you planning on using on in the future?"

The boy's smile grew wide as he nodded furiously.

"Yeah, it's my dream to become a Weaver when I get older!" He exclaimed, bouncing up and down on his knees as he looked at Victoria with electric eyes and a vicious grin. "It'll be so cool to be a hero, protecting everyone and fighting monsters!"

Victoria sighed and stood up, adjusting her hood as she looked at the boy, a tight grip on her gun while he sunk into the seat. All his energy suddenly gone.

"If you're keen on becoming a Weaver, following in the footsteps of those before you, you need better conviction than being a hero fighting evil." She told him, slinging her rifle over her shoulder so it rested on her back, the axe on her hip. "Its nothing like the books you've read, there's no villain for us to fight, so if you're serious about it you best think about that."

She then knelt down, poking his stomach a bit with a smirk.

"Plus lose some of the plump." She stood up as the chime of a grandfather clock echoed in the living area as Amelia walked in, drying her hands on a towel and pat Christopher on the head.

"Its time for bed, you think you can sleep in your own room tonight?" Amelia asked with Christopher shaking his head in response. "Fine, but you can walk yourself up the stairs this time."

As the two walked upstairs with Amelia with her promising to get Victoria a blanket and pillow, Victoria noticed something rather odd on the couch seat that Christopher was sitting on. Rose petals, rather bright red ones, and next to them was a smushed rose blossom of the same color yet Victoria couldn't help but find it strange. It didn't look like it was plucked or cut from the stem, and when she picked up one of the petals she cut herself on a thorn she didn't even notice was there. Like it was part of the petal itself.

She'd be a fool to pick up the blossom, especially if there were more of those surprise thorns decorating it. Peering over the blossom, it looked as if the petals were attempting to form an eye instead of the usual shape it took.

"What the?" Victoria asked herself, her thoughts getting smashed short as she heard a loud crash and screaming coming from upstairs. "Amelia!"

She ran up the stairs, plucking her axe from its resting spot on her hip as she followed the sounds of screams until she eventually kicked open the door to the room they were coming from. Amelia laid on the floor, the destroyed remnants of her bedroom window scattered across the floor and standing in front of them attempting to hold a struggling Christopher was a monster.

Its pointed ears scraped the ceiling just barely with bright rose petals flowing out of various cuts of its dark red body. It stared at the two women with pink eyes, the pupils shaped like roses, and it held a bleeding Christopher tightly despite his struggles in its large arms with sharp clawed hands where most of the petals seemed to be coming from. The monster roared at them, baring jagged fangs that could shatter bone.

"Rose-Red!" Victoria barked, jumping forward with a piece of glass crunching under her boot, swinging her axe at its head just enough to not graze Christopher in his struggles, only to miss as it quickly backed away and the axe head hit the wall instead. "Damnit!"

Before Victoria could pull the axe free, the Rose-Red kicked her hard in the gut though she quickly recovered herself so she didn't fall on the broken glass. As the monster backed away and began to turn towards the hole it made in the wall, Victoria pulled a knife from her coat and quickly jammed it deep in its shoulder with the hilt hitting its skin causing the Rose-Red to howl in pain especially as she began driving the blade down with petals flying from the freshly cut wound.

Victoria narrowly avoided hitting her head on a shelf as the monster knocked her back, staggering her just a bit. The monster puffed out its chest and spat out something and whatever it was cut open her shoulder, a bit of blood splattering on her cheek. It stung, but it either went through or only sliced her open since it didn't feel like it got stuck in her skin. Victoria tried to concentrate on the monster, the screams of both siblings falling deaf on her ears, but rather it was the scent of blood in the air driving her nuts.

Her blood and Christopher's, plus the petals flowing from the Rose-Red that smelled sweet like honey. She took a broad step forward, one of the petals smearing like blood under her boot with more of that sweet scent flooding the room. The only thoughts flooding her head were fighting either cut the monster open to spread more of that delicious scent or just to strike it down to tear into the potentially as sweet flesh, her grip tightening on the handle of her axe as she went to pull it out of the wall.

Too slow. Victoria was too slow when she went for a swing at the monster's head, as it backed away and fell out of the hole it created with Christopher. The scent of blood mixed with the honey smelling petals still dancing in the air, Victoria's mouth watering so much she could drown in her own saliva, her breathing quick and ragged as she dropped to her knees. If she had a tail, it'd be beating hard against the wooden floor by now. The stinging pain in her shoulder was replaced by a surge of adrenaline, like a wolf finding a rather amusing prey.

With a grip still on the axe, Victoria leaped outside the hole after the Rose-Red with a crazed fanged grin and some splinters from the floor dug out by her newly sharp claw-like nails, already taking off in pursuit against the Rose-Red.

Only one thing flashed through Victoria's head. Her hunt has begun.