"Huh, huh, huh." soft breaths released from my mouth as I moved through this snow filled forest, my bow in the right hand and left one grabbing an arrow from my quiver. The heavy winter was making the hunt even more difficult than always, and it was always difficult.
The cold in this godforsaken frozen mountain was just too unbearable, even through my heavy robes which were made to survive the harsh winters.
Almost 5 years of this experiencing this winter hunt, on my own and I still can't get used to the feeling of numbness in my body. It makes me feel more like a beast trying to survive rather than a human.
Though I suppose the comparison between the 2, would not be incorrect, as I am starving animal looking for food to survive. Only this animal is smarter than the ones who get hunted.
The icy winds of the mountain feel like a thousand needles piercing my skin every single agonizing moment, as I search for my prey today.
The long and heavy blue coat not being much help against the cold and wet boots are there to increase the feeling of misery. The thick fog of the mountains making it almost impossible to see more than a few feet clearly. It was very inviting but I only accept invitations from warm places.
"Chhuck, chhuck." Came the sound of movement on ice, from a few feet away from and my instincts guided me to quickly hide behind a tree for cover. Looking from behind it I see a deer!!
And a big one at that!
"Ahh." A giddy sigh leaves me, that my pst few hours have not gone to waste.
I crouch and get in the position shoot the deer. Straight into the head, direct death no suffering.
My bow which actually used belong to my father during his military days has now lost its once pristine royal shine and has become colourless, just a curved metal rod with a string made of linen by me, with a bunch of wild arrows prepared by me.
There's also his dagger that I really don't bother with, other than cutting plants or skinning the animal that's on the menu the day. Although these days there only seems to be water on the menu.
This is the first animal that I have spotted in days, food has been scarce during this season as the cold makes all the animals migrate south and that makes hunting on a empty stomach even more horrible.
As I stand there watching the deer munch on some leaves, I almost feel bad for hunting the animal, but those traitorous thoughts are pushed away by my own animal 'empty stomach' reminding me for the need of food.
So I compose myself, taking a deep breath and try to relax as the icy air fills my lungs and nock a arrow and take aim at that deer's head and focus and then,
"Whoosh!" watch the arrow fly at its head.
I watch with bated a breath as the arrow closes on its head and then....
"Thuckk!"
Missing by a hair's width and getting stuck in thr bark of the tree as it moves it's head slightly at the last moment. The sound alarming the animal and causing it to sprint away into the forest.
"Damn it!! No,no,no,no!!" I curse and quickly start chasing it, running through the snowy mountains after the deer. I raced though the rough and uneven lands, the cold shallow puddles of water sometimes making me slip but not losing sight on my target, I couldn't go hungry today as well, because I don't think I'll be able to stand tommorrow on just water again.
The deer starts running uphill, making it more diificult on me, but I know that I can't keep this chase up forever so I quickly jump on a tree and start to climb high enough for a final shot, a gamble but my only choice.
"Fuuhh." I release my breath as, I nock the arrow and take aim once again.
'This is it, don't miss .' I think to myself and, release the arow .
FWIIIH! It flies through the air and then FHISHH!!!
'Another miss.' I think to myself
despondently as I see the deer run away and my arrow stuck in the snow.
The dissapointment bubbling inside me is almost immeasurable as feel like crying from frustration that's been accumulating over the past few days when,
"CHHK,CHHK"
Small sounds of movement cime to me from below the tree I was sitting on. As I bent down to see the, I found myself staring into the red eyes of a white winter rabbit and its entire family.
"Looks like a feast tonight." I say to myself as jump down with my dagger right on top of them with what I am sure to be a deranged smile.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A few moments later I am trekking down the mountain with the entire of dead rabbits hung over my shoulder.
''I wonder how Jai is doing?'' I talk aloud to myself. Jai is a orphan, like myself but only 5 years old, whereas I am uproaching 18 myself.
He is just the most happy and optimistic person in the entire village. In a place full of cold, hardships, trust issues and just not very nice people in general it's nice to have a small change of pace in the form of 3 foot child.
''Hmm, stew or roast? Stew will last longer but roast does taste much better. Hmm, decisions, decisions.'' I think to myself as I keep trekking.
Lost in thought I don't even notice when it's starts snowing again until one falls on my nose snapping me out of my distracting but delicious and important thoughts.
I look up in the sky as the snow falls and take a deep breath. Ice has always had a calming effect on me as if it couldn't hurt me.
That's why the moment a snow flake fell on me I realized something's wrong.
"The ice isn't cold." I muttered to my self only to realise it's not snow but rather ashes falling down.
'No' dread settles into my stomach as I run as fast as I can towards my village, panic rising in my chest, worry that it's another attack by bandits and for Jai, the small gluttonous kid with too bright of a smile and the only person close to me anymore, my only family left.
The moment I arrive at the edge of the village I just fall down on my knees from shock at the scene in front of me.
The complete village is on fire, the houses and shops burning, people running for escape and calling for help getting killed or beat up. But it's not of the attack but rather who's attacking us.
It's not the bandits, but instead
"Our own military ?" I whisper in shock seeing the familiar insignia on the attackers armor as that was on my father's old armor.
"Jai" I whisper in fear when I notice that I still have the rabbits and pulling myself out my stupor.
"Right can't let you die kid, I'm going to need help finish eating these rabbis ." I say to myself, as I steel my mind, gather my weapons and head into the fiery landscape .
____________________________________________________________________________________________
As I walk the familiar streets, just on fire , covered in blood and broken things
and dead people now, I try not to concentrate on them, knowing I won't be able to keep my composure, I sneakily head towards my home.
With my bow in hand, arrow nocked and ready, the coat that was previously offering warmth against the cold landscape, now was constrainng my movements and causing too much heat. Still I didn't dare to take it off, not wanting to lose the little safety it offered.
Something to protect is better than nothing.
As soon as my home comes in view I relax a little.
Big mistake.
Because the very next moment a sword is almost at my throat drawing a piece of cloak, and the only reason I continue to live is me slipping on ice below me and and quickly shuffling to the side.
"Agh!" a groan escapes my mouth, followed by "Oh shit!" as I roll away to dodge the following overhead strike from the soilder.
As I quickly get on my knees reaching for my bow, the man kicks me in the ribs with such strength that I almost feel them breaking, taking out the air in my lungs and tears almost falling from my eyes due to the pain.
"AAAAAGH" I scream out from the pain when I am flipped over and the soilder is standing over me, his bloody sword ready in his arm to impale me.
"Should have run away little girl." He says mockingly as he prepares for the finishing blow.
Quickly with the only thing available in my hands being ice I quickly throw it on his face blinding him and then sweeping his legs below him making him fall and quickly get up.
"Aagh! Oh you are so dead now!" He snarls out angrily, almost shaking in rage.
"Says the man getting beat up by a girl."
I reply with hostility bringing out my dagger. My bow is out of my reach so that's the only weapon I can use, not ideal getting in close with a enemy with a bigger blade and also physically stronger.
The action me taking out the dagger brings a smile out of his face as readies his sword again and we circle each other.
"Looks like there is a fighter in this village of cowards." He says with a sadistic grin, " Maybe coming here won't be a waste of time after all."
"And it looks like the military has really fallen down, if they are recruiting people like you." Came my retort automatically.
"OH ho, you know just for that I'll kill take my time killing you slowly. "
And so....
"Haah!" He makes the first move with a barrage of heavy swings from his sword causing me stay on defensive and keep moving knowing even one of those hits will be dangerous for me.
But with my focus on his sword, I don't see the kick coming until it connects with my stomach.
"Aagh!" I wail loudly as I crash through the door of the house behind me and cradle my stomach due to the pain.
The kick felt as though my stomach has exploded inside my body internally, causing so much pain that tears start leaking from my eyes and I almost feel like passing out from the pain.
I see the soilder coming slowly, but my ears are ringing from the impact so much that I cant hear properly, making it so that I can't hear what he is saying.
"Agh" a pained grunt releases from my mouth as the ringing in ears go way, and I become aware of the fact that I am being held up by my black long hair.
"So long, girl!" The soilder says menacingly as he draws his sword back and brings it plunge into my stomach, as things slow down for a moment, my body just acts on its own and stabs my dagger, right into the soilder's throat killing him.
"Guugh" he makes a strangled and choking noise before falling down dead, and I quickly try to get my bearings.
"Oh god." I say to myself realizing that I almost died.
A normal person would be overwhelmed by the feelings of killing another person, but to me it didn't feel any different than killing another animal.
It was a kill or be killed world afterall.
"Get up. We still have to find Jai." I say to myself, as I slowly stand up through the pain and head towards the broken door, collecting my bloodied dagger, bow and my arrow quivers. There is pain all over my body from the fight, but I don't focus on them, only on the path ahead.
A path consisting of 4 more soldiers in the way, coming my way. The fight must have alerted them of me.
''4 soldiers, 5 arrows, one me. Shouldn't be to difficult.'' I think to myself, coming up with a plan.
Turns out it's very difficult, as I advance forward with my arrow nocked and as I shoot the first person in the head causing him to die immediately, causing the others to get alert.
"Get her!" the one nearest to me shouts as they rush towards me and I shoot another arrow at the second one.
"Aagh!" He makes a strangled sound before collapsing, hopefully dead.
The third person gets to close so I just under his sword swing, and stab my arrow through his throat, and throwing my dagger at the last person left alive right between eyes and so he falls down and slides a little before stopping before me.
I just jump over his body and run into the direction of my home.
Quickly I reach my home almost rip open the doors
"JAI!!" I shout out looking for him but all I see is sacked and destroyed house, so I quickly go towards the backside of my plot, and the sight shocks me.
"No." I say to myself as I fall on my knees loking straight at the body of familiar 5 year old that was hanged by the tree and on fire.
Around me the snow kept falling and the world kept burning.