There is nothing more bittersweet than time. People evolve, communities re-educate and thrive, and conflict eventually comes to a halt. Blood stains that once littered the ground were replaced with beautiful flowers and fresh grass. Tall trees you could lose yourself in if you looked up too long. Spring cicadas chirped all year round, toads croaked, and birds sang if you were lucky, the low hum of the forest deer would whisper at you. All of these beautiful things bloomed in the dim forest light. All except one...
Its roots were small and its body disfigured, it still drank the morning dew like the rest, but its underwoven silk rested heavier. Nothing grew near or around it; mites refused to nibble, and creatures looked on inside the intertwined roots, as if its very existence instilled fear even in Mother Nature. The time it had dwelled there was unknown, and the fact that it remained untouched despite its size and colour was somewhat of a mystery. A fungus that resembled a chunky spider sat dormant, its head blood red in colours that resembled a pulsating parasite; its gills were a rose shade of pink that darkened the closer it gained the root. Its ruby shell captivated everything around it. Four large legs held special meaning. One leg for each clan. Sanguis clan, Latin for "Blood clan". Its long leg stretched east and glimmered blood red, pointing the direction of the living dead, the blood drinkers that sulked in the night. Another leg stretched North, its spiky leg frilled with a pale Grey: Lupus clan, home to the moon affliction, strength in numbers. Wolves of substantial size ruled the woods. Another stretched West, its bubbling green, misshapen leg represented the Witches, their incentive luring and devilish practices represented nothing but rot. They looked out for no one, not even their own. Last but not least, nudging South, its pitch-black leg cracked with peeling red, led to the Demon realm. Place of the soulless, the empty, feeding endlessly to please their hunger. All of them remained in their designated territory, unless summoned to the council.
Gradually, the birds wearily guarding the circle around the fungus began to flap desperately away, and rats and lizards scuttled back into the trees. Cicadas grew silent, replaced by a low chuckle, then a soothing hum. Two pale feet, their toenails black, danced through the crunchy, dead earth until they stood inches from the fungus. Two pink, cracked lips grinned widely, revealing green, rotting teeth, before pursing, spilling blood, and she spat at the fungus violently. It flecked red initially, but like acid burned a titanium white. With Venom on her tongue, she placed her hand on the fungus and chanted quietly.
"May violence find you upon your mare. Pray loudly, hunter and avoid its stare. Your line of males has come undone. Fret not, your loins are not yet done. You will rue the day you ever fought her. I hereby curse the womb of your firstborn daughter. Peace of this land will come undone, will she choose her darkness or migrate to the sun?"
Gently, a vein of white began to spread throughout the ploom, weaving quickly into the dead earth and creating white patterns along the path to the North. As quickly as the grim feet came, they quickly fled, followed by the chaotic sounds of angry wolves, furious men, and screaming women. Silence had escaped the forest and was instead filled with the sound of the hunt. Pounding footsteps, unrooted turf as they swept through, and the distinct metallic smell of blood and disease. Then a sharp low voice that startled you to your core bellowed.
"God dammit, I said not to kill her! Now we'll never know!"
*GASP!*
Sweating like a waterfall sat a tall, slim young woman in her single poster bed. Small gasps of cold air escaped her cherry-plump lips. It was so cold in the room, even the sweat from her skin steamed in the dusk slithering through her condensation-stained blinds. 11 old fashioned blankets weighed her legs down, each various colours and patterns, but all worn the same. Sighing, two pale, thin hands gripped her head before gently moving her strands of lily-white hair from her face. Two sets of velvet jet lashes revealed a set of Aquamarine blue eyes that glared tiredly around the room. The same old cream brick walls. Barely holding together the oak wooden roof, and of course floorboards that sounded like the symphony of the dead. Grabbing her hair tie and brush from her bedside table, she hopped up. The only thing in the room that looked even relatively new was her vanity table, and that was only because she'd made it herself. She's carved little bugs into the wood, along with elk, their antlers stuck out sharply from the mirror frame. With varnish, she'd hand-sanded every inch and made it look as best she could from the tree stump she'd erected it from. Creaking along, she sat down in front of the mirror and began speedily braiding her hair into two plaits. Her hair was thick, so thick you could hang a coat hanger from it if she didn't maintain its care. Like clockwork, her head kept glancing at the door as if waiting for something. As she checked herself in the mirror one last time, she returned her gaze to the door only to be met with a blanket of cloth. A stern stomach sat a few inches from her face.
"Good morning." She said with a smirk. The stomach turned quickly into a chest and then even quicker into a very bemused face. Two stern grey eyes connected with hers, and a slick, heavy nose twitched as he studied her up and down. Just as the air appeared tense enough to cut a knife, the man stood up and burst into laughter.
"Here I was thinking you'd be a different person when you turned 16." He chuckled, giving her a little shoulder pat, his eyes suddenly full of affection. The girl's lips churned into a smile as he pulled a package from behind his back. It was brown, wrapped in string; she could tell he'd wrapped it himself.
"Happy Birthday, Eden." He said with a heartfelt smile. With that, she untied the string and opened the wrapping to reveal a long wooden box with the name Barter engraved on the top. Immediately, she looked up in shock, and he shooed his hands, telling her to keep going. As she slid open the lid, the silver was so bright it almost blinded her. Inside was a knife, serrated and sharp. Its handle was golden brown and ridged, but its main event sat embedded in the handle. A blue topaz, her birthstone, was concealed in glass visible on both sides.
Arms wrapped around him in a flash, and he chuckled almost in relief. Eden's blond hair reached up to his shoulder. It always smelled sweet, ever since she was a little girl, the times he would have to bend down to give her affection. Time had gone so quickly yet so agonisingly slowly, and he wondered how such a thing was possible.
"Dad?" He snapped back and released her. Those stunning blue eyes looked upon him in worry, touching his brown shaggy hair that had begun to grey at the roots.
"It's nothing, let's go eat." Rushed, Eden followed him out of her bedroom into a large living space, the majority of which was the kitchen. A large stone-top stove and basin took up the majority of the north wall. It was always warm thanks to the wood fire to keep the stove ready, yet today it was chilly. Eden shivered and went over to put on some more wood. Her father was making eggs and bacon at the stove, watching aimlessly out of the window. Eden was kneeling down, looking up at him as the sizzling started to fade. Startled by a small whack to his leg, he jumped and looked down at his daughter.
"It's really bothering you; you're not normally this distracted." She said anxiously. Eden's father's real name was Finn. Finn Barter. It was a name he was once proud of but as soon as Eden came into his life it became nothing but a curse.
"Talk to me? You've been distracted for weeks. You won't eat, or sleep. Is it about today? Or is something else going on?" Finn, smiled at his daughters concern and plated up some very well done breakfast before signalling to the table. Eden sighed and grabbed the cutlery. As per usual he never enjoyed talking on an empty stomach. Meeting at the big mishapen wooden table in the center of the house they settled on their sheepskin seats and dug in. Eden was overwhelmed by the salty tang of the bacon and winced before chugging her juice, some trickling from her mouth, without a second thought Finn wiped it away.
"You can't keep doing that you know, I'm a grown up now." Teasing her father was a standard thing however this time instead of a grin his face fell cold. With his calloused hands crossed he began unloading his thoughts.
'Eden, our job as a hunter is tough. You know this, you've been training for it since you could walk. We're peace keepers, one of a kind, right? If something isn't right we take up our blade, hang up our lives and deal with the problem. You know we also have other duties right?" Eden gripped her fork and looked down shyly at the table. She had been waiting a very long time to hear the truth.
"When I turned 16, my father sent me off to choose a suitor to carry on our bloodline. Hunters are only valuable in their prime and therefore when the time comes they must also pass on their ways to their child. Usually the son would then also go off at 16 and choose someone to carry on the line with. I chose something I never imagined I'd choose and instead of marrying a human girl and having a strong son like every member before me, I fell in love with your mother. Your mother was something very unique..." A spark ignited in Eden's chest. His father had described her mother many times, described her character also but he had never told his daughter what her mother truly was. Finn watched all attention zone in on him and the air feel suddenly light. Eden had edged closer a slight hope in her blue eyes.
"I know you've waited a long time to understand why you are well..." He trailed off slightly. Eden frowned thinking he was starting to rethink telling her when she also felt it. A suble vibration on the ground...
Finn was already to his feet unsheathing his silver knife from his belt and outside before Eden could stand. As she threw on her brown ankle boots and bolted through the door after him the distinct sound of heavy tires roared in the distance. As the heat escaped past her back into the open wilderness all she could do was aimlessly follow her fathers lead. Eden knew these lands, she knew which car was travelling towards her house and more importantly those inside it. Sadly, what she didn't know was why everything had suddenly changed that morning when she'd awoken.
There is nothing they could do but stand firm and watch the black limozine pull up to their little cottage. Looking so alien against the natural green scenery. Finn took a big breath as the doors opened and a pair of red crocodile skin shoes exited the rear. A man in his 50's with no hair a big green eyes trodded over to the home standing face to face with Finn. Automatically his eyes were drawn to Eden, how could they not be? A sight like her was hard to come by. That snow-white hair, ruby red lips, deep black lashes and eyes like the carribean sea. As she's grown her womanly curves and breasts had started to grow in, her once small round face jhad started to mature, her cheekbones were high and her jawline thin and delicate. Still those eyes never changed, just like a babydolls, but looked straight through you. Eden glared back seeing his gaze had also changed towards her.
"If you don't stop eyeing my daughter, I'll take your fucking head off." Rarely did her father use bad language so it caught her offguard. The old man smiled rudely at Finn. Usually anybody who stood up against her father would be quivering in fear by now, he was not a small man after all. Through sheer graft and attentivness Finn was a very strong built induvidual. Standing about 6"7 with a chest as wide as a bear and muscles to match. However, this man was Albert Grace. Head of the coucil, a man of little action, but had very deep rooted connections in all directions of the land.
"I'm sorry this day has come Barter but you need to make a choice." Eden glanced uneasily at her father. What could he be talking about? Finn gritted his teeth.
"You don't even have difinitive proof she can do what you say she can!"