And in the rustling red, brown, yellow leaves of the beautiful autumn, arisen from the dark, muddy grounds up to the infinite and mysterious pink colors of the azure, did Adrian lean against the trunk of an old tree that yet dared to blossom its wondrously lilac and white flowers; all just to figure out where did the uncomfortable sounds of clashing skin and the ridiculously loud moans of pleasure came from.

          The twenty year old released a defeated sigh, one that almost derived from very within her heart. Such event didn't remind her of her lonely life. No. Instead, it reminded her of humankind's stupidity. Knowing that there is a Helheim living by their village, able to rip their guts out in a single move, that couple yet went out to the middle of the forest to make love? She almost wanted not to bring them back to the village, for the monster to devour them whole during the coming night.

          The muscular woman then departed her dry, slim lips to run her wet tongue over them. Her right hand slipped into a small sheath that hung from her hip to retrieve a worn-out knife, one she had stolen from a thief she was told to kill some time ago.

          The irony.

          Luckily, she had left her armor back at the village, causing her way further into the forest and towards the lovey-dovey couple far easier than she had originally expected. Her bandaged left hand held the small weapon tightly; attractive pale complexion serious as she made way throughout the foggy and chilly environment. Her sleeveless black, red and yellow dashiki hung loosely over her abdomen, for Adrian walked in tippy-toes; forced to hunch her back. While she made the tip of her weapon graze the barks of the following trees, and while her leather boots pressed onto the hardening terrain as the remainder of the leaves crunched underneath them, she crouched on her heels to listen for a second time.

          Right at where seemed to be the area behind the trees she crouched by, loud pantings and utterly naïve chuckles resounded from. It sickened Adrian, truthfully, and the desire for their death grew even stronger. She managed to simply roll her eyes as she stood, however, to officially make an appearance and end the couple's fiesta. But, that was exactly when an ear piercing scream caught her off guard; causing her to grimace at the dissatisfaction of such perplexing sound. A throng of flapping wings made Adrian look up at the sky then, and she found herself feeling antsy over the, rather, distressing musical thrill that followed the powerful wings. They were a flock of grey and brown plumaged birds that dotted the gorgeous pink colors in an escape—or so it seemed in her eyes.

          Quickly, she darted at such great speed that, fearfully, she was unable to anticipate a few feet ahead of her.

          One would think that the birds' escape were simply the consequence of the scream, but for someone as experienced as Adrian, it was most likely the work of a perceived presence, that of a varmint Helheim. And it was no good news. She had trusted the villagers information which, undoubtedly, had stated that the monster would only attack during the night. But, even so, with no armor and only her knife to depend on, she wished for a miracle as she wasted no more time and proceeded to appear at the show. After all, the most reasonable theory toward the Helheim's present appearance was that no one had gone off to the forest, all except the couple whom had the demented idea to do so, unaware of the threat they were giving.

          Adrian had the option to turn back and get her trusted things for a definite win, but there was a huge possibility that the monster would follow her way there—if not distracted eating the couple—and, not only would she be providing it with a new dining hour to season the village, but it would taint her label as a trusted mercenary for bringing the monster at the place where it was most feared.

          "I'm going to get you, son of a bauchi," declared the young adult, a raspy, low voice almost erotic as she slowed at the middle of an awfully silent clearing, parroting in her head an old saying she found comfort on. "Now... Where are you hiding?"

          Make yourself sheep and the wolves will kill you was her pillar of comfort.

          Someone, somebody at a certain day, month and year had told her that and marked her entire life. She would get that heartwarming feeling of a sweet home she had never truly experienced when she got to remember such wording. Then again, that quote would only come to remembrance when she was about to face someone, something. So beneath that thick skin of hers, further into the hidden layers of a fright she did not reveal and a defeat she did not want to experience, did a warm river of blood rush through her veins. It kept her going, it kept her alive. In some way, too, that very same feeling caused her to get addicted to the combats she had to face as a mercenary. Because oh how those endorphins would overcome her at the merge of such fuzzy feeling and hidden fear by pride.

          Adrian stifled a shaky breath, proposing a battling stance as she held her knife steadier than before. Her sleeveless attire only revealed how tense her muscles were, eminently showing every band of well-developed tissue from under her skin. Her blood-curling stare was sustained; she was physically nimble and ready for whatever would come from in between the large, shadowing trees. She almost convinced herself that the birds were really just a consequence of the scream—like anyone would've thought, really—and that the scream itself was just the product of some orgasm.

          But that's exactly when a yowling, naked juvenile ran towards her, with her honey-colored peepers wide as apples and her bouncing breasts almost threatening to detach from her beautiful, developed body. There was no doubt that this was the girl who was enjoying herself earlier, and there was no doubt that she was also the one to explode the scream that affirmed Adrian of their spot. Her yowling evoked a similar tone to the previous sound, after all. The young adult turned, expecting her lover to be right behind her. But he was not.

          What Adrian originally was expecting finally came out from the shadows of the greens, appearing in the clearing and right behind the lady. A shaking terrain fell behind large and powerful paws, which were connected to a figure as large as a bear's. It's head had the facials of the brown bruin itself and one of a fierce and dotted jaguar. Instantly did a savage look took over its face as it lowered itself to reach out for its female prey. It growled and it groaned and it huffed. Then, it silenced, growing alarmed with the presence it hadn't perceived that belonged to Adrian.

          A Helheim.

          The twenty year old did a tsk. Finding herself in this position was new, and she hated the infatuating feeling it brought her. To rescue an irresponsible juvenile and to kill what she was assigned to was being a hero to both a family and an entire village. And she hated to be cheered and admired as one—not like she was, anyways. She worked for herself, she worked for her weapons, and she worked for her living. End of story. But, needless to say, she tried to rescue the girl under a growing murky sky.

          Adrian sprinted towards the prey and the predator, but she knew herself that this was an undeniably useless reaction. The girl was clearly weak. She possibly had been running from the monster for a while now. Her long, sweating face read too many emotions and, in her gorgeous eyes—right in their burning pupils—was no life left. The girl threw her very last breath at Adrian, around a time where the young adult was already stretching her arm to push her to the side.

          "Save... me..."

          Her voice was brittle. But even though it was, it had a calm sense to it, almost as if there was peace knowing that someone had tried to save her. And for a single moment, the world happened to be warm, with a brilliant blue and precious golden hues. But that... It frightened Adrian.

          The girl's body glistened, her yowling silenced, and the monster reached her before Adrian actually did, its thick, yellow claw penetrating her stomach, letting the coughing corpse hang from it as it jumped over the one that tried to save her. Tumbling all across the clearing, the monster ripped the poor girl's body in half.

          Adrian stood there, quiet. She felt almost pitiful as she straightened herself, letting her hand soften its hold upon the knife she tightly held. Her defined jaw happened to soften, and with much deliberate care, she wiped some of the blood that had smeared across her face when the claw had come in contact with the body. She pursed her lips and gave the scene a small glance, but in that very same glance, she was able to witness the long trail of ichor across the dim grass, the spread, once working organs, and the two fresh halves of the body. It didn't feel new, though.

          "Heh," Adrian's raspy voice resounded, turning on her feet to only face the Helheim. "At least I tried, right?"

          The Helheim huffed at Adrian, mouth agape as it panted. Its brown pelt held multiple scars and deep arrows from previous attacks, theoretically from the village. Perhaps was this that caused such beast to only attack during the night and at unsuspected hours. Clever, was the Helheim. Adrian definitely gave it that.

          Cracking her prominent neck did the young adult raise her hand, which held the knife at the creature, sad and myopic browns at the approaching beast.

          "You're my real duty... aren't you, dog?" she mumbled, surveying how it'd bring its claw out and towards Adrian, an engulfment of white air swirling from its flaring nostrils. "Those kids were calling for their grave, anyways... "

          Finally did the Helheim release a roar; the noise was soft, but menacing, and almost old and weak, too. Upon reaching Adrian, the beast lunged at her built, only to receive a jump. With a quirky battle cry did the female penetrate her knife into its skull, causing it to go berserk. The monster, while crying and throwing its head around, pushed Adrian to the side. She rolled as a consequence, until finding herself able to pull herself on her feet.

          It'd be too difficult to face the Helheim and try to snatch the knife from its head; after all, it was angered enough. Looking around, Adrian began to grow desperate. A rock would only upthrust its annoyance and she didn't have the strength to lift a boulder that tripled her size... What could an armor and weapon-less person specialized in attack do? Think, Adrian, think.

          It was not long until the creature wheezed and was able to regain itself. It stared at Adrian then, with clear hatred in its eyes, they appearing to be small and black sockets, able to suck away life. For just a single second did she close her eyes, to focus, to think, to reason, praying for the gods who probably face-palm at her existence to keep the Helheim still for just a moment.

           Mother Nature answered.

          West to the clearing was the faint screaming of a river, of crashing waters, and just that gave Adrian the brightest idea, one she'd definitely use in another situation such as this one—if it even worked, of course. Raising a fist in the air and wearing a sly look, she proceeded to give the Helheim her middle finger. She waved it side to side in an attempt to provoke, despite the animal not having the mental capacity to understand what it meant.

          "Come and catch me, dickhead!"

          The monster ejected another roar, one that caused great silence to the forest, a silence in which not even leaves quivered at the gentle airs that caressed them. And finally, with its powerful feet, the Helheim made its abrupt way towards the human yet again. With obvious doubt, Adrian ran to the west.

          She gathered some courage along the way while listening to the monster's huffs and grunts, whose claws scraped trees and killed smaller beings while it tried to accelerate in a speed it was unable to reach. At least it was certain that Adrian's attack had disoriented it.  She was light on her feet, on the contrary of the beast, scuttering around trees to buy herself some time to catch her breath. She wasn't tired. Not at all. She was simply afraid that her plan wouldn't work.

          Finally, she reached what she expected to. A cliff. It was vaguely decorated with unknown loose rocks and thick roots that Adrian did not know the origin of. She then leant forward to examine the downfall, witnessing the raging river with pointy and overall dangerous boulders that peaked from the muddy, unclean waters that desperately rushed by, covered by a thin layer of fog that floated like a pelican roaming by the surface, hunting for trouts.

          In the end, Adrian didn't bother to turn around. She felt the monster launch itself towards her body, the hot-blooded's scent of fresh shit layered over a putrefying creature seeming to coat her respiratory system. However, just as it did so, Adrian leapt, too.

          They both fell down the well.

Hello! It's the author, Alani.

If you enjoyed this first chapter, please vote and comment down your thoughts. I find them very precious and, without them, I will most likely not improve—and that's what I strive to do. Thank you for reading though, and I really hope you stick around for more!