The woods were silent. Quiet in the early morning. As the sun rose, the forest slowly filled with life. Insects crawled over fallen logs. Birds shook out their feathers and took flight. Colourful creatures awoke and began looking for food. And a lone figure prowled in the shadows. I need to hurry, she thought as she slid between through the darkness, ready to bolt at the slightest sign of danger. I don't know how long it'll take for the guards to return. A pack of six-tailed kitsune passed by without them noticing her. She released the breath she was holding and continued waiting for her prey. As time passed, she stayed still, hidden in the darkness.

Suddenly the ground trembled. Animals fled as the shaking increased and whatever was creating it moved closer. Breaking through the trees, a huge creature reached the clearing. White fur glistened in the sunlight as it shook its body. Curving blue designs decorated his backside and horns protruded from his broad forehead. The creature grunted, a low and guttural sound and ambled towards the stream, gigantic footsteps left in his wake.

As he drank from the water, he didn't notice a presence closing in on him. By the time he did, it was too late. Or it would have been too late if not for the monsters nearly impenetrable hide. The dagger fell, useless against him. Roaring with fury, he shook his horns around and charged through the trees towards her. Wait for it. He was quickly closing the gap between them. Wait for it. The beast was so close she could see the remains of his last victim staining his fanged teeth. Now. At that, she jumped and grabbed onto a branch, effectively swinging herself onto the back of the clawbeast. Thrashing, he threw her off his back and opened his mouth wide to growl menacingly at her. His throat! She drew her dagger and prepared to throw it. But just as she was about to release it, a flash of pain bolted through her. Images flashed past her eyes. Blood, a young man gasping as the simple knife plunged into his chest, his eyes losing their liveliness. Her breath hitched as the visions started to fade. Her eyesight fuzzed and by the time she was able to see again, her dagger was embedded in the trunk of a tree and the clawbeast was right in front of her. He swiped his paw at her, gashing her left arm. Cursing, she kicked off the tree, grabbing her weapon in the process, and vaulted over him. He twisted around and she took aim again, ignoring the now burning pain in her arm. When the images came, she pushed them back and shot straight into his wide maw. He froze and started gagging before coughing up sickly silver blood. He slowly collapsed onto the cold forest floor, his once vibrant yellow eyes dulled.

She sighed and slid down a tree till she was lying on it with her back, hugging her knees close. She sighed, a heartbroken sound, silent tears dripping from her eyes. Her heart pounded in her chest, the noise deafening. Why?... Why? Memories rose unbidden as she continued to lie on the wet grass. Life flooded back into the forest, hesitant at first but becoming more confident at the sight of the defeated monster. She would have stayed there for the rest of the day, but the her aching arm and gnawing hunger in her stomach woke her from her trance. She heaved herself up and walked over to the fallen animal. Grabbing her second dagger, she skinned it in one quick movement. As quickly and cleanly as possible, she butchered the carcass, finding her silver knife with a pitch-black hilt lodged in it's heart. The guards should be waking up. Growing impatient, she grabbed as many pieces of meat as she could and stuffed them in her hunting bag. Standing she left the rest for the vultures to finish and pushed her hood up. She quickly wrapped a bandage around her wound before snatching up the fine pelt and swiftly running through the woods.

Her feet skimmed over the ground, barely touching, as she flew through the trees. Her breathing was ragged and her heart pounded in her chest by the time she reached the gate. A simple wooden gate covered the entrance to the northern forest. She spotted two guards standing at the gate, casually chatting. Darn it! She swore under her breath as she crept closer, keeping an eye on the guards. Climbing up a tree, she nimbly leaped from tree to tree until she was out of eyesight. Phew! As soon as she reached the town of ??? she stopped. Hopping down from the tree, she grabbed the mask she had kept on her belt. It was white with two swirling black patterns on either side. She carefully attached the mask on to her face. It left her eyes and nose free. Pulling on her hood, which had fallen back during her journey through the forest, she adjusted it until the shadow covered all that was left out to the open on her face. She grabbed her bloody bag and quickly walked into the bustling market.

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First chapter done! Whooooo!

Hope you guys enjoyed that! Please leave a comment on how it is. Thanks!

Love, Fallen Angel Heart

Btw, ignore the ???. We haven't been able to decide on a name for the town yet. Leave a comment on what you think it should be called.

Updated 10/29/2016
Song: Warriors by Imagine Dragons