"It was her decision..." He explained. "She... didn't want to burden us with her condition."

#Fwoosh

Sounded the faint wind being pierced by a sharp inanimate object, swiveling as it flew across the air. It only took but a fragment of a second before colliding itself against a dormant ashen tree.

Merely a couple of yards away from it, a girl stood by her lonesome. Flickering her wrists in pain, she was sweaty as she was also covered with grime, which added up during her excruciating exercise. Seemingly frustrated, her brows crooked as she pulled out another shaft from her quiver that was entrenched in the snow.

"But... is it enough..., as a reason to leave her behind?" Sounded her own voice, playing at the back of her mind, a lingering memory.

With her emotions fluctuating, she started to lose all sense of focus. With her back muscles growing painfully tired, her outstretched arm lets loose of her nocked arrow prematurely before she was able to aim during her anchor's point.

#Fwoosh

Reverberated the air around her ear lobe as the arrow passed her cheek. With her pose slanted, her shot went wide. Flying somewhere unbeknownst to her weary eyes.

[It's no good... I can't continue anymore...] She thought to herself, letting her body slump backward to the ground with a thump, cooling herself amidst the fluffy snow. "Uhh... where is she?" She cried out as her stomach rumbled, with hunger pangs gnawing on her insides.

Before too long, a familiar figure approached her inside the forest glade. Her stunning facial appearance popped up into view as she watched the clouds idly. It was like an angel sent from the heavens above. "Did you finish earlier today?" The girl spoke praisingly, slouching herself beside her.

"Ready for lunch?" The girl continued, teasingly placing her sweet-smelling basket in her arm’s reach.

"I've been looking forward to it ever since, dawn..." She drooled, sitting-up straight while embracing the basket full of goodies.

"Oh, Alma... you're such a kidder!" She replied, flushing shyly as the two unpacked their snack.

It's been more than a few weeks ever since they shook the hands of each other. A transitional period, like how seasons change, from blistering cold to a much milder breezy day. A lot of small things happened within that period, but to sum it all up, Neele had requested they spend lunch together in-between her practices.

Seeing there's no reason for her to refuse, Alma abided. She didn't hate Neele's company, and she enjoyed her gratifying meals. During these moments, Neele would often tell her stories about the past. How she had grown fond of the earthy smell of her environment.

Though Alma had found it surprising for Neele to be an outdoorsman, she agreed with her sentiments, for she too enjoyed the sensation.

"Do you remember the story I told you? Of when I was little?" Neele inquired gleefully, looking at Alma, who kept munching on her warm pottage. ".... Hey, are you listening?!" Neele began sulking.

#Gulp!

She immediately swallowed what she had consumed. #Cough "...Y-Yeah, I remember... Of how you would sneak outside despite the rain."

"You do remember!" She laughed, exclaiming ecstatically. "Ah, how nostalgic..." Neele continued, her upbeatness turning mellow.

"Hey, how's life for you so far, Alma? What have you done this past week? Except than learning the bow." Neele tilted her head over to her, staring with a gaze filled with anticipation.

Somehow Alma knew her friend was bored, what has been there to do besides the same chores? And so knowingly, she began telling her stories of her adventures.

"Well, since it has been getting warmer... my father felt spring had arrived. So we'd venture for bigger game hunts,"

"Ah, yes, I know... " Neele nodded. "Didn't you manage to hunt a deer the day before?"

"Well, my father did... I merely helped butcher it is all....," Replied Alma, shaking her head in denial.

"Right..., so how did you guys manage to do it? Was it hard?" Neele continued.

"It was a pain... It kept moving around... it could notice the slightest noise. Even though it was busy grazing out in the open, it could by some means see the encroaching danger..." Alma explained, grumbling slightly with every complaint.

"That so, eh...? Well, I can imagine!" She immediately giggled appreciatively. "But, thanks to that, we managed to survive for another day, right?"

"I guess..." Alma shrugged. For she simply couldn't say it, the fact it took them the whole day hunting, was because of her inability to land any shots with her bow. "Though, I felt we could've done much better." Alma subtly iterated, her eyes rolling away as she did so.

"There you go... being hard on yourself again." Neele reprimanded, pulling her stiffened cheek from behind.

"A-Awa Awawaa..!" Alma squealed, her hands frantically trying to make her stop.

"I won't stop until you smile!"

"H-How can you even see me smiling when you pinch so hard!? A-Aw! I give... I-I'm smiling!"

As the comical scene came to a close, so too did her dish. After returning it in the basket, Alma groaned as she laid herself back onto the ground.

"Something on your mind?" Neele pondered.

Alma sighed as she was unable to hide the pained expression on her face. She'd usually keep an indifferent appearance towards anyone around her, and she didn't feel doing anything different today. "How, did you know?" Alma asked her casually.

"Well, you can call it a woman's intuition!" Neele replied with a wink.

"Wha...?" For a moment, she could only gape. Trying to comprehend the statement. [What's being a woman got to do with anything?]

"So, what's up!?" Neele prodded, poking her cheek.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"It's nothing..." Alma brushed Neele's hand away. "Let's return to the hamlet before dusk..." She continued, proceeding to re-collect her scattered arrows. Though, she felt it was a bit cold of her to do what she just did. She didn't want other people to worry about her private affairs. She didn't know what kind of expression Neele had made. But she hoped she'd understand.

[I only want to see my mother again...] Those lingering memories, was the only reason she felt emotionally scarred.

But, it's not like her words didn't carry any weight to it, for in this place... daylight only lasted a quarter in comparison to nightfall. Time has always been scarce, and today's no different.

Though they exchanged silence as they traversed, retracing their footsteps on the long-drawn-out snow was the easiest method to find their way back. Yet, eventually, they'd stumble upon a crossroads, branching out from within the woods. A different assortment of trails broke off to the side, heading east while the hamlet's general direction should be to the south, facing the shores.

"Whose tracks are those Alma?" Neele questioned her.

"I don't know...," Said, Alma. For these tracks didn't seem to be made by humans. Though they're almost about the same size, they're just far too many, indicated by the spacing between each footprint.

"I think it's from a four-legged creature," Explained, Alma. As she took off her gloves and carefully placed her pale hand into the molded ice, feeling the crispiness of the edges.

"I-Isn't it dirty? You know... there could be feces down there...," Said Neele, grimacing in disgust.

"Then you better not shake hands with me the next time..." Alma responded in a somewhat bitter tone, snarkily speaking. She didn't enjoy muddling in excrements as much as Neele, but it needed to be done. Luckily, what she found wasn't something so obscene, as the strands of loose fur felt moist in her hands.

[A greyish-white fur coat....] For a minute, she pondered, trying to recall the animal inside her mind. [It could be dog or sort, a wolf with those markings, but the footprints are far too elongated for this. Perhaps? an...]

"What kind of animal is it?" Neele questioned, snapping Alma out of her train of thought.

"Ah..., I don't know." She turned towards her, puzzled.

"No idea at all...?" Neele replied, her hazel-brown eyes looking somewhat stupefied as she questioningly raised her eyebrow. "So, what are you going to do?" She changed her intonation knowingly-prepared for an unreasonable answer.

"I'm going to look for it!" Alma suddenly spoke aloud, in an upbeat.

"Ah!, there you go again... Remember the last time you found the trail of a sheep-ox the other day? Didn't you get in trouble? for bringing an entire mob of them chasing after you?"

"....Yeah, But thanks to me, we gained a herd of livestock, no?" Alma continued, showing off her tenacity and stubbornness at the same time.

"Ya mean... how you almost got skewered in the process?" Neele scoffed sarcastically. "You know, I don't think you need to go through such lengths to prove yourself as a hunter... Alma.

Alma knew Neele only showed concern for her well-being. But, despite it, she needed to prove herself to her father. She needed him to acknowledge her as a real hunter, one who's independent enough to take care of her own.

"Sorry, Neele... This is something I have to accomplish." Alma stated as she slowly averted her sights away from her, heading their separate ways.

"...Did your father tell you to do this?" Neele inquired, causing her to glance back.

"Yeah..." Alma nodded onto her friend.

"D-Don't overdo it...!" Neele shouted, which Alma replied by waving her hand back at her.

***

Though she knew it seems irrational, it wasn't impossible with tracks that are still moderately fresh, imprinted on the crispy snow or the damp soil. Even if the road ahead is an uncertain one, a pathway barred with lurking perils at every corner. [I need to do this, ] Alma gripped the lower limb of her recurved bow tightly, steeling her resolve. [If I need to hunt beasts to see my mother again... Then so, be it..., I will walk whatever road I must.]

Strolling along the trail, she encircled around the perimeter to better comb and pinpoint the area it was in. An exercise she had enough off, as of late. Curiously, this creature didn't seem to move towards the greener fields she'd come to know. [Is it looking for meat?] Was the first thing which came to her mind. But as she ventured further, a familiar sensation tickled her nostrils, as the salty breeze permeated the air around her.

[The northeastern coast...] For Alma, setting foot throughout these parts was new for her, but the scenery offered was similar. Although the terrain here lacked vegetation compared to its counterpart, making it stiffer and colder. She had even lost the sensation from her nose, along with her lips.

It was just that much colder here,

"There's nothing here..." Alma spoke out, observing her new setting for any further leads. Yet, there wasn't anything significant..., she had lost the tracks, as she came into contact with solid rocks which made up most of the ground surrounding her. "Tsk..." Sounded Alma, clacking her tongue in annoyance to her inability to keep tracking indefinitely.

It was a gamble, but she continued exploring..., refusing to give up, lest the rays of sunlight are all for naught. Tentatively while doing so, Alma had checked on her armament's condition. Her bow and string were firm and flexible all the same. While her dozen arrows were safely tuckered inside her quiver, strapped sideways behind her waist. "These will just have to do." She uttered, as a dreadful stench caught wind.

A carcass that had been disfigured lay as waste among the frigid shores, most of its body parts were missing, its tendons were torn forcefully, with frozen blood clots staining the ice sheet. Though, arguably... it might have been only a few hours...

Despite her knowledge on the matter, she couldn't identify the corpse as an animal... or man. There weren't any hair or strands of fur, but there weren't any clothing remnants if it were a man.

She couldn't make anything out of it, other than causing her body to shiver, making her grow cautious of the creature she's after. [Perhaps, I wasn't so far from it as I would think...] Deep inside, she was afraid... but she pressed onward, clinging upon a faint hope. [I can't always let fear get the better of me.]

For some reason, she followed her gut instincts to continue walking along the coastline. There was something she wanted to make sure of, a far fetched idea, which she didn't know how to describe. ["Perhaps..., it's a woman's intuition?"] recalling the idea somehow made her smile.

Eventually, she'd found her wildest dreams had been the reality all along, a large wooden ship had found itself, enclaved and crushed between a large chunk of an ice floe. The keel was pierced, and the bow had run aground almost capsizing.

"A ship... from Lufenia... here...?" She'd notice the distinct carving of a lizard it had as a figurehead beneath its bowsprit, the symbol of her country. She hadn't spared any second of thought, running in desperate search of survivors. Somehow, if her mother was abroad and something had befallen her, she just wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

She climbed aboard using the boat's mast that had conveniently snapped, allowing her to step on it as a makeshift ladder. As she arrived onto the deck, her eyes quickly skimmed through for any survivors.

"H-Hello!? A-Anyone there? Hello?" She called out onto the people, or what had remained of them, lifeless bodies who had been partially covered by the falling snowflake. "H-Hello...?" She calls out, approaching one of them, daring herself to touch it by the shoulder.

"...." She couldn't feel anything, not even the slightest shred of heat for the person's flame of life, had long snuffed out. "He's no longer here..." Alma spoke out of lament, closing his eyelids that were fixed open. Yet, she would look at the remains of every passenger the same way, even if they all seemed to be deceased.

[I don't know these people...] She said to herself, unable to recall their faces. Though, judging by how well-woven their garments were, a mixture of silk and linen, she'd say they were the upper townsfolk of Lufenia. Classy and enamored by the titles bestowed upon them, they were the people who were most reluctant to leave. Though it saddens her that they'd end up this way, Alma felt relieved at the same time.

[She isn't here...] She kept chanting those words to herself, which became some sort of relief. #Creeak. The wooden deck croaked, riveting her attention towards the quarter deck's stairs. "W-wha.."

"Is someone there...?" a voice of a woman sounded coming from inside of the cabin, ostensibly familiar it managed to invoke vivid memories out of her. Alma's exhalation grew anxious in wait, becoming puffs of white smoke as she emitted them. She trembled as the doorknob twisted and turned, and from it, a figure made her palpable appearance.

Pale yet, a petite woman whose body stature was similar to hers. Donning double-layered robes over her body, garbs that extended all the way to the floor. Her hunched position made it difficult for her to get a good glimpse of her face, but for some reason, she felt she didn't need to see it. Her voice and the clothes she wore accompanied by her ashen-white blond hair was all the proof she ever needed.

"H-Haaaah...." She inhaled deeply as her arm started to shiver, rubbing her eyes repeatedly. "M-Mother!!..?" She cried as she ran over, seeking her immediate embrace. And before she knew it, she had buried herself by her bosom. "Mother...!? you're... still alive... this... isn't some dream is it?!" She continued, squeezing her tightly.

#Woooo

"..." Sounded the shrill gust wafting overhead, it has been a solid moment since she had indulged herself. But that affection was somehow one-sided, as the woman quietly stood without a response. "M...Mother?" Alma questioned, starting to doubt the woman whom she had called mother. With that state of mind, she looked up to see her face, whether she was mistaken.

"...!?" It was then she noticed them, a pair of fiery amber-like eyes glaring towards her, an aberration which caused her body to shudder and turn limp at the same time. Instinctively she gradually pulled her arms away as she awkwardly backpaddled a few steps off. In such a moment, the woman's hand suddenly grasped Alma's right arm by the wrists, pulling her closer as her face leaned intimately, locking their sights onto one another.

"Corpses... are better left alone... Didn't mother tell you that?" She whispered gently in Alma's ears. Causing Alma's heart to skip a beat, while her grip lessens, letting Alma's hand slip and slither away.

"I know how it all must be difficult for you... How the secrets, beckon sweetly... driving you wild in curiosity. But sweet child... only death awaits you in this journey..." The woman spoke, letting out a skin-crawling aura that didn't belong to any living human she's ever met before.

"...Mother... My Mother!!" Shouted Alma as she trembled. "W-What did you do to her!" Alma continued, drawing out her bow from her back, pointing it menacingly at the woman. Unflinching and without verbal response. The woman exhaled with her hand in position to grasp her breath. Though from her mouth, came not air but an ember.

Flickering radiantly, the emerging flame floated amidst the air, spreading as it consumed the reality between them. Alma knew all she had to do was release her fully drawn arrow. But she couldn't... firing it felt even more painful than the burden she felt for maintaining that stance. For how could she fire? At the woman who's so comparable to her flesh and blood.

Meekly her body soon ceased to function as black fumes filled her surroundings along with her lungs. [...Mother... why?] She cried.

***

Though her consciousness was dim, she could somehow still hear the woman's voice. Talking with another whose figure was indescribable but enormous, hanging aloft with the ship as a footstool. With its shadow able to cover them entirely from the sun.

"Iris..., why hadn't you finished off the girl?" It spoke out to the woman.

"Ah, Hou..." She replied indifferently. "It's rare of you to speak, with this tongue."

It chuckled loudly in retort, more similar to a bestial growl. Leaving her with a loud ring in her eardrums, blurring her out for a moment. "-ar-ful, con---er, this is a means of respect to your lowly form." It roared again, unnerving what remains of her senses to comprehend and before she knew it. The figure was gone, with only the woman holding her by her arms. She wanted to speak to her... the real her. But, her consciousness was consumed by a bright light.