Chapter 1.3: Hunting Season

"Rebecca just lay on mommy." Long auburn hair fell across Elaine's face as she was carried in the snow. The baby carrier kept her snug in as she scowled at the cold weather.

She had been peacefully resting when Lucille put her in the contraption. Elaine could only compare it to a baby carrier though she wasn't too sure. The woman had dressed in multiple layers of fur for their winter adventure. A baby coat kept her warm as she kicked her snow boots on the woman's back. The fabric was itchy and made her skin feel raw. She wanted to be out of them, back in her crib and fast asleep with a warm fire keeping her company.

Lucille continued to walk on the snowy forest land, her feet crunching on frozen plant life. "I know you're a little fussy but I can't leave you home." She had insisted multiple times but still, the teenager didn't get why this was the case.

Snow flurries fell onto her eyelashes as she yawned with a cute squeak. She found that all she could make were tiny squeaks and grunts. It was annoying but the woman appeared to understand her basic needs through them. They crunched down a hill with Elaine noticing how quiet it was. From the scenery, she expected to hear deer and squirrels.

She didn't see any animal tracks either. Just tree trunks that were completely silver, not white but silver. The trees that hadn't been cut had branches that looked as huge as Lucille's body. Frozen leaves hung from them along with dying fruit. This world was strange so she accepted trees as being odd. Still, they made her feel uncomfortable. There was something off about how stone-like they looked.

Powerful gusts of wind bellowed in her ears and watered her eyes. The elements were fighting with the two as they transversed the forest. Lucille's footsteps matched the wind, a stick in one of her hands to keep balance. On the other, Elaine thought that it looked to be a crossbow. It was shaped like one but had weird runic designs all over it. There also were no arrows for it with them so she was confused about how it would be useful.

Elaine found herself puzzled by most of this world. It was like an old slice of click fantasy anime she'd watched as a child. Day after day she'd watch Lucille use magic to clean and cook in the cabin they called home. There wasn't anything exciting for her to do in this body and she hated it. All she felt was frustrating not knowing how anything worked. The teenager craved knowing how magic was real.

She wanted to learn whatever she could about this world. Being a baby who was teetering on toddlerhood did nothing to help. Pouting, she sniffled as Lucille came to a stop. The snow had slowed down allowing her to see better. They were in a bare part of the forest. The ground had no grass instead being covered by ice and snow piles. Any trees looked like they were close to their end.

"I know you're a little young to see this but I don't like leaving you home alone," The crossbow in Lucille's hand was moved directly in front of the two as she smiled. "It might seem a little scary but this is something you'll do when you're my age."

Elaine's curiosity was piqued by the comment. She watched agape as the crossbow changed color. It became gold similar to the jewelry she wore. The runic symbols she had been so curious about looked like they were vibrating. The teenager wanted to ask what was happening but all she could do was babble. Mentally she cursed her infant body and burrowed into the warm baby carrier impatiently.

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Almost as if the crossbow was a beacon, something began to run towards it. The silence of the snow turned into loud crunches of hooves slamming onto the frozen ground. Antlers caught her attention first. They were brown and huge enough to eclipse Lucille's body two times over. The sun itself was held up by its sheer size of them. The moose sniffed the air as she pointed the crossbow directly at it. The weapon trembled, with a low ticking sound that was eerily similar to a stopwatch.

"Aim," Her arm was thrust forward as Lucille commanded the magical object loudly. The moose looked at them and let out an angry snort. "Fire."

From nowhere an arrow that was entirely silver appeared in the crossbow. It looked like it was air having no solid body and resembled a cloud. The bow recoiled and fired in a way that reminded Elaine of a shotgun. The ticking continued with a low screech, quickening its pace with the arrow's shot. Lucille's hair flew from the force of it and her free hand dropped the stick. It quickly moved to hold onto the baby carrier tightly as the arrow flew.

Snow kicked up in the air with the ice beneath them developing small, minuscule cracks from the force of the shot. It hit the moose in the blink of an eye. It pierced its leg, burrowing deeply to the point it disappeared in it. The arrow went so far that Elaine couldn't see a glimpse of it in the torn muscle and bloody fur. Instead, there was just a section of the moose that was just gone. Burned away into becoming a large, pulsating whole dripping with blood.

"Return," Lucille commanded as the runes shook and blurred into each other. They shone so brightly that they burned Elaine's eyes from the sight.

'Dear god.' Elaine didn't know what to feel as she heard the woman command the arrow to come back. The moose had fallen onto its knees in pain.

She understood that things like human hunting were unknown in the medieval world. Elaine wasn't going to judge the woman for getting food to feed them. But watching her injure a creature with a single command with a thrill made her feel unnerved. Lucille repositioned the crossbow and repeated her earlier words. The crossbow now went into the right knee of the moose with a single shot.

Blood stained the ground as the moose made groans of pain that haunted Elaine. The knowledge that she would have to do this someday was chilling. There had to be a better way to get food. But if they stayed in a forest this would be their only choice. And if this crossbow was magical, she imagined Lucille had tried other methods. This was the same woman who sobbed when Elaine smiled at her and acted as if the action was sent from God.

"These beasts used to terrorize the villagers nearby," Her hand patted Elaine comfortingly as she punctured the moose in the throat, killing it. "Now they only serve to be made as a delicious stew."

The moose slumped onto the ground, bleeding out as Lucille walked over. There was no light in its eyes as its chest stopped moving. Instead, they were vacant white holes. The sight made Elaine sick and she closed her eyes when Lucille crouched down. If this was their dinner she didn't want to see how it was made. She could hear the crossbow power down as Lucille grabbed the corpse. In her previous life, she had been scared of blood so this was nerve-wracking to engage in.

"Rebecca, it's alright. The beast is gone now and mommy will make you a hearty meal with it." The woman reassured the baby with a wide grin on her face.

If she knew why the girl had recoiled from her touch, maybe she'd have left her to kill behind. Elaine heard her drag it while she walked back home. It sounded like a sack of potatoes with its horns scraping loudly on the ice. Her stomach twisted at the mention of food. Hopefully, Lucille would save the moose for later as she felt like vomiting at the idea. The dead eyes would haunt her for the entire night, a shiver going down her tiny spine.