*Six years after the events of the previous chapter*
*5/15/89*
The woods were tranquil that morning. Even more so than it normally was on her father’s home island, the Isle of Orkney, a small island off the coast of Northern Britannia. Not a sound could be heard. This could mean only one thing. A Spirit hunting pack was stalking through the forest, searching for Shadows to slay. Silver could not see the Spirits, nor could she hear them. But she could smell them, smell their emotions.
They were probably Trackers. Spirits undergoing the process of becoming Hunters. Her father told her to be very wary of Trackers; what they lack in experience, they make up for in numbers. Hunters tend to operate independently of each other and only work in groups sometimes. Those who do fight in packs are a force to be reckoned with. Trackers, on the other hand, always stay with their pack of eight, occasionally splitting into two pairs to cover more ground, but only in certain circumstances. Tracker packs would often be accompanied by a Hunter to ensure higher survival chances, though only sometimes.
However, it did not matter if this pack held a Hunter in its midst, as it stumbled dangerously close to a very sacred place. They were closing in on the Gulch.
The Gulch was a small box canyon hidden deep within the forests and mountains of Orkney. Its existence was completely unknown by the Spirits or Great Wolves. The soil of the Gulch was colored like ash, grey, and lifeless. What few plants that inhabit it were painted grey, black, and blue, their branches and stems covered in red thorns or sharp leaves. Massive, bone-like half-arches scar its surface like the ribs of a fallen giant. The only color in the canyon comes from the blood rose vines that grow on the outsides of the two cave entrances found at the canyon, both leading into a wide network of spacious caverns below.
It was a very special place for the Shadows, for it was here that her father entered this world. He also made the first Shadow Creature, deep within the caverns hidden below the canyon, away from prying eyes.
Silver spent much of her life in the Gulch. It was her home. And to know that these Trackers were so close to it made her blue blood boil with rage.
The region where the Gulch was located is too wild and untamed for Spirits to try and chart it. Even though foolish Spirits try and settle the isle every now and then, it has never been truly threatened. However, the Spirit's attempt to build a new nest decades ago on the south point of the isle had gained her father's attention. It was not close to the Gulch, but her father would not allow the Spirits to think themselves capable of expanding their borders, especially when they did so in its territory. When word of their expansion reached his ear, he sent thousands of Shadows to destroy it.
The Spirits put up a decent fight, using aggressive defense tactics and metal birds and metal snakes to ferry supplies and reinforcements. They nearly succeeded in their expansion effort thanks to it. Almost. Despite their will to fight, the location they chose lacked any access to Britannia once the bridge they built was destroyed and their metal birds were driven from the sky. Unlike the natural barriers that protected their other main nests, these turned their newest nest into a cage. Once cut off from the outside world, they only had their will to stand against the Shadows. It was not enough. Their new nest fell within just a few years of its construction. Yet still the Spirit’s endured.
They sought out sanctuary underneath their nest, within the large caverns that dotted the region’s underground depths. And for a time, it protected them. But nothing lasts forever, and in half the time it took for their surface home to fall, their underground refuge was breached when an explosion opened a passage leading into another cavern filled with hundreds of Shadows. Their carelessness turned their haven into their tomb.
Since then, the Gulch has remained protected and hidden from any Spirits foolish enough to enter its borders. And this Tracker pack was a clear and present threat to its safety. Normally, Silver's father would have already dealt with them himself, but he was not here. He left the Gulch for some unknown reason, only telling Silver she was to take responsibility for the Gulch until it returned.
That was ten days ago, and Silver had become worried. Her father had never been away that long and had never been so vague about why or what he was leaving for before. Often, he was to deal with small Spirit camps or Great Wolf denning areas built too close to the Gulch or to check in on Shadow activity around Britannia. He would often bring Silver with him on such trips, having her watch from the shadows or by his side, depending on the situation.
This was the first time in years her father had left her in the Gulch while he went off on his own. She felt very lonely without her father around. The Shadows did their best to keep her company, but their instinctual affection for her was not the same as her father's attention.
But this Tracker pack gave Silver something to take her mind off her absent father. She looked to her father's oldest Owl, who sat on a low-hanging tree branch. “I know that Daddy sent an escort of Hounds to protect me. Call them out, please.”
The Owl hooted once, and in no time, a whole horde of Hounds were by her side. The sounds of combat entered her ears as she and her Hound escort moved in on their position. The sound of shooters and battle cries only intensified as the heir grew closer to the intruder’s location.
Silver and her Hounds arrived. They did not charge out like the other Shadows when they arrived. They stayed within the brush, concealed by the leaves and branches of the forest. She peered out through her foliage cover and saw their embattled quarry.
As she suspected, it was a Tracker pack, and this one was without a Hunter to guide them. They fought the defending Shadows with minimal effort due to their unique weapons and acrobatic skills. Scores of Shadow Hounds launched themselves at the Trackers, intent on annihilating them. Only to be easily dispatched by their destructive weapons.
It was a fruitless battle. It would take more than simple Hounds to best eight Trackers. All they could do was slow them down until the larger Shadows arrived. Which could take a long time. Maybe even long enough for them to discover the Gulch and return to their nest. This was something Silver knew couldn't be allowed to happen.
She couldn't stand seeing the Hounds being butchered in such a sporting manner. The Trackers seemed to treat it as a game. They laughed while they defeated wave after wave of Hounds. Arrogant smirks adorned their faces. It took all her willpower not to run out there herself and gut them like the filth they were.
"Cease attacking after the next assault. Do not engage afterward,” Silver instructed her Hounds. “Follow the Trackers until I give the signal to strike.” She needed to make the Trackers think they had pushed the Shadows back until the right moment to strike. The young Trackers whooped victoriously when they slew the last of the attacking Shadows. Completely oblivious to the fact, they were still surrounded by hundreds of Hounds waiting for the order to slaughter them.
When they finished celebrating, the Trackers sheathed their weapons and moved on, leaving the evaporating Shadow husks in the dirt. Silver followed close behind them, her Hounds in tow. When the sunset came, they set up their camp in a small clearing a few miles away from the Gulch.
Hours passed, and only one remained awake, acting as the lookout while the rest slept. It sat on a fallen log, two small shooters in its hands, looking out at the surrounding woods with anxious eyes. Spirits could not see well in the dark, but Silver and the Shadows could. This was the time to strike, not with a direct assault but with deception and misdirection.
As she stalked them through the forest, Silver had conceived a cunning plan to eliminate the Spirit interlopers. A plan that would be sure to make her father very proud of her. A plan that would require a… different approach. Using herself as bait…
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
~o0o~
Anthony hated this place. It gave him the creeps. The trees were what really got to him. When they first entered the forest, the trees looked like trees. Brown bark, green leaves, the usual. But the farther they went, the trees began to change. They became twisted and gnarled, their bark darkened to nearly black, and their once lively green leaves turned an oppressive grey hue. It wasn't natural. Not to mention the obscene number of Shadows they'd fought up to now.
This was supposed to be a simple mission. His team was to eliminate the local Shadow Creatures that had been attacking settlements on the island at a much higher rate than before, be praised by the townsfolk for saving them, and go home. What the mission briefing failed to mention, however, was that there were at least ten shitloads of Shadow Creatures in this place, and all the villages had already been destroyed! They had been hounded continuously by Mutt packs and the occasional Teddy until only a few hours ago. Since then, they couldn't find a single Shadow Creature. It was like they completely vanished.
At first, Anthony's team was happy to finally be given some breathing room after hours of combat, but then they started becoming antsy. The lack of Shadow activity was extremely suspicious since this place was supposed to be a hotspot for them. Scott joked that maybe they realized how badass of a team they were and booked it.
Dora, Fiona, and the others laughed at his remark, glad for the small distraction. However, Anthony could only muster a smile. He just couldn't shake the feeling they were being-
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEE!"
A loud, high-pitched scream shook Anthony from his thoughts and his teammates from their slumber. They shot out of their sleeping bags, reaching for their weapons.
"WHAT THE FU-!?" Scott exclaimed, only to be interrupted by a second shriek.
"HELP MEEE!"
*ROOOOOOAAAAARRRR!*
Anthony's eyes shrunk when he heard a little girl's voice cry out for salvation, only for a Mutt to answer her plea with a roar.
“Come on! We need to help her!" Anthony shouted to his team, who set out with their leader toward the source of the commotion.
They followed the screams and roars until they came upon a grim scene. Two Shadow Mutts were cornering a terrified little girl against a massive tree trunk. They slowly advanced toward her, fangs in full view.
"HELP ME! PLEASE HELP ME!" The little girl shrieked pitifully, unaware of the eight teens about to save her.
"Fiona! Scott! Get those things off her!" Anthony ordered loudly. This earned the attention of the two Shadow Mutts.
They abandoned the girl and charged straight at the Hunters-in-training, jaws open wide, and claws stretched outward. Ready to tear them to shreds.
They were swept aside by the team's heavy hitter and fleet-footed sniper. Big Scott bashed one of the Mutts into a nearby tree with a single swing of his explosive flail, Murtle. Fiona let the other Mutt come to her before she cut its neck with one slash from her rifle bayonet, Bloody Mary. With the two Shadows dealt with, the eight teens sheathed their weapons and turned their attention to the girl cowering at the tree's base.
She was small. She couldn't be older than thirteen. The darkness of the night made it hard to see any distinctive details, and the thick tree canopy that obscured the moonlight didn't help. Anthony couldn't tell that she wore a large red cape and hood, which covered most of her body and face. The only parts of her body exposed to the light were her little legs and the lower half of her face.
"What's a little girl doing all the way out here?" Fiona asked as Dora walked up to the frightened child.
"Maybe she was from one of the towns that got attacked recently," Scott offered as he watched the traumatized girl shied away from Dora with a terrified whimper. "Maybe she's the only one who got out alive?"
Anthony felt sorry for the poor girl. To lose her entire family at such a young age had to be tough. He sighed, "Alright, I'm calling off the mission. We're heading back to London.
"Say what!?" Both Scott and Fiona asked as they faced their leader.
"Listen, we can't bring a little girl along with us. It'd be too dangerous for her. And we can't leave her here either. The Shadows will kill her if we do," Anthony explained. "We'll take her back to LHA and explain the situation to King Arthur."
Scott, Fiona, and the other four looked ready to argue with their team leader but stopped when they realized he was right. They couldn't bring her with them for the rest of the mission or leave her here to fend for herself. They were Huntsmen and Huntresses; their duty was to protect those who couldn't protect themselves. Even if it meant they had to cut a mission short.
"Alright." They said reluctantly.
Anthony nodded and turned to Dora. "Dora! How is she? Can she walk?
She didn't respond.
“Dora?" Fiona asked, concerned for her partner's well-being. "Is something wrong?"
Still, she would not address them.
"Oh, come on, Dora," Scott exclaimed in an annoyed voice as he walked up to her. "You got cotton in your ears or something?"
He grabbed her by the arm and turned her around. "Can she walk or n- SWEET FUCK!" He fell back on his butt as he gazed up at his teammate with abject horror.
Everyone else reacted in similar manners, backing away with expressions of shocked terror.
Three half-foot-long, bone-white quills impaled Dora's stomach like needles in a pin cushion. She looked down at them with a surprised look, frozen, confused, and frightened as her friends were. Dora slowly looked up at her friends. Her body shook, and tears of fear and pain pooled in her eyes.
"Hel-"
The brunette's plea was cut off when a giant clawed hand shot out of her chest with such force it sent chunks of her all over a paralyzed Scott. Fiona screamed in horror, and Anthony almost puked while the others all scrambled for their weapons. But they could not pull their triggers from shock as they watched their friend's lifeless body be lifted into the air and thrown to the side like a discarded doll.
The previously terrified little girl, now covered in Dora's blood, stood with her left arm stretched out to the side... Her black, quill-covered, bloodstained arm. Then, in the blink of an eye, she was right in front of Fiona, and Scott, who was missing his head. The redhead reached for Bloody Mary, but the little girl was quicker. Grabbing Fiona's arm and ripped it right off. Fiona let out another scream. The little girl used Fiona's arm as a club, breaking the neck of the other Tracker before shoving another backward, making him fall into a spiked pit trap.
Anthony whipped out his two dagger pistols and aimed them at the girl as she raised her right claw. But before he could pull the triggers, his arms were pinned to his sides, and he couldn't move. A quick look down revealed a Mutt’s claws and the heads of his last two comrades. A final lookup revealed a giant Shadow Mutt bringing its open maw down on his head.
He didn't even have time to scream…
Silver smiled gleefully as she brought her claw down on the female Spirit's head, slashing it open to reveal its now shredded brain and sliced-up skull. She looked at the alpha Hound just as it clamped its jaws down on the other Spirit's skull. Its feet and hands twitched erratically as the Hound ripped off the head with a wet, tearing sound. It dropped the twitching body on the ground and approached Silver, placing the Spirit's head at her feet as an offering.
Silver smiled warmly at the gesture as she gave the giant Hound a scratch behind its ears. “That was your kill, loyal Hound. You do not have to share it with me.”
The Hound tilted its head to the side in confusion but took the head anyway, not wanting to disobey its mistress.
Silver looked over at the seven dead bodies on the ground behind her. She was still amazed by how incredibly effective her plan was at dealing with the intruders. Mimicking the cries she had heard Spirits make during Shadow attacks, she lured them into her trap. Then, using two young Hounds to act as her assaulters, she further enhanced her role as the defenseless Sprite about to meet her end. When the Trackers vanquished the two Hounds, one of the females in their group approached Silver with a gentle smile. In contrast, the others stood back and debated their situation. It spoke softly in its Spirit tongue, trying to comfort the acting Silver. Little did it know, Silver knew only a few Spirit words, specifically ones pertaining to distress.
Once it was within arm's length of Silver, she struck. Launching three of her arms quills into the female's stomach. Silver simply watched as its tender expression was distorted by surprise and pain. It stood there for several moments, stock-still, before one of its pack mates turned it around and fell flat on its rear at the sight of its companion's body. Feeling the horror and shock pouring out of them, Silver decided to add a bit of flare to the Spirit's execution. Slamming her hand through its back and out its chest, she lifted her impaled victim off the ground and threw it to the side.
Then, using her supernatural speed, she placed herself right in front of the other female while decapitating the still-prone male with a flick of her wrist. The red-haired female tried to reach for its weapon, but Silver's speed exceeded its own. She took the female’s arm and tore it from its socket.
Silver then decided to take a page out of the Spirit's book and used the female's arm as a club in a similar way used during the Spirit's ball games and broke the neck of another Tracker. She quickly killed another while the Hounds dealt with the last three Trackers. Her plan had been a complete success. She had killed the intruders invading her home and kept the Gulch safe.
Silver blinked.
She had killed them…
Killed them…
Killed…
…. …. ….
…. …. ….
… … … …
SHE JUST MADE HER FIRST KILLS!
Silver squealed loudly in joy as the full understanding of her actions came down on her. She jumped up and down rapidly, clapping her giant claws together so fast it was seen in a black blur. She finally managed to kill not one but five Spirits, all on her own! And they were Trackers, too, making her all the happier! Oh, her father would be so pleased with her!
After her little episode, Silver looked down at the corpse of the female she had just slain and noticed something on its chest. A badge with the image of some strange flower stitched into it. Curious, she went over to the male she had beheaded and saw a similar badge on its shoulder pad, this one of a smiling turtle with a button on its shell. The other six also had symbols on their bodies.
Silver wondered what they were for. Identification? Their way of telling who is who? They were all different from each other, so that made the most sense. Silver smiled again as another idea came to life in her mind. Her father would be so proud!