Every Little Memory

Entry #10: Blue Grey

When I was a child, my elder brother Rory took much enjoyment in picking on me. Why is it that the oldest sibling feels the need to tease the youngest? I doubted it was for his pleasure. Who enjoys being scolded and reprimanded by flustered parents? I liked to think it was just because bothering his little sister was a good cure for boredom. These days, I only laugh when I think of the ridiculous ways he would reduce me to frightened tears. As I stand in this memory, watching the sky turn blue grey as clouds roll in, I think of my brother. 

He once told me that the sky turning blue grey was an ill omen. When I asked him what it was a sign of, he had turned silent and grim. It startled me and I poked and prodded for an answer. He had responded that it meant demons are out and about, ready to cause trouble. What scared me the most then was that he was serious, not teasing at all. 

As I look around, I wonder: Are there demons about? It looks as though I am close to Tayri, as I can see the city in the distance. The old farm is also visible, as well as the forests. When I look further, I notice several forms by the tree line of the forest. I step closer to see a group of about five peasant men and six demon hunters.

I can tell that these hunters are from Esterguard, a town to the east that breeds demon hunters. They wear sturdy leather armor lined with fur. Swords are sheathed at their belts. Bows and quivers are strapped to their backs. They are fully armed, and they mean business. One of the peasants, a woman, is talking to a hunter.

"We think it might be a lupine," she speaks, her voice trembling with fear. 

"Then we'd best be careful. Nasty things, lupines," a hunter comments.

"The full grown ones are the worst. They get awfully territorial," another states. The lead hunter silences them and continues speaking with the woman.

"What kind of trouble have you been having, ma'am?"

"At first we thought it was a thief, stealing all our crops. Then we began finding some of our smaller animals missing, mostly chickens."

One peasant man chimes in, saying, "We found blood whenever one went missing."

The woman nods and continues. "Some hunters from Demon's Bane went after it into the forest and never came back."

I know what happened to them, I think. A shudder runs through me as I imagine what their fates might have been. Flashes of splattered blood and torn flesh cross my mind, sticking there and refusing to leave. 

"You did the right thing by contacting us. Lupines are dangerous beasts. We'll investigate in the forest and see if we can find your demon. Return to your homes, and we shall inform you when we finish."

The peasants do as they are told, thanking the hunters and offering them prayers. I hear a few mumbles of how the hunters would not return and they march to their deaths. When they leave, one of the hunters lets out a deep sigh. "If I had a silver for every peasant that thought they saw a lupine, I'd be a wealthy man."

"How much you wanna bet it's some dirty thief from Tayri?" another hunter replies, holding up his full cloth coin purse. The silver inside jingles as he shakes it. 

One of his comerades swats at it and makes it tumble to the ground, earning him an annoyed glare. "A bandit steals some livestock and crops and they instantly think a wolf did it."

The lead hunter speaks next, after he shoots his anxious subordinates a reprimanding stare. "I doubt a common thief would hide in this forest. Though the chances of it being a lupine are slim."

Yes, this forest. Nocturne Hollow. If you tread here, you enter on a fool's errand. The creatures lurking in the shadows would not hesitate to make a meal out of you. Demon hunters must be brave, to enter this dark forest. They draw their blades and step through the underbrush into the forest depths. Torches are lit, illuminating the tree trunks and glowing eyes of small woodland animals. The trees are so closely knit that sunlight struggles to enter here. With the weather taking a turn for the worse, darkness prevails.

I follow them for a while. As expected, nothing is found. All I hear is the sound of crickets chirping and the rustle of leaves in the ever increasing wind. I notice that we are getting close to Kaiya's cave dwelling. Not the best idea, to wander there. I hear movement behind me, but when I turn around, no one is there. Another hunter hears it too and stops briefly, then shakes his head and continues.

As we wander closer to a forest clearing, a low growl rumbles from the trees. All the hunters stop, pointing their swords in front of them. I look around for the source, finding nothing. Whatever the creature is, it hides itself well. Time seems to stand still for a moment before an enormous wolf emerges from the trees and pounces on a hunter.

Standing on all fours, this creature would tower over a full-grown horse. Its fangs are gigantic, sure to kill anything they hit right away. It's too dark to see what color its fur is, so for all I know it could be black. The wolf has a large bushy tail that sweeps from side to side with enough power to knock a few hunters off their feet. With a fearsome growl it guts the hunter with its vicious fangs. 

Of course I've heard the stories of lupine demons. There is a reason why they were so feared by our ancestors. They were considered one of the most powerful breeds of demon and the most deadly. My grandfather told me that they were great wolves filled with malice for humans. He said humans chased them from their home, pushing them back to Talyyn, the demon's country. Reluctant to leave, they lingered in the forests bordering Talyyn, until they were hunted to extinction. Grandfather said it took many, many men to bring down one. So could only six hunters manage?

As expected, the wolf swats them away like flies. It crushes two beneath its massive paws. Its lethal fangs chomp down on another. It sends two flying into the trunk of an old, great tree, leaving them unconscious, if not dead. It snuffs out the life of the last with a single claw. Finished, the wolf howls to the blue grey sky. A short, emotionless call which I cannot make sense of.

The lupine's form shudders twice as its fur seems to retract back into its skin. Paws become hands and feet, the tail disappears, claws turn to claw-like fingernails, and ears get small, though they remain pointed. A voice echoes from the trees.

"Kaiya?"

"It's alright mom. You're safe now. I took care of them."

Of course it is Kaiya. In fact, I've come to expect any memories in the forest to involve her. She stands in the clearing, amongst the dead hunters. Her hands brush dirt off of her blue dress before they toss the bodies into a pile.

"I'm worried. That's the second time this week that they almost found us," her mother speaks, stepping into the clearing at a slow pace. She seems frailer than the last time I saw her. Is she ill? Kaiya reaches out with one hand, which her mother intertwines her fingers with. The old wolf leans upon her daughter, weary. 

"I won't let them, mom. Besides, isn't it nice that the food comes to us for once?"

"Kaiya, you must stop going into their lands. I warned you about this and you didn't listen. Now look at what's happening," she says with a frown, waving a hand around at the destruction Kaiya wreaked on the hunters. 

"So now it's my fault that humans are sticking their noses where they shouldn't?" Kaiya's eyes fill with anger as she gently sets her mother down beside a thick tree trunk. 

"I cannot blame you for human's ignorance, but you have provoked them. I want you to hunt in the forest from now on."

"The forest—mom, there is no food in the forest! You've seen it happening all this time! The forest is getting darker, so the animals are leaving and plants won't grow down on the floor. I have to hunt outside or you'll starve!"

Her mother's face bears an expression filled with sorrow. "I understand. You have to face facts, though. The humans will not hesitate to do us harm. There is more danger out there than in here. You also know we can't move to Talyyn."

"So we're trapped," Kaiya says with a sigh, sounding defeated. It may be my imagination but I think I see tears beginning to form in her eyes. Crestfallen, the lupine slumps down the trunk beside her mother, burying her face in her hands. 

Mother bends down and hugs her daughter, gently stroking her short flaxen hair. "Come now. We have a delicious meal to eat now, don't we?"

They walk off towards their home just as rain begins to fall from the blue grey sky. To my surprise, I see Kain amongst the trees, bearing a pleased expression. He's up to something, that much is sure.

I leave the memory as the rain falls harder…