Chapter Text
A gentle chime from the front of the clinic draws your attention away from the bunch of lavender in your hand. The sound is almost soothing to you after all these years; a ringing of a brass bell fixed to the front doors. It announced the arrival of a patient, and in your certain case, the first patient of the day.
You stand from your stool and make your way out of your herb room, the mingling scents of various plants grow fainter as you approach the front counter. There, an elderly man stands in your clinic. He leans on his worn wooden cane, a soft pink handkerchief in the other hand as he sends you a kind smile from the other side of the wooden desk. You smile back, happy to see a familiar face so early in the morning.
“Good morning, Mr. Baker.” You greet.
“Good morning, dear.” He replies, removing his boater hat and placing it on the counter top.
William Baker was one of your oldest regulars. He had been friends with your grandfather before he passed, and had moved to this village with him. He often visited you when the clinic was quiet, test-tasting your new tea blends while telling you tales from his childhood. You were grateful for his company. You figured you’d be very lonely without him.
“What can I do for you today?”
“I just need something to manage this flu.” he says, emphasizing his point with a small coughing fit. “With the weather getting colder, this thing is going around like the plague.”
You hummed in agreement. You knew very well that winter was nearing your little village. Just the other day you had spent hours securing your garden from the upcoming frost.
“Luckily, you’re not the first person to come in with this problem.” you say, turning away from the counter and towards the room on your left. “Just give me a quick moment, I’ll be but a second. Feel free to take a seat while you wait.”
“Thank you, dear.” He wearily approaches one of the wooden chairs lining the waiting area, taking a seat on the cushioned surface. You send him a gentle smile.
Entering the room, you face walls upon walls of shelves. Lining the shelves are glass jars, locked at their lid, with colourful capsules of various shapes and sizes. Their weathered labels indicated their age. This room was your pride and joy. Residents of the village would tell you that not even your grandfather had a medicine room so impressive. Striding over to a particular shelf, you open one of the drawers attached to the bottom. Inside are multiple little medicine containers housing several small round red capsules.
Like Mr. Baker had said, the flu was becoming very prominent recently. You had thought ahead however, and pre-packaged several bottles of flu medication for easier distribution. Satisfied with yourself, you pluck one container out of the drawer and package it in a little paper bag. As you leave the room, Mr. Baker smiles at you from his seat. You hold the package out to him.
“There you go sir. It’s a simple flu medicine, so it should help with any symptoms you have. If anything gets worse, don’t hesitate to come back and I’ll give you something stronger.”
“You're a life saver, dear.” he says, standing from the chair before tucking the brown bag and its contents inside his checkered blazer. The floorboards creak underneath him as he retrieves his cane and boater hat. He looks at you thoughtfully with warm eyes before speaking. “You know, there is another reason why I came here.”
You quirk your eyebrows at him in curiosity. “And what reason would that be?”
Mr. Baker hesitates. “Your grandfather…” he paused to reach for your hands over the counter, holding them in his own weathered one. “In three days, it will be two years since he has passed, no?”
You cast your eyes down, opting to stare at the surface of the desk. Mentions of your grandfather’s death didn’t hurt you as much as it did in the beginning and it was not like you wanted to forget. But there wasn’t a day that went by where you didn’t wish to see him again.
“Yes, yes it is.”
He gives your hands a little squeeze. “I know every year you visit his grave. I was wondering if this time, I could accompany you.”
You send him a melancholic smile. Your grandpa was very close with Mr. Baker and he had mourned his death as much as you did. When you had arrived here right after his passing, he had been the first to comfort you, bringing a jar of his home-raised honey with him as a present. The memory was as clear as day in your mind.
Still, you couldn't help but be concerned. The trip would be dangerous; you had no clue what creatures you'd encounter. But he deserved to see his friend and you felt too guilty turning him down. Besides, as long as he was with you, you would protect him.
“Of course sir, he would be happy to see you.”
He beams at you, a grateful expression on his face. “Thank you, dear. It means a lot to me.”
You both relish in the calm and comfortable atmosphere that had been created, before your face lit up with an idea.
“You know, Mr. Baker, I have something else for you that may help with your flu.” Before he could reply, you pull out a small jar from under the counter containing a cluster of dried plant flakes. “It’s a new tea I made for the upcoming season. Would you like some?” You could already feel the excitement radiating from the man.
“Oh dear, you know I could never turn down your teas.”
You happily offer him the whole jar, which he clutches to himself carefully. You were glad to do what you could for him, especially since he was your favourite patient. However, you realize now as he pockets the jar that you had forgot a crucial aspect of the tea.
“Oh damn it, I forgot I ran out of elderberry syrup yesterday!” you exclaim, internally slapping yourself over your forgetfulness. “I’m so sorry Mr. Baker...”
He chuckled. “Don’t fret, I enjoy your teas anyway.”
But you did fret. The tea wasn’t complete without elderberry syrup. The dark liquid brought out the full potential in the herbal blend, and you only wanted to give the best quality to your best client. You were gonna get him that syrup, and that meant you were gonna trek into the forest to your favourite berry picking spot.
“Mr. Baker, I’m gonna get you that syrup." You say tenaciously, turning to run to the staircase that lead up to your living quarters. A newfound energy coursed through your muscles. Your mind was now focused on this goal, and nothing was going to stop you. "I’ll drop it off your place later today!”
"But-"
“I’ll see you soon!”
You dash madly up the stairs, leaving Mr. Baker in the waiting room of your clinic with an amused yet confused smile on his face.
Your living space was as small and quaint as your clinic. You had a few rustic pieces of furniture and dusty artifacts decorating the shelves. Your grandfather always believed in the charm of simplicity and obviously, that belief passed down to you. The faint smell of lavender clung to the air in the room from the bunches that hung from the entry ways. You quickly make your way to your bedroom, grabbing your scavenging boots and strapping them on hastily. Your thoughts were in a rush, mentally checking off everything you needed for a visit to the woods.
Boots, check. Vambraces, check. You pull off a caribou pelt-lined cloak off your clothes rack, relishing in the immediate warmth it provided as you pulled it on. Warm clothes, check.
The last thing you grabbed was a worn crossbow that hung above your bed. It was a wooden one, with beautiful floral patterns engraved on its surface. The gold that adorned the edges glinted as it was hit by the sunlight that enters through the windows. Despite it’s age, it was a powerful and durable weapon that had belonged to your grandfather. He had taught you everything about it, and now, you never left for the woods without it. You quickly ran your thumb over the engravings before slinging it over your shoulder and filling your quiver with tipped arrows.
Satisfied, you made your way out of the room, determined to find the last elderberries of the season.
The forests surrounding your little village are dark, and it is advised by the residents to avoid exploration if it can be helped. No matter how sunny the day might be, a thick layer of darkness always settled itself among the trees and a cold wind blew through the foliage in spite of the season.
Magic ran through the roots of this forest. It flowed into the stems of each plant up into the leaves and radiated around the plant like a thick mist hanging in the air. You sensed it in how the herbs were stronger, how the berries were sweeter and how the poisons were more potent.
But you supposed the strangest thing about this little secluded area you lived in was the creatures.
No one had names for them. They weren’t classified nor were they registered in any scientific circles. Hell, they were simply stories in the city. But they were real, and they called these woods their home. Not all of them were dangerous. In fact, most of them were simply curious of the humans that would wander into the forest. But they existed, and you remember having to treat many people who happened to have an unfortunate encounter with the aggressive ones.
With that thought, you gripped your crossbow a little tighter.
Fallen branches crunched under your boots as you made your way to your favourite elderberry spot. The large fallen log covered in lichen that you used as a landmark came into view, and you knew that you weren’t far. You passed pine trees that stood strong in the harshness of the winter, their green needles glistening with the minimal sunlight that peaked through the canopy. There was never a day that you regretted moving to this village. Despite its shroud of mystery, this place was beautiful. You could see why your grandfather loved it so much.
Your sightseeing however was interrupted when a terrifying shriek ripped through the forest.
Your finger tensed on the trigger of your crossbow and your heartbeat sped up. The sound was close. Whatever that was, wasn’t far.
Dropping down towards the ground, you crept through the foliage towards the noise. You felt like the character in horror movies that made the worst decisions when faced with the worst situations. But this wasn’t a movie. You remember that the hunters had left for their hunting trip not long before you did. If whatever that was encountered them, there could be someone who needed your help.
You weren’t stupid however. You wouldn’t just walk straight into a dangerous situation. You needed a plan. You approached a giant tree. Looking up, you saw a maze of branches sprouting from it’s trunk. It was perfectly high enough that you would get a view, but dense enough with leaves that you wouldn’t be spotted. It was perfect.
Strapping the crossbow across your back, you gripped a branch, and began making your way up the tree. The coarse bark dug into your fingertips with each branch and you could hear it scraping against your leather boots. But you didn’t stop, and another shriek from below you motivated you to move faster. When you finally reached the top, you were able to see exactly the situation you had landed yourself in.
Just below the tree, past a small wall of bushes was a clearing. Right in the middle of the clearing was the most grotesque monster you have ever seen. It was humanoid in nature, but could tower over a regular human. It’s long, pale slender body held even longer and paler limbs, with arms that ended in giant claws tinted with a slight red.
You had an idea where that came from.
Its back was turned to you, so you were unable to see its face, but from its shrieks you could imagine what it looked like. The thing was intently focused in front of it, claws tensed and back arched, as if ready to pounce at any second.
The object of its focus made your heart sink.
It was a person, dressed in dark garments which surprisingly blended well with the colours of the forest. They were tall, but not tall enough to match the beast standing before it, staring them down. They were grasping their arm in pain, and as they shuffled away with a limp, a trail of blood followed them. A mask covered their face, which was not abnormal of the hunters of your village who disguised their faces from creatures that could memorize them. Blue was an odd choice, but you weren’t one to judge, especially not now.
The creature swiped at their legs, and after barely jumping out of the way, they collapsed onto the dirt, and the small blade that rolled out of their hands told you that they were completely unconscious.
You moved with instinct.
Pulling the crossbow off your back, you aimed the weapon at the creature with a shaky breath, staring at it down the barrel of the weapon. And just before it could skewer the hunter, you pulled the trigger.
The arrow went flying from the tree, and an ear-piercing shriek left the creature as it lodged itself into its neck. Thick viscous blood immediate spewed out from the wound, mixing with the blood of the hunter on the ground. It flailed its clawed hands in every which direction, scratching the bark off the trees and leaving multiple deep grooves in the trunk. You flinched at its screams, pressing yourself closer against the tree in the hopes it wouldn't see you in its distress. Finally after stumbling around in pain, screaming into the open forest air, the thing ran off clumsily, a trail of blood following behind it.
You released your death-grip on the tree that you didn’t realize you were holding. You were quite surprised - the arrow that you used was tipped with one of your strongest poisons, not to mention you got its neck, and yet the thing still managed to live to run away. You didn’t have time to let the unease settle in however, as you remembered the hunter lying in the clearing, currently bleeding out.
Rapidly scrambling down the tree and almost falling down twice, you burst your way through the bush line and into the expanse, towards the hunter. Only to immediately halt in your tracks in front of them.
Looking over them now, they were tall, that was for sure. Their mask was also indeed blue, but a detailed you missed from the distance was the black tar-like liquid running from their void-like eyes. Their outstretched hand that had dropped the blade, which you identified as a scalpel was charcoal in shade, with ink black talons on each finger.
Your breath hitched and your muscles tensed as you realized you had made a very huge mistake.
Whatever this creature was, they were definitely not a hunter.