I wasn’t gone for too long. How could this happen so fast? There were rumors that the king found out about our secret monster village in the forest and was plotting an attack. I didn’t think it was actually going to happen. We were safe. Weren’t we? I should’ve known. Should’ve expected better from the crimson family. And that elf. They had some part in this too. How could I let this happen to both of them?
I started to grab my things from around the house. On my way past the open window, I yell. “Louhi! Hercrate! Time to come in.” I called for my siblings who were playing on the front lawn.
“Aww. Do we have to?!” Louhi wined. His ears and tail fell to the ground trying to use his cuteness against me.
it didn’t work. “Yes! Now!” I start to walk away from the window. I find the rest of my things.
Hercrate and Louhi race to the door. ”Haha I won.” Hercrate gets into the doorway first with triumph. The help of her pixie wings made her win.
“What? Come on.” Louhi wines once again. “You have wings, it's not fair game.” He stomps one of his paws, failing to emphasize his point.
“Alright,” I interrupt. “Do you know what to do if I take too long?”
“Yes Kendra.” My little brother grones. “We went over it a hundred times.”
“Are you sure? Let's go over it one more time.” I check to see if I have everything I need. Louhi rolls his eyes.
Hercrate begins. I put on my human disguise as she speaks. “Cook ourselves dinner, put ourselves to bed, don’t go out unless we need to, and don’t burn the house down with magic.” she counts each rule on her fingers enthusiastically.
I finished putting on my costume and I ruffled her purplish-blond hair. “That’s right. And what’s the very last thing you need to do?” I turn to look at both of them.
“Protect each other.” The two say in unison.
“Great. I’m heading out now. Stay out of trouble.” I turned out the door.
“Bye kendria.” they wave behind me.
I throw my satchel over my shoulder and head my way down the path to the human town.
My siblings and I aren't technically related. We were just a group of small children whose parents left them when we were young. We used to be raised by this sweet old witch. She taught me so much about magic. I wish she taught me more. but sadly she passed away a year ago. We are all what each other has now. I'm a witch and 9 years old, Hercrate's a fae and 4, and Louhi is 5 and he's a shapeshifting deer fox. We all may be pretty young to be on our own but we learn to survive. Besides, we have our neighbors to help us if we need it.
I finally get to the town after miles of walking. I see people’s stares and murmurs as I walk by. I hope my human disguise is working. I grab some ingredients for potions, a couple of fruits and vegetables, and some cow meat for dinner tomorrow. Everything I can’t usually get at the monster town.
I check my list to see if I need anything else. The last thing on my list is new kitchen knives. I look around and I find a weapons shop and head in its direction.
I ask the soft giant of a man for some knives. “No problem las, I’ll see what we have.” I thank the black Smith and wait for him patiently.
Just when he turns a corner to go deeper into his shop a soldier comes up next to me. I tense up, praying to the gods he doesn't find out I'm a witch.
I gotta lay low. “So. Uh… Are you here to get a sword or something?” What happened to laying it low?
“Why yes I am.” The Soldier surprisingly responds. I was hoping the myth of soldiers being mute was true. “Say. I have a question for you?” He looks down at me. The soft look he gives feels like a lie.
I tense even more somehow. “Sure.” I have to be extremely careful with what I say next.
“Have you heard of monsters sneaking into our town? Taking our livestock for themselves without telling us who they are. Do you know anything about that?” The words were so dangerous for such a simple question.
I don’t know how to respond. “I can’t say I do.” Should I run?
“Well, it’s an awful shame.”
He leans in with his hand on my shoulder.
I pull out my witch's staff that’s been hiding under my cloak this whole time. I get into a fighting stance ready to shoot the magic from within. Just then the smith comes out with the knives now witnessing the scene.
The soldier smirked. “I knew you were a witch. You almost had me fooled.” The soldier quickly grabs one of the smith's swords from its display.
“Oui! What do you think you’re doing?” The smith protests, dropping the box of knives on the table and tromping towards the soldier.
pointing the stolen sword at me the soldier calls out. “A witch! Stay back, everyone. I’ve got this handled.” The smith looks at me with shock and takes a few steps away.
I shoot him with a simple defense spell before he can take another step towards me. I look around to see the crowd gasping in terror stepping away from me. But that doesn’t matter. What matters is that I leave with my life.
“You damn witches!” The soldier yells. He sits up clenching the arm I just hit. “Nothing but men killers. All of you.”
I quickly turn and run, taking the knives with me. I don’t care where I go. Just as long as it’s not this ratchet town.
After a while of running, I see the sun setting overhead.
I stop and look around. I have no clue where I am. It’s going to get dark soon and I won’t have enough time to find the hidden town. I look around me. I find an abandoned beaten-down hut in the distance.
“Perfect. I’ll just stay there for the night. I sure Hercrate and Louhi will be fine for the night.” I ran towards the hut.
I get in the hut and look around for a spot to sleep. It’s just dirt, dust, and planks of rotting wood.
“I can work with this.” I got started in making this hut a home.
After a while of moving planks, swatting bugs, inhaling dust, building a campfire, and lighting it up with magic. This old shed was looking better and better. I look at the room seeing what I can find to make a bed with a new crafting spell I just learned.
I pull out my spell book and flip through it. “How do I summon a crafting spell again?”
“Hey, you.” I jump almost dropping the book at the sudden new voice from the empty window.
I turn to the voice. It’s a man. A vampire even. I'm a little relieved to see another monster. “Who… who are you?” I stammer back.
“Can I stay here tonight? My house got destroyed.” He politely asked, patiently waiting for my response.
I just stare at the guy for a long moment. “I thought vampires didn’t have homes. Don’t you guys wander around looking for food constantly?”
“I have a trust fund back at the monster town.”
He shrugs his shoulders. “Can I come in now?”
“Sure.” I permit him to come in.
He gets through the window and walks in. “So what are you doing in the woods like this?” he said nonchalantly, taking a seat near the fire. the light glowed on his pale skin.
“um. uh. well. I…” Gods, why can I never get a sentence out?
the vampire looks at me, raising an eyebrow. “i. went to the human town to get some supplies for my family, and I. uh. I got chased out by a guard.”
“ooh. I see. yah. Most humans don't like us. That's why they are burning and killing everyone at the monster village right now.” he stares off. not a care in the world about what he just said.
“w-what? What did you just say?” I froze.
“yah. They are burning it down right now. That's why I'm here.” I get up and scramble to grab my things. “where are you going?” the vampire turns to me and asks.
“Home.” a rush out of the hut without a second thought.
I run as fast as I can, never stopping until I get to the village, my home. my siblings. I almost trip several times but I refuse to fall. I finally get to the village. a chared abandoned village. I stop for the first time in the past 30 minutes. I look at the awful sight. It looked like a fire dragon just plowed there way through. There’s no soul in sight.
“Hercrate! Louhi!” I cry out. sprinting across the wreckage.
I jump across neighbors and friends. Orcs, elves, fellow witches, and fae. I leap my way to what was once our house. It's just rubble. I grab the pieces of falling wood and debris, throwing it to the side.
“no. no. no no no no no no no no!” I dig through the ash.
I found the two of them. my siblings. my family. everything I had. bloody with ashes and slashes on their poor defenseless little bodies. eyes rolled back into their skulls.
I cling to both of them. “Hercrate! Louhi! No!” I scream in pain. tears burning my eyes.
“don't leave me. you're all I had. you two were everything, please. dont go. Don't leave me behind.” I sob into the night. I know I shouldn't stay. I know I should run. But I can't leave. I can't move. I can't breathe.
“oh gods.” I hear someone whisper behind me. “What’ve I done?”
I whip my head around and stand up in a swift motion, a fire-blasting spell glowing on my hands ready to strike. Tears flood my eyes with pain. “What are you doing here? Did you do this? Did you kill my family?” I spat at them, with red filling my vision.
“Hey wait. Don't shoot.” they cover their faces with their arms cowering. “I didn't do this.” they hesitate lowering their defenses. “at least not by my hands.”
I lower my hands with the magic fading. “You better tell me who you are and what you did to cause this.” I jester one of my hands at the destruction of the village.
“I will. just come with me first. we're not safe here.” they lower their hands gilt covering their face. they reach a hand out to me waiting for me to take it.
I quickly grab one of Louhi’s broken antlers and Hercrate's bow from their dirtied bloodied corpses before leaving them forever. I turn around and set off with the young criminal elf.
