Castaway

The Huntress

YEAR 2010

In a faraway city where humans can freely wander around and live their lives, a family of huntsmen lived. Their job is to minimize the demons lurking around since, of course, they can’t possibly eliminate them entirely through purification. Demons cause humans to commit evil. They became whispers for those who have weak minds or possess weak hosts.

“Sharpen your senses, Dev!” he shouted, wearing his hunting gear while blending himself in the trees inside the forest.

She was born a woman. If she was born ordinary, this shouldn’t be a problem. But she was born a huntsman, came from the clan of Northern hunters, the Feidon. They have once ruled a village from the North before they meet their end with some curse, a curse that made their clan fall to rock bottom, her curse.

In every 8th generation, a girl is born. To think that it was just a rare occasion, it should be a blessing. But no, because that means another bloodbath was set.

“You should have known that we’re not just a hunter,” he whispered through the air while she was trying to look around, trying to follow his voice and catch where he’s hiding.

“We don’t hunt animals!”

She knew it.

She was taught how to hunt and how to fight just like the others. Become aggressive as they’re hunting more than animals. But for her, it’s more than just training. It is a preparation.

“We’re hunting demons,” he whispered in her ears.

She turned around and took her arrow behind. She saw him running behind the woods. She took a deep breath, pointed her arrow at him, and prepared herself to shoot. She has to make this one last shot before the sun goes down. She released the arrow, and as what she was known for, her arrow didn’t make a sound. It’s her silenced shot, as what they called it. She’s neither talented nor gifted. I told you, she’s cursed. She just found archery fun. The secret is in her weapon. She personally made her bow and shaped her own arrow.

“Ugh,” she heard him grunt not too far.

She thought her arrow reached him. She smiled and ran as fast as she could, carefully to where he ran off. She figured out he can’t run that far knowing he’s injured. She took a stop in front of a dead tree and scanned the whole area. A sound of steel reached her hearing, and instinct told her to dodge a flying pocket knife.

“Didn’t think you were this serious, Devy,” he laughed.

“Should I get serious, too?” he asked.

She’s still looking around, trying to search for him, saying, “You’re the one who told me, Calixtro. I’m sharpening my senses.”

“Ugh, hate that name,” he grunted.

“So as Devy,” she told him.

He jumped from a tree and tried to make a surprise attack, but his moves were too flashy. She noticed him right away and made a counter. That’s one of his weaknesses. He likes to make his moves flashy. He pulled one of his knives and threw it at her, but suddenly a man showed up and caught it, it was Amaron.

“Watch out, Amaron!” Calix shouted when he saw her made another shot.

Amaron turned around and sliced the arrow half in an instant using Calix’s knife.

“That’s enough. The sun is out. We have to go home,” he told them.

Calix made a face and took his knife from Amaron while it left her no choice but to grab and fix her things. She closed the lid of her arrow bag and put her bow around her shoulder.

“Father will arrive today, so we have to make our preparations. Baron was almost done with his cooking. Calixtro, you’ll prepare father’s bath.”

“Call me Calix, and I’ll prepare not just his bath,” he said.

“Will you prepare mine?” Amaron asked him.

“No, I’ll prepare MY bath,” he laughed.

Amaron was about to punch him, but Calix immediately ran away while laughing. Calix also likes to play pranks on his siblings. Amaron turned his head to Devanna, and she met his eyes. She knew what he was about to say.

“I’ll prepare the dinner table,” she told him and walked ahead of him.

“Good,” he said.

-0-0-0-

It was already dark when they heard a car stopped in front of their house. She immediately put her slippers on and ran downstairs. She saw Baron went out of the kitchen while Amaron and Calix put their cellphone’s down and stood up from the couch. In their practice, every time their father went home, they will have to greet him in the doorway.

She saw him went out of his car wearing his white long sleeves folded just below his elbow. He wore black slacks while he had his coat hanged above his left arm and carried his suitcase on his right.

“Welcome home, father,” they greeted as they bowed their head down.

It’s nice to say home when your home felt like home.

He stopped in front of them. His eyes were tired, and his dark circles worsen. His face is pale, and his lips are a bit chapped. He aged in that three-month trip, and he’s carrying a piece of news that would shock his children. He looked at Amaron.

“Amaron, as the eldest, I had your name submitted for the selection of the Eastern princess’s marriage partner a few months before. And consider ourselves lucky, you were chosen as one of the candidates since your mother came from their royal lineage, so please follow my order, minimize your alcohol intake,” he told him.

She was a bit surprised, but she knew it surprised Amaron a lot more. They had talked about it before, and he said he wouldn’t do it, but they didn’t expect their father already had his name submitted.

“Yes, father.” He bowed his head. She saw how unpleased he was about the news, but he can’t argue with their father.

“Baron, please take a look at your brother from here on forward. This is an opportunity we have to make for the sake of their family,” he said and turned his head to his youngest as she was standing next to Baron.

Devanna lowered her head since she can’t even look him eye to eye. She doesn’t know why but she’s afraid to meet his gaze. She had her head low, but she can feel how his father looked at her. His eyes were filled with despise, anger, and fear. She bit her lip. That’s why she hated getting attention from him because the curse made her being feared. It only made her wish she was born different.

“What happened to your leg?” he asked Calix.

“I was training earlier,” he answered.

“With?”

“Uhh,” Calix looked at her and turned his head to Amaron.

“With Dev,” he said.

Her father looked at her again. She closed her eyes while still had head low.  He decided not to speak any statement and decided to head in their staircase.

“Did you prepare my bath?” he asked before he went up.

“Of course, father, nice and hot!” Calix smiled while giving him thumbs up.

“Go and eat first without me. I’ll have my bath first before eating,” he told them.

Baron softly slapped Calix hand down while their father went up to his room.

 “Congratulations on your selection, Amaron,” Calix teased him while laughing.

“I think I should get drunk tonight like really drunk,” he said while finding his way to their dining area.

“I should stop you, brother,” Baron followed him.

They were just like any other family. They can get drunk, get mad, get hurt and laugh. The only difference they had from the others was that they were hunters and were the only huntsmen who had given a spell.

She watched her siblings and smiled. She wanted to get close with them, too, but the curse made her chose to distance herself. As her father told her before, it’ll only be hard for her to fulfill what has been decided.

She started to walk behind them when she felt something on her wrist. She saw a soft glint. It was only for a swift moment, but she felt her heart skipped a beat.

“What’s wrong, Dev?” Calix asked her.

She looked at him. If there is someone with whom she felt the most attached, it was Calix. Maybe because their age doesn’t have that much gap and they grew up doing things together. Even after knowing about their fate, Calix didn’t show her any changes. He’s still acted like the old him.

“Nothing,” she smiled.

She stared at her wrist again but only found none as she followed them to the dining area.