The Hunter

.      Today was the day I leave for my first solo hunt to prove I have what it takes to be a hunter.  I had no doubt I would succeed. I was a Monroe after all. Our family was known for its ruthlessness against supernatural creatures, or supes as we like to call them.  Vampires. Wendigoes. Werewolves. My family has seen it all, and I couldn’t wait to take my place with my parents and my older brother as an official hunter.       Whenever a hunter turns 16, he or she must perform their solo hunt.  It is completely up to them to use their past training to find, plan, and execute a case.  I had been working on mine for months. I caught wind of some brutal attacks a couple states over.  One attack left two humans dead. Further research revealed what seemed to be the work of a small werewolf pack.  Possibly rogues. Alpha run packs seem to stick to their own territories and don't tend to go on murderous sprees.  So, it was less likely they would be involved. I followed their path of destruction looking for any pattern to determine where I could find them next.       It seemed like they were hitting close.  Maybe just a state or two over. After receiving approval from my father, I began loading everything I would need for my hunt.  My specialty was knife work. So I made sure to pack along a few easily discrete knives to carry for emergencies, a couple larger ring daggers to use for combat, and a couple hand guns with some wolfsbane infused rounds.  I also toted along a couple nifty little bombs my father had invented that explode almost like a grenade, but instead of dealing damage to the surroundings, it releases wolfsbane into the air to act as a poison against unsuspecting werewolves.     I loved the up close fighting.  I always liked to tease my older brother Dominic for his lack in hand to hand combat.  He was more of a shoot first ask questions later kind of guy. I liked getting my hands dirty.  With Dom always watching my back, I never really had to worry much anyway. I had went on multiple hunts with my father and brother since I turned 12.  Much to my mother's dismay. She always thought I was too young, or couldn't handle it. She eventually came around. Especially after I saved my brother from a ghoul planning to make him his dinner.  He stopped picking on me so much after that too. He never said it, but I think it really messed him up. The ghoul had attacked him from behind, biting a chunk from his shoulder and hitting his head off a cement wall.  If I had not heard the growling and struggling coming from ghoul’s attempts to drag him into a sewer hole, we would have possibly never found him. I ran in, surprising the ghoul with a fist full of brass knuckles to the face, and a swift jab from my knife, right to its throat, and then slicing its head from its body.  Dom spent a few weeks recovering, and after that, he started taking his training a little more seriously.       He was almost as excited as I was for my first trip.  We both knew that when I succeeded, we would be allowed to take hunts without our father to supervise.  He completed his hunt last year. Found a kitsune feeding off workers in an electrical plant in Kentucky.  It took him a week to gain access, but once inside, he was able to find the beast and take it out, just as it was about to feast on yet a worker.  I remember him returning. He hadn’t even stopped to shower or change on his drive home. Pulled into the drive with a huge smile on his face. A glimmer in his blue eyes.  Eyes he had gotten from our mother. Pieces of kitsune flesh still caught in his dark brown, shaggy hair. He had used a modified shotgun, courtesy of my father, to blow the kitsunes head off.  He wouldn’t stop bragging for a month.       Dom helped me load down the hidden compartment he and my father installed in my brand new Chevy Trax my parents gave me for my birthday.  Perfect for hiding all the weapons I would need to tote around on a regular basis. Dom looked at me and smiled his signature smile. The one that had all the other girls at school begging at his feet.   “I think you’re all set sis.  Got your knives and guns all stored here and here,” he said as he pointed to certain areas inside the hidden compartment in the trunk, “and over here, I put a few extra rounds for the hand guns.  Also, two more of those wolfsbane grenades. You can never have too much ammo you know.”  “Dom, you really are the best.” “You know it!”  He turned to head back into the towards to house to grab my luggage I had packed for my trip.   “Lydia, dad wants to see you in his office now.  Head on up. I’ll finish loading your bags for you.” “Did he say what he wanted?”  I asked. Feeling slightly annoyed.       I knew he would make another attempt to stop me from leaving so soon.  He thought this case was to big for me alone. I, however, wanted to do this.  I knew I could do this. My grandfather had intervened. Helping me convince my father I was ready for this.  I already had 5 supe kills under my belt. Which was something most hunters my age were nowhere near achieving.  Even after finally submitting to my grandfather, he never stopped trying to convince me to wait and take another case.   “You already know the answer to that one little sis.  Mom is with him as well. So, good luck!” he shouted back with a smile as he turned to finish loading my car, as I headed inside our three story, rustic cabin looking home.