"I've caught a fish! I got a fish!" A young boy yells excitedly, swaying his first trophy as water sprinkles all over his shirt. "Look, father, look!"
"Nice one, Anton." His father claps praising his son. Usually, he would never bring his young son out for fishing knowing how dangerous the woods are, but it seems he'll hear a lot of scolding once they return to his wife. I guess I should make the best use of him. "Now, catch some more, we have a bucket to fill." He tapped the bucket next to him twice before returning his gaze to the river where his fishing hook sank.
"Way to kill my happiness, father. Way. to. go." He rolled his eyes. "But why does it seem there are too few fish here? We've been here for almost three hours and we caught only - what? Like five or six." The young boy asked, throwing back the fish hook.
His father thought so too, the long waiting for the fish to take the bite made him contemplate of telling his daughter to pick some firewood, if she went with himcatching fish is much easier and faster.
"I have not the slightest idea why." He shrugged off. "Maybe the seasons are changing, they'll be looking for more food." Despite his words, this strange occurrence shall be reported to their Chief. He wouldn't like to hear any bad news these days.
"This sucks." The boy flatly remarked.
"Indeed, it is." Mr. Degget agrees, boredom sitting with them.
"Where's Big Sis Ru?" Anton asked.
"I had her pick some firewoods."
"I should have gone to her instead here." Laziness starts to kick in as the sunlight's warmth and breeze call drowsiness makes them both yawn.
The sky, the brightest blue after the morning rain, basking the world with its boundless warmth. At the center of woods she stands alone, her eyes gazing above telling the haunting stories she holds. Tall grass around her dances when wind blows, chirping birds freely soared, leaves singing nature's song, as the dried leaves gracefully touch the land signifies the falling season.
Her green peridot eyes caught the view of a blue butterfly, what a lovely creature, her silent voice in her head. She held her forefinger out, the beautiful creature gently landed as it softly flapped its wings. Ruina was mesmerized until it touched the droplet of blood and flew away.
She lowered her doll-like gaze to the ground, wild flowers of many kinds and colours surrounded her, what a beautiful grave for a gruesome massacre.
She was out picking firewood when the scent of thick iron tingled her nose wafting through the air, it was highly disturbing, getting thicker with every second that passed. She parted the branches, red painted the leaves splattered across the forest floor, flesh littered the area.
Ruina kneeled and pressed her hand at the deer's carcass, warm blood spills through the wounds soaking her hand.Fresh blood.This is newly killed. Ruina looks upfront seeing more woodland creatures left dead, scattered. What kind of wild animal would cause such carnage then not eating their kill?
The wind blows from the west, Ruina's eyes twitch, disturb at the atrocious scent carried by the wind. Eleven years already passed, yet that familiar death-calling scent whispers of fire and blood again. She stood up and faced the hill hidden in the lane of woods realizing it came from that direction, the wind blowing once more, stronger this time, as the scent was changed by a dense sinistrous presence telling the danger awaiting at the end of the dark path. No.
Mr. Degget snapping from his drowsiness, bolted up upon seeing Ruina walking out of the trees, on her back mounted by the heavy load of dried wood she gathered, carrying them like a sack of cotton. "Mr. Degget, we should return home now, I gather plenty already." She calmly tells the two.
"That is a good suggestion." He snapped his fingers. All the exhausting labor at the field finally caught him, he could use some nap time after reporting to their Chief. "We gotta go. Anton, go pack your things." Mr. Degget placed his fishing tools in his basket in a hurry.
"What?" The boy turned to his father. "Why? We're still fishing. I mean, it's boring, but we haven't caught enough fish yet." Anton told without a sense of urgency, a complete opposite of what filled Ruina's mind remembering the gruesome picture inside the woods she had just witnessed - she utter nothing of it. She best not scare them. She'll just tell the Chief tomorrow, to send a scout for that.
She helped Anton pack his things.
"Let's just return tomorrow, we'll fish downstream so I can confirm something." He needs to confirm if the disappearance of the fishes connects to the other unfortunate incidents occurring lately in their village. "Hey, less talking, more moving! Ruina, please help Anton." Ruina only nodded, approaching Anton taking the bucket from his hand and the basket of fishing tools.
"Confirm, what?"
"Nothing spurt like you need to know."
"Hey, I am not a spurt, I'm nine! I'm a growing boy! Big sis, tell him!" Anton snapped at Ruina's direction.
"He is a growing boy, Mr. Degget." Ruina told as he says, proving nothing at the young boy's defense.
"Nah, I'm not convinced. But good luck with your mother."
Anton flinches at the sudden recall of his mother. "We-well, it seems we're starving tonight." He quickly changes the topic.
"We have tons of vegetables at home." Ruina commented. "You can ask Mrs. Degget to cook you a pot."
Anton only distorted his face for a response. He hates vegetables. Greens aren't delicious, they taste bitter like grass! Besides, they've been eating carrots, potatoes, and sweet potatoes these days because of the shortage of food at the barn. He's afraid he'll get an upset stomach from frequently eating boiled potatoes.
"Seriously, Father, we will starve. And if it's a wild animal Big sis can just hunt it down and kill it. No offense, but she's a better hunter than you. If we're lucky that it's a boar the village can feast." He remarked, pointing at Ruina quietly doing her task. His father's face brewed in confusion.
"No feast will happen if evil is hunting." Mr. Degget whispered.
However, it reached Ruina's ear, she glanced over her shoulder looking at Mr. Degget. He noticed?
Mr. Degget fastened the belt tight of the basket to his shoulder before turning to his son holding the fishing rod and Ruina carrying the bucket of bait. "Let's go."
"Have you seen the Forever tree?
Let's run uphill then you'll see.
Come with me and hang your piece.
Hold to your favorite branch that connects us,
And we will be together even if we turn to dust.
Let's go. Let's go. Let's rest in its shade,
Underneath our Forever Tree." Anton sings while playing with his stick he found swinging it like a sword while happily hopping.
Ruina glances at the young boy beside her. "Did Mrs. Degget know you're here?" She questions Anton, and the cheeky boy instantly stops singing quickly facing the other direction not wanting to answer. "You know she'll be mad."
"Oh come on, big sis! I had to get away from her! I'm always stuck with her at the house doing chores, I'll be deaf from hearing all of her nagging - while you get to be with Father. I get that you're strong and you're needed in the field and for hunting, but it's so unfair, I'm a growing boy, for heaven's sake!" He continuously rambles masking his real intention in his mind yelling I don't want to do chores! His laziness seeped through his lies. His lips curve into a frown annoyed remembering the nagging of his mother.
"Mrs. Degget only wants to protect you."
"Now, you sound like Mother." He was annoyed by the similar nagging.
"You know the danger of the outside -"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Beast lurks in the woods blablabla - Yeah, I'm well aware." He uninterestedly declared. Clearly, you're not. Ruina muttered in her head. "But the thing is, big sis, they're not here." Anton is stubborn. Being aware of his surroundings is not in his nature. Ruina thanks whatever beings that kept Anton safe whenever he wanders alone.
"You can't be too complacent. It's better to be safe than to regret it later." She calmly spoke the truth. What she sees in the woods earlier is an example of it.
*******************************************
"Woah, I'm beat! My legs are going numb from that walking." Anton spoke, placing the basket at the table slumping on the chair nearby clearly forgetting something.
"ANTON!" Mrs. Degget roared from another room.
"Crap!" Anton, sensing danger, instantly rises on his feet, "Big sis, if Mom asks where I am tell her I'm at my friend's house." Scared, he runs to the window jumping after saying, "Don't tell her I was with you earlier!"
Just as Anton escapes, Mrs. Degget bursts inside the kitchen holding a broom in her hand, nose flaring, hair messy, and cheeks stained of flour. "Where is he? Where is that boy? Ooh, I'm so gonna whack that butt of his." The angry mother swings her fist in the air.
"He tells me he's in his friend's house." She lied just like what the young boy told her.
"Now, he makes you lie. Goodness, that boy always escaping in the middle of chores leaving this poor mother to work alone. Ruina, don't do everything he'll tell you, he's a bad influence, I wonder where he got that attitude." She shook her head in disappointment. Outside, Mr. Degget sneezes loudly confused as it's not yet winter.
"I will help you."
"You always do, dear." She placed the broom down. "Anyway, welcome back." She welcomes the young lady with a warm hug. "I've been sick and worried here, and that son of mine disappearing out of nowhere doesn't help." She blew her worries. "So, where's Bimer?" she asked for her husband looking around the room.
"He's in the backyard tending to the chickens." They both walked into their small living room.
A knock came from their front door. "Hello, is anyone home?" A voice of an elderly woman speaks behind the door.
Mrs. Degget opened it. "Oh hi - What a great timing!" She cheers after spotting Ruina nearby. "Can we borrow Ruina for a while?" She asked Mrs. Degget. "We need a few hands to harvest the cabbages. You see, another horse was found dead this noon near the woods. Truly saddening, I do hope the Chief finds the wild animal causing this." She explained.
Mrs. Degget sighed. This is supposed to be a man's job, yet everytime there's a problem in the village, they either rushed to the Chief or their house to fix something. A young woman her age should just be thinking how to become pretty and find a suitor.
Mrs. Degget glance over Ruina. "Go and help them, dear."
Ruina only nod for a respond.
"Also, the Healer's daughter is here." A little brunette girl holding a brown teddy bear with red checkered ribbon tied around its neck timidly peek through the skirt of the old lady.
"Uhm… Mom told me to deliver this ointment." She shyly extended her arms to hand the packed ointment.
Ruina approached her, kneeled down to level the small child. She gently patted the head of the little girl. "Thank you for the delivery, little Mona." She softly said.
"Pretty …" The little girl, stunned, compares Ruina's beauty to her porcelain dolls. She stared for a short moment before dashing away while burying her face in her stuffed toy. Ruina stood and gave the ointment to Mrs. Degget.
"Is Mr. Degget hurt anywhere?"
"God, dear no." She smiled as the wrinkles of her age showed. "He's just been complaining about his knee, that's all. Nothing to worry about. He's old and so stubborn for not wanting to retire from helping the village. Now, my days are filled with complaints of his muscle pain." Ruina didn't speak, thinking she ought to kidnap Mr. Degget later and force him to rest. Mrs. Degget is warmly smiling, perfectly masking the scent of worry lingers around her.
"I'll be going now."
Mrs. Degget turned to Ruina. "Don't be out for too long, I'll be cooking the remaining meat for dinner."
"I will be."