Lamb to the Slaughter (Male Reader X Huntress)

The Thrill of the Hunt

I arose in tears my mother's lullaby still echoed in my mind. Its been a year since my mother's death and her lullaby was a sweet yet bitter reminder of how I failed to protect the only person in my life that mattered. I sat up from my bed and looked out my window, birds were singing flowers were blooming, just another day in Redwood Forest, without my mothers love. I dismissed those thoughts from my head and decided to go for a walk to clear my head. After getting my clothes on and sharpening my hatchet's put on my rabbit mask. I headed to the door but stopped at where I laid my mothers axe on her mantle. I brushed my hand across the handle before picking it up and putting it over my shoulder and walked out the door and into the forest.

Birds sang above me, while the wind blew through the trees, howls from wolf pack could be heard in the distance. They didn't interest me so I just avoided them I continued walking until a rabbit hopped in my path, I stared at it blankly and weakly threw my hatchet at it. It dodged in response but still stood in my way, I threw two more it dodged again and gave a growl towards me. I tilted my head and chuckled before throwing my final hatchet at full force this time I grazed its leg. It ran in full away at full sprint, I suddenly felt the urge to follow it I picked up my hatchets put them at my side and walked. My walk turned into a jog and a jog into a run and my run to a sprint. I leaped over rocks, slid under logs and trudged through ponds, the wind through my hair, my blood pulsing with adrenaline, my lungs gasping for breath. This was the thrill of the hunt after a 30-minute chase, the rabbit limped to a stop, twitching in place it turned to me my mother's axe clutched in my hands I raised it over my head and struck it down killing it. I laughed, and sat down breathing heavily I couldn't remember the last time I smiled, that rabbit was...a worthy adversary after catching my breath I picked up my axe with the rabbits remains sliding off the blade I grabbed its tail before it fell off. I held it up triumphantly its blood sliding down my arm soaking my shirt, I didn't mind if I just wanted to embrace that feeling again I wanted more. More. MORE!

My call was soon answered when the blood you've spilt seemed to have attracted the wolf pack from earlier. A dozen wolves surrounded me, with hunger in their eye's set to feast on my bones. I let out a roar and let my axe down on the first wolf's head killing it, two more came from behind I struck one in its leg and flipped over the other grabbing its tale I spun around and slammed it into a tree before it could stand I brought my axe down on its neck slaying another one. The third was staggering away I held it by its throat and squeezed until it died. I looked up at the rest of the wolf pack, they snarled and growled at me but I could see their fear I took a step towards them, they took three steps back I roared towards them and they all scurried away whimpering. I looked at the fallen wolves with disappointment, still craving a thirst for blood I walked forward leaving their bodies for the crows.

The once vibrant forest was now silent, void of all life everything remained calm, everything remained still. All the creatures hide from my line of sight all but, a lonely sleeping grizzly-bear by a hillside. I smiled accepting the challenge, I picked up a stone and hurled it at the bear. It struck its head it lifted its head looking left and right until its eye's met mine. I pointed my axe at the bear expecting it to retaliate...instead, it just ignored me and went back to sleep. I threw a heavier stone at its head, this time it got up and walk towards me, I ran forward and threw all 4 of my hatchets. Three of them were swatted away but the fourth strike his eye it roared furiously and brought down his paw I spun around and stuck in its shoulder with my axe. I pulled at the handle but it was lodged inside, the bear punched me to sending flying into a tree making, I gasped for breath. It then ran forward bringing down its paw crushing my arm with its body weight, it brought its head down until we were face to face snarling at me. I snarled back it opened its mouth ready to bite my head, with my free hand I riped the hatchet that was pried my hatchet from his eye and slashed relentlessly at his jaw until I caught flesh in his jaw and sliced his cheek open. That caused it to stagger back freeing my broken arm, I wrenched agony and held my lifeless arm I looked at my broken hatchet and tossed it aside. I stood up, to be greeted by a smack that sent me sliding across the ground to the edge of the hillside, the bear still recovering from his wounds, I felt a pain on my chest I looked down to see 3 wide gashes across my chest. The bear now recovered, it roared lumbered towards me its eye's filled with venomous fury its claws scraping across the ground, and the overhanging cheek across its face exposing its quenched teeth. I laid back, my vision becoming hazy, the sound of the bear's thunderous roar slowly faded into a whisper. Soon replaced by my mother's lullaby, I saw her kneeling beside with a warm smile.

"My child is time, for you to come home...You've suffered long enough, and I miss you." She said "You shouldn't have to bleed for my mistakes..." she said laying her hand on my mask

I cried softly about to take her hand until light shined in my eye the sun rays reflected on my mother's axe into my eyes. Burning wrath filled my soul, I wasn't going to let my mother's greatest weapon remain forgotten on the back of that beast. I stood up groaning in pain glaring at the bear with determination. I look back at my mother who gave me a nod of approval before departing, the hillside was left from where she knelt. I turned to the bear and glanced at the hillside a few times before an idea sparked, I roared at the bear it roared back and charged at me full speed. The loud paws on the ground reminded me, of hooves the bear shifted into deer snow falling where ever it steeped. My mother shielding me from its antlers, turning to me smiling. I reached to her but the bear's jaw took her place I narrowly shifted to dodge his attack, I regained my footing held my mother's axe and used the bear's own momentum to send us over the hill.

I expected death but, I found something much greater.