Anna.

morning.

For anyone confused, as of now we are in the point of view of Anna when she was 10 years old, so kind of imagine reading a child's mind that has been molded by an...odd.. mother.. lol
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I awoke to the sound of a soft wind filling my ears, along with the sound of birds outside singing to me in a fashion I recognize as a relief of terror. The sun beamed through the window in a happy, but blinding sort of way, reminding me it was time to wake up. I sit up and rub my eyes, finding myself tucked into a wad of blankets that felt safe and warm. I yawned and looked around focusing on waking up, checking where I was and trying to recall events before I slept as usual.

The storm..

I had completely forgotten last night, what time is it?! I shot up and realized I wasnt in my room, I was in the living room. I had fallen asleep on the piece of wood in the living room. That's where we sit, very rarely though. Did I fall asleep here? No.. mother must have put me to bed here.

I hope this wasnt some sort of punishment, she didnt seem displeased with me last night. Maybe I was wrong.

After my small moment of recalling everything that sleep had caused me to forget, I became aware of what I needed to do next.

I got up, picked up the blankets folded them. I grabbed them and walked towards mothers room where we kept most of our supplies. It was the darkest room in the house, and I always felt a sense of intimidation from it. I put the blankets where they go and left the room. I needed to find mom.

I quickly ate a peace of bread and then put my hair up. I opened my drawer and grabbed the first long sleeve I could find. My clothes were raggedy and all, but I appreciated them more than anything.

Mother told me bad people dont "appreciate" what they get, and dont earn them. She teaches me to earn what I have. I grabbed the clothes that I was taught to make, and threw them on quickly.

It was obvious mother wasnt inside the house, so I concluded she must be outside working. I threw open the door and began to run. I quickly stopped and turned around, opened the door, and grabbed my mask off of the little table by the door. And I was off to find mother.

I ran out side on the flat ground and noticed everything was mostly dry from the storm the night before. How late in the day was it? Mom would know. I looked deep into the forest and felt a sense of intimidation. But purpose. It's where I belong, that's what mom told me. She's smart and knows well. I looked down at my mask and smiled, I put it on and tied the string that held it around my head snug. Mom told me of all the different masks I could make of different animals.

I chose a rabbit, I've always been fond of them. It makes me sad when we hunt them.. they're the only animal I've ever ha da hard time killing. Mom explains to me that we shouldn't hesitate on hunting for food, so I keep it a secret.

Wearing this mask makes me feel safe and powerful, like I'm surrounded by bunnies. It's strange. Mom doesnt know how I feel about the mask. It's the only thing mom doesnt know about me.

I picked up my axe and tucked it into my belt. It was big but I'm strong. I can carry it. I grabbed my hatchet and ran into the forest, ready for anything. As I was running, I began to hear a humming. It was mothers lullaby, she has sang it to me ever since I was a baby. It's my favorite.

I saw mom in the distance hacking at a tree. I had noticed we were low on wood for fire. I ran up to her and she stopped humming and froze. She was facing away from me, axe still half way into the tree. After a few moments, she ripped the axe from the tree and put it down. She slowly turned around and faced me, anger in her eyes.

She saw the mask and immediately relaxed. She gave me a very small smile and got on her knees. Mother kept her hair very long, never cut it. She brushed it out of her hair and put her hand on my shoulder.

"Good morning my little huntress. I hope you slept well. You deserved it.

Now.

Lets get you ready for a big hunt."