The sun was setting on the horizon between two gorgeous mountains, illuminating the valley it sat behind full of wheat, flowers, and the like. The sky had little clouds and it looked like a beautiful painting with the transitions of different colors spread around. They melded together to make something so simple but so beautiful.
A woman peered from her cabin's porch to gaze upon the masterpiece as she did every evening. Nothing brought her more peace of living alone than to see the wonders nature had to offer her every day she woke up.
She gazed to the side where her fruits had begun to wilt; fall was leaving her and soon winter would give her its welcome. The fair lady had picked enough of her crops that she could live through the harshness that winter brought. The final portion of her wheat would be ready to harvest tomorrow as the cold winds had already begun to set in.
Almost as fast as it arrived, the sun set beyond the horizon, leaving her to watch the last glimmers of the sun before the moon would take over watching her. She pulled her shawl closer to her gown as she turned around to walk inside.
She walked over to the fireplace and prodded at the glistening fire before putting another small log into the pit. Tomorrow she would have to cut a few more trees down if she wanted to stay warm in her cabin for winter.
The woman stood up from where she knelt and looked out her back window to see the small plains nestled in front of a large forest. Besides the two mountains that were in front of her house, she was mostly surrounded by trees. When she looked right under her window where her underground freezer lay, her heart skipped when she saw it was open.
Despite night quickly consuming the valley, she rushed outside and behind her house to signify it was open. Who could have done this? She is the only one who has lived in this area for miles and miles. Did she forget to close it earlier today? No, she didn't go hunting today.
With careful steps, she walked down into the cellar. It had a grotesque smell about it, not something that was usual for her. Her mother always told her to never leave the house at night; creatures of vile would come out and get her. Despite being a young woman now, she still believed in those tales.
The lady could barely see in the cellar; the only thing helping her was the moonlight from overhead. A full moon was upon her it seemed. The smell was almost unbearable now, and the woman covered her nose with her shawl. When she looked at her pile of deer she could barely make out what it was, but she knew she saw a lot of blood.
She gasped and frantically looked around the rest of the cellar. Her berries and vegetables were untouched. Whoever, or whatever got in here seemed to want deer. She had stored three carcasses in there for the whole week. Now they were ruined.
The girl swiftly walked out of the cellar to lock it up, only to realize her lock had been broken. It would be a whole day's walk to go to town and buy a new one. She grunted and simply shut the cellar before pacing back into her cabin. She locked her door and breathed in deeply.
"Y/n, you have to remain calm. There is an explanation for this I'm sure." She talked. Y/n spoke to herself quite often, not that it was ever a problem. She preferred to be alone- hence why she built this cabin so far from the town she grew up in.
The maiden took her shawl off and lay in her bed. She turned off her oil lamp and pushed what happened in the cellar to the back of her mind.
The next day Y/n decided to head to town. She couldn't afford to be vulnerable out in the wilderness. She knew the stories of mythical beings that roamed the woods of this town. She just hoped it was a wolf, not a being.
She put on her finest dress and hiking boots before taking off at the break of dawn. Although the dress was a simple cream that reached just below her knees, she loved it. She opened her door and took a deep breath before walking on. She had her money and her shotgun, what more could a girl need?
Before she left her clearing, the woman gazed upon the beauty in the sky once again nature gave to her. She felt incredibly lucky to have something so amazing and so captivating right outside her door. Y/n smiled before heading off into the woods, failing to notice the set of footprints twice her size headed toward her house.
After about four hours of walking, the lady finally made it to the small village. A cobblestone path that had stopped once reaching the edge of town greeted her from the forest. As she trudged on the village became more busy. Women went about their house chores and merchants sold their products. Y/n giggled as she watched a small group of chickens waddle past her and a scrawny older man chased after them in a hurry.
Y/n finally found the building she was looking for and walked inside to be greeted by her old friend Benedict. He and his old mother ran the locksmith shop, although it was mostly him as his mother's age started to truly wear her down.
"Hello customer, to what do I owe the pleasure of being in the presence of the mighty Y/n?" She giggled and started to dig out some coins in her sack tied around her waist.
"Something broke into my cellar and got to my deer stash, so I'm here to replace it. You can never be too careful living in the woods." The man nodded in agreement before going to look at his array of different locks. It was a genius invention of the time, and everyone knew how good having locks could be. Benedict's prices were high but lucky for her, she got a discount.
"Here, the perfect lock," he handed it to her and she nodded gratefully. "So what got in there?" Y/n's eyebrows pinched and her lips turned into a fine line.
"I'm honestly not sure. It knew how to break my lock, and only ate my deer meat."
"I'm sorry, I hope it doesn't happen again. Winter is just around the corner after all," Y/n heard footsteps coming down the stairs next to where the desk was. The family lived right above their shop, which was something pretty common in the village.
"Hey ma, Y/n's here if you want to say hi," the old woman seemed to barely be able to keep herself up without the help of her cane. It was a miracle in and of itself that she had been able to walk down the stairs.
"Oh, Y/n, I was just thinking about you dear." she smiled warmly and Y/n returned the favor.
"Thank you, Ms. Riverton. That is awfully sweet of you," The lady chuckled and went to sit in her rocking chair next to the steps.
"Yes, well, living by yourself in those woods makes me pray for you much. Winter is a struggling time for us all, but especially for you," she remarked. Y/n walked closer to her to continue their conversation.
"I appreciate it, but I know I can survive winter. My father taught me many tricks before he passed about the season and its calamities,"
"I'm sure he did, but I'm talking about the beings who reside in the woods near you. There is a certain one that becomes much more active in the winter. I want to warn you," Y/n could hear Benedict sigh behind her. He was never much of a believer in the old folk tales the older generation always talked about.
Y/n didn't seem to know about this creature. Her mother told her tales of beings, but never of names or any characteristics. "What creature?"
"The Wendigo. He is a malevolent spirit who roams the woods, looking for his next victim. He eats deer and any human who comes across him. He is said to be around 20 feet tall with long black claws, with a deer skull for a face and antlers. His eyes are black aside from two glowing dots in the middle. You will know he is nearby when-"
"Ma, let us get you back to bed. I'll make you some herbal tea to rest that imaginative mind you have," Benedict interjected, grabbing his mother's arm and pulling her to the stairs.
He turned towards Y/n with an apologetic look, "Don't worry about the lock. It's on the house today," he then turned back towards his mother and led her up the stairs. She didn't seem to have any fight in her to protest.
Y/n took in a deep breath as she thought about the deer mauled in her freezer and the broken lock on her door. A wendigo? Could it really be? She shook it off and decided that she needed to get back to her cabin right away. She was losing daylight enough already.
Walking out of the store she felt a gust of cold wind push her h/c hair away from her face. The sun had already crept low in the sky; she hoped she would be home before dark. She usually spent the night in the village to avoid the night, but she needed to protect her home.
So with the sun on her back, she began her trek back into the woods.
Hope ya'll like this! I really enjoyed writing this chapter and hopefully, the pace won't be too slow for you guys :)