The bare trees were covered in inches of snow and icicles. The sky was clear with full sun, but the cold air plummeted the temperatures. A tall, slender man, wrapped in a thick black cloak with red and gold embroidery of large phoenix wings and an ombre red-orange for flames, the hood pulled up. In his bare hands was a longbow with tightened and iron-tipped arrows, all in a dark leather quiver attached to his back.
His dark brown eyes scanned the ground as a cocky smirk grew on his lips. The curved edge of a deer's front toes and the dot of the back. He moved swiftly and softly atop the frozen layers, following after the tracks as he tried to keep the snow crunches quiet. At a small opening between a wall of trees, he found his sweet spot.
A circular area was void of trees, but a pond iced over was filled with the sun's glowing rays. Standing on long, muscular legs near the edge of the frozen water stood a buck with four points on either horn, dark fur covered in light spots. His smirk grew wide as he slowly reached behind his back and retrieved a single arrow. At least two hundred pounds of pure deer meat.
He pulled the string back as tight as possible. He counted each breath as his dark eyes narrowed. The tip of his weapon, a single round point, aimed for its eyes. As he finished his final exhale, the arrow shot through the air.
He quickly pulled out another arrow with the same tip and fired again. The creature's body arched under the force before it collapsed into a mound of dead flesh. The man chuckled and cheered to himself at the kill. He praised himself for his immense skill in fluent Japanese as he jumped into the divet into the earth. He brushed the snow off his black kimono, a gold obi belt tied around his waist, and a leather pouch attached to his hip. A black-handled sword was attached to the other hip.
He stepped into the scarlet snow before he dropped his quiver to the carcass and started to pull out the arrows, the smell of the blood attracting possible predators with every second that passed by.
Just as he managed to tie the legs together with two strands of braided hemp cord, a deep, monstrous growl warmed the back of his neck as multiple crunches suddenly came from behind. A shiver moved down his spine like jagged pottery.
His body slowly rotated back to see three giant wolves staring him down, licking their deadly chops. His heart pounded in his chest. His skin flushed, and he started trembling. He slowly backed away, trying not to move too suddenly while simultaneously trying to reach for the handle of his sword.
His almond-shaped, nut-brown gaze eyed each of them, trying to find an escape. His back hit the crater wall when he finally ran out of the room.
His heart stopped.
He couldn't withdraw his sword fast enough, and his arrows were out of reach. Finally, he squealed out a desperate cry for help. As they inched closer, his eyes screwed shut, and he counted and savored each breath. He thought they would be his last.
So this is how it ends? He thought to himself. My dreams weren't nightmares; they were prophecies. The sound of their paws crunching the snow would be his swan song. Their growls were the last thing he heard as he clenched his fist even tighter.
Suddenly, he felt a strong breeze move past his face. The beast to him let out a loud yelp of pain followed by a thud. The terrified hunter opened his eyes to see a feminine figure dressed in strange clothing with a dark blue mask across her face. The figure turned back to ask if he was alright in fluent Sagren, the official language of Saiga.
He first noticed a unique shade of hazelnut brown hair tied in a bun. Her voice was powerful. He cleared his throat to gather his bearings but could only nod in response. He felt a tight clench in his chest. His throat felt tight as the figure turned back to fight. One beast took a leap with extended claws and bared teeth. She struck his throat and knocked him to the ground while roundhouse kicked the third. Each time a pack member got up, another went down just as hard. Her fast and ruthless moves not only caused pain but damage as well.
After coughing up blood and being barely able to hold their own weight, the alpha barked at his fellow pack mates to retreat. They followed him out of the crater, their tails between their legs. She turned back to see the hunter with his hand at the base of his throat. She ran to him immediately and started with the pulse points on his right wrist.
His deep pulse was knotted, taut, rapid. Promptly, she pressed the fingers of one hand against the meridian points below the collarbone and her thumb against the base of his own thumb. As she rubbed and massaged the areas, his breathing was already becoming easier. His gaze was locked on her eyes. A bright shade of golden brown he has never seen before. She took his free hand and placed his fingers in replacement of her own.
"Hold your fingers here," She pulled out her metal thermos filled with water and a plastic case with separate sections for fifty different crushed medicinal herbs. In the cap, she half-filled it with water before mixing four herbs in.
"What are you doing?" He asked in his own language.
"Adding ginger, yarrow, ginkgo nuts, and goldthread root to water and letting it seep. Give that a minute, and it will be ready,"
"Are you a doctor?"
"I am. A traveling one," she confessed without raising her gaze. "And based on your pulse, you could use one of my prescriptions,"
He swallowed the lump in his throat before rolling his eyes. "Let me guess: 'this will only slow down the disease progression and give me an extra one to three years,'" His jaw clenched at the numbers.
"More like four to eight years with my treatments based on your pulse. But it might as well be none due to your own stupidity," the doctor insulted.
His eyes darted toward her with annoyance. "What?"
"Who in their right mind would go out hunting alone? Especially in winter, where resources are slim to the point of survival of the fittest?" she questioned as she grabbed a notebook from her bag.
As she feverishly wrote down instructions for treatment, remedies, and helpful tips, he started to insult her. "Impetuous bitch! How hypocritical of you! You're out here alone! Where is—'' About to rant at her; he suddenly processed what she previously said. "Did you just say your treatments can extend my life by four to eight years?"
She turned back to give her own glare. "What the hell is the matter with you? You go from scolding me to questioning my medical knowledge? Are you always this rude?" She scolded him. "Yes. Four to eight years. And I'm not alone. My family happens to be missing. Thank you so much for your concern," She chuckled at the end with a bit of a bite. She then handed him the cup of water and herbs. "Drink this. Slowly."
He snatched the cup from her grasp and took a slow chug so she could continue her treatment plan. "You did save my life from those carnivorous monsters. If it wasn't for you, I probably wouldn't be here," He begrudgingly confessed. "I suppose I should reward you. What do you wish for?"
"I don't want anything," Her words shocked him as she continued to write. "Take one of these remedies twice a day, no exception. If you have a sudden attack, the points I used are the best," she announced as she handed him a sheet of paper. He looked fascinated by the type of parchment and silently wondered how the ink dried so quickly. As he read the ingredients and instructions, she re-packed her messenger bag to prepare for her long journey.
"How could you not want a reward?" He questioned as she wrapped the bag over her shoulders. "I have to give you something; I don't like to have debt with people. I can get you anything you want,"
"I'm a traveling doctor; I do it for fun. I pick my own herbs and sell them, keeping enough to treat people for my travels. I don't need material goods," She announced as she wiped the snow off her backside.
"I should at least pay you for your troubles,"
"Look; I said I don't need—"
"I don't like debt!" he snapped. Their eyes met for a brief moment before he turned his head away, her eyebrows high at his sudden outburst. "You never know...when you won't be able to pay it back," his voice was light as his body slumped slightly.
She could only roll her eyes at his stubbornness. "Fine. I could use some money and some directions. And I need you to answer one question for me. But then we're even," she declared. He nodded and reached into his thigh pouch, pulling out a sachet with metal clanking inside, and just tossed it to her. He glared down at the metal bag before slipping it into her own.
"Where do you need to go?"
"First of all, I'm wondering where I am. Second, I need to find the best way to reach Haswen, Asan," She explained as she pulled out a detailed map painted on thick canvas. He glanced quickly and noticed it was a mix of all three languages.
"We're here," He announced as he pointed to the map. "Near the border of Mukina and Saiga. Kotam, Mukina's capital city, is only fourteen miles from the border of Saiga; here. From here, it's nearly a two-month journey to Haswen,"
"I don't care about how far or how long. How do I get there without getting lost?"
He chuckled at her and pointed to his arm. "Go north. There's a large stream known as 'The Royal River. It flows through every capital in the city. Follow the direction of the river, and you'll make it to Asan," he announced with a sneer. "Now, what is your question? Is it if I'm currently in a relationship?"
"No. You dumb narcissist," She reached into her bag. "Earlier, I said my family was missing. Have you seen either of these people?" She pulled out a picture of four people, including her.
His eyes went wide. It was the most miniature yet most detailed painting he had ever seen. Everything looked incredibly realistic; the detail in the face was so precise, and even the scenery was lifelike. "Um. No. I have not seen any of them. That painting is so detailed that I would never forget those faces,"
She chuckled. "If you can never forget them, if you see them, please tell them I am in Haswen." She requests as they both stand up.
"Your Highness? Prince Raiden? Your Highness?" A deep, worried voice called out. The hunter turned back at the mention of the name.
"Raiden? Is that your name?" She asked.
"Yeah. And I'm a prince,"
"I could tell by the 'Your Highness,'" she pointed out. "Anyway, I have to leave. I have something vital to do,"
"Wait!" He called out. "You get to know my name, but I don't know yours?"
"Your Highness wants to know a humble peasant's name?" she sarcastically asked. "It's Christina. Kris-TEEN-uh," She enunciated. "And if we meet again: I hope you are a lot less arrogant.".
He glared at her, and the same voice called out again for him before he could utter his own insult. "Prince Raiden? Your Highness?"
"I am here!" He called out the voice; he turned away for only a few seconds. When he turned back, Christina was gone. A man dressed in a dark red kimono ran toward the prince. He fell to one knee and kept his head down, avoiding direct eye contact. "Your servant failed to keep watch over you. Please punish me how you wish," he declared in fluent Japanese.
"Ming Hua,"
"Your servant is here,"
"Grab my deer," He announced as he wrapped the quiver around his shoulder again.
The servant looked down at the carcass. "Superb marksmanship, Your Highness. Truly astounding," The brown-nosed before lifting the carrion over his body.
The mask dangled around her neck as Christina gently clutched her heart. Hiding in the bare trees, her heart burned and throbbed in her chest as she tried to calm herself. Her eyes glared back in his direction. Curious, she pulled her sweater down and looked at her chest. A thin, white line in the center of her chest burned and boiled.
"Good thing I'll never see him again," She sighed before looking at the map again. "At least he was telling the truth," She muttered to herself as she saw a thick line of blue that moved through each country, point to point and spreading all over the continent. After folding away the map, she started jumping from tree to tree in a northern direction. With every new cluster of trees, she called out to her family.
Finally, she saw the river. A pool of clean, clear water that moved too fast to freeze. The sight of the stream sent shivers through the air as the wind danced along the surface. The icicles dangled over her head. There was no damage to the snow-covered grounds. All the fauna left were extra fluffy animals covered with their winter coats. She again called out their names, desperate for them to hear her before she followed the water.
Finally, as her eyes gazed upon the setting sun. With a final deep breath, she started following the river as the sun set in the opposing direction at a speed far beyond human sight, leaving a cloud of snow crystals behind.