Highway to Hell

Darkness. Her name translated into Dark. And she was an Aros. Her name was Kira and she cried when I went to slit her throat.

My hair was pulled into a messy ponytail and I had blood smeared all over my grey shirt. I'd brutally murdered her whole family and I was going to kill her. It was a full moon and it was her first shift ever. Shifting begins when you turn sixteen. Before that, you just feel drawn to the full moon and are able to almost communicate with humans.

It was her first shift. You can always tell when it's someones first shift because they don't worry about Hunters and Huntress's. They just want to run.

"P-Pleae don't k-k-kill me!" She screamed. Blood ran down her throat when I pressed by lucky iron blade into her throat. "I've n-never anyone!" I press the blade deeper into her throat and she screams louder.

"You will hurt someone, one day." Then someone grabbed by shoulder. It scared me. Normally, I'm pretty good at telling when someone is going to sneak up on me.

I spun around and sunk the blade deep into her stomach. The woman looks to me, her shocking green eyes wide. Her slim fingers carefully pull the blade from her stomach and place it into my hand. "Kira, you shouldn't be out."

Kira. It suited her perfectly.

The woman, who I suspected was a Clan leader, carefully picked up Kira from the ground and looked at me. "Follow me, Huntress."

So I did. They lived in a large den under a tree. Aros draw their powers from nature and the full moon. Clan's of Aros will build their dens under Nemetons so that when they aren't shifted, they are still able to draw power.

The Clan leader, placed Kira to the ground of the den and placed her hand on the girls neck. Young Aros don't have the same healing powers as Ancient ones do. Clan leaders are always Ancient ones. "Heal Cub." The deep wounds on her neck slowly started to heal over.

I'd never seen a Aros heal before that. Frankly, it was pretty awesome.

"Huntress, why are you seeking tonight?"

Looking up to her, I glanced her up and down. She was dressed in a long red red cloak that covered her whole body and trailed along the ground. I could probably kill her quickly. "I seek vengeance."

"What has our Clan done to you, Huntress?"

"Aros speak of Demon kind returning. They speak of 701 returning Topside."

701. It spreads fear in her eyes. "Young Huntress, why do you seek the Devil himself?"

"I seek the Devil for vengeance."

"You seek the Devil for vengeance?"

That's what I said... "He murdered my family." I mumble. It's true. 701 murdered by family when I was young. I'm the last of the Collins' Hunters.

"Rena." She bows down to me. "Alpha of the Blood Moon Clan." When she looks up, her eyes have flickered into a bright orange. Orange shows that she is of a pure bloodline and that she is destined to lead her Clan.

"Autumn Collins."

"You are a Collins Huntress?"

The Collins family... Well, we're pretty well known Hunters and Huntresses.

"Last generation." I say, head ducked.

"Kira." She whips up her head, and looks towards Rena. Kira's eyes have shifted into a pale green. Biting my lip, I pause to think about what that means. Light green shows that she has responded to her Alpha. Rena tilts up her head and Kira extends her arm. Grabbing her arm, I watch as smoke rises from her arm. Tears form in Kira's eyes and when she pulls her arm away, I see that something has been burned into her arm.

Her flesh is creamy and tender from the bright red wound that has scared her arm. Rena looks and says. "It is the Mark for surviving her first Shift. The Mark extends her Gifts." Looking over to Kira with amber eyes, she says. "Show."

Kira throws out her arm and I look at it.

闇

Darkness.

Notes