Chapter 5: The Attack

When someone close to your heart died, it will always feel like your heart was cut into a small portion and was given to them.

People tell me to move on, live a life, start anew, and look forward. Words that seem to motivate someone to avoid being worse and to be more positive in life.

The worst is that those who were left were the ones who has a wound that no one knows when to heal. Death is not something to be accepted easily and words of comfort don’t heal someone completely.

I saw my mom’s dead body and I cannot even flinch nor go to her; I couldn’t even feel my breath while looking at the blood that’s scattered all over.

“No, no, no, Quinn!” I scooped what’s left with Quinn’s body and slightly tapped her cheeks.

My eyes started to heat up, my hands are trembling, and my heart feels like someone smashed it. This can’t be happening; I am the one who planned this mission. I know my capabilities and yet, someone died.

I gently let go of Quinn’s body and let my body shiver. With my hands now covering my face, I let out a silent cry for a friend who never left my side until the end.

“Did you see the one who did this?” I asked Rendall as I am looking around the forest.

“I saw it ran,” Rendall slowly replied.

“Where?”

“Domlur.” I move my gaze to the path going to Domlur.

I suddenly felt the urge to slash everything on my way, my eyes never felt clearer and my hatred for these werewolves becomes greater.

“Let us first give Quinn a proper burial,” I said and closed Quinn’s eyes.

After digging a hole into the ground, not too far from where we saw Quinn’s body, we hugged her body with a cloth and put her body inside the hole.

“I was planning to ask her out after this,” Rendall muttered while staring into the ground where we buried Quinn’s body.

“Rendall, she was about to confess.” I looked at my cousin who is now looking at me with a puzzled expression.

“What do you mean?”

Seven days after the execution and planning of Raffi’s mission, Quinn went to Raffi’s house.

“What brings you here?” I asked Quinn and handed her a cup of coffee.

“Just let me have a sip.” I groaned; she knows how to make me curious.

After taking a sip, she looked at me with a wide smile on her face.

“I have been admiring a man for a long time and I think it’s time to confess,” she said in a low voice.

“Why are you using that voice?” I curiously asked, she’s not this secretive.

“D-don’t mind my voice, I think I am cold.” Quinn looked behind me and saw Rendall who is has just gotten out of his old room.

I looked back at Quinn who is now making herself busy drinking her coffee.

I smirked when I finally got what she’s talking about. Quinn is admiring Rendall and Rendall is admiring Quinn. I do not have any plans to interrupt their plans to confess to each other.

“Oh,” I muttered with malice.

Quinn blushed and furrowed her brows before mouthing no on me. I laughed and shrugged; this is the first time I saw her flustered.

“Rendall, join us for a coffee before you go home.” Looking at Quinn with her wide eyes warning me, I invited my cousin before he goes back to his home.

“Sure,” of course, I know Rendall wouldn’t hesitate, he admires Quinn as much as Quinn admires him.

“I’ll just get another cup.” I left the two on the table and sheepishly go to the kitchen to get three more cups. Quinn’s coffee is almost done so I’ll make her another one so that they can both have the same amount of coffee and they’ll have a lot of time.

I saw Quinn laughing while Rendall is scratching his nose. Rendall scratches his nose when he’s flustered so I know what is exactly going on.

“Here,” I said and put the cup in front of Quinn and Rendall.

I raise my brows for a while when Quinn looked shocked at the cup that I gave her.

“Another cup?” Rendall asked Quinn which made my friend flustered, her cheeks are slowly turning red and I can’t help but chuckle.

“Yes, your cousin seems to enjoy brewing one.” I shrugged with what Quinn said and started to sip my coffee.

“You’ll not be able to sleep with too much of these.” Rendall slowly pull the cup away from the cup but Quinn panicked and aggressively grabbed the coffee making it spill to both of their hands.

“Okay, what is going on?” I teased, they both looked at me like I am the worst person they see at the moment.

“N-nothing!” they both replied.

“Same stutter, the same word, great.” I lift my thumb to make it more sarcastic. I saw how their ears reddened and quickly removed their hands on the cup.

I laughed and at the same time envy these two. They know who is the one they will pursue and admire, while I, on the other hand, am obsessed with pursuing werewolves and cutting their heads.

“That’s the first time she said that to me but I know she’s hiding her feelings for a long time,” I explained.

“Why now?” Rendall muttered, staring at the grave of Quinn.

“What?”

“Why now Raffi? When I can’t do anything about it anymore.” I looked up at the sky, trying to avoid looking into Rendall’s eyes.

I, too, am feeling lost by what just happened to Quinn.

“We need to keep moving forward,” I mindlessly uttered.

Tears won’t even come out of my eyes after burying Quinn, I know that crying is not what I needed right now.

“Are we going to head back?” Rendall asked which made me shake my head.

“We will continue fighting,” I calmly replied.

“Are you sure about this?” I lifted my gaze till I reached Rendall’s eyes.

“What makes you think I don’t?” I know what I am going to do and I will not just go back after what happened to Quinn.

“Raffi this is not expected and is not in one of our plans,” he replied like this mission is now impossible.

“But you’re angry, right?”

“Of course!” Rendall replied.

“Hold onto that, we’re going to make them pay.”

 We grabbed our weapons and our baggage to move forward, we are now going to Domlur.

If there is one thing that my father taught me while hunting is to never let your emotions drive you, it will make you or break you. However, in this circumstance, I do not have a choice but to follow what my emotions are asking me to do.

“Let’s take a rest,” I muttered as we are about ten steps away leaving the forest.

“We are not safe on this forest,” Rendall replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

“We’re not if we’re on the ground.” I pointed my index finger upward as I saw a huge branch of a tree that can accommodate us while trying to regain our strength.

Rendall nodded and immediately get something inside his bag, a rope that is good enough to support us while climbing.

Everything is prepared: our weapons, the poisons on each blade we have, and our hatred for these monsters.

“Are we still entering like what we’ve planned?” Rendall asked while we’re walking going to Domlur.

“Let’s see the situation at the front gate and then we’ll decide,” I replied and Rendall nodded.

Just a few minutes of walking and we are now in front of Domlur, the gate is still there but the atmosphere, the surroundings, and the color of Domlur scream doom.

We immediately hid in a wooden cart not too far from the gate, we scanned the whole place and it seems pretty quiet and there’s not a single werewolf guarding the gate. Like it wants them to allow hunters to come in. 

“Easy,” Rendall muttered and slowly stand up.

“Rendall! Come back here,” I whispered.

I know it is suspicious, but at the same time, I also think that this will be easy.

“There’s no guard,” he said as he carefully walks near the gate and scan its lock.

“I – ” I was about to agree when a loud growl just beside the gate resonated.

My eyes widened, some werewolves came from behind, some from the trees, and some beside the gate.

There is one, who is not yet transformed into its real form. I can’t see the face because of a long black hood, but I can tell that it is a man because of its massive arms. He’s just standing inside the gate, I don’t know how but, I can tell he’s looking at us, he’s looking at me.

Rendall instinctively move backward, I immediately covered his back and prepare my spear.

My eyes widened, their troops doubled, more than the attack earlier. I am not fond of surprise attacks especially if the enemy is the one that does it.

“We can do this,” I assure Rendall who is also counting the werewolves in front of the gate.

“What makes you think we cannot?” I smirked at his remark, for a second, I forgot us being an Ambrose.

“Just reminding you,” I joked.

“What brings you here?” a baritone voice from the only werewolf in human form spoke.

“Where are your brown friends?” I asked as Rendall and I switch our direction, every werewolf we see is either in black or grey fur.

“You know this is not a place to look for a puppy,” he replied.

There is something in his voice that makes it frightening, and gloomy.

“Where are your kind that has brown furs?” I sharply asked.

Growls stopped, they looked at me like I said something they’ve never heard before.

“We don’t have that kind.” He moves forward which makes me and Rendall brace ourselves for an incoming fight.

“I am thinking of who to kill first but black and grey ones volunteered,” Rendall said and nudge my back using his shoulder as a signal to attack.

I quickly get my dart and throw it at the werewolf beside me, and then the monsters started to counter.

I pulled out the spear on the werewolf in front of me and throw it to the one that is behind Rendall. I immediately pulled out the knife behind my leg and throw it at the werewolf attacking in front.

I quickly glanced at the one who hasn’t transformed yet but he doesn’t even budge, he is just watching.

I grabbed this chance to throw one of my knives but his reflex in a human form is greater than I thought. He caught the knife and stared at the engraved symbol.

“The famous clan of Ambrose,” he muttered but I didn’t pay any attention because we are now being outnumbered by these monsters.

Rendall and I stopped attacking for a second and weigh the situation we are in. I was about to cover Rendall when I felt a hard thing bump into the back of my head. I touched it as I am slowly losing my balance.

There is blood and when I looked at the ground, I saw a large rock that was thrown by the one in human form.

I gently walk near Rendall and pushed him away.

“What?”

His eyes widened when he saw my right hand covered with blood.

“G-go,” I said as I keep on pushing Rendall.

“No! We’ll leave together.” He held my hand but I took it away from him.

“I can’t go any further.” I fell to the ground, my vision is becoming blurry but I still have the energy to speak.

“Go, now!” I shouted as the werewolves are now going near me.

“I-I will come back!”

I slowly nodded at what Rendall said and let myself shut down.