By The Bloodied Hands of Teckt

Prologue

          It was supposed to be like any other day. If you are wondering what a day looked like for poor little Anne it was not getting chased by wolves after getting lost after dark in the forest of blood.

          Most of the time, a day looked like getting told what chores she was supposed to do that day and doing them. Such chores were usually easy as she was small and young.

          She was exactly 8 years old and very tired of running around like a mad man. About one hour ago she had gone into the forest to gather firewood.

          Her parents had told her not to run into the woods to deep but she had thought she saw a Fae, so she ran after it. Anne knew she wasn’t supposed to, mother had told her that they were evil little undead that hated the living and wished to lead them to death.

          She had mistaken Fae for Fairies. But that was neither here nor there. Wolves were after her. She had walked into their territory and now they had sniffed her out.

          She had stopped under a tall tree that looked like she could climb. She looked around. There they stood, with gate and stride of a beast they stalked her. Running from them now was impossible. She knew was about to die in that instant and was frozen at the thought. One wolf slowly made its way over to her and bark as if to scare her even more.

          It did indeed scare her, so she ran up the tree. If she weren’t scared for her life she would have been proud of herself. She was about maybe 8 feet of the ground now and looked down only to see something horrifying.

          It was climbing up the tree with her. Its long limbs digging into the bark as it made its way right next to her. She screamed as if to get the beast to run away, but it did not work.

          It grabbed onto her leg, teeth sinking into her flesh. It then dropped down to the floor and she fell with it. The deep thud that escaped from the impact sounded all around them, unknowingly alerting a danger.

          She somehow managed to hold onto her mind, keeping conscience so she could feel the pain of her leg and life be torn apart. The wolves ran in, ripping into her flesh and consuming her meat.

          The ungrateful beasts looked up from there meal to see a girl only 3 years older than Anne. Her pigment less face and skin crawling with untold emotions.

          Anne was dead now, in the void that was her mind she saw no light, no memories flashing before her eyes. It was all black, the blackest anything could be.

          Then a red light, the color of blood. Somehow it felt like an old family member. Its warm glow soothing her soul. The light took shape. The shape of which was something that looked like a man of maybe 25 years of age, his pig tusk mask a dull white and deep purple, the only color other than red that made up the glow.

          Her form was huddled in a fetal position looking up at him. As he walked closer a feeling of respect for the weary washed other her.

          “You know, most of the time I avoid 8-year-old girls at all costs. They scare me,” he spoke in a monotone as if stating a fact.

          He then keeled down and gave her a head pat. The world then started to fill in the black of the dark and she could see again. Kneeling in front of her was a pale skinned, red eyed girl a couple of years older than her.

          “I had to make you undead, but the “blood of the rested” fixed the whole lost memory thing,” she said with a smile on her face, “now what is your name?”

          “Anne, my name is Anne,” she said with shaking lips.

          “Ok, that’s a good name. my name is Lilith Von Cleo the 3^rd,” she said while standing up, “but would you kindly call me Lilith,” she continued with a curtsy.

          Just then, a man in gun metal gray armor, standing a whopping seven feet tall came onto the scene. The weapon he held in his hands looked like the crossbow the mayor had in his meeting room except it didn’t have any limbs. The whole reason Anne knew about a crossbow was that her parents once had to borrow money from the mayor.

          “Milady, why did you run so fast here? It took me awhile to get here despite being in ERA armor,” he said to Lilith.

          “I heard a disturbance and the urge to see what it was overpowered me, I am very sorry,” she said while bowing.

          “Just don’t do it again,” he chided.

          “so, we will be bringing this little girl back home and ask around for a place to stay,” while she said so she looked at Anne again after speaking with the man, “so, may we ask you to escort us to your home?” she said smiling.

          “Oh, oh ok,” Anne said in a meek voice.

          She then got up and looked around the forest. The bodies of wolves were scattered all about the place. As if someone just tossed them about the place. She then earned a newfound fear and respect for her savor. She had already guessed that she was the one to kill all the wolves. But that didn’t feel right, or more like that it felt to right and it unnerved her.

          “Just follow me this way or was it this way?” she said.

          She had forgotten she was lost. Many thoughts were running through her head. Like why was this girl here? No one said anything about a albino girl with the strength of 10 men and a seven foot tall body guard.

          Would they kill her if she didn’t bring them to the village? Would they kill the villagers if she brought them to the village?

          “you’re lost, aren’t you?” Lilith asked.

          She simply nodded at this. Lilith then looked up and pinched the bridge of her nose.

          “Carrion, pick her up and follow me, we’re mapping out this entire forest,” she said.

          “What? But I can follow you! You don’t have to carry me!” Anne protested but failed immediately as Carrion picked her up.

          “To late, now follow ME!” Lilith said as she bolted due north.