Hunter's Mark

      A ten-year-old Rainn Stonebrook looked over the landscape that he called home. It's 1845 in the countryside of Ireland. The view is breathtaking, the sky is bright blue and the grass in the meadow is a deep green. There are patches of purples, yellows, whites, and red wildflowers. As he stares at the beauty, he gets lost in a trance, letting everything else fall away.      

      He's rudely awakened from that moment by his little brother Liam, who had just turned eight. He was rolling down the hill unable to stop himself before barreling into Rainn. He was just about to start scolding him when he heard his mother calling for them to come back to the house because it would be dark soon. As they ran up over the hill towards their family's sheep farm, Rainn saw his mother just outside the house. Her red hair shining brightly with the falling sun at her back and her light green eyes sparkling when she saw her sons returning.

     Rainn would forever hold that image of his mother in his mind because what came next would haunt his nightmares forever. They got ushered into the house and made to wash up. Both boys were grumbling about not being that dirty. Their mother laughed at their antics and started getting everyone their dinner. They sat down and the boys started telling their parents all about their adventures that day.

     Just as they got to the end of their story when Liam almost knocked Rainn down the hill when the sheep started bleating. They looked out the window to see the sheep running in the pens in a panic. Then they heard the sound that their fears were made of. The howl of a wolf was ringing through the night. Their father got up to go out and check on the sheep.

     “Boys protect your mother”, he said. Rainns father grabbed the musket from the mantle. Their mother grabbed his arm and begged him to stay inside the house. “My love, I can't afford to let that wolf kill the whole flock. We won’t survive the winter without them.”

     Tears streamed down her face as she watched him walk toward the door. He slipped out of the house and headed toward the pens. At first, he didn’t see anything but then out of the darkness a big black wolf with glowing red eyes appeared. He raised the musket, but the wolf was too fast and was on him in an instant. They heard the struggle with the screams of their father.

      Then silence. Their mother pulled open the hatch in the floor and set the boys down in the small space. She took one last look at her boys and said, "Whatever happens, keep quiet and stay down here.” She closed and locked the hatch. They could hear the wolf circling outside of the house, making low guttural growls, and their mother moving around.

     After a few minutes there was silence. Rainn let out a breath thinking the danger had passed. He looked at Liam and reached for the handle. When suddenly the sound of the door being ripped off its hinges echoes through the house. They could hear the scuffling and then their mothers’ screams.

     Rainn put his hands over Liam's ears and hugged him to his chest to try and keep him calm and quiet. Rainn could hear the wolf sniffing around the floor trying to pick up any other scents. A single tear ran down his cheek as he heard nails being pulled down the hatch door and a growl that seemed to shake the entire house. Liam let out a whimper and he immediately tried to hush him. Suddenly, they hear breaking glass and yelling.

     They could hear the wolf growling above them. The sound of a sword ringing through the air followed by yelps filled their little hiding place until finally there was silence. They heard footsteps coming towards the hatch door and voices. Rainn hugged Liam tighter as the sound of boots got closer and closer to the hatch. It springs open and standing there is a huge man with glowing eyes.

     Rainn put him well over six feet tall and broad shouldered with black hair, crystal blue eyes, and tanned skin. He looked at the two boys curiously and then reached his hand down to them. " It's ok boys, you can come out now," the man said. Rainn jumped up and tried to attack the man to save himself and his little brother. The man easily grabbed him by the arm and twisted him around.

     "Easy now boy, my name is Ard'al and I'm here to help you," he said almost shaking the boy. "Where did you come from" Rainn asked finally realizing he wasn't going to hurt them. "I've been tracking that wolf for weeks. Come on boys, you'll stay with me from now on". Ard'al helped the boys up out of the trap door and tried to keep them from seeing the carnage that had destroyed their home.

     He knew that rogue werewolves were dangerous, but he never could have imagined that this one would kill so many people. This rogue was rare however because it had been an Alpha that had been beaten but not killed for his position. The first kill had been three weeks ago three villages over. The council had gotten word immediately of the killing and had sent him and his men out to investigate. Ten bodies later and it was finally over.

     He hated killing other wolves but in rare cases it was necessary, and the council always sent him. As they made their way out, Rainn saw the body of his mother lying in her own blood by the fireplace. He pushed Liam toward Ard'al and ran to her. He knelt in front of her and gently touched her face. Her panic stricken and empty eyes stared back at him.

     He ran two of his fingers down her face to close them and gave her a kiss on her forehead. Ard'al walked over and told Rainn that it was time to go. "Please make sure my parents have a good burial," the little boy asked. "My men will make sure everything is taken care of, but right now you need to come with me." Rainn got up off the floor and looked down at himself.

     His hands and knees were covered in blood. He ran outside to the water trough and tried to scrub his mother's blood from his body as tears streamed down his face. His hands would never be clean again. He scrubbed them until they were almost raw. He wanted to see his father, but Ard’als men would not let him get close.

     Rainn heard someone approaching him from behind and turned around to look up at the man that had saved them. He realized that he wanted to be just like Ard’al. He made a promise to himself that night that he would do whatever was necessary to protect Liam. "Where are you taking us?" Rainn asked. Ard'al looked down at the two young boys that he had now taken into his care. "I'm going to take you home to the Vindicta", he said.

     Rainn is the first one to speak and said, "What is the Vindicta?" "We are a group of people who hunt those humans or super naturals that choose to hurt others. You can train if you choose to and maybe someday if you work hard enough then you can become one of us.” Rainn knew that this was what he wanted to do because he would never get what happened out of his mind. He needed to be able to get vengeance and, in doing so, keep others safe so no one else would ever have to live through what they had. He looked at his little brother and nodded to him. Liam reached up and grabbed his hand as they followed Ard’al to their new home.