1 Chapter 1: Beast

War. A state of armed conflict between different nations, states, or different groups within a nation or state. She let herself get captured. She could've destroyed them easily. But why didn't she? Why send us off instead? What makes us so important she allowed herself to be chained by chains that burn her wrists.

I sit at the mouth of the cave, watching over the village below me. I came here after I escaped. Initially, the villagers were frightened by the appearance of a new deity in the Lotus Village. It took a while for me to tell them who I was. They could've easily told the Slavin Empire. But they would've gained nothing.

"How many this week?" I ask the boy standing beside me. He's just now entering his teenage years. The child is short for his age and looks more like a ten-year-old boy with freckles splashed his baby face. His long, curly brown hair fall over his face, hiding how much he hates his appearance. Yet, his hazel eyes glow as he stands beside me.

"Ten. Twenty the next week." Isaac grumbles. I smile, revealing a row of huge silver teeth meant to cut through flesh and bone like butter. Isaac was starving and scared shitless when we first met. It was snowing heavily and he was scavenging for food when I arrived. Curious, he followed me during the day until I came up here and morphed into a beast as the sun's last rays disappeared over the horizon.

He screamed and nearly fell down the mountain in the attempt to run away. I caught him and tended his wounds. I fed him and raises him since. Orphans started coming up here for food, shelter, and a place to feel loved. Unlike the Huntress, my leader, I'm not as fond of kids. But I got used to them after a while.

"What makes you say that?" I ask. Isaac huffs and folds his arms over his chest.

"Something about a ferocious beast killing off ten men a couple of miles away from here. Those ten men were Slavin soldiers." I frown.

"I'll have to take a look into that. Anything else?" Isaac nods.

"There's a new general." I look at the child.

"So?"

"The general's a she." I jerk back to the village. So, she really went and did it. I'm not surprised she rose in ranks so quickly. She was raised by the Huntress herself. She's one of the three to be raised by her. There was a fourth. But she was killed after turning her back on the rest of us and the Huntress.

"Let's hope this new general doesn't cause us trouble." I mutter.

"You know her, don't you?" Isaac asks.

"It doesn't matter. Head in." Isaac hugs me. Well, he hugs my arm. I'm bigger than the church in the village, which is the biggest building in the village.

"What about you?" I stare up at the sky. Four stars fall out of the sky and head north to the Slavin Empire. The sky's running out of stars. And so is much hope.

"I have to watch over the village." I respond.

"Do you ever sleep?" I smirk.

"I haven't slept since you last got sick, kiddo." Isaac hasn't gotten sick since he was ten. Isaac frowns.

"Arguing won't get us anywhere. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Beast." Isaac says and pats my arm.

"Goodnight, Isaac."

I throw my head back and howl as the first rays of the sun appear over the horizon. My bones shift around painful and I claw at the ground even as my huge claws become slightly long nails. My long black hair spills over my face and my sharp teeth become like the humans minus my sharp fangs that retract upon command.

I moan as my shift finishes. Covered in sweat and blood, I crawl to a small hole where I keep my clothes and a rag to clean the blood and sweat until I can go bathe. The pain seems to increase each time. And everytime, it feels as if I might remain a beast.

I quickly clean up and put on clothes. Once I'm able to move without moaning in pain, I begin to prepare breakfast for the orphans that live with me. The smell of food wakes them up slowly as the village awakens. Isaac comes in holding the hands of two younger kids. They wash their hands and set the table. As the food is finished, I begin to serve twenty plates. Everyone sits and waits for me to sit with my own plate of food.

The children and I hold our hands out and begin to bless the food with a lullaby I taught them. The lullaby was created a long time ago by the Huntress in order to keep any specific religion out of it. It's not directed towards her or anything. The lullaby is merely a thank you for everyone above us who's out there. They can take credit if they want.

"Clip their wings and stuff 'em in a bag. Give the bag to the old hag and she'll brag. When she opens the bag, she'll no longer brag." One of the kids finishes. I open my eyes and look at him as the younger kids giggle.

"Leave it for the rounds. Now, eat." The kids who were giggling become quiet and eat until they gather the courage to speak again. The older kids talk amongst each other about the hunt today and the possible hunt next week in which I'll be participating. Usually, once I know they can fend for themselves, I send them out to hunt in groups of five. Today, Isaac's joining them.

"Mother, do you think we'll catch a boarman this time?" One of the kids asks. I never actually told them my name. They either call me "mother" or "beast".

"Don't go looking for trouble. Those things are hard to defeat. And besides, Isaac's going with you this time. I want you to stay away from the very center of the forest." I respond. There are some groans and some silent nods.

"Susan's birthday coming up. What should we bring her?" Another boy asks. I tear at the steak I cooked with my sharp teeth, chew, and swallow before answering.

"See if you can find a wild peacock. Capture a female and gather four feathers from the male." The boys nod.

"What about the twins?" Isaac asks. I look down at the twins being feed by two of the oldest girls. I recently been called to get them by a midwife. The mother died giving birth and the father was falling to a state in which he would abuse them if they stayed.

"Get them each a feather from a dove or a wolf pup to be their companion." The two girls look at me. They smile knowingly. All the girls receive a wolf pup when they join. The boys are trained for the hunt. What the boys don't know is that the girls don't need their protection. They're skilled to protect the younger ones along with their companions.

"News from the village!" Someone yells from the entrance. I growl slightly and stand. I walk towards the mouth of the cave and greet a man nearing his fifties. He's the village's informer. He's also blind and can only see auras.

"What is Reuben?" I ask the man. He leans on his walking stick and from his clothes, he produces a small pouch. He give it to me.

"Here's the daily collection for the children. The vendors have reported an increase in visitors and the farmers are worried about some wild animal prowling their sheep and cattle. There's no children orphaned and no sightings of potential threats. Oh! And Jeremiah has asked for you again."

"Tell Jeremiah that my answer still stands. I will not take part in his plans. And if he keeps it up, he'll have less weight on his shoulders. I'll deal with the wild animal. Tell the vendors to keep an eye out for threats. Anyone who comes here will be free game." Jeremiah smiles and shakes his head.

"You sound so young. Yet, your aura is older than mine. Tell me, what should the old folks set on the visitors now?"

"Let them tell their stories." I answer and head back in.

"Beast, the increase of visitors has started to trouble us. Yes, it helps us business-wise. But what about you and the children?" I toss the pouch up and catch it swiftly.

"Let the Beast take its share."