*19 years ago*
Master Carson is seen writing a letter. He had mixed emotions writing it.
His hand trembled nearly ruining the letter. Taking a deep breath, he set the pen and folded the paper.
He called over a servant and handed him the letter. He leaned in and whispered into the servants ear telling him exactly who to deliver the letter to.
He stared out the window into the direction of the forest. The sunlight fell across his face. His eyes wide and distant as if praying for something.
**In The Forest**
A man is seen swinging on branches. He plucked a fruit and took a bite. The contrasting cool breeze and the slightly hot sun was refreshing to his skin.
He wore tattered clothes as if he just finished a brawl or two. He rested on a particularly strong branch and savoured the taste of the fruit. The fruit juice dripped down his chin, sharp and sweet.
He senses something moving below him. Licking his lips, he jumped down hoping it was an animal he could roast and eat.
Upon landing, he came face to face with a young girl. She looked to be around the age of five.
The man frowned. 'What's a kid doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Shouldn't she be home eating or something?' the man thought.
The kid flinched back startled by his sudden appearance. That was expected after all.
Being close to the child made the man feel a little weirded out. She carried some kind of aura that made him feel... weird to say the least. It made his skin crawl.
The little girl also felt the same way to the man. She took a step back out of pure instinct. "You make me feel funny." the child said, her tone oddly flat for someone so small.
"I could say the same thing about you. That aside, what is a kid like you doing in a forest?" the man questioned eyeing her warily.
"Waiting for you." the girl said scratching her head. Her voice was a little unsteady, she was still just five after all.
"For me? You must have the wrong guy." the man face dropped starting to feel unsettled by the child.
"No. Papa said that I should say that to the first person I meet that makes me feel... funny and that's you." She said fiddling with her fingers, her eyes on her shoes.
After thinking a bit, the man slapped his face in frustration. "I thought that era was long over but it seems like some people still take me as some god or something that they can appease with a sacrifice. I had to deal with a lot of children back then because of that."
He shut his eyes and folded his hands trying to think of a way out of this predicament. "That's it!!" He snapped his fingers.
'This isn't a problem. I mean I can just pretend that I didn't see her. It's not my fault some people are dumb enough to leave their children in the forest. I can just walk away like nothing happened'.
With newfound resolved, he turned away from the girl and walked another path. "You got the wrong guy kid. I wish you luck in finding him." he said with a dismissive wave.
"W-wait..." the little girl said stammered hurrying after the man.
"Y-you're like me, aren't you?" the kid let out after catching up to the man and clutching at his sleeves.
Feeling the little girl hand on his torn sleeves, the man frowned and scowled.
"So what? Shoo! Don't bother me!" he shook the little girl's hand off his sleeves.
He continued on his path but the girl continued following him.
Where ever he weren't, the girl followed.
His frustration spiked.
He snapped his head back and stared at the kid with narrowed eyes full of annoyance.
Being around the kid felt eerie and... wrong. He was starting to get irritated and looking at the face of the kid, it was the same for her. So why did she keep following him.
"Look kid. I don't know what you want from me, but we aren't doing each other any good. How about we go our separate and forget any of this happened, okay?" the man said feeling defeated.
"But, I have no where to go. Papa doesn't want me anymore." the little girl said with a slump face.
"I don't even know my way back." she said lightly kicking a stone on the floor.
The man sighed feeling a lot more frustrated. Nighttime was nearing and being around her will only cause more harm than good.
"They don't like me. All the people look at me.....funny. They are always sad when they see me. They don't like me one bit. Even Papa hates me." the little girl said quietly, her eyes fixed on the ground.
The man faced softened a little bit but he was still not in an accommodating mood. He was cornered at this point.
He heard something. A faint ringing in his ear that made him frown. He scanned the trees and the atmosphere and frowned even harder. 'They are coming.' He thought.
"Tell you what kid. I believe you, we aren't that much different and base on circumstances, it is only right that I take care of you. But I am kinda caught up with something so I would like you to do something." he carried the girl to a cave like structure along the side of an area in the forest. He placed her down.
He didn't like that he cared for the weird little girl even if it was only a little, but what choice did he have.
"I want you to stay in there and no matter what you hear, do not come out. I will be back tomorrow to come pick you up. No matter what you hear, STAY PUT! It's only for the best." he pressed a few fruit into the girl's small hand and motioned her deeper inside. "I'll be back, trust me—"
"THERE'S THE PIECE OF ****. GET HIM BEFORE HE RUNS" a loud voice bellowed out from the darkness. A roar of angry shouts followed.
"Crap." The man darted away as a mob burst through the trees, arrows and stones flying in his wake.
The little girl curled deeper inside the cave-like structure, it smelt like damp earth. Her heart pounded in fear as tears welled up in her eyes.
She kept her mouth shut and watched in slight horror of the recent development. The people ran past her their voices a little too loud for her eardrums.
'Why are they chasing him?' she thought clamping her ears with her hands.
* * *
After a while, the last of the mob were gone leaving the little girl alone to her thoughts as she slowly drifted off to sleep.
- - -
"Wake up!" a voice rang out snapping the little girl out of her sleep. It was the man she had met earlier.
"Good job." he said while rubbing her hair slightly.
"Let's go." he said motioning her outside.
"Where to?" the little girl asked curiously.
"To where monsters like us belong." he said without looking back.