𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄

one.

The sun was setting on the horizon between two gorgeous mountains, illuminating the valley it sat behind full of wheat, flowers, and the like. The sky had little clouds and it looked like a beautiful painting with the transitions of different colors spread around. They melded together to make something so simple but so beautiful. 

A woman peered from her cabin's porch to gaze upon the masterpiece as she did every evening. Nothing brought her more peace of living alone than to see the wonders nature had to offer her every day she woke up. 

She gazed to the side where her fruits had begun to wilt; fall was leaving her and soon winter would give her its welcome. The fair lady had picked enough of her crops that she could live through the harshness that winter brought. The final portion of her wheat would be ready to harvest tomorrow as the cold winds had already begun to set in.

Almost as fast as it arrived, the sun set beyond the horizon, leaving her to watch the last glimmers of the sun before the moon would take over watching her. She pulled her shawl closer to her gown as she turned around to walk inside. 

She walked over to the fireplace and prodded at the glistening fire before putting another small log into the pit. Tomorrow she would have to cut a few more trees down if she wanted to stay warm in her cabin for winter. 

The woman stood up from where she knelt and looked out her back window to see the small plains nestled in front of a large forest. Besides the two mountains that were in front of her house, she was mostly surrounded by trees. When she looked right under her window where her underground freezer lay, her heart skipped when she saw it was open. 

Despite night quickly consuming the valley, she rushed outside and behind her house to signify it was open. Who could have done this? She is the only one who has lived in this area for miles and miles. Did she forget to close it earlier today? No, she didn't go hunting today.

With careful steps, she walked down into the cellar. It had a grotesque smell about it, not something that was usual for her. Her mother always told her to never leave the house at night; creatures of vile would come out and get her. Despite being a young woman now, she still believed in those tales.

The lady could barely see in the cellar; the only thing helping her was the moonlight from overhead. A full moon was upon her it seemed. The smell was almost unbearable now, and the woman covered her nose with her shawl. When she looked at her pile of deer she could barely make out what it was, but she knew she saw a lot of blood.

She gasped and frantically looked around the rest of the cellar. Her berries and vegetables were untouched. Whoever, or whatever got in here seemed to want deer. She had stored three carcasses in there for the whole week. Now they were ruined. 

The girl swiftly walked out of the cellar to lock it up, only to realize her lock had been broken. It would be a whole day's walk to go to town and buy a new one. She grunted and simply shut the cellar before pacing back into her cabin. She locked her door and breathed in deeply.

"Y/n, you have to remain calm. There is an explanation for this I'm sure." She talked. Y/n spoke to herself quite often, not that it was ever a problem. She preferred to be alone- hence why she built this cabin so far from the town she grew up in. 

The maiden took her shawl off and lay in her bed. She turned off her oil lamp and pushed what happened in the cellar to the back of her mind. 

The next day Y/n decided to head to town. She couldn't afford to be vulnerable out in the wilderness. She knew the stories of mythical beings that roamed the woods of this town. She just hoped it was a wolf, not a being.