Slicer Sisters

Chapter 1

Hiiii! I hope you enjoy this! I didn't make it and my friend gets all the credits but since they don't have Wattpad, they asked me to post it for them.

A twig snapped. Leila cursed softly under breath and froze, waiting to see who else had noticed it. Or what else. She cast her gaze around the forest, trained eyes picking up details invisible to anyone else. Nothing moved.

She sighed, and cursed again. Maybe they were right - she was too paranoid. She began moving through the forest again, the carcass over her shoulder pulling her weight backwards. Her steps quickened, skilled feet dancing through the treacherous litter that lay like traps on the forest floor. The sun trickled lazily through the canopy; the first sign of morning. The birds remained silent.

As she walked, the sound of rushing water grew closer - one of the many signs of the approaching river. She shifted the carcass on her shoulder and grunted. Her steps grew heavier and more careless as she came closer to the stream. She fell to her knees at its bank, and slung the carcass off her shoulder and into the river in front of her. She stared into the glassy eyes of the deer she'd slain as she took out her scythe, and began to skin it.

Blood drifted down the river, weaving between invisible currents and jagged rocks on its journey through the forest. She crossed her legs, drifting into an almost meditative state as she worked.

She lifted her head up.

"I know you're there, Argul."

The man behind her laughed.

"Shrewd as ever, Leila."

Leila wrinkled her nose, and frowned.

"Stop trying to sneak up on me. Not only can I hear your breathing, but in a forest like this, your scent is very distinct,"

"I don't even know if that's a compliment. No, no," he cut her off, "don't tell me. I don't care,"

She smiled, and stood up, leaving the deer carcass half skinned on the ground.

"Why are you here?"

"You sound snappy. I thought the solitude of the forest was supposed to ease your temper."

"Oh be quiet. You know I don't mean it like that."

"I guess. I'm here with a message."

"A message from who?"

"I think you know. "

Leila sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Yes, she knew. Of course she knew. The Board had been on her tail since she'd decided to move to the forest, but they could never get close enough before. They didn't have a reason to. What had changed?

She sighed.

"Alright. I'll go. Just let me get my stuff. And maybe take care of this," she said, gesturing to the deer carcass lying on the floor. It had begun attracting flies. Argul nodded.

"You might want to clean up as well,"

She frowned, opening her mouth to object, then closed it again. He was probably right. She turned and stalked down the stream, towards her cabin, dragging the deer behind her on the ground.

Leila paused in front of her house - if you could call it that. It was tall, with two floors, and made entirely of dark wood planking. With its darkened windows and slanted roof, it looked like the woodland cottage of a witch. She loved it.

She pushed open the door, and was immediately confronted by the mirror on the opposite side of the hall. God, Argul was right. Her purple hair hung around her shoulders, weighed down by the dried leaves and twigs strewn through it. Twin coils sat on her head, marking a gravestone, covering the holes where her horns had once grown. Small scratches decorated her accented cheekbones and cut her jawline. Her wings rose up above her hunched shoulders, curving into majestic points like a frame about her head. Fabric rippled at her side as her tail brushed against it, waving gently from side to side. As she stared at herself, she met her own steely gaze in the mirror, viridescent eyes matching a hardened face. Cold. Strong. Dirty. She would have to deal with that.

Leila emerged from the house an hour later, new clothes and her signature spiky hairstyle restored. Argul's eyes lit up as he saw her stalking towards him. She marched past him, stooping to pick up her bow as she walked.

"Come on then. If I must go, I may as well go now,"

"Now that's a change. I thought you were all about putting things off, and, er, you know, laziness."

He smiled and snorted. She rolled her eyes.

"Shut up Argul,"

"Oh, you know you missed me. Come on, let's go pay a visit to The Board."

Leila narrowed her eyes and smiled. Oh yes. A visit.

                                                                                              ~***~