Forsaken by the one person who was supposed to love her unconditionally, Red must brave the magic and monsters of the Wylds to find her true place in the world.
*****
Plague...
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Hunter's chest heaved as he stood over the bloody pulp of his enemy, curling his lip at the oily mixture of red and green splattered all over his front. The red belonged to Kadon, the first to stumble upon this scenic clearing of wildflowers. The yellow-eyed boy had fallen prey to the glamoured Mantis waiting at its heart, and now Bradon sobbed over his twin's headless corpse. It was a wretched sound that tugged at Hunter's heartstrings, even though he bore no love for the twins. It had not been a quick or noble death for Kadon, and for that he bowed his head in regret -- even if it had been a fitting end for the boy who tortured bugs.
The death Hunter dealt the Orchid Mantis had also been brutal and messy, resulting in a radius of green blood spatter that stank of torn leaves and freshly shorn grass. Hunter stared at the slobbery remains by his boots, anger building like pressure in his chest, his skull, as he recalled what the Mantis looked like only a few moments prior. A woman with hair like a living flame, her skin golden and glowing, her eyes the ashen white of hot coals. He'd been drawn to her like a moth to a flame, basking in her radiance, her sublime light and heat, which gave rise to a tingling heat all his own...
It was only when he'd toed Kadon's body that Hunter realised he'd been marching straight into her arms. The grisly stump of the boy's neck had cooled Hunter's lust, and he'd finally had the sense to call on Nya's Grace, channeling the same force that drew the tides to crush the imposter like a bug in his fist. The silver light oozing from his pores had signalled Bradon to his location, though Gordon was yet to make an appearance. Hunter hoped the shrewd man was alive and well, if only so that he could pry an explanation from him soon. Kadon had died without understanding what he was risking his life for; Hunter refused to do the same.
Perhaps it was the still-rustling leaves and squawking wildlife that masked their footsteps; perhaps the newcomers travelled downwind, and their telling scents were blown away from Hunter's discerning nose. Either way, Hunter was still lost in his thoughts when a guttural growl ripped through the clearing like fangs through flesh, drawing his attention to the remaining twin.
"You," Bradon spat, rising to his feet. His cheeks were ruddy from crying, his nose still running with snot. Even more off-putting was the crazed look in those blood-shot eyes as they fixed on something in the woods. "You're the reason he's dead!"
He exploded into motion before Hunter could take stock of the situation. Bradon's snarling face gave way to a flash of dark fur and muscle as he called on the Change mid-leap, landing on all fours in pursuit of --
Hunter staggered, reeling at the sight of the woman who approached them. Red-gold hair and sun-kissed skin, with a subtle shimmer that echoed the blazing spirit from the vision the Mantis had wielded against him. She was barefoot and sure of every step, as though she took strength from the very earth beneath her feet. What little he could see of her calves beneath that billowing robe were toned and shapely, and the robe itself... Hunter's mouth went dry at the way the black silk clung to her curves, his eyes fixing on the strip of cloth tied about her waist. It was the only thing keeping the garment from slipping off her shoulders altogether...
