Lightning

-10- 「The Temple」

-Four Months Later-

Angel was silent and breathed slowly, her breath visible like fog from the cold. She moved through the snow quietly, her footsteps almost inaudible. She licked her lips softly, summoning a bow made of energy. She aimed at her prey, a small white rabbit hopping around in the snow.

She was hungry for meat to say the least. She had been eating mostly canned vegetables for the past couple of days and couldn't stand not having the taste of meat. She was excited yet calm and ready to take her shot. After this, she planned on keeping the meat to herself, despite Storm's pleas to let him have a taste.

She pulled back the bow's string, an arrow forming between her two fingers. She held her breath as she aimed at the small animal slowly, suddenly feeling a sharp pain on her side as she was about to shoot the arrow. She let go, accidently firing the arrow and missing her prey.

The arrow zoomed closely by the rabbit, hitting a tree, some snow falling next to it. The animal was startled by the noise and hopped away quickly. Angel winced in pain, clutching her side tightly. She lifted her jacket and shirt, shuddering from the cold air, and looked at the tattoo like mark that was put on her long ago.

She touched the mark, feeling pain as she did so, and sighed out of frustration. She studied the mark, the symbol black, a pale black energy emanating from it.

"Asshole," she muttered before dissipating the bow.

She reached in her jacket pocket, pulling a small bottle full of hot tea. She took a few gulps before heaving a big sigh and stretching. Putting the bottle away, she hopped over a tree branch, her feet landing in the snow and making a soft crunching sound. She kneeled to where the rabbit was, seeing its prints on the ground. Angel stared at the snowy ground for a moment, looking around the area, seeing the tracks trail on. She walked on, tracking the animal, being careful as to not startle it if she happened to find it.

She then found the creature on the ground, the rabbit sitting still. A wolf was nearby, the obvious culprit. As soon as it heard her, it ran quickly, feeling threatened. Angel then aimed at the animal, summoning her bow and arrow again ready to shoot. Pulling back the string, she aimed at it, inhaling and holding her breath then stopping.

The snow around the rabbit was red, and she suddenly felt worried about the prey she swore she'd catch a few moments ago. Just as she had thought, the animal had blood around it from a wound. She took out a hunting knife, ready to kill it, but then stopped yet again. Looking at it struggle, cling for life, it made her think of herself. As well as Storm.

She sighed. She took the animal and clutched it to her chest. Some blood stained her jacket, but she didn't really care at that moment. She took some gauze from her back pocket, wrapping it softly on the rabbit's hind leg where the wound was. She tightly wrapped it, ensuring no more blood would spill. Angel then turned to walk away, suddenly seeing a deer not too far from where she stood.

The girl then grinned, walking over slowly. She unzipped her jacket and placed the rabbit inside, almost zipping the jacket up all the way. She then summoned her bow again, pulling the string back, the arrow materializing. Holding her breath, she aimed at the deer's head and let go. The arrow shot through the animal's head quickly and swiftly before hitting a tree a few feet behind it.

"Gotcha," she said aloud.

Angel walked over to the deer, the rabbit comfortably nestled in her jacket, its head poking out of the part Angel left unzipped. She pushed the rabbit back down, zipping her jacket higher.

"Don't want to scare you," she said to it, a small smile forming as she said this.

She pulled out a small knife, removed her bag, and opened it up and leaving it next to her as she punctured the deer's body. She cut it open from the side, gutting it and cutting it up.