Reyna darted out of the range of the creature's claws and turned.
A girl who looked to be barely in her teens stood behind the ring of Hunters. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her face was as coolly beautiful as a statue's. As she came closer, Reyna could see the strange silver-yellow of her eyes, as serene and still as the moon's. Even the fox stopped, but it glared at her in anger rather than awe.
"Your crimes," Artemis said, her voice strong and clear, "are many."
The fox shifted uncomfortably, teeth bared.
Artemis approached the creature with a deadly calm that made even Reyna nervous. "You have slaughtered countless warriors and Hunters. You have killed and trespassed in all realms. You are among the worst of wild beasts, slaughtering for sport and spoil. I do not allow such creatures in my sphere. Today justice shall be meted."
The fox reared onto its hind legs, but silver bands leaped up from the ground and lashed its paws to the earth.
"Fire!" Artemis commanded in a ringing voice.
Reyna sheathed her sword and unslung her bow. She pulled back the string, imagining her arm as stone.
A volley of arrows sailed into the fox's face and chest, causing more blood to trickle through its matted fur. It shrieked in pain and fought its bonds, to no avail.
Artemis strode through the Hunters' circle and stopped at its muzzle. "Die, beast," she said, her voice glacially calm.
The Teumessian Fox collapsed to the ground. Instead of disintegrating into yellow dust, however, its corpse shrunk into a cloak.
"A spoil of war," Artemis said musingly. She scanned the circle of Hunters and her gaze halted at Reyna. "For Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano."
Reyna felt a flutter of irritation at the use of her full name. She didn't ask why the goddess had chosen her, but the question must have been in her eyes.
"She uses her power to preserve and protect, even when she has never been shielded from the horrors of the world. She fights every day for the chance to keep fighting. Can any deny her courage and strength?"
The circle remained silent, but many gave her supportive nods, even as they looked at the spoil with revulsion.
Artemis's eyes gleamed with warmth for the first time, like a campfire. Something approximating a smile touched her lips. "Then come forth, Huntress, and claim your prize."
Reyna walked forward to the fox-fur cloak. It was thinner than she had expected, and surprisingly light. It was unmarred of blood and wounds. It was no longer the fox's: it was something new, something separate. And as she stood, the cloak in her hands, she felt the voices lessen in her head.
"Thank you, my lady," she said, looking at Artemis.
Artemis inclined her head. "Let us adjourn. There is still much work to do."
YOU ARE READING
Some Wounds Don't Scar
Fanfiction*Spoilers for The Blood of Olympus and The Tyrant's Tomb.* The only character I own is Cecelia, the others are all Rick Riordan's. I do not own the cover art, all credits to the original artist. Reyna Avila Ramirez-Arellano joined the Hunters becaus...
