The time had finally come, the first blue moon after the day of her 18
th
year. She had been born to be a sacrifice. From the first they had seen her snow-white hair and piercing, ice blue eyes, they knew she was claimed by fate. She knew her duty, and now came the time to face her destiny. She was to be a sacrifice to the guardian of the forest.
From the time she was old enough to understand the world, she knew her duty within it. She was to be sacrificed to the hunger of the beast. In return her village would know peace from those outside the valley. Knowing her destiny didn't assuage the pang of panic in her stomach though. Still, she was devoted to her duty.
She arrived at the square as the cart approached. Her ruby red cloak seemed to shine in the moonlight. Ceremonial garments that would return to the village after her sacrifice, she nonetheless stood tall as she climbed in the cart that would take her to her fate. She was determined to meet her fate with her head held tall.
As the cart trundled towards its destination, the seeds of fear bloomed within her. Panic at the prospect of her sacrifice settled deep within her gut, gnawing at the edges of her mind. She pleaded with the driver, but he refused to hear her pleas. Finally, the cart halted at the mouth of a cave on the hillside. She stripped and dismounted the cart and watched as the driver, sparing her one last mournful look, pulled the cart away back the way it had come.
She shivered in the darkness.
The wolf raised his nose, the wind carrying him new scents. Oiled iron, wood coated in pitch, and the cold sweat of fear. Along with that was a strange scent, something delicious that he couldn't describe. Its heady scent stirred him to action, and he set off taking great, loping strides towards his cave. He would find the source of this new scent.
He slowed to a quiet, stalking pace as he approached his cave. There was another here. Animals knew his presence and knew to avoid his territory. This was a human, likely from the valley below his territory. Why she smelled of sweet flowers in bloom and the fresh air of a hunt eluded him. He drew up on his hind legs as he beheld the girl. She was the source of this unknown scent but flooding the air around it was panic and fear. She expected death in these woods, and he remembered the promise of a sacrifice. The Guardian of the Woods they called him. He had never asked for blood; they gave it willingly.
Still, the smell of this woman stirred something within him. He decided to make himself known. He approached loudly, twigs snapping as he gave no thought to his steps. As she turned to face him, he smelled her panic, and the fire in him roared in his chest. He needed prey worthy of his strength, she needed to prove herself.