The words rang in her head as she woke the next morning.
"Your father hunted and killed those different from himself. He called us monsters and called himself a monster hunter."
Was it just some dream? She sniffed back the tears she felt might fall from such a scary dream and rolled over. It was then she noticed she was not in the cabin she had shared with her father. She heard a cough and walked into a room she had been in many times before when her father had gone out to hunt.
"I warned him he was playing a dangerous game, especially with such a young one to take care of," came the raspy voice of the old woman.
Ria cocked her head curiously, looking at the old woman. "Aunt Agnes, what do you mean?"
Agnes moved away from the fireplace where she had been preparing breakfast and gave the young girl a pitiful look.
"Have a seat child and I will dish up your breakfast. Once we are seated to eat, we can talk more."
Agnes, moving at her own unhurried pace, tended to the fire, carefully checking the food. She then made her way to the kitchen area, retrieving two plates and two cups before slowly carrying them to the table. With deliberate movements, she poured the contents of the pitcher into the two glasses. After a final check of the food, she dished up the first plate and placed it in front of Ria. Taking her time, she then served herself, the clinking of the dishes punctuating her deliberate steps as she settled at the table.
Once Agnes was in her seat, Ria started to eat. She looked at the old woman waiting for her to speak.
"Your father was a hunter before he met your mother. Your mother comes from a long line of hunters. But not the kind of hunter your father was. My brother was taught by our father that anything that walked on two legs but was not human was a monster and needed to die. Traditionally only the sons are taught the hunting and skills.
Your mother was an only child so those skills were passed down to her."
Agnes took a sip of her drink and then took a bite of her food, waiting for Ria to respond.
Ria looked at Agnes, taking in what she had just heard.
"What do you mean by hunter? Didn't daddy hunt animals for food? What do you mean mama was a hunter different from daddy? And what are these monsters you mention?"
Agnes smiled at all the questions her ten-year-old grandniece fired off in rapid succession.
"Well, what some call monsters are nature's magic manifest. They are human in form but have a variety of differences. The most common of the monsters, as they are called, are the fae. They are slightly taller and thinner than humans, with pointy ears and teeth that look like fangs. Sometimes they take on an appearance of being half tree, half human. Sometimes they have wings and sometimes they don't. It all depends on their habitat."
Ria blinked at the description and started to describe her dream. Agnes cut her off and continued talking about how there were families who feared and hated these nature creatures and so decided to hunt them and kill them.
"Okay," said Ria. "So Mama's side of the family were hunters of these nature creatures as you call them but daddy hunted animals for food?"
"That is correct," replied Agnes. "But your mother came across a monster she could not handle and lost her life. After that, your father was so grief-stricken he went out to continue what she could not finish."
By this time they had both finished eating and were just sitting at the table talking.
"Well now, I think I have told you enough for the time being. I am going to clean up these dishes. You go play outside and take your time to process what I just told you," Agnes said as she slowly got up from the table.
Ria exuberantly jumped up from the table and rushed outside to the garden.
I like how this one turned out. It is not quite finished but I felt I had to end it here because I have been working on this for most of the day. Thank you for reading and I look forward to engaging with you in the comments. If you are coming from outside of hive and enjoyed my content, please consider supporting me.
