Gwyn woke up, she was rocked awake by the gentle swaying of the stream she fell in, She looked around and noticed that she had stripped her clothes off.
"...what the hell" she croaked.
She checked her wounds and put on her inner garments. Her memories came back to her in patches as she sat on the ground close to the small stream, she found comfort in it's melody.
"That was silly." She said as she pieced the memories together slowly.
"My brain was fried huh? Why'd I wear my armor if I was running away, that's a quick way to identify me."
She remembered her mother's final moments, she felt as if she had no choice but that thought angered her. She decided to direct that anger elsewhere for now.
"A normal life... Swearing never to kill, I can't have that. I'm a weapon. I've trained to kill my whole life, I wanted to kill. I can't expect to just walk away now. Guess I'm trapped in an endless cycle of kill and trying not to be killed." She chuckled as she added the last sentence
"That's not so bad. Besides, I swore to end whoever killed papa, and I'm capable of that, it's easier to just go on killing, maybe... I can drown everything in blood, and finally lose my mind completely. Then I'll be ignorant to my troubles. Or maybe I'll just become a monster. Monsters don't feel pain. Maybe then I'll be free from this cursed life. If that doesn't work I'll just kill myself. That's a promise I can keep." She said.
"Ok, so how do I figure out who killed father?" She asked herself
"What would he tell me to do?
He'd say something like:
'think, strategize, you can't just storm in swinging and asking who killed who.'
So I'll go undercover, move from clan to clan if I have to, news of papa dying must be stirring up the entire country. And whoever took his title must be proud and flaunting it, even if they're trying to hide it they have to express it some way." She discussed the situation with herself.
She gripped both her Katanas, she peered intently at the White handled blade, the story behind it still intrigued her. Her other Katana had a purple handle, it was the Same defective blade her father had given her all those years ago, though it was more like a metal rod than a sword she won many fights with it, eventually growing to love it. It was the sword she used against the warrior she encountered in the forest.
The warrior.
"In my current state I barely beat him, maybe if I could think properly I wouldn't even have to kill him... But what's done is done. I can't expect to beat father's killer like this." She then got an idea.
"I know. I'll meet this clan's leader and announce myself as the new Lord of my clan. Who is he again? Itsuki right? Whatever, I'll ask for his assistance to get back into shape. He'll have no choice but to agree, no one wants war with the Nato clan after all" she smirked
"So I have it all figured out. I'll go get better then off on my killing spree.
Wait I don't want too many eyes on me when I enter that town, so I can't wear my armor. " she continued talking to herself.
"Uaaaaaah!" She said as she realized what was her only option of clothing.
"Welp, guess I'll go rob a dead body"
Gwyn retraced her steps to find her attacker, when she was nearby she got a whiff of rotting flesh. When he finally came into view she saw a vulture feasting on him and ants all over his body.
"Oh god... "
"The hell? How long have I been out for? He already started decomposing. Well this doesn't make my job easier" she said as she chased the bird away. She took off his clothes while trying her best not to throw up.
"Well. Always thought the first guy I saw naked would be alive."
"He not so bad" she said after looking him over
"You know, apart from the whole decaying thing"
She finally got the last piece of clothing off him. She looked to the direction he attacked from and saw something, she went to get a better look.
It was a large empty bag.
"This guy must've been a bandit, this lil bag will be useful" she said as she walked off.
She stopped and laughed out loud for a few seconds
"Imagine someone's reaction when they find a naked dead guy" she walked off again
She reached back to the stream and washed out the horrible smell and dried blood out the kimono and hung it to dry.
She lied down and closed her eyes.
• • • •
• • •
• •
•
When Gwyn woke up it was already dark, she put on the kimono and put her Katanas at her side. She put her armor in the bag and hung it over her shoulder and set off in the direction of the closest town.
"Good thing they forced me to memorize a map of the country"
Gwyn followed a small trail for a few miles, she eventually diverted from it going through much rougher terrain.
* SNAP *
Gwyn went still, something was close.
A large wolf faced her, slowly coming out of hiding, his fangs bared. Something was about to die and something was about to kill, he made it clear he would be the latter.
Gwyn moved back slowly, she stopped dead in her tracks once more as she heard another sound behind her. She turned to see another wolf, three more appeared surrounding her.
"Looks like I wondered into your den. No problem. I'll leave now." As she turned to leave a loud vicious snarl from the first wolf told her that wasn't an option.
He growled ferociously, her movement seemed to anger him.
The pack of wolves creeped in, leaving Gwyn with less space.
"Fine" she pulled an arrow and armed her bow, well not her bow. She took it from the warrior she faced earlier.
The first wolf pounced for her, before he could reach, an arrow flew throw his skull, he fell and blood flowed from his mouth.
Gwyn froze. She instantly flashed back to her mother dying, blood flowing from her mouth just the same.
"Huagh!" Her breath stopped in her throat, she stood there and an ocean of sadness, regret and fear smashed into her. Tears ran down her face.
"Mom" she cried.
"I killed her... Like an animal"
Another wolf attacked, biting into her right arm. She used the wolf that was ripping into her to fend off an attack from another, swinging him into his comrade with lethal force. They both yelped in pain.
She pulled two arrows and fired them in the back of one of her attackers.
She flashed back once more, this time to her father with arrows in his back, drenched in his own blood.
Gwyn struggled to breathe but got no air, it's as if the oxygen supply was shut off, her heart started racing and her entire body shook as she trembled violently.
She was having a panic attack.
"Gwyn"
"Come here daughter"
She looked up to see both her parents, alive and well it would seem.
"Mom? Papa?" She asked in disbelief
"What's the problem Gwyn? Thought you killed me?" Hina asked
"Did I waste my time teaching you Gwyn? Why haven't you faced my killer and returned the title to our clan? Why did you just leave the people you're supposed to protect with your life without saying a word? You're going after him now but it's not for honor, it's not for your clan, it's to satisfy your own feelings, to soothe your own guilty conscience. Are you truly that selfish? You couldn't do simple tasks, but what you did was kill the woman I loved, the woman who gave birth to you. Under any circumstances that is unacceptable!" Nobu yelled.
"I know papa, I've failed you. But I can. No I will make it right!" Gwyn cried.
"Too late" Hina said as she stepped forward, drawing a knife
"I've always hated you" she continued
Nobu picked up a piece of wood and stabbed Hina through the chest, she coughed up blood and fell.
"I killed her. Just like you did"
Nobu approached Gwyn with the bloody weapon.
Just when he was inches away blood from Hina's wound slowly rose into the air, it spiralled, twisting and twirling until it forged into multiple arrows. They shot forward, slamming into Nobu's back he fell on Gwyn knocking her backwards. His face hovered above Gwyn's, blood dripped from his mouth onto her face.
Nobu went blurry and Gwyn's vision focused. It was actually a wolf that was on her, and drool that fell on her face.
She was hallucinating.
Gwyn managed to maneuver her way from under him. She ran and grabbed unto a branch of a nearby tree pulling herself up. Putting her body out of the wolf's reach in the nick of time. Her breathing was still erratic, her parent's death was still fresh in her mind, she obviously wasn't done dealing with it.
"This is going to be a problem"