The Trees Up North

Chapter X

The first thing I noticed in the morning was that the rising sun woke me up. The sun was peeking through the small window of the inn room. The second thing I noticed was that I was lying on my side, staring at the blank wall, which was made of logs painted with a dark stain. The blankets covered me, and everything had a feeling of warmth and comfort. I tried to turn onto my back to get up and start the day, but I was stuck in place.

I felt something heavy pressing against me, and I realized that I was not alone. I heard a gentle, deep hum of pine behind me.

The third thing I noticed was that Pine was holding me. Fuck. I tried to wiggle my way out so as not to wake him. But his arms only held me tighter, like he was aware of my movements.

"Pine," I whispered, "I have to go get some work done." All I got back was a hum and Pine's arm letting go of my waist. I rolled out of bed and looked back at him as he slowly opened his eyes. His eyes were still heavy with sleep, and his hair was a disheveled mess. My heart skipped a beat. Shit. Shit. Shit.

"Are you going to come with me today?" I asked him. Pine shook his head, flipping over so that he was lying on his stomach.

I walked over to the bathroom, getting ready for a day of asking people about a werewolf. I grabbed a bag hanging from the closet and wrapped it around my body. I threw some coins into my bag after grabbing some from the table beside me.

"I'll be back in the evening, Pine." I spoke aloud. With no response, I exited the room, shutting the door firmly behind me.

The woman at the desk sat quietly, her face in her hands, as she stared hopelessly out the window.

"Um, excuse me." My voice broke the silence in the room. She jumped, turning her body to face me. Today, her curls fell down on her back, showing how long her hair really was. "I would like to know anything about this werewolf."

She stared at me before giving a tiny nod. "It has killed six people as of now." She paused, sighing. "I personally haven't seen it, but if you go to the bar down the road, the men there will know more."

I nodded. "Thank you, ma'am." I started for the door.

"Anytime!" She called out. The door chimes went off as I exited the inn. I started down the road, making my way to the bar.

The door chimed as I opened it, causing some people to look my way.

"Well well!" A man with a long beard called out from the counter. "You must be the hunter the town's talking about." There were five people in the bar, and at this point, almost everyone's attention was on me. Their stare pierced my skin.

"You must be here to gather information." The bartender called out. He was wiping the glass clean.

"Yes." I tried my best to appear confident, pushing my shoulders back. "I came for more information on the werewolf."

A woman wearing a leather corset jumped down from her seat as she walked over to me. "It killed six people, one of whom was my husband." She smelled heavily of alcohol and dead roses.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." I moved my way around her; she was way too close for personal space.

A tall, skinny man appeared out of nowhere. "It lives in the West Forest!"

The West Forest was known for its dark oak trees and being full of vile creatures. It didn't help that the village was located right outside the forest.

"It has to do with him!" The woman cried out. "The werewolf is only here because we didn't kill the last one years ago."

I pulled a chair out from under the table and sat down. Putting my hand to my face, I asked, "Who are you speaking of?"

"Rivus." The bearded man whispered.

"Do not speak of that name!" The skinny man yelled. I jumped a little in my seat. I was startled by the intensity of his response.

"Rivus?" I questioned. I had heard that name yesterday; it was what Rosemary had called Pine.

"A family of witches." The bearded man spoke, his voice loud and deep. "They cursed our town with these violent creatures."

"We thought we had killed the entire family," the woman said, her hands in her lap. "But when we burned them at the stake, we only had two people."

"In the raid, the townspeople lost the witch's son." The skinny man cut off the woman. "Now that he is still alive, we are still haunted by these creatures!" The man slammed his fist down on the table.

"You don't have to find and kill the werewolf." The bearded man took a sip of the beer that sat in front of him. "You could find that boy and kill him."

The woman jumped up. "Yes!" She yelled excitedly. "Then we will be free from this!"

No. No. They were not discussing Pine. There was no way.

"Um, may I ask?" My voice sputtered and cracked as I spoke. "What does he look like?"

The bartender coughed into a cloth. "From what we know, he has these dark patches that litter his skin and dark hair."

"They say the patched boy is what curses this poor town!" The woman raised her voice. I swallowed hard. They were speaking of pine.

"You said you killed the boy's parents?" I asked, my voice becoming increasingly quiet.

"Yes, we sure did!" The bearded man laughed. "It was eight years ago."

"What made you think they were behind the creatures?" My hands were sweating as they sat in my lap.

"They were from the West Forest." The woman was looking out the window, as if to recall the memories. "They were strange people."

"Even stranger, after giving birth to a boy full of patches," the skinny man cut off the woman once again.

The man with the beard coughed into his shoulder. "They helped the mystical during the war."

"The mystical?" My voice broke a little. So, maybe Pine wasn't human.

"They would heal the wounded soldiers during the war; those Rivus' were always really good at healing." The women spoke over the others.

The war. It ended when I was only four. My mother would tell me stories of what it was like out on the battlefield. The war was what split the world. It was humans against the mystical, and many were left dead. But the humans won in the end, pushing the mystical over the mountains. The aftermath of the war left scars on both sides, with lingering tensions and mistrust between humans and the mystical. The victory for humans came at a great cost, as they had to rebuild their shattered society while grappling with the consequences of their actions.

So Pine's family was not human? But he appears so human. When I first started hunting, I learned about individuals like this. They were always the most dangerous. However, I had never encountered or seen one. Pine could not possibly be one. No one was there. He was far too sweet.

"Here," the bearded man said as he tossed a folded piece of paper at me, breaking me out of my questioning. "It's a map of the forest. The boy could still be living at the one house."

"Thank you." I tucked the paper away in my bag. "I will get going now."

I wished everyone in the bar goodnight and said thank you before exiting. Once my shoes hit the stones of the road, I started running towards the inn.