Sapphire A Huntress no more (Sapphire Book 1)

I admit, I am a hunter. One like any other, one of many that occupy this earth. From birth we were thought legends of heroic men that saved the human world from extinction by hunting the biggest threat there was, supernatural’s. They told us stories of women, men and children slaughtered by supernatural beings such as vampires and werewolves, the horrific thing they did and how they must be exterminated hence the hunters. I was born years after the big interspecies war, long after the kings and queens of the world, and past brutality and sorrow. Now, supernatural creatures were believed to be extinct and so humans, hunters to be more precise, retreated and disbanded. There were only few who remained fixed on the old way and continued the legacy and the hunting without mercy. Today, in my time not only the werewolves and vampires were extinct but the ruthless hunters as well. I was born somewhere in the woods or maybe in a hospital, what I knew from the ones who raised me was that I had been abandoned by me mother. The one who found me was Cole Bates one of the last hunter leaders of the world. He had stumbled upon me in the woods of Germany and brought me to his home where he made sure I was trained in the arts of battle since I could walk.

‘I am imprinting the years and years of knowledge upon you as my father did with me and his father to him before, so you could take my place as the head hunter and rid this world of those pests.’ He always said that whenever I asked what was the point of all the training and all the nights spent in the library reading about the Great War and all the bad things there were. He taught me and the other children his view of the land and how we, the hunters were superior beings.

‘All you need to know is that they are ruthless, killers with no control, beasts that hunt humans for their blood and flesh. Savages that are an abomination in our world.’ Every time some of us asked about the supernatural creatures he gave the same answer. But even so he did not answer the second time. What he did though whenever one or two of the people in the lectures asked for the second time he made all watch how hunters fought those creatures and lost. I never liked them much after the first time I watched those films, and swore to kill every one of them until that is, my 20th birthday when everything changed.

I blindly followed Cole in his madness to kill and rarely stopped to think about what story those creatures had. What reason to attack us or what run through their heads when they saw us? I only knew our side of the story and when my birthday came I found out their story and all my world become more dangerous and brighter than it was before. A lot of doors opened and the path I chose was the rightful one.

The sun reflected on the calm sea as it rose from the horizon. It illuminated the cliffs and rocks of the land and the boat that approached them stealthily. It was an old ship, a wooden one with old inscriptions on it. With no electricity or any traceable device it set sail from Germany and was now arriving in the Norwegian Sea. I was the one who took the ship and fled to this country.

On my 20th birthday, I was sent to retrieve some information about one of the hunter leaders which was scheduled to arrive at headquarters the morning after. Sad to say, I did not reach my destination. By noon I had to stop half way. A powerful pain hit me, like I had had fought with an army and only now feeling the aftermath of that encounter. My bones cracked and the pain was unbearable, I threw myself in a nearby river to ease the pain but it was pointless. Only by midnight did it calm down and I realized what I had become – the creature that I was trained to hunt.

It was a total shock as I watched my reflection in the still water. I was a wolf, an amber wolf, a very beautiful amber one that I never saw before and my eyes were like sapphire, the same as my human self. Upon looking at my reflection in the water I realized something that kept dormant in the back of my mind – all I was thought by Cole was a lie, maybe not all of it, but the part where wolves were called savages and killers without control, this part was one that made me see the world in a different way. I rose from the water getting used to having four paws. Not only my shape had changed but my senses were better, I could hear sounds I never did before and my vision improved more than 100%, the colors were brighter and I could see far away, further than before. Those were not the only improvements either, as I run around getting used to my new form in the distance I heard a fight happening and I smelled the blood even from faraway before seeing the actual damage six wolves made to themselves. The blood was not the only thing my nose picked up. There was a rotten sent there also, and by concentrating hard enough a rotten smell came from three of the wolves which were slowly overtaking the other ones. I initially did not want to involve myself but then again I wanted to check what else I could do in my new form so I leaped into their fight. As the three grey wolves were about to finish the others off I slammed into them and to my surprise, sent them flying in the opposite direction without putting much force into it. Not bad for a first shift. It did not take them long to come around and they snarled at me before attacking, no plan of action whatsoever, foolish in my opinion as tactics were needed in winning a fight whether we were in human form or otherwise. Obviously I won the fight, with only the knowledge I had from watching other wolves fight whenever Cole brought me along on a raid. I turned to the other three wolves and after I shifted back, with a little help from them as it was too obvious it was my first time shifting.

‘Why are you here and why did the six of you fighting each other?’ I said watching the two men and the woman between them share scared looks.

‘We were passing through this land trying to find some food.’ The woman said and before I could ask them something else the tallest man spoke, more confident than his companion.

‘Those three were rogues, they followed us here. They were after Lucy.’ He said looking at the woman on his left. He was one head taller than her but I could see the resemblance quite well. They were brothers, same eye shape and color and their lips matched as well.

‘Rogues, what in the world are werewolves these days thinking, fighting each other, when they are almost extinct.’

‘We are not. And you are a werewolf also, are you not?’ Said the other male, looking confused by my statement.

‘Yes, I am now, but until a few hours ago I was your worst enemy.’

‘A hunter.’ The woman, Lucy said wide eyed and instantly the two men with her grabbed her arms and were now growled at me, fear evident in their eyes.

‘Yes dear, I am, was a hunter indeed. And you three are on hunter territory by the way. You people are lucky I become a werewolf otherwise you would be dead by now.’

‘You cannot become a werewolf, you are born one.’

‘I figured as much Lucy. Well now don’t keep growling at me, I am after all your only hope of survival.’

‘You are going to help us? Why would you?’

‘Because, as your friend stated earlier, I am now one of you, whether you like it or not.’

We were in a cave hours later planning an escape from these lands, the only option being by sea. I had to go back to Cole though in order to ensure our safe passage. The blood of the wolves on me being a good excuse for not completing my mission. And so I returned that evening all bloody and dirty from the fight. Cole was proud, only if he knew the truth. He would of killed me on the spot, but luck was on my side, or maybe the goddess. It gave me the night to take what I needed and flee from the place I once called home. Things went smoothly, Cole made all drink in my honor as it was my first kill without assistance. So all of them got drunk enough for me to work my magic and leave before sunrise, no questions asked. I was not too sure of what I was doing but one thing I knew the life I had until now was a lie. I broke into Cole’s office and stole the data from his computer as well as the books he kept hidden in a place under his chair, wired place to hide something. As expected the books were about werewolves and vampires mostly, but there were some about witches and other creatures as well.

I retuned were Lucy Taylor, her brother Joshua and Matt Miller, Lucy’s mate apparently were and began our journey to the end of the country. Forgetting about the phone I still had on me, was startled when it rang just as we reached the sea side.

‘Yes Cole, where is the fire?’ I said trying to be calm and collected.

’Where are you? Why are you not in my office like you were supposed to be as of two hours ago?’

‘I’m out for a run, you said it yourself I have to keep my body in shape.’

’Be here in half an hour. We have a breach in security.’ And so he hung up the phone and I breathed again.

‘We need to hurry up. If you have any device on you throw it in the sea.’

‘Why do we have too?’

‘So we won’t be followed. Now hurry up.’

I now changed from being the hunter to becoming hunted one.