Sacrifice

[Aldir]

Today was the day. A full year had passed since first the agreement had been made in blood, a rather binding arrangement to be certain but one Iona was happy to have made. Willowbrook was the name of the destination today, a small little village north of her swamp. They had been all too happy to find a way to stave off the horrible witch dwelling in the swamp nearby, never mind it was others they sacrificed to make it so. Iona didn’t exactly care over much, humans were merely another form of animal in her opinion though they were certainly a more difficult prey to hunt.


The exceedingly tall woman whispered through the trees of the swamp easily enough, her steps light through the wetlands. She was silent in her advance as far as any listener would be concerned, seeming more at home here in a wild place than any place else in the world. The witch skipped over a trio of stones upon a large stretch of water, her footing sure as anything. Iona had travelled this way many times before after all, it was nothing new to her. It was the same song and dance every time.


She halted once, pressing herself close to a nearby tree as a strange cry sounded out from the depths of the swamp. Her eyes fell upon the direction where it had come from, warily regarding the direction as though half expected some great beast to start charging at her. Iona waited here, her breathing quiet as she rehearsed a series of curses to neutralize something massive. Part of survival in the wilds depended upon dealing with the threats within one’s personal territory. If something large and deadly had moved into the swamp then she would need to enforce her claim. After minute Iona distanced herself from the tree, slowly returning to her path.


The tall giant of a woman knew what to expect, she had gone through this once every half year for a year. The villagers tied and blindfolded their offering to her, she took it and in return she’d let their hunters take whatever they wanted from her swamp. Iona had yet to regret it yet so she suspected that she would not for quite some time to come. Yet still, as she approached the clearing near the outskirts of the villager where the post the sacrifice was normally placed was located, she slowed. The cautious hunter was the one that survived.


“Let’s see what they have left me this time.” Iona muttered under her breath as she emerged into the clearing.

 

[LittleDreamerOfSorts]

Janie lifted her head trying to see under the blindfold, but no matter where she turned her head the blackness moved with her. She hadn't realized how much she relied on her eyes until now. Her long red hair was pushed into her face by the wind causing an itch she couldn't scratch due to hands being tightly bound behind her. She pulled and yanked at the ropes behind her, but they only dug further into her skin. She had ceased crying since the cloth around her mouth meant to muffle her voice made her gag when she did so.


Her chest rose and fell with shaky breaths as the helplessness sunk in deeper. How fast everything came to a grinding halt. How quickly the emptiness took over her heart. Just a few days ago it was full of hope and future. She had gotten used to her new family and teased along with her new brothers. The only man left she thought would protect her from harm ripped her from her bed in the middle of the night. She could see their stone faces even with her blindfold. Her new family stood and and watched without any hint of remorse. It took too long to figure out what the purpose was. She had probably been in denial. It didn't matter now. No one was coming to her rescue. It had been planned the moment she lost her parents.


So many emotions had erupted over the past few days that it was hard to tell them apart. Loss, despair, bitterness, anger, hopelessness but the strongest was fear. Her heart raced thinking of all the horror stories she heard about witches. She trembled unable to control the fear that grew stronger with each passing second. Standing here gave her time to think and not much else. Her mind wandered to places that she didn't know she had inside her own head and it kept wandering deeper and deeper. The anticipation built as she waited for the witch to find her.

 

[Aldir]

Iona approached the creature bound before her, her hand reaching out to lightly brush at the girl’s hair. She sniffed at it for a moment; it reeked of the civilized world which was as foreign to her as the sky was to those ground bound. The witch released the lock of hair and started pacing slowly around the blindfolded sacrifice, eyes cold and detached. She looked… scrawny, Iona doubted even cursing her to shift into something else that she’d make more than a single solid meal. Still, beggars could not be choosers; she’d take the offering if only to avoid hunting tonight. That roar had not sounded inviting.


Her eyes scanned around the clearing; searching for any signs of a trap and when she found none she turned her attention to the ropes binding her offering. Iona deftly untied the connection to the post, releasing the sacrifice for all intents and purposes. She was in the mood for a little bit of a work out, besides, she’d feel rather bad if she got her food on a fuller stomach. The witch leaned down close to the now freed woman, her breathing hot upon her neck. Her tone however was cold as ice.


“Run. If I catch you, I’ll be picking pieces of you from my teeth tonight.” The witch growled menacingly.


With that she opted to allow a head start for the woman, leaning back against the post and watching the sacrifice carefully. Iona did not consider herself unnecessarily cruel, however the village had given this woman to her. She had the right to decide if this was going to be quick or slow, the witch was of a mind to have a bit of fun. Who could say, the woman might give her a bit of unexpected sport this day.

 

[LittleDreamerOfSorts]

Janie stiffened feeling a hand brush through her hair. She felt a chill run down her spine as she turned her head trying to see through the blind fold. Her breath came out in ragged deep breaths when her hair was released and she could no longer tell where the stranger stood or if it was the person she feared it to be. The could hear the footsteps as the unknown circled her. Her anxiety built as time extended. She waited for something to happen and tensed all the more wen nothing did.


Out of all things, she hadn't expected her bounds to be released. She quickly moved her hands to her face pulling the blindfold off and let it drop to the ground before reaching for her gag. She froze as the witch said plainly what he plans were. Her hands shook as she pulled the cloth from her mouth and let it hang around her neck. The words sinking in as she realized her fate.


Although her thoughts probably should have been on escape, she found herself wondering about the witch. She had assumed there would be some demonic sacrifice or practicing of spells. She hadn't expected the threat of death to come from being eaten. The witch had already surprised her twice. She turned around slowly to face the girl who seemed younger then she expected. The witch they told about in stories was old, with warts and wrinkles. The sight she met had none of those things. The stranger was surprisingly human. "Y- you eat people?" she stammered confused.