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forgetmenot-mymoon · 7 months ago

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The Hunt For The Abominable Snowman

----- Authors note:

For context, this is the second fanfic I’ve like ever written and uh so this was supposed to be romance- yeah shit happened. I am planning to eventually make a part 2(which will hopefully actually have romance) but I have like 4 other things I wanna write so that’ll be a while. Enjoy.

TW: death

-----------------------------------

“The snow falls every year here.” Jack's trying to be the “adult one," he’s the babysitter for Orpheus.

“I think the snow falls here every day” Wujiu, the black guard retorted. He had a whole puffy coat over him. Before we left he said it was for the white guard, not him. However, the man was curled up, his knees to his chest, even shivering a bit while holding onto the umbrella like always.

Orpheus always needed more hunters however the summoning ritual wasn’t as simple as everyone would like. He needed an item from the dead -usually a weapon- Or even better a body. So who better to send the dead themselves? Maybe he thinks we would be like sniffer dogs. The same people weren't always picked, except Jack always came along, he loved fresh blood. Along with Jack, this trip was me, Joseph, Wujiu, and Bi'an.

This is my first time out! The air outside the manor smells so much cleaner even with the icy drops of the plateau threatening my gills.

You may be wondering how a bunch of ghosts snuck into towns to find bodies, well it was all handled by Orpheus “associates," They provided transportation and shelter for us. We had passed through and stayed at the village before the forest. We weren't allowed outside where people could see, the associates kept us locked up. the place had a reputation for cult activities and witch hunts, i couldn't focus my eyes on anything but outside for the time we were there. It was similar to my village in ways... I had seen symbols of worship hung all around... Less than I would’ve expected from a town with a cult reputation and from the rumors from outside the town they even participated in witch hunts.

After we finally got to the end to the town and the beginning of the barren forests, not even birds sung. while I’m more of a fish person, bird song is always welcomed. Bird songs are calm like gentle waves.

“Here, now you walk.” the old gruff associate gruffed out.

“Okay I think this would be faster if we spilt up” then Jack was gone, I turned,

Wu Chang was gone.

Joseph stood there and stared for a few seconds. “Well Lady Grace, I’m going to take some pictures. This scenery is delightful."

The cold air blew in my face. I was alone.

Looking at the footprints, Jack had gone to the south, opposite way of the wind. Joseph to the east- why did he wear his pointed shoes even out here?- There’s no sign of where Wu Chang went. I guess I'll go north. The coldest way would probably not have anyone, so I wouldn’t have to worry about running into anyone or talking.

Thankfully the manor gave us coats, it was even colder than the water was on snowy days, even after it turned to ice. Being able to float only helped a bit with my speed, not my temperature. I hated those days when it was too cold to swim, there were no splashes, almost no life. it was a horrible idea to go north. The snow had already gotten in my boots even though I was floating, it hasn't even been 10 minutes. If I got lost how would they even find me…it’s not like I could scream- well I’m sure one of them would figure it out…right? I feel like those thoughts jinxed myself, as they always do.

I step more and more into the dark woods, birds fly by every now and then, but I don’t sense anything amiss. The winds got more rough as I pulled my hood over my head, making sure to tuck my braid inside it. It gets worse and worse as if a god is doing it, finally I stumble across a cabin. A neatly decorated one, a songbirds nest on the roof. Birds flying around nearby. My gills felt like the ice was about to break them open, It was too frigid to care whether there were people inside. I knocked, no answer so I jiggled the knob and there it went, opened.

The cottage is similar to the village buildings, it doesn’t have any religious decor but it’s as modest if not more as towns like this are. The first room is a kitchen, looks like no one has cooked for a long time but I open the fridge and there’s fresh meat? Do hunters live here? The next room is a living room, I see a sofa on the left, and on the right side, there are two more doorways. There's a rocking chair in the back, creaking. This cabin is so far from the town, at least a 30-minute walk since it was a 20-minute float. I do wonder why anyone would live this far away. Perhaps to get out of the cult? I would’ve preferred an island over a snowy taiga. I wish I could’ve escaped to an island, I wonder if whoever lived here did- oh well they didn’t.

That is a skeleton.

Years of decay at least- it has flowers all over it surrounded by candles. I really hope this isn’t a sacrifice or murder, I don’t need more of those. The skeleton is tucked in next to the couch on the floor, chains on her wrist covertly hidden with blankets. birds sang softly outside, like music to a goodbye. The body is pretty fully decayed so maybe more of a shrine? Does the cult of the village do this?

The wind blows in the cabin, and my body shakes from the sudden drop. I don’t really know how to light a fire but I’m dead so I should be fine.

I jinxed myself again,

The door near the rocking chair on the grade opens, I didn’t notice it. Must be the back door. a man steps in, a living man.

He looks at me, blue dots behind a white mask. The shivers start up again. His eyes are that of a dead man’s, of an inhuman creature- but he’s living, I hear his deep breaths. As he approaches the small flesh I can make out is the normal color, not grey. it has blood pumping behind- and if he was dead he wouldn’t be able to be here, he wouldn’t be so solid, he wouldn’t have that axe.

Is this the guy we’re suppose to find? He looks like a hunter- but he’s not dead- Oh he has an axe-

He’s not dead.

I’m locked against the wall, next to a dead body -which still vaguely smells even with all the flowers- with an axe to my neck.

“Why the fuck are you here.” His voice is like a shark circling its prey- or in this case a wolf? Or are those rabbit ears on his hood? For a living man his hair is almost as pale as Joseph's, much more unhealthy looking though.

His statement was more of a threat than a question I lift my hand slowly praying- well not praying- hoping that he wouldn’t cut my head off and try to gesture to my lips to try to say I’m mute.

After what feels like five minutes of him staring and me gesturing and opening my mouth and even shaking my head. He cautiously takes away the axe.

“Don’t touch or go near her again.” He says as I step as far away from the dead body and closer to the door he came in, which I assume is the back door.

He hands me a cup of water, thankfully a good thing about being dead is I can, one, not die (still feel pain though) so I can’t die from poison, second I’m naiad, I can tell it’s clean water. Just in case I put a drop on my gills, it doesn’t sting. I take a much-needed sip after all the traveling. I missed being anywhere near water, even a few drops are nice. Snow is much different more confining, trapping like a cage. It traps water. Water is more gentle freeing, it flows, ice is hard and frozen. Both will kill you but water fills you up, ice traps you. I prefer suffocating rather than being trapped as I die, slowly crawling, trying to escape- even if I did that in the water too-

“Are you okay? Why are you here? Who are you?”

It seems he was waiting for that- he was really holding all those questions in. I’m guessing that the "Are you okay?" question is because of how much I was staring. He taps his claws on the counter behind him near the sink, I didn’t even notice the scratch marks when I came in.

I open my mouth and shake my head, in response, he walks up to me and shoves a book and pen in my hand, he picks them up from the kitchen counter. By book I mean an already written book called “Born of the Winds” It's been heavily annotated it seems by the same pen he shoved in my hand.

While I despised my life before this, at least I know how to write, even in cursive.

However I don’t write in cursive in case he doesn’t know it, he looks on head tilted a bit like a dog. I’m unsure of how much info to give him so I just write the basic “Yes, to find a new hunter, Grace,”

He reads it slowly, I wonder if my handwriting is bad until he finally gives it back

Out of anxious impulse of the silence I write “Why this book?”

“Oh- it reminds me of myself, the character has the power of wind like me.”

He has powers but he’s still alive, this is strange. Where’s the others to talk when I need them.

“Are you dead?”

His head tilts again and he takes off his glove and puts a finger to his artery. We make very awkward eye contact until he's satisfied with what he's found.

“My heart’s beating,”

I’ll take that as a very very much alive.

“We are suppose to find a hunter, who has an item and is dead. How do you have powers but not dead?”

“Who’s we?” His voice darkens- I think I’ve said- or written too much.

I scribble quickly hoping I don’t get an axe to my throat (again)

“My fellow hunters

My friends

coworkers?

Joseph, Wu Chang, and Jack, three of them.

There’s more back at the manor

I decided not to mention Wu Chang was technically two.

“Ah Oletus manor? I’ve heard of that.”

He looked up at the roof, it seemed it was starting to decay.

“I got an invite months ago, I don’t fall for such foolish tricks. I don’t even know how it got to me, I don’t have a mailbox. I just found it on the counter one night.”

“We weren’t told about that, just told to retrieve and the manors owners associates got us here,”

“Where are the ones you mentioned scaley fish girl?”

“I don’t know, we spilt up.”

“Well I guess I’ll have to find them.”

“We all went different directions.” I scribble trying to grab his attention, i cant let him hurt the others.

“Did you?”

“Yes,”

He looks at me a long time…

if I could see his face I’m assuming it would be a suspicious squint.

My spear is in my backpack, it’s been sticking out, I haven’t wanted to use it but I might.

I feel my stance stiffened with his stare. He’s wondering what to do with me, this has happened far too many times.

“You stay here, do not touch her.” His voice makes a growling noise at the end, he really does seem feral-I hear a quiet burst of wind that turns louder and louder like a siren. I back away out of impulse and trip- the floor was my comfort. When I look up he’s gone, but the wind isn’t. Dammit, that’s how he’s trapped me, the wind outside would definitely tear me apart, it sounds like a hurricane.

Okay, okay Grace don’t panic. You’re stuck in a small cabin with a dead body and there’s a very dangerous person with magic that could come back and kill you. There’s still water nearby. I turn on the faucets. it doesn’t work well but it’s still some water I can control. Maybe I could use the water to make a path in the wind? No, It looks too powerful. And far too dangerous even for a dead person. Okay okay, maybe I can use the water to get me above the wind? That might still be too dangerous, especially with how thick the wind is screaming. I ease the door- the wind immediately slams it the henges shriek like a dying cow.

Suddenly a woosh comes behind me, Wu Chang seems to have teleported.

“Why the hell is there a tornado?” The black guard speaks with malice. He's still shaking like a leaf even in the coat that weights more than he or B'ian combined. I grab the book off the couch and flip to a new page, the last clean page before the writing of the novel.

“The hunter were suppose to find did it. He’s alive not dead Wu Chang! They’re suppose to be dead what the hell happened!?”

He turned his hand on his chin, “hm”

“Maybe one of Orpheus’s “tests”?” When test was spoke he did air quotes while trying to keep the umbrella in his right hand.

I pick up the pen again,

“Well what are we gonna do?”

“Kill him?”

“Is that the right thing to do?”

“Well considering there’s a dead body right there, yes”

“I don’t know, I think we should ask Orpheus

“How do you propose we do that?”

"I don't know" I sign after a few moments of silent, remembering i don't have to write with Wuiju

“Exactly, I’ll wait here with you and we’ll both dispose of the thing when it comes back.”

That was not a question.

----

There were tea bags so I busied myself with making tea, the white guard had switched in and was rambling about…uh I wasn’t particularly listening….

��Grace,”

I move to face him,

“The wind has stopped”

“I don’t see anyone outside, do you?”

I shake my head as I try to survey the outside

“Hmmm should we make a run for it,”

"It might be a trap," I sign

They switch again,

“I’ll risk it,” Wujiu states stomping out the door before I can stop him.

I hear a thump, “FUCK”

I think that confirms my guess was right.

I race outside with my spear ready

“Hi there again,” that voice is not in front of me. My spear hits a body as the bunny-hoodied man tries to jump down-

Oh shit -

I immediately drop my spear- which is still in him- well maybe he won’t bleed out. I hear the umbrella in the air and then a hand on my shoulder.

“Well…”

While the guy is shocked- I didn’t even learn his name oh god oh god I just killed someone who wasn’t a survivor oh god-

All the voices sound like they’re underwater, I want to go back I want the water I want the fish-

——-

“We should just kill him”

“I could always just take a picture,”

“He needs to be dead to be a hunter so let’s end him now.”

I awake, groggy, This is what happens when you’re the only- I felt it's a bony shoulder on me- They sat me next to the damn skeleton i realize as I swim up.

“Oh-“

“Grace, could you not almost hit the umbrella? That’s technically us” Bi'an complained after dodging me. If he knew sign language they would know I’m signing why the fuck put my sleeping body next to the dead body,

Joseph hands me the book and pen I was using earlier,

“Why did you sit me next to the dead body????” The multiple question marks were purposeful.

Jack shrugs, I assume he’s the culprit.

“Grace we’re trying to plan what to do with that one.” Jacks razors point at the dead asleep guy on the ground.

“Orpheus might get angry if we kill him prematurely” I quickly note,

“I think he wouldn’t mind.” Jack said looking at his claws.

“Maybe a serial killer shouldn’t be included in this discussion?” Joseph, being the only sane one here.

“Would you like me to list your sins, Mr. Desaulniers? I’m sure Claude would be happy.” Jack baits.

Joseph's brows furry at his twin's name, he closes his eyes briefly and fidgets with his sword.

“Why don’t we take this outside Ripper?”

Joseph took the bait.

"Gladly,”

The umbrella followed them, I was just left there, looking at the boy on the floor

I poked him with my harpoon gently and he shook a bit.

I’m glad he’s still alive…I don’t think anyone deserves this life and Orpheus didn’t tell us to kill anyone….

“What the fuck.”

“They aren’t very smart” I scribble quickly before he sees me- and possible attacks I push the book below his now risen head.

“Mm you’re running out of room…there’s a notepad over there in the drawer next to the fridge, he tries to point but his arm just falls back down...Why didn't he just give me that earlier?

“Could you get me some bandages? I’ve lost��a good amount of blood,”

“In the bathroom,” he adds on after a few seconds, before letting his head mop to the floor once more.

I float to the bathroom behind him, it's tiny and barely fits the shower and everything else…I open the cabinets…that’s where my parents kept bandages- ah here! I grab some cloth disinfection as well.

“Let me help” I scribble over my words, already ran out of room on the dirt mostly-blank pages, he’s right but I’ll fix him up before grabbing the notepad.

He just groans a bit as I sit him down to inspect the wound, I hit his side, it’s not that deep, he would’ve already been dead if it was.

I gently pull his shirt up a bit, I use the cloth to stop the bleeding- at least mostly- disinfect it then bandage it just as mother taught me once- before they realized my power-

“Better?” I have to resort to writing over other words,

“You should get the notepad,”

I nod- unsure if he’s even eyeing me and float over to it.

I come back and sit in front of him while he tries to sit up from his laying-face-first position.

“Feeling better?” I write

“A bit…Could you get me a glass of water?”

I nod and rush off again, I grab two incase- which was the right move he gulps them both down only picking up his mask a fraction.

“Tic tac toe?”

“You want me to play….that with you?”

I nod as I draw boxes in a box for it.

“I’ll go first,” he goes O’s I go X’s

I end up winning, I’m very experienced after all. Back in the village in the rare cases kids came up to me, this is what we would play- plus Robbie always enjoys playing tic tac toe with me.

“Again”

I draw the box on another page

Then another

I end up getting comfy and lie on my stomach

“I have a lot of experience!” I write,

“How much experience lands you this much wins in a game of chance?”

“It’s not chance!!” I argue

“I think it is, you must be lucky”

“I’m dead I don’t think I can be that lucky!”

“Hmm maybe it’s the luck saying 'sorry you’re dead'- wait you guys are all dead? How does that work?”

“I don’t know for sure but the manor owner brings us back and then we participate in matches”

“Do I wanna know?”

“...no?”

“That was rhetorical Grace” He said my name.

“Well we the undead are hunters” I pause my pen as he shifts so he’s laying next to me so he can stare as I write.

“There are four survivors each match and we hunt them. They don’t die they are always revived.”

“So you’re trapped?”

I nod solemnly. I always try to avoid that line of thought. The man of winds just hums, thinking of this information like a hunter who saw tracks. Suddenly the air got thick like fog rolled in,

“Grace” Jack returned with a snarl.

The bunny-eared man sat up -unsteadily- ready to flee if needed.

“We must kill him, manor orders” he stated as if he had just received a letter of devotion. While he had blood running down his claws, Grace stared, “The coward ran to the cameras.”

Jack stepped forward towards him. Grace floated up in front and cocked her head, innocently. She had learned even in village life men will do what you ask if you act dumb, if you show your wits or give them a stare they will show their claws and use their teeth. However cute ditzy women please them, sometimes they even pity.

The quiet bird chirping outside suddenly ceased, she hadn’t even noticed the silent song until it was gone.

Fog appeared in the cabin rising up from hell itself.

“We must do what the manor says Grace”

Wujiu teleports behind him as backup.

With a knock of a claw, Grace was out, and after some….difficulties Night Watch of the Plateau of Leng was dead.

The legends did not die with him though. Those followed the village in fear that no hunts would happen for long after the death of The Night Watch.

They returned to the manor with a weapon, clothes, and a furious spirit. Grace didn’t wake up till they were back, Jack always had drugs in case. For he was always prepared for a chase.

----- Authors Note part 2

While editing this I got the image of just Joseph in the camera world, while this was happening in Hawaii, sitting on a beach chair drinking wine, just chiling. and maybe crying about his dead brother

Also, I apologize for how bad this probably is, it wasn't as rushed as my other works have been though so I am semi-proud of it.

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