#astrid:past

[astridxking]

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Triggers: Blood, murder, trauma, weaponry  Past: 16 year old Astrid Subject: The first hunter attack on her pack Summary: How Astrid was forced to kill her father

Born into the Appalachian Mountains Pack, Astrid had a sturdy upbringing with parents, her younger sister, Aila, and a pack of werewolves who were devoted to one another. They were a tight-knit group, always having each other’s backs through thick and thin, no matter what, no exceptions. Being a teenager separated from the real world was pretty easy, when she knew nothing about what she was missing. Her pack was secluded but not completely out of sync with the real world, she just didn’t care much for the big city lights. Astrid was a free, mischievous soul, always finding something to laugh about, or pulling pranks on her pack with her best friend, Mason. There wasn’t a dark bone in her body, she knew nothing of cruelty, until the day hunters captured her, her family, and a few beloved members of the pack. That day changed everything; her parents along with half her pack had been slaughtered. Her father had fallen at her own forced hand which quickly became something she would never recover from or forgive herself for.

When she came around after being knocked unconscious, her eyes landed on her mother who had been killed whilst she was out. She screamed, yelled and fought, like any girl would at the sight of their mothers dead body, but it was no use. Against these hunters, she was powerless. A mere human and a pawn in their sadistic little game. She crawled towards Aila, weak and frightened, but she covered her younger sisters body with her own whilst she was still out of it. Astrid sobbed as she listened to the screams of their pack, as the hunters started to shoot them, she wrapped her arms around her sister, trying to shield her from any bullets that would come their way. Aila was in and out of consciousness, and whenever her eyes would open, Astrid only smiled down at her and told her everything was ok. What else would you say to a nine year old child? The hunters soon made her move away, knocking Aila fully out once Astrid was backed into a corner.

Only two pack members, her father, herself and her sister remained, and they were truly milking their dominance. They told her if she killed her father, they would leave. Of course she instantly refused, but her father was the alpha of their pack... His loyalty wasn’t only to his daughters, but to his entire pack family. He wanted Astrid to do it, though she continued to protest against it. She couldn’t believe that he would bow down to these monsters, never mind let her live her life with the knowledge that she would have murdered her own kin. They weren’t getting out of this situation and her father spoke to her as an alpha giving orders, and Astrid, at this point, was not one to disobey. With the hunter aiming a gun at her, and the other aiming one at Aila, she stood up, trying not to let her legs give way beneath her, until she fell to her knees in-front of her dad.

At this point, Astrid could barely see through her own tears, she had zero intention of going through with it, until a hunter picked up the unconscious body of her little sister and dropped it next to them. He said that if she didn’t do it, they would make Aila do it when she woke. That was enough to send Astrid into a blind rage, and she tried attacking the two hunters, only to fall down as a bullet pierced her thigh. Her father was pleading, but he was also courageous, no tears had fallen, he was sat up on his knees with dominance and pride as he told her to “man up”, collect herself, and evaluate the situation. Just like he had always done, he had taught them to think with head over heart... But she couldn’t help but cry hysterically as the hunter threw the blade down at her knees. Her pleas wouldn’t be heard, so at this point, her entire focus shifted onto her father.

She needed guidance. She was waiting for him to pull an ace card and save them, like he always did - but when she looked in his eyes, there was nothing there but pain. He told her firmly, that if she didn’t do it right now, the hunters would make Aila do it... And that was enough for her to realise that rebelling against them, was absolutely not worth her sister falling victim to something so disturbing. Picking up the blade, she placed one hand on her fathers shoulder, and pressed the pointed end against his heart as she stilled on the verge of a panic attack. He spoke to her, words of kindness, words of wisdom, words of forgiveness... But she couldn’t do it, not until she saw from the corner of her eye that Aila was stirring in her sleep. Astrid couldn’t let her see this, she couldn’t let her be forced to kill their father because of her hesitation, and so, with a loud cry, she pushed the blade into his heart, quickly and painlessly, only a small smile was given from him before the light left his eyes and his body collapsed onto the ground.

In that split second, her tears stopped - she was in shock, she was numb, but she had no time to grieve. Her eyes blazed a firey gold as she had triggered her gene, and the two hunters shot bullets into the remaining two pack members, killing them in cold blood and going back on their promise of freedom. If her sister wasn’t there, she knew she wouldn’t have tried to fight, but for Aila, she got up, she fought, and she tore the two hunters into shreds with no mercy. She only wished the other hunters who helped capture them all were there too, but they had vanished, and her entire focus shifted onto her half conscious baby sister. Picking up her limp body, she walked for miles until she found her way to the remaining pack members. At this point, Aila was awakening, but in the state Astrid was in, a couple pack members had dragged her away, and all she could do at this point was collapse into the snow and scream. She screamed so loud, her pain echoed through the mountains.

The pack looked after Aila for a couple days, whilst Astrid recuperated and came to terms with what had happened. It wasn’t easy, but she found the strength to carry on. For her sister, she stood back up on her own two feet and swore that never again would they be anybody's victim. Little did she realise, during the months and years after that attack, it had only made the two sisters grow apart. Aila knew that Astrid wasn’t telling her the truth about what happened, and Astrid, in a way, couldn’t look her little sister in the eyes without seeing the light go out in their fathers. She had sacrificed her own sanity for the sake of saving Aila’s, but boy, it was taking its toll. She didn’t mean to, but she, much like Aila, had begun to cut herself off and shut down her emotions. The siblings drifted further apart, despite the fact that all Astrid lived for, was to protect her little sister. It didn’t matter. Her devotion and love for Aila wasn’t enough to put a stop to the burning empty hole that had taken root deep in her heart.