Page 72 of A Soul to Touch

She’d already been to town a week ago after the storm, but the thick, fresh, loose snow ensured she couldn’t obtain as much food as she wanted. It would have been impossible to carry everything while wading through the dense powder.

Now she was going back, most likely having to grab just as little supplies. The dead of winter was unforgiving and harsh, especially to those that lived outside of towns.

Most wouldn’t have taken the risk she did today by cutting their firewood first. They would have gone to town to ensure they returned by nightfall and cut in the dark if need be.

Mayumi had no such fears, or any at all, really. Being a Demonslayer meant she often found herself travelling in the night where nightmares lurked.

She’d always survived it.

After checking on her charms, she entered the clearing and then the forest. She made it about five minutes before her ears twitched at an alarming sound. Alert and prepared, she unslung her bow from her shoulders and slid an arrow from the quiver at her back.

She turned around and aimed the iron arrowhead in the direction she just came. It only took a minute for the creature to reveal itself.

“You’re joking,” she rasped under her breath before snorting out a spiteful laugh. “He came back.”

Because there Faunus came, walking on all fours in his monstrous form, heading in her very direction through the trees.His pace was fast, but he wasn’t running as if he knew she hadn’t been far.

Her deep tracks would have made that obvious, if her fresh scent didn’t.

Mayumi cared about no one. That’s why she didn’t understand the maelstrom of emotions that struck her in that moment.

She’d bedamnedif the relief was the one she’d settle on. She refused to be relieved to see that stupid feline skull, or his curling ram horns, or be undone by those swirling ethereal, unholy glowing yellow orbs of his.

No, it was the other ones, the more negative emotions that she focused on.

Okay, so maybe she wasn’t over the fact that he’d just up and left, with no word as to why he was leaving or if he would be returning, to what? Just return a week and a half later?

She pulled back her hooked fingers latched to her bowstring to tighten it. The spiteful, angry, scorned woman side of her wanted to unleash it straight into his damn chest. The logical side informed her that it would mean she’d have to fight to the death with him – and, most likely, lose.

Damnit!She loosened the tension she had on her bow and immediately turned to continue going into town. Her walk was faster than before. It was also less alert and uneven. Okay... so maybe she was stomping!

She hoped he didn’t expect rainbows and sunshine to come out of her arse because that was going to be the exact opposite of what he’d be receiving.

Her blood boiled with nearly a fortnight’s worth of anger, frustration, and disappointment that she hadn’t had a target but her own body to unleash on. She’d trained hard to disperse it from within.

Now, it caused her heart rate to spike, making her cheeks feel warm with it. The burning acid in her stomach almost felt like she’d spit venom the moment she opened her mouth.

The cap of the bottle her emotions were usually shoved inside of was loosened just enough that she could feel it slowly overflowing. Not a good thing.

“Mayumi?”she heard right behind her, his multiple paw and hand steps crunching in the snow loudly.“Where are you going?”

“I didn’t think you were going to come back,” she said quickly, trying not to sound spiteful despite hearing the venom in her tone.

She was trying to put her emotions away, stuff them back into their rightful place where they belonged. To snuff them if she could since they never did her any good.

“Why would I not come back?”His voice was laden with confusion.“I said I would protect you.”

“Ha!” Mayumi shook her head and then tried to control her struggling breaths. “Can’t protect me if you’re not here, can you?”

“Are you... angry with me?”Once more, she heard nothing more than confusion.

“No. I’m not angry with you.”

She was livid! But if he didn’t understand what he’d done wrong, then there was no point in taking it out on him. She just put it in the too-hard basket, just as she did with most people.

“Where are you going? The town? If so, I will walk with you.”

Her eyes narrowed on the trees and the blanket of white before her as far as the eye could see.Even if I said no, he’d just follow me anyway.

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