Part 1.1

The deer raised its head.

A sound rang out in the silence; its restless gaze swept across the rows of snow-white trees. Plumes of white mist streamed continuously from its nostrils as the majestic antlers stood tall against the sky. It froze, all alone. Its hooves stamped the snow, it snorted, and its fur stood on end.

BANG!

A shriek rang out, mingling with the sound of muscles snapping and bones shattering. The deer’s body fell onto the white snow, its legs still struggling feebly. A long, unending streak of red spread across the snow, trailing behind its final, feeble movements. Footsteps swiftly shattered the silence. They grew louder, until a massive silhouette swallowed up the last glimmers of light in the deer’s wide-open eyes.

Eyes did not close; no more breathing, no more signs of life.

“A straying one, then. Good,” The burly hunter said, carefully setting down his double rifle. He exhaled softly; a wisp of white smoke escaped as he bent down, his gloved hand reaching for the leather holster at his waist.

“Dad,” the hunter froze, his massive frame spinning round abruptly. From a distance, a little girl was running towards him.

Stopping right beside the hunter, her dark eyes fixed on the deer, her small lips suddenly pouting. "You were gonna leave without me again!" The little girl said in an innocent voice, her small hands adjusting the dark brown hair peeking out from under her oversized hood.

The hunter’s lips curled up slightly, his sharp eyes narrowing as his large hand adjusted the brim of his daughter’s hood. “Sorry, my bad, I just thought you still wouldn’t like seeing this,” he said soothingly.

“I’m gonna be a hunter too, you shouldn't keep secrets from me.” the little girl protested.

The hunter smiled faintly, hand slipping deeper into his waist. “Really? But sometimes there are things a young hunter shouldn’t learn too soon.”

Carefully, he swiftly drew the dagger from its leather holster. It flashed before slicing deep into the thick layer of skin—fat on the deer’s belly. Pulled out the unnecessary inside.

Her small brows furrowed, The daughter had to step back a little. Although it wasn’t her first time, the pungent metallic smell against the backdrop of the snow still made her little nose wrinkle. The hunter’s large, calloused hands moved with grace. The biting cold winds and prying eyes left them no room for slowness.

“It’s getting colder. Get the cover out, sweetheart—the big one.”

“Yes.”

The large cloth quickly draped over the deer, wrapped around it carefully as the majestic antlers were securely tied to its body. And with a single lift, the large deer lay securely on the hunter’s back. “Hm, quite heavy.”

With a sigh, the hunter glanced at the excess fabric before slinging his double rifles over his shoulder. “Let’s go, my little hunter,” he said, she nodded. With her crossbody bag and the leather boots she was wearing, she quickly kept pace with her father as he set off.

—

Emerging from the deepest part of the forest, the hunter’s wooden handcart glided smoothly along the narrow path. The deer had been carefully secured inside—the faint scent of metal still lingered in the air.

Sitting at the back of the handcart, her bare feet dangled whilst the leather boots lay neatly tucked away in the corner. A gust of wind blew past, ruffling her oversized hood and her short, tousled dark brown hair. The daughter gazed at the long wheel tracks, hands fiddling with a handcrafted wooden rabbit.

The hunter took a brief glance, his hands still gripping the sides of the cart. With just a few glances, he gave a slight nod.

"Are you still angry?"

"I’m not angry," the little girl said, her shoulders held straight.

"But you look as though you’re angry?"

"I'm not."

“Or are you angry because you didn’t get to see properly what I did with the deer?”

“It’s just a deer!” she said again, her cheeks puffing out slightly.

The hunter merely smiled and shook his head slightly. The handcart rolled over a slight hump in the ground as a deep, resonant humming sound began to echo.

“So, what else have you learnt today?” he asked, tilting his head back slightly.

Silence. “...” The daughter's fingers tapped the wooden rabbit in her hand, but then a soft ‘um, um’ escaped her lips.

“Always distinguish between old and new tracks...”

“Always listen for nature’s echoes...”

“Always regard the snow as a part of yourself...”

“And?” The hunter listened.

A sigh escaped along with a wisp of white smoke. The little girl looked away from the wooden rabbit in her hand, gazing up at the treetops with a slight frown. “Always keep quiet!”

A laugh burst from her father as the little girl fell completely silent. Her face sank back into the toy in her hands whilst her father’s laughter continued unabated, to the point where the handcart seemed to glide along a little faster.

“Well done, a true hunter-in-the-making. Quiet even when we’re not out hunting.”

“Stop teasing me!” She finally turned round to face the hunter’s broad back with her cheeks flushing crimson.

“All right, all right. I, I’m sorry.” The hunter cleared his throat, but his lips were still twitching with a lingering smile. “I’ll pick out the best cuts of meat for you today—I wonder if you’ll be happy with that?”

The small shoulders jerked up. “Wait a minute, really?” The little girl’s eyes widened before she inched forward towards the wooden cart. Her tiny hands braced against the sides of the cart as she stretched right up towards her father’s back!

“Really?! Chops, tenderloin. You’re not going to sell the whole deer?! No take-backs!!” The handcart began to wobble as her bare feet tapped rhythmically, her small hands constantly tugging at the hunter’s broad shoulders.

The hunter’s smile only widened. “Cross my heart, that’s a well-deserved reward for a brave little hunter.” The handcart continued to roll along with its lively jolt, accompanied no longer by one but two voices laughing in unison.

As they gradually left the footpath behind and passed beneath the remaining tree canopy at the edge of the forest, a vast snow-covered plain lay before them, with the undulating rooftops of houses hidden in the distance.

A village lay not far off, situated on the edge of another forest. But beyond those rooftops, a grand, ancient mansion loomed, towering and cold as a fortress. It stood there, utterly isolated.

Silence suddenly enveloped them once more.

The little girl’s short eyebrows drooped, her upright posture slowly slumped, her gaze sweeping over the undulating rooftops in the distance. The hunter remained silent, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“Are you still worried about going into the village?”

The little girl did not answer straight away, her lips merely pressed together, her hand clutching the wooden rabbit once more. “Yes...”

The hunter smiled faintly again. “It’s all right, I’m here now; they won’t do anything to you.”

His words were like a steadfast anchor as the little girl gradually straightened up. The wooden handcart continued on its way, drawing ever closer to the village in the distance.

—

Passing through fields blanketed in white, greeted by a few elderly farmers clearing the snow, the wooden cart made its way into the bustling village.

They passed a stone wall that seemed to stretch on endlessly, gliding past the simple yet tightly packed houses. The shouts and laughter from the market stalls and the villagers echoed back, gradually filling the village with a lively atmosphere.

The hearty chatter of the men in their old, thick shirts and waistcoats as they prepared to head to the livestock pen mingled with the boisterous laughter and conversation of the women in their blouses and worn aprons, carrying the last bundles of vegetables before winter set in.

Jumping down from the handcart, the little girl looked around in wonder. Her small fingers still clutched a wooden rabbit, but her eyes fluttered constantly as she scanned her surroundings, nearly swept along by a group of children of all ages who dashed past her, laughing and joking.

But out of the blue, the little girl’s ears twitched slightly amidst the hustle and bustle as she turned; her gaze fell upon a group of women in the distance, staring intently with twisted expressions.

“It’s that unlucky hunter over there...” muttered a woman with a smug, judgmental face.

“That’s right, what has he bagged this time? He’s surely up to some devilish trick again.” A middle-aged woman beside her added softly.

“That brown-haired girl... Is she his daughter?... Another nuisance just like him, I suppose...” The deeply wrinkled woman murmured; they exchanged a scornful glance before walking on.

“Will he kill anyone else?”

The little girl’s eyes darted about once more; she noticed the wary glances of the men. Another quick glance, and she caught a glimpse of the pointing fingers of a few curious kids. A suffocating feeling overwhelmed the liveliness she had only just briefly felt.

“Sweetheart.” The hunter’s voice snapped her back to her senses. With a decisive turn, she met his knowing smile.

“Let’s go.” With just those words, the little girl took a deep breath, jogged a few steps through the snow to catch up with the handcart, and walked proudly alongside her father.