Chapter 1

The small towns scent was vulgar and sickening, the smell of rusted metal and heavy smoke circling the bitter icy air, entrapping me in its folds. I groaned, attempting to shake away the queasy feeling in my stomach, though it only proved to make matters worse and I heaved; lurching forward. My partner in the annual run stopped suddenly at the sound of my distress, turning back to gaze in my direction as I had seemed to have fallen behind. Blowing out a long breath, I watched the condensation seep from my lips, forcing myself to concentrate on anything other than the putrid smells; wondering briefly how to people lived here with the ghastly smog looming all around them. The world continued to change, bringing new smells and rules that I had not heard of before, though why, I was unsure. 

To me, the way that things had been almost one hundred and fifty years ago seemed completely fine, if not perfect. At least, that was what I imagined from what the storyteller had chimed about it, claiming that it was the real peak of humanity, if they were to have one. But, as all good things did, they changed, evolving into greedy and vile people who were only interested in what they could take from others; never once caring for whom they injured along their way. Yet, why spend your life collecting things that you are unable to take with you to the afterlife, can money really mean that much to a person when they are dead?

Seria, my partner stepped back towards me, annoyance painted across her ever flawless face. “Come on Lycia, we cannot waste any more time, if you cannot deal with the smells then you should not have chosen to come once again.”

“I just do not understand how they bare it.” I mumbled almost silently, watching as the people around me continued with their daily chores and trials.

“Because they do not have the keen sense of smell that we inherited sister, they will never know the world from its scents as we do. Now come along. If we are to get back before dark we must hurry.” My sister so kindly informed me, her flawless ebony hair slipping from its highly placed braid.

I nodded once, attempting to avoid further conversation with my sister as we continued down the crowded street, following the neatly placed signs to our destination. Every couple of months teams are sent out from our home to collect things that we cannot harvest nor hunt ourselves, using the riches that our tribe has collected over the years to continue our way of life. When the people of the world changed, we did our best to prevent them, though it simply couldn’t be done, and first came electricity, and then cars; something new every few years that began polluting and damaging the planet that all must endure life on. 

Yes, the way that we continue to live can seem primal and foolish, but it is how we have always prevailed against the harsh weathers of what they now call Russia and we will continue to do so until the day we die. We live in solitude in the high mountains, where no one dared venture for fear of the wolves and bears that lurked in the darkness, though really, the bears weren’t that ferocious.

We entered the last store on our list with little time to spare, our hand crafted cart barely able to sustain any more weight, though we still had things that were needed, and it must hold out until we return home. The store keeper watched us with curious eyes, knowing exactly who we were and why we had come, after all, it had been me and sister visiting this shop for almost several years, in fact, I had been here when I was still a small cub with her, anxious to see the human world. The man stepped from around the large wooden counter and greeted us with fake smiles, clearly wanting us to turn away and leave his store, though that, we would not do. After all, you cannot intimidate a predator, no matter how far from the ground you may stand.

“Hello, we have our list.” My sister so sweetly informed him, her tone resembling that of the finest silk; her yellowing eyes almost sparkling with the promise of lies.

“Ah yes.” He replied, shaking his head of ageing white hair. “Is it really that time again, it seemed like only yesterday you girls came in for you order.”

Seria smiled widely, nodding her head as though she believed his poorly devised lie; which as always, I suspected he saved especially for us. “Yes, time seems to go by at an alarming rate, and we do have other stores on our list to visit. So I would like to make this painless for us both.”

The store keeper’s smile broke for a second as he glanced between us, seeming to realise that we would not participate in the annual drivel that he called conversation; as of course, my sister was in a great rush to return home. “Oh, I see, better hand me the list then.”

“Thank you.” My sister nodded, smiling as she handed over the small piece of paper that contained a list of all that we needed from him, as well as the usual payment.

“Right.” He uttered to himself as he turned away from us, “This should be easy enough.”

Seria turned towards me as she waited for the store owner to retrieve what we needed, her eyes roaming over the large store in disgust. “It amazes me that they harbour things that they don’t need, how did they ever assume that they must have more than others to be better people.”

“Perhaps they are collectors of things like the doll owner back at the village, and simply wish to have more of their precious hordes.” I informed her harshly, disagreeing with all that she had said, yes we had witnessed their greed; but we had also seen those who simply take enough to survive and nothing more, what of those people?

“Either way, I will never believe that our coexistence was the right choice. we are much more superior to them, and you know that.” My sister snarled softly, baring her teeth at me as though I was once again a child and she could scare me.

But that was no longer the case, I had matured over the years and I intended to continue doing so, whether she liked my thought patterns or not. I snapped my eyes towards the store keeper as he flashed me a smile, a clear indicator that he had heard our conversation. Damn it, I scolded myself and my sister mutely, we aren’t supposed to confirm their suspicions of what we are; or why we live so far away from the civilised world.

“I have collected everything on your list.” The pleasant store keeper smiled sweetly, handing us several bags containing vital necessities that our village needed to survive the winter. 

I nodded my head, ushering my sister towards the door and back into the busy street as I spoke. “Thank you very much sir. We will see you after the snow begins to subside.”