* * *
*sharp whistling*
"Go on boy!", screamed the hunters as they signaled they followed their hunting dogs for the scavenging.
"Fetch!", another one yelled as they baited the dogs.
"Had a pretty rough storm last night, how many animals do you think were trapped in the snow?", asked the merchant.
"Probably a couple of rabbits and deer for the most part, boss. It'd be lucky if we'd get some bear meat out of this", said his most trusted subordinate.
"I guess rabbit meats in season, we'll sell them for 2 silver at the starting price"
"Isn't that a bit expensive?"
"Well you can't get rich buy selling cheap now can you? HAHAHA!"
The illiterate hunter had nothing to say but laugh as well while his boss grins and victoriously puffs his cigar.
"Many will complain but we're the only slaughterhouse there is in town, they'll come around", he laughed and so did agree his workers.
*abrupt whistling*
"Boss! We found something"
"What? What is it!", everyone rushed to the scene where the hunter called from.
"There's a child!"
The hunters and their tabby boss gathered around as the others dug up something red in the snow. They waited until it was revealed, enough time for the tabby boss to catch his breath. And there it was recovered, an unconscious body of a young child, frozen to death by the winter snow storm of last night.
"It's a girl"
Everyone else felt disappointed that it wasn't some big or rare animal but at least they got to save someone. The boss however stayed silent and examined the corpse further. Staring at her lifeless body for minutes and thinking. Although young, it was undeniable that this kid was a beauty. With soft fair skin and luscious silky raven black hair that looked like roots of a dead enchanted forest and her violet turned lips only made her look even more of a young winter fairy in her deep slumber. He began to wonder if she was a fay.
"Check her pulse", the boss ordered but everyone only looked at each other confusingly.
"But that storm was pretty harsh boss, who knows how long she'd been out here"
"And she could still be alive you idiots, now do it!", he ordered and they quickly did so. It was an intense few minutes of silence that passed before they ever got a response.
"A pulse! I hear a pulse!"
"Hurray!", everyone cheered and so did the boss felt relief.
"Hurry, take her to somewhere warm and heal her", he urged his subordinates.
A few hours passed in the hunting sight and their camps as the afternoon settled and everyone was on edge for the situation. They were betting on whether the poor girl were to live or not. And arguing about how could anyone just leave their child out in the storm. But luckily, after hours of silence, news came from the aid's tent with a smile on his face.
"She's waking up!", he announced and everyone quickly rushed to the tent with enthusiasm in their faces.
Every hunter and their boss gathered inside the tent, crowding it and awaited the girl's woke state. As they patiently waited for her to finally open her eyes and slowly but surely, when she did, they rejoiced even more out of relief and astonishment.
"Woah!"
"A rare color of orchid pink eyes!"
While everyone cheered on and welcomed the girl. The boss was happy with the result of his intuition.
* * *
If I remembered correctly, I've been traveling down the mountain for a good amount of 9 days, which is incredibly better than my initial plan of 2 weeks. Without my genius idea of the make-shift sled, I would've needed 3 more days down that mountain and another 2 days to go to the main town from the outskirts. Or I would've died from that shitty snow storm, I swear that damned thing was intentional on his part.
Was this fortunate 'coincidence' his work too?
I did predict the probability of being discovered and saved, and here I am. Sitting around in a camp fire drinking hot chocolate with a bunch of working men singly dancing and drinking around the fire. These hunters must have caught plenty of animals trapped in the snow, including me.
They have somehow revived me, according to them I was discovered early in the morning so I must have passed out during dawn because they were still able to hear a pulse out of me. So that's probably about 1-2 hours, if I was discovered any time later than that I would've been dead. I don't know what other accident I had in the storm but I woke up with an almost slit throat that made it painful for me to even speak or swallow food so they had to feed me drinks or soup.
I spent a night with them, because I had no choice. In such state, I can't leave on my own. The next day, the hunters went on separate groups, they waved goodbye to me and wished me good health while I went with their boss and another hunter to somewhere. I had no choice but to go with them because I had lost my voice, if I continue to travel alone in this state, I wouldn't be able to yell out for help when things go south.
We are currently going to the opposite direction of the way to town so I gave up on the idea of being taken there for the meantime. We traveled down a small narrow road into what looks like another wilderness until we reached the end of the road where there's a manor.
They got me down from the horse as two other strangers came and greeted us.
"You'll be staying here for the time being, we can't really take you around with us while we do business", the hunter smiled down at me pitifully as I looked up at him and at the boss who was shaking hands with the strangers. I saw a small pouch of silver coins being passed unto him from the other.
'Tsk. I managed to escape being sold by mother yet here I am ending up with that same fate'
I heard the hunter sigh so I looked up at him again.
"It's up to you if you want to be a courtesan like them or not. And if you don't, please run away from this place", he advised as we stared at each other.
"Ugh. What am I doing, you look like a foreigner so you probably can't even understand me", he sighed again and messed up my hair.
"Hey kid, come here", the boss called with a smile on his face signaling me to go over to him.
"Don't hate him, he's a good guy, just selfish with business", the hunter clutch on to my hand for the very last time and said that to me with a forceful laugh before letting go. Was that out of pity? I don't get why he is advising me in all of this when he too is as equally selfish for not standing his own opinion.
I walked up to the boss as he handed me over to the strangers who carried me inside the manor saying I'll be in good hands with them while I looked over to the boss and the hunter waving goodbye at me.
"Stay safe kid!", I heard the hunter yell from the distance when we grew apart and he looked as though he sighed deeply afterwards, even patting his boss' back before riding their horses again and leaving.