Hunter and Witch Ch. 01

Sometimes Anna would have this dream where there was a girl who looked very similar to her, but with black hair. Anna saw this girl through pouring rain, somewhere in a field, with darkness surrounding them. Only glimpses of a large bonfire could be seen. It was astonishing how much this girl with black hair resembled Anna. Where did she come from? Then Anna wakes up every time after having this dream.

Chapter 1

Ben bought a wooden house in the forest, on the outskirts of a small town. The place was secluded, and from the house, one could go directly into the forest and keep walking endlessly. It was easy to get lost.

He invited Anna's mother to rest there during the summer, and Anna came along. Anna felt out of place, the fresh air and bird songs were too much for her.

She began taking female hormones at the age of 19, and now she was 26. She lived with Ben, whom she had known since childhood, and they had grown up together in the same town. Ben still thought that transgender girls were not real girls.

Anna and Ben went on hiking in the forest together, which calmed Anna. Ben bought her a folding knife so she could bring it with her. She often wore tight leggings for these trips, in olive or camouflage patterns. She also brought a small backpack. Ben carried the majority of the load, as he was much stronger. She wore a camouflage jacket and a green baseball cap. She looked like a sexy hunter, but without weapons.

Sometimes he was still harsh with her. He would make her light the fire on their camping trips, but she was not very good at it and he would scold her. He was frustrated with her lack of skill. He taught her how to use a knife. To cut branches. He made her work with a large camping knife that he carried in his backpack. She used it to chop dry branches for the campfire. He taught her how to prepare a sleeping place. To surround the fire with stones, and set up the tent. Gradually, she learned and became more skilled.

He still maintained a strict boundaries with her, rarely speaking to her. But he involuntarily stared at her thighs and legs in tight, thin leggings. They hardly met anyone in the woods and were always alone. Anna found solace in these hikes, listening to the silence and connecting with nature.

She sometimes went alone to gather mushrooms near the campsite. She felt safer with the knife, even though she knew she couldn't defend herself with it against a wild animal or a human. It was a strange sense of security, but it made her feel better.

Anna thought of Ben as a kind of mentor, but it was also stupid because she was much smarter than him. He had simply taken on the role of the real man and the leader, and Anna had subconsciously accepted it. But she was starting to realize that this was not right.

Anna enjoyed waking up in the forest when the sun rose, and Ben would already be back from his small hunt. He hunted rabbits with his 12-gauge shotgun.

Sometimes Anna wished for a closer relationship with Ben. But Ben was such a jerk that she didn't even want to anymore. He was who he was, and he couldn't be any other way.

They walked further into the forest, and eventually came across an abandoned railway track. One branch of the track led to a large hangar-like structure. It was getting towards evening, he took out an MRE and they shared it. Ben loved such things, considering himself a true soldier and survivor. And it was true, Anna couldn't argue with that. They had separate lightweight tents. Anna carried hers in her backpack. The evening was beautiful, with stars appearing in the dark sky. She used her knife to carve tent pegs. Sometimes she enjoyed being near Ben, while other times he annoyed her.

The next morning, Ben handed Anna a binoculars and pointed towards the distance. There, on the side of the road, were two pickup trucks and some men standing next to them, looking like they had been living in the woods for a while. The men had long beards and were armed. Anna felt a little scared, but was glad to have Ben by her side.

Ben always made her feel that she was safe with him, that he was necessary to her, and he inculcated this belief in her.

Sometimes he would tell her that if she were a man, they would hunt together. But Anna found it a bit annoying that he didn't take her seriously as a woman. Ben was so thick-headed that it was unbelievable. However, Anna knew that he would never have invited her on a trip or to his home if she were a man.

Their campsite was located a fair distance from the railway track, hidden behind tall bushes. Ben went off to hunt, leaving Anna alone to watch the fire. Those people were probably just hunters, but Anna still needed to be cautious.

When he returned, she was changing clothes and he saw her in black panties. He looked at her without taking his eyes off, blaming Anna herself for not changing in the tent. He gazed at her back and thighs, the bra and the narrow thong. It was as if he just now realized that she was indeed a young woman. Maybe he was too strict with her? She noticed him and quickly put on her thin leggings. They pretended that this episode never happened.

It was so astonishing to him that in the moment he saw her half-naked, something started to stir within him. Some kind of fire. Yet, he still perceived her the same as before. Even though she had been taking hormones for seven years.

But he couldn't bring himself to see her differently. The memories of their teenage years, their past, were still so strong. She now had long hair, and she took care of it. She sat on the edge of a fallen tree and started meticulously combing them.

In the winter, Anna worked as a barista in the city before coming here.

It seemed like her mother and Ben conspired together. How do they even find common ground? Anna sometimes thought that they had similar personalities. And Anna was different. She was like a rebellious teenager. A 26-year-old teenager.

Anna started to realize that Ben looked at her in a certain way. But she still felt apprehensive around him. Just like in school, in the old times.