Chapter Text
Once upon a time, deep within a dark and treacherous forest, lived a little wolf pup named Bakugou. He was a loud and energetic pup, sometimes even vicious, but he always tried his best to be good for his parents. They treated him well, fed him, and kept him warm, but most importantly, they taught him to take care of himself in the dangerous woods they called home.
The Bakugous were part of a large pack, with about 20 other wolves, so he was raised in others’ company. He loved to play fight with his friends. He developed an ego by beating them, especially when he won against his friends Izuku and Shoto. Izuku was a weak little pup, and Shoto was weird, but that didn’t stop him from being rough with them. On more than one occasion, he was chewed out by his parents for hurting them. Little Bakugou hardly paid them any mind, which earned him a good smacking from his mother.
As the years passed, he grew closer with the other pups in the pack, even making friends with them. He also grew more robust and more cunning every day, causing more and bigger problems for the group. Bakugou had presented as an alpha, born leaders, magnificent hunters, and fierce fighters. He kept pushing his luck with the pack’s alpha, Enji Todoroki, also known as Endeavor, looking to claim his title for himself.
One day, his luck ran out.
He had gone against Endeavor’s orders to stay at the den and made a massive kill by himself. The deer Endeavor had caught was dwarfed by the bull elk Bakugou had killed, so finally, Endeavor banished him from the pack. Izuku, a recently presented omega, who was in love with the alpha, cried and wailed the day he left. Shoto, who had yet to show his secondary gender, held him back. The forest was dangerous without a pack, and they both knew Bakugou’s future looked bleak.
“Don’t you come back, not ever. You had your chance to have a home here. If I even catch a whiff of you in my territory again, I will not hesitate to kill you.” Endeavor stood at his full height, his ears and tail pointed upwards.
Bakugou knew he was trying to intimidate him, and he let out a ‘tsk.’ He still probably couldn’t beat the alpha in a one-on-one fight. His inner alpha growled, but he was able to keep it at bay; no matter how angry he was, he wasn’t going to die here.
“Fine, I’ll leave for now. But don’t you ever forget about me, cuz I’ll be back with a new pack. A fucking strong one. I’ll come for all of you, and I will be the best damn alpha.”
He turned to leave, but just as he shifted, he heard a sob, and Izuku came running at him. He hugged him tightly and rubbed his wet face into his shirt, scenting it as much as he could, trying to speak between sobs.
“Please,” sob, “Please don’t go Kacchan …” sob, “I don’t know what to do without you.” Bakugou quickly returned the hug with earnestness because this boy is his friend and was going to probably be his mate one day.
He quieted the crying omega, his inner Alpha whining at the smell of a stressed omega, “Hey, it’s okay.” He said in a soft and gruff voice, “I’ll be okay, and I will be back and-” A snarl cut him off.
Endeavor took a swipe at Bakugou’s head. He ducked at letting go of the omega and retreating a few feet; dust kicked up in the scuffle. The pack’s alpha now stood between the crying omega and Bakugou. “You have no right to this pack or its omegas. Leave now, before I change my mind.”
Bakugou looked at Izuku, his face covered in tears and emerald eyes glistening, hands outstretched and reaching for him. He looked at Shoto’s usually calm face, now riddled with worry and sadness, holding the omega tightly. He looked at his parents, their only pup being banished and unable to do anything. His mother’s face was dark with disbelief, and his father’s was possibly even more so. Attempting to commit them all to memory, he didn’t know how long he’d be gone.
Taking one last look before turning his back to his former pack, now facing a meadow that stretched to the feet of the forest. With a heavy feeling on his heart, he took one step, then another, then another, each taking him farther from what was familiar and safe. And for the first time in his life, he was scared; he didn’t know what would happen to himself, his family, or his friends. He would no longer be able to watch over Izuku and Shoto, keeping them safe.
Glancing back at the den across the meadow, it looked so very far away, the wolves who lived there as tiny as ants, he whispered to himself, “Shit, what have you gotten yourself into this time.” He swore he could still see Izuku’s shining eyes and Shoto’s dual-colored hair, but of course, he couldn’t be sure. He continued walking, leaves crunching under his bare feet, and soon the forest swallowed him up.
He was only 15 years old.
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Many years later, nowhere near the wolf den, the sun sets over a tiny cottage. A dark-haired woman lays on her deathbed, her daughter kneeling beside her, trying to bring comfort to her mother’s last breaths. With tears in their eyes, they say their final goodbyes.
“Eiko, my beautiful baby girl, please don’t cry.” The woman said weakly before moving a shaking hand to brush fiery red bangs away from her daughter’s smooth face, looking deep into her eyes one last time.
“I’m sorry, Mama, I know it’s time, and you won’t be in pain anymore.” Her lips trembled as she spoke, “But I’m going to be so lonely without you. There's so much I have to learn, still, so much I don’t know. I don’t think I can do it, not without you.” By the time she had to finish her outburst, she was crying harder than ever.
The woman stroked her daughter’s hair, debating whether to reveal her most guarded secret to her daughter. “Sweetheart, I know you can do it; you were born under extraordinary circumstances; you are strong, stronger than most others. And you have a heart so big it is difficult to contain.”
She sighed as she decided now or never. “I have something to tell you, something that I’ve never told anyone.” Her voice was barely over a whisper, her skin pale and clammy. “There is something inside you. She has been and always will be a part of you. She’s there because your father-”
She was cut off by a coughing fit, blood staining her lips. She was heaving, trying to get air in, before falling still, eyes staring through her daughter, never to blink again.
Eiko stayed at her now late mother’s bedside for many hours, sobbing and processing: she was on her own now.
She stayed there until morning’s kiss touched the land. She got shakily to her feet before exiting the cottage and walking to the shed. She grabbed a rusted shovel, went to her mother’s favorite spot in the garden, and got to work. Using her emotions to fuel her labor, she dug a grave for her mother. All the pain of losing her mother, all of the fear of being alone, all the guilt of not being able to take care of her came out as she dug.
The Earth was cold under her touch, and even though she was shivering, she didn’t stop until it was 8 feet deep, 5 feet long, and 3 feet wide, the perfect size to be her mother’s final resting place. Using mangled roots to heave herself out, she turned towards the house to finish her task.
Once she was in the cottage again, Eiko carefully closed her mother’s chocolate brown eyes, wrapped her in her favorite quilt, the one they had made together when Eiko was little, and climbed her way back into the grave, putting her mom down gently.
She took a small cigar box, put her mother’s favorite, and only, necklace into it, the pearls glistening like teardrops. She also gingerly put a lock of her bright red hair, a picture of the two of them together, and the doll her mother had owned since she was a little girl.
Carefully unwrapping the quilt, she folded the corpse’s hands around the small box before wrapping her back up again. It was sundown when she scrambled out of the hole again, her hands covered with blisters from the day’s work and face streaked with dirt.
It only took a few hours to refill the spot, and she planted a maple seed into the soft soil, her Mama’s favorite since they made sap that could be turned into sweet syrup.
Her legs trembled as they carried her inside the house; she collapsed onto her bed and went into a fitful sleep, her mother’s last words tumbling about in her head.
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In the weeks that followed Eiko’s Mama’s death, she spent most of her time grieving. Their landlord had owed her mother a favor, which was why they were able to live in this house rent-free. But now that her mother was gone, the landlord would no longer allow her to stay at the little cottage. He had stopped by and made her painfully aware of it.
Though she tried to convince him to let her stay, offering rent, he had laughed at her. There were no opportunities for her to make money in the tiny village where they lived. Plus, she and her mother had always been ostracized for reasons beyond her, so she knew she must be odd somehow.
After the third week of being motherless, moving day arrived. Eiko folded a blanket, grabbed the one extra tunic set she owned, her two books, pictures of her mother nestled between the pages, and wrestled them into her pack. She also stuffed as much extra food she could between her precious few belongings.
She stood at the front wooden gate of her childhood home, the only place she had ever known, her entire life inside a little leather pack, now sitting snugly between her shoulder blades.
“This is it.” She thought to herself, “Time to grow up.” Eiko took one last loving look at the cottage and its garden, eyes lingering at the pile of freshly dug earth where her mother rests.
“Goodbye, Mama, I’ll be okay, someway or another.” She took one step then another, and soon she was marching down the lane, pebbles crunching under her worn shoes.
She was fighting not to cry. There was a town, much larger than her home village, maybe a week’s journey to the East. Eiko planned to travel there, find work, and hopefully make a life for herself. The trip was going to be dangerous, the woods filled with dangerous people and animals, and her anxiety had her half convinced she’s going to get lost and never find her way, but she wasn’t going to give up.
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Meanwhile, in the dark underbrush of the forest many miles away, a small deer squeals in terror. A single stream of blood runs down the side of its furry neck, its tiny heart beating harder than ever before.
It knows they can smell the blood. They’re coming to kill him; maybe if he just runs faster, he can get away. Running as fast as his little legs can carry him, he soon can no longer hear the footsteps of his pursuers.
The deer stops in a small clearing, the moon shining bright above, trying to catch his breath, long legs wobbly, and vision going slightly blurry. The little creature had lost a lot of blood, and it stumbled as it tried to keep its balance. The leaves around it shocked as its four tiny legs tumbled, eyes large and watery as it fearfully scanned the forest for the attackers.
Just as its little heart calmed and let out a sigh of relief, a deep gruff chuckle filled the deer with dread. “You really thought we’d let you get away? You’re our shitty prey. Prepare to die.”
The deer turned slowly and let out a gasp; in the deep darkness of the forest, a pair of sadistic red eyes shone, piercing the blackness. A toothy grin opened beneath them, and when it did, three more pairs of eyes blinked at various places around the deer. “Go to hell.”
As soon as the wolf articulated the words, the four pairs of eyes surged forward, followed by four sets of knife-like teeth. The deer let out one last blood curtailing scream, loud enough to scare the birds in the treetops, before being silenced.
Scarlet ran down the alpha’s fangs, as he was still grinning mercilessly.
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“This is absolute hell.”
It had been four days since Eiko left for Yuei Village, and she was now almost entirely out of food. The road she was taking was winding up the side of a mountain, above the tree lines. The slopes were steep, and large boulders higher up on the hillside signified this location was prime rockslide real estate.
Oh, it was also hot, sweltering even. Humidity made her crimson hair stick to her face and neck, trapping more of the heat.
Eiko had been picking her way through the rocks, careful to avoid being crushed, when she heard something over the wailing of the wind. It sounded like cries for help, and it was coming from lower down the mountain. Her ear perked up as she pinpointed the origin of the sounds. She went off the trail, still picking her way through rocks, trying to find who needed help, worried that they were in danger.
When she was about a half-mile down the slope, now back within the tree line, she found the source, four girls dressed in colored skirts, one of whom lay half crushed under a boulder.
Now very worried for the girl trapped under the rock, Eiko rushed down to see if she could help. 'She’s still moving, so at least she’s alive.' Eiko thought to herself. She was carefully sliding down the hillside when the other girls spotted her.
They had a large stick shoved under the rock, trying to use it as a lever to get the rock off. The girl under the stone seemed to be moving fine and not crushed, just stuck. She was pretty lucky.
“Hi, how can I help?” Eiko asked. The three unstuck girls all looked at her, sizing her up with worry on their faces.
The tallest of the girls with dark hair pulled up in a ponytail, looked between her and the rock. “The three of us can barely lift the rock. We need to pull Hagakure out after we lift the rock. Could you do that?” Eiko nodded.
The girl stuck, Hagakure, was pinned with her back against the ground, so she was having trouble moving when her friends did get the rock’s weight off her. There needs to be someone to pull her out.
The girls got ready to rescue their friend, three on the stick to lift the rock off, the newcomer poised to grab her hands.
“Ready?" the tall, dark hair one said, nodding at the others. “Ready.” They all replied almost in unison. “Go!”
The girl with the ponytail yelled before putting all of her weight on the branch jammed under the rock. The two other girls did the same, and the stone began to lift.
Eiko grabbed the girl’s wrists under the rock as Hagakure wrapped her fingers around Eiko’s wrist, locking the two together. Eiko tugged on her a bit to see if she was free yet, and felt the girl’s body move an inch. 'It’s working!' She thought to herself excitedly.
She spoke too soon. After the girls had lifted the rock, possibly just enough to wiggle Hagakure out from underneath the rocky trap, the dirt, and stones that supported the boulder from below shifted. The boulder started to change with it, putting more weight on the branch holding it up.
Eiko heard a snap as the girls yelled, and the full weight of the rock was about to fall on Hagakure, who was lying helpless below.
It was in that instance that Eiko reacted. As gravity caught hold of the boulder, time slowed as Eiko slid her feet a shoulder-width apart, moved her arms up to catch the weight, and based herself. Hagakure’s life was in danger of being squished out of her, but Eiko was confident she could save her.
Almost all of the rock’s weight was on Eiko, she guessed it was 400-500 pounds, not as hefty as she thought it’d be, but the heaviest thing she has lifted in a while.
She huffed a little as she adjusted it, trying to push it back up the hill and off of Higakure, careful not to step on her. She was able to make it a few feet back, with a lot of grunting and heaving.
“Quick ... “ huff, “Grab her.” She was able to gasp out after a minute or two as her arms began to hurt, her legs trembling and slipping a bit in the soft mud, “I can’t,” gasp, “hold it much longer.”
She turned around so that her back was now pushing back against the rock so that she could hold her feet in a better position in the soft earth. She could see Hagakure laying on the ground in front of her, eyes wide in surprise and fear. Eiko assumed she was in shock from almost getting crushed by a quarter-ton boulder.
Hagakure was quickly grabbed under her arms by one of the other girls and pulled back away from the immediate danger zone. All of the other girls standing by the broken branch had similar looks of shock on their faces. Eiko was now really starting to hurt. She could only hold it for a few moments. She nodded over to the side, out of the way if the boulder continued to roll down the mountainside.
“Move.” She choked out, and as soon as the other girls were to safety, she quickly lunged to the side, landing on her stomach in the dirt, releasing the boulder to roll free. She was right, as it continued to roll farther down the hill than where it had rested a few moments ago, to have the girls move out of the way.
Since she was little, she’d been lifting and moving stuff for her mother, like moving fallen trees, dirt, stones, and even the roof when it had caved in at one point. She was considerably stronger and faster than her mother. Still, she always thought that was because of how sickly her Mama had been throughout her childhood. The looks on the other girl’s faces told a different story.
They were gaping like fish in surprise, except for one who was checking Hagakure for injuries. Eiko stood up and brushed the dirt off of her brown tunic skirt. The girls were still staring at her, and it was starting to make her self-conscious. She shifted her feet, folded her arms loosely over her chest, and looked at the ground.
They all stood there awkwardly, Eiko chewing carefully on her bottom lip with her unusually sharp teeth. Finally, Eiko looked up and asked softly, “Is something wrong?”
Like a string had snapped, all of the other girls exploded with questions and demands for an explanation. Most of their voices overlapped, but Eiko was able to distinguish two common questions, “Who are you?” and “What was that?”
Eiko chuckled, feeling awkward, and smiled at the girl, unintentionally showing off her sharp teeth. “My name is Eiko Kirishima. I’m going to Yuei, and I guess I really don’t know why I’m so strong. I just have been for as long as I can remember.” She was able to stutter out.
With a brown bob, one of the girls ran up close to her, looking intently at her teeth, seemingly unafraid, which was surprising to Eiko. “Oooh, look at her teeth, they're so sharp! That’s really cool!” Her eyes sparkled as she gazed at her in amazement.
Eiko had vivid memories of her old landlord and most of the other people in her childhood village, backing away in fear when they noticed her teeth. They had become a source of insecurity for her. But these new girls, as soon as they got past the initial shock, looked at her in wonder and kindness.
“That was really cool. I don’t think Hagakure would have made it if you weren’t here. Thank you.” Said the girl with short black hair, pointing at each person as she said their name. “My name is Jirou. This is Yayurozu, Asui-”
“Just call me Tsu.” Interrupted one of the girls with a cute frog-like face.
“... Uraraka, and you’ve already met Hagakure.” They all waved and said hello, and Eiko blushed and waved back. She wasn’t used to so much attention. “We’re all traveling together to Yuei. We have a job lined up for when we get there.”
Eiko looked up, surprised, “Really? I’m looking for work too.”
All the girls looked happy at the news, “Great! Would you like to travel with us? We might be able to get a position for you when we get there.” Said Hagakure, with her hair bouncing as she jumped with enthusiasm.
Feeling a smile grow on her face, Eiko nodded happily, “I would like that very much.” And with that, the five girls worked their way back to the road and continued on their journey.
Lucky for Eiko, the girls had more food and happily shared it with her. They spent most nights camping out, but they stayed at an Inn on the last night of their Journey. Eiko tried to tell them she couldn’t pay for herself, but the others insisted on sleeping there, that it was to repay her for saving Hagakure and to freshen up for when they arrived at Yuei.
They had all learned a lot about each other by chatting while they walked. It really passed the time. She had learned that the other four had met on the journey as well. They talked about their childhoods and gave their condolences to Eiko’s mom.
For the first time in her life, Eiko had friends, and she was thrilled to finally have people her age to talk to. They didn’t care that she was a bit different or a little bit awkward at times. They just had fun. It was also lovely to have a real bath and sleep in a real bed, so they all sleep like the dead until morning.
As the sun rose, so did the young women (they were all 19 or 20, Eiko being the youngest). They all get dressed, Eiko with her brown tunic and skirt, and she caught herself looking in the full-length mirror, having mixed feelings.
On one hand, she looked grown-up, clean, and ready to start her new life. On the other, she felt meek. The world was big and merciless, she had known that since she was little. She was small in the grand scheme of things, and there were so many others who were so much stronger, smarter, and prettier than her. Even all of her new friends were much more deserving than her. They were all beautiful, polite, and lady-like. She was like a feral child, wild, and uncoordinated.
“Kiri? Hon, are you ready to go? We need to get moving before it gets too hot.” Hagakure’s cheerful voice shook her from the cloud of negative feelings.
“Okay,” She signed, running her fingers through her flaming hair, trying in vain to shape her unruly hair, “I’m coming down.” With one last unsuccessful adjustment, she turned away from the mirror, smoothed her brown shirt down, swung her bag on her shoulder, and shut the door of the cute inn room.
She stood onto the balcony connecting all of the room doors, overlooking the dining room. Her friends were all gathered around one of the dozen or so round tables; plates of food and a map occupying the wooden tabletop.
She walked down the stairs, halfway down realized she sounded like a pack of elephants, then tried to be a little more grateful. Instead, she stumbled and about fell. Trying to regain her balance, she approached her friends, giving a big signature smile.
For the next hour, they ate the delicious bread and fluffy eggs from the inn while chatting about the last leg of their journey. All they had to do was follow the main road into the large valley where the town of Yuei sat, flourishing. Should be easy enough.
The group finished eating, shouldered their bags, and hit the road. The morning was cool and misty, the sun barely tickling them with its warmth. The path was well worn, so there was no chance of them getting lost. Their bellies were full and spirits high, the perfect day for travel.
It only took them a few hours of walking, not even enough time for their bodies to get sore, before they made the final ascent up the foothills that protected the valley of Yuei.
The top gifted them with a breathtaking view, greenery stretching as far as the eye could see, a cerulean river cutting a path through the forest.
It was bursting with life, Eiko could feel it deep inside her bones; It felt wild, untamed, and like home. Instincts she had never experienced before started to surface.
Yuei sat in the middle of all of it. Even from their high vantage point, they could see dozens of people mingling about throughout the town and dozens of cute cottages sprinkled the town, all of them protected by a large stone wall, keeping wild beasts from the heart of the town.
The five girls cheered and laughed as they hurried down the mountain into the valley. They had survived the journey, and now they were to begin their new, independent lives.
Yaoyorozu, Uruaka, Hagakure, and Jirou had gotten hired at a general store, but the sweet owners didn’t have any more openings for her, but did offer Eiko a place to live if she could pay rent. Eiko had to find employment elsewhere.
She walked all over Yuei, trying to find somewhere that she could get a job. Eventually, she found a darling little bakery run but a kind of intimidating man. His name was Rikido Sato, a professional pastry chef, and he offered her a job as a delivery girl. It paid just enough for her to be able to make ends meet.
Since she didn’t have any clothes other than her plain tunic, Sato was able to dig out a uniform for her.
Eiko felt a jolt of surprise, it was very different from what she normally wore. Very different. Sato noticed her large eyes, and said she didn’t have to wear it if she wanted.
Eiko, being the soft-spoken girl she was, insisted she would try it on, wanting to give the uniform a chance; like eating your vegetables, you won’t know you don’t like it until you try it.
She grabbed the dress, and locked the door of the bathroom Sato had offered up located at the back of the store. After wrestling with it for a few minutes, she found it fit almost like it was made for her. It was definitely the nicest (and most suggestive) thing she had ever worn, and yet, it fit like a glove.
The dress was a low-cut V-neck, though a sheet of white cloth covered anything naughty people would have liked to see. The collar and short sleeves were lined with small frills. Most of the dress was made out of silky red fabric, matching her hair almost perfectly. Showing off curves was the obvious main goal, as it made her breast pop and waist appear small. Her boobs were barely held up by the white cloth and crisscrossing dark ribbon, slightly acting as a corset.
'One wrong move and they might bounce out.' She thought nervously.
By far the most shocking part of the dress was how short it was. It was made of the same red and white fabric as the rest of the dress, but had a bow made of the black ribbon tied on her lower back. At the longest part of the dress, it barely brushed her lower thighs, and that’s if she pulled it down. The uniform came with a pair of thigh highs and a pair of obsidian leather boots that reached mid-calf.
Eiko was almost as red as the dress when she stumbled out of the bathroom and back into the main part of the bakery; she has never worn anything that even came close to making her feel so flustered.
Luckily, Sato wasn’t a creep. He looked at the outfit for a second, before making eye contact and smiling. “It suits you well. What do you think?”
Eiko was still blushing as she stammered, “It - It fits. It’s very … revealing. Don't you think I will get cold?”
“Oh, yeah. It does get pretty chilly up here.” He looked thoughtful for a moment, thinking hard. “Oh!” He said jolting with an idea, “I have just the thing!” He went into the back of the store and Eiko could hear him rummaging around.
He popped out again a minute later, carrying a folded piece of blood-red cloth. “Here you are, a traveler left this here a few years ago: when my parents still owned the bakery. I could never find them again to return it.”
Eiko took the cloth from Sato, and held it up as it unfolded. It was a deep red cloak with a hood, a little bit dusty but nothing a quick wash couldn’t fit.
She flung it around her shoulder, the clasp that secured the cloth to her, made a little clicking sound when the two halves attached. It blended seamlessly, adding to the overall outfit. She felt it in her gut, this was the dress she had to wear for her new job.
Eiko said goodbye to Sato, telling him she’d see him in the morning when she started. The dress and hooded cloak were folded and tucked under her arm. The girls and she were renting a house together. They were happy to let her join because with her living with them, rent would be even more affordable. The five of them had already proved themselves compatible with their long trek.
Eiko was lucky to make such generous friends.
When she got back to the house, her new home, Eiko excitedly told them of her new job. The four of them squealed with enthusiasm and demanded to see her wearing the “revealing” dress.
Eiko complied and changed back into the snug dress. The girls praised it and her, and Eiko could feel a happy glow on her cheeks.
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As night fell across the valley, five young women prepared themselves for bed. Due to the small nature of the rented house, they were all forced to share a bedroom. None of them minded though, they were all friends and were quickly becoming more like sisters.
So as they settled in for bed, they chatted about plans, schedules, and local gossip. After listening to Asui and Uraraka tell what they had heard from the locals, Eiko was a little shaken.
Apparently, according to Asui and Uraraka, there was a pack of wolves that lived in the forests that surrounded Yuei. No one was sure how many wolves there were, but they were a ruthless bunch. Carcasses of recent kills are bloodied and beaten, and if you listen close enough, you can sometimes hear them howling, fighting, or even killing during the night.
No citizens had been injured yet, but many had been attacked and warned by the pack’s infamous leader. A huge wolf, with snow-white fur, mouth constantly curled with a sneer, showing off blood-stained pearly teeth.
The number one rule of living in Yuei is never go into the forest at night. The wolves are only one of many dangers residing deep in the woods.
Eiko didn’t believe it. There were tales of monsters and ghosts in her old village, and she knew for a fact none of those were real.
Somewhere out in the forest, there probably was a wolf pack, but they probably weren’t as bad as the locals said they were. Wolves are messy killers and eaters, so anything that they do leave behind would look horrifying. She wasn’t scared of some mutts, she was strong.
Unbeknownst to her, the wolves roaming the woods were very different than the ones back in her childhood forest.
When morning came, Eiko was buzzing with excitement. She changed into her uniform, had a slice of toast for breakfast, and made sure to look her best. It was her first day (and her first job), so to make a good impression of being punctual, she arrived 15 minutes early.
Sato was already there, making his sweet treats. He greeted her with a large smile which Eiko quickly returned. “Alright, I’m ready to go! What do you need me to do first?” Eiko asked, lightly bouncing energetically.
“Okay, since you’re now a delivery girl, you first need to double-check the orders.” He gestured to a corkboard with little dated pieces of paper pinned to it. Below it was a table with little open packages, carbohydrates filling them up. “After making sure everything is here, you need to deliver them by the end of the day.” He handed her a map of the town, labeled dots marking destinations.
Eiko studied it for a few seconds, then looked up, confused, “Wait, these dots are outside the town wall.” She pointed at three points of the map, a singular drawn path connecting them.
“Oh, yeah. There are a few customers who live out in the forest. I recommend doing them last.” He traced the path with his finger.
“Is that … safe? I heard some rumors that the forest was dangerous.” She wasn’t scared, she was actually fishing for some evidence to disprove the gossip to comfort her friends.
“Should be.” Sato replied, “As long as you make it back before dark. You’re going to have to be quick. It takes longer than it looks.”
Eiko nodded, then got to work. She meticulously triple-checked the orders, closed the little boxes, tied little bows atop them, and packed them into a large wicker basket, wrapped in a checkered red cloth. With the handle of the basket snuggled placed in the crook of her elbow, and the provided map in her hand, she set out.