Robyn Hood

The thunder rolled across the field. The gray clouds were sweeping in across the sky; the cause of the humid day she had went through. The dampness was thick around her, causing the strands that had fallen down from her bun of hair to cling to her face. She stepped tenderly across the forest floor, being careful to avoid branches. Her quiver was pulled tight around her waist, ready for the moment she saw a deer.

She moved swiftly through the forest due to years of practice. Her eyes darted around her until she spotted a buck several yards away. She stopped suddenly, holding her breathe as she darted behind a tree. Crouching there she pulled out an arrow, stringing her bow. She eyed the buck carefully, pulling back on the string. She released it with a snap. The arrow shot through the air and pierced the flank of the buck.

Even though the buck took off running she wasn't concerned. Instead she started off at a steady, but quick pace towards where it had went. Soon she found it laying there on the forest floor before her; dead.

Sighing she pulled rope out of her pack and started to tie its legs up. She might have a little magic, but she couldn't waste her energy on anything but the task of carrying the heavy deer home.

She had even settled for conventional methods of killing it to conserve her strength. Stretching her arm muscles she reached out in front of her, closing her eyes as she whispered a small incantation to lift the deer off the ground. As she walked it followed closely behind her, hovering slightly above the ground.

While using her magic was draining, it wasn't nearly as hard as it would be to actually carry the buck. Otherwise, Robyn wouldn't have went all that way to catch dinner on her own.

She let the buck drop to the ground as she approached their cabin. Her foster parents didn't know of her magical abilities. The cabin sat out on the edge of the forest, their small farm a little farther off. She dragged the buck the rest of the way to the shed behind the cabin, where she found Douglas, her foster father.

Douglas Chaput had always lived out on this land with his wife Catherine. They had tried desperately for a baby, but had never been successful. After years of trying, they were lucky enough to find Robyn on their doorstep one night, bundled up in a blanket and sleeping soundly.

Douglas was working on making a new rocking chair for his wife Catherine when Robyn walked up. The one that had sat on their porch had begun to rot away from the weather, and Catherine had loved it so dearly. As he heard Robyn, he stopped his work and turned to see her. "Already caught something?" The surprise in his voice was dull and unexciting. It was a typical kind of shock. He was used to her show of skills.

"Yeah, the weather was nice today." With a sigh Robyn dragged the buck towards the shed and began hanging the carcass from hooks along the wall. Douglas would take care of the meat for her. It was a dirtier job and Robyn wasn't in the mood to do it herself today. Even the sunshine couldn't chase away a dark thought that was beginning to creep into her mind.

Robyn sulked into the house. The wooden floors creaked slightly with her weight, showing their signs of age and wear. She could smell food being cooked in the kitchen, particularly cornbread. Robyn's stomach churned at the idea, but she continued to her bedroom where she closed the door and collapsed onto her bed. She didn't lay in bed from fatigue; she lay there in thought.

In a month would be Robyn's birthday. November 1st. She would officially be an adult and completely in charge of herself. The only problem was that she wasn't sure what she wanted to do or where she wanted to go. She just knew that she had to get out of this place. There was nothing for her here. She had a month to figure it out, but the minutes were ticking by fast.

Rolling over she stared up at the ceiling, her mind began to close. Before she could help herself, a deep sleep consumed her.

"Robyn!", a voice called, waking her from her dreams. Groaning Robyn went to the kitchen for dinner. Catherine just smiled and set a plate down in front of Robyn as she took her place. Douglas even had a cheery face on for once. She couldn't help but wonder why.

The clinking of forks to plates felt tremendously loud in the silence of everyone at the table. Finally Douglas spoke up. "You know Robyn, you'll be eighteen next month." Robyn shoved a mouthful of food in her mouth so that she couldn't speak. A smart ass remark had crept to her mind, "No shit." Instead of saying this she simply nodded as she chewed.

Douglas frowned at her but shook away her silence. "Well, we just thought we should tell you that we're planning to move away from here once you do." Catherine lowered her head and began to eat more silently. Robyn just gaped at him and glanced to Catherine. The woman was of no help and so she would have to do all the arguing herself.

"So you just plan to leave me by myself!", Robyn accused. Her voice raising at an alarming rate.

"Now, think about it for a minute. You hunt for our food, it wouldn't be hard for you to run the house on your own. I thought it would be a good experience for you." Douglas was becoming agitated as he saw Robyn's gaze turn into a piercing glare at him.

"No, you wanted to get away from me as soon as you could", Robyn thought bitterly. "Well don't worry. It wont matter." With that she jumped up from her seat at the table and stormed to her room, making sure to slam the door as loud as she could.

She then scrambled to assemble a bag of all necessities and as much clothing as she could reason with herself to take. She packed all of her coins that she'd kept stashed in a pouch beneath a floorboard. Robyn found two canteens that she would fill at the well before setting out. As she began shoving items into her backpack she made a mental note to grab two loaves of the fresh bread Catherine had just made, smiling at the thought of also grabbing some of the leftover cornbread from dinner.

She settled into bed one last time, resting until it was dark. She scanned her room for anything else that might be important. She kept checking and rechecking, again and again, not wanting to forget anything. When she was certain that the Chaputs were asleep she crept out of her room with her backpack. She tiptoed to the kitchen and decided not only on the bread, but to take an apple with her for the night's walk as well. Out the back door and down the porch she went, surprised at how easy it was to leave. Filling her canteens at the well she turned to wave a farewell to the house and was stunned to see Catherine standing there waving back. Robyn would've been angered by this, but saw Catherine wipe her eyes with her handkerchief. Instead Robyn just smiled and waved back, nodding. Catherine nodded back and with that Robyn left the only home she had ever known.

She walked down the dirt path connecting their house to the town. She would walk through the town one last time on her way. "What could it hurt?", she thought to herself. Besides, she would have to go through the little town of Storick to get wherever she was going. "Where am I going?", she began to wonder. A small fear seeped into her thoughts. Robyn almost considered turning back. Maybe Catherine's caring would be enough to get their help. No, Robyn knew that wasn't true. Douglas was tired of having a child now. His old age had made him crude and heartless. He was not the same man he had been when Catherine had married him. They had been ready to settle and have children, but no longer.

Any lantern or candle that may have been lit in the town was now extinguished. Children slept snugly in their beds. A few animals clucked or mooed but most slept soundly. The town was completely still except for the pub. Of course it was still going. A drunk sat outside of it, propped against the wall. He whistled as Robyn walked by. Disgusted Robyn continued to walk on. "What a way to leave the town."

She continued along the dirt path as she walked right out of Storick without looking back, but not sure of what lay ahead. "It's going to be a long night", she thought to herself as she looked up at the bright moon. It was a full moon tonight. Robyn could of sworn she saw it wink at her.

She shook the idea away and continued along the path. There was nothing left to see except an open stretch of land and the small dirt road that lay before her. In the distance were hills and trees, but nothing of major importance. It was going to be a long way before she found another town. One way or another she was determined to make another life for herself somewhere else.

She contemplated what people of Storick would say the next morning when they'd heard she was gone. Robyn just saw Catherine's sad face as she left. Catherine had loved Robyn. While they had never been particularly close, Catherine had cared for Robyn in every way. She was her mother, real or not, she was. Douglas however was a different story. His smiling face at the dinner table was forever set in her mind. He did not and would not miss her, she was sure of that. She did not have any real friends, because of where they lived. She knew of a few people in town who enjoyed when she came in and visited for awhile. No one in particular would miss her that much.

Life was going to be different, hopefully in a better way. The dirt road in front of her didn't seem too promising, but beyond the hills and trees down the way she hoped to stumble upon something. Anything.