Thalken Tales, Pt. 1

When the Hunter Becomes the Hunted

Thalken's POV

The sound of my sister’s screams are not something I will soon forget. They echo off the boughs of these dreaded woods and shatter me to my very core. The smell of burning flesh still lingers on my nose, her coppery skin marred by a big ‘T’ brand, marking her as a traitor. She is left with not even a shred of modesty as they rip open her shirt, the fabric slipping down her body to expose her chest to all the hundreds of onlookers. I desperately pull against my captors as the first lash of the whip leaves a long bloody gash across her back. The second lash is my undoing, my screams of mercy drowned by her own keening wails. I feel each crack like a stab to the gut, and I half expect to look down and see my innards strewn on the ground like the blood pooling at her feet. With each crack, I die a little more inside. With each crack, I am reminded that a man like me doesn’t deserve redemption. Everything I touch turns to blood. Everyone I love is destined for slaughter. Because the truth is that the only monster here is me. I am a curse. I am my father’s son, through and through. “Thalken! Thalken!!!” her screams rip through me. 

“THALKEN!!!” I’m suddenly jolted awake by an annoyed sounding voice, followed by a kick to the gut. My twin sister materializes before my eyes, and I feel a sense of relief seeing her safe and sound. “Get. The. Hell. UP!!” she whisper yells at me, as she keeps kicking me repeatedly.  “Ow. Ow. God, I’m up. I’m up!” I exclaim as I clamber onto my feet. “What the hell?!”  “The Culling has started! We have to move NOW!”  “God dammit!! Why didn’t you say something?!”  “That’s what I was trying to do, you big dummy!” She lets out an irritated huff, before muttering under her breath, “Next time I swear I’m leaving you.” As she quickly gathers her share of our sparse supplies and I gather mine, my eyes catch on the “T” branded into her forearm. I feel a hollow pit form in my stomach as my gaze gravitates down to my own brand. Jaw clenching, I cram the rest of my stuff into my pack, before slinging it over my shoulder. I give her a brusque nod, and we're off, leaving behind the little alcove we called home for the night.