The sky as if mirroring the sombre sentiment of the village below looked gloomy and melancholic itself despite being clear above the forest.
Some villagers were collecting firewood and hopefully something to eat in his outskirts of the forest.
The recent blow of the tax collectors had crippled their already struggling agriculture. They didn't know what or how they were going to survive from here on.
They couldn't hope to buy back their animals, they didn't even have enough to keep them sustained, the market had all but died down due to little to no influx of travellers and adventures passing through the village.
All they could hope for was help from the nearby city of Antsalimio. But given the attitude of the viscount recently appointed for the upcoming festival, it is highly unlikely.
Thinking this, the village woman almost broke down in the middle of the forest.
The man searching for roots along with her noticed her suddenly stopping and falling into her knees hurriedly checking upon her.
"What happened? Are you unwell?"
The woman looked towards him with glinting eyes and downcast expression almost to the point of crying and said,
"What will we do? How will our children survive the winter?"
Saying this she broke down completely on her husband's lap.
"Control yourself. You have to be strong at times like this. For our children as well as ourselves. We.. we'll find some way surely. The preparation for the grand festival next year will bring some work for us too. W-we.. for sure if we just manage this winter.. it'll be all good."
The man himself believed it or not, perhaps he himself wouldn't know, but the woman got some calm, albeit fleeting considering how difficult it would be for her husband to survive in the winter in the unforgiving town.
Nevertheless she did manage to calm herself and stand back up, for now she needed to collect quickly to get back to her little kids who were at home all alone right now.
Just as she was about to go ahead, she and her husband heard a voice calling them from behind.
Looking back she saw an old woman in her 40s with a haggard expression, sweat and tears marring her face making her way towards them.
She frowned at the look of such abandon recklessness on the mostly well put woman coming towards her.
Yes indeed she knew this woman. She was the old widow living alone in a cabin far from the village close to the part where the deeper forest started.
Her husband had died a few years ago upon which she used to work house work at some people's houses.
With the declining standards of living in the past years, the work for her had lessened considerably. Was that why looked like that? But she looked just fine when she visited the village for some shopping a few days earlier.
As the woman reached them she said,
"Elle! What's wrong? Why do you look in such a hurry?"
"Rose. It's… been some time. I hope you're well."
Not wanting to be too rude to her she first greeted her with a little bow before asking what she had called them for,
"H-have you seen my child anywhere? I've been trying to look for him. He-he hadn't been home for a few days now."
She said sobbingly with a bit of difficulty.
"Your son….?"
'When did you have a son…? Oh.. ooh… the one taken from the forest when-' Rose thoughts were interrupted by a harsh sound from her husband.
"Seen what exactly? The shadow draped in the sack that you call your child? The cursed thing you accepted after our village was ravaged by the beats from the forest!?"
Rose saw a very unsettling expression on her husband's face as well as a cruelty so foreign to her she couldn't believe it was her husband who had spoken that for a second.
"Max! What are you saying?"
Her husband did not even look towards her as he continued to berate the stunned Elle standing still in front of them.
"It's your fault we have fallen so low! You took in a demon and cursed the village! It's all your fault! Everything started because of you! You… you stay right here I'll gouge your eyes out.. just stay..!"
At this the husband started unfastening the firewood strapped on his back.
Rose finally recollected herself from her shock before trying to hold his hands and him in place.
When she realised he was actually serious she looked towards Elle in a hurry and said,
"We haven't seen him. If we do, I'll notify you. Leave for now please."
Elle also came out of the stupor and with tears brimming from her eyes ran back towards where he came from.
Her husband still didn't calm down and wanted to chase her before Rose finally shouted,
"What are you doing!? Why are you doing this!?"
Max finally stopped focusing on the fleeing Elle and looked at her wife.
Not willing to look into glistening red eyes of hers, she turned around to fasten the firewood he just dropped.
He said in a low voice, with his back to his wife.
"I understand it all now."
"What do you understand?"
"It's her fault we are like this."
"Hu-how? What are you even?" Rose asked, confused.
"The beast came out of the forest because... because... so she could gain a son. Yes. That-that sterile whore. Taboo.
"It must be why her husband also died. And his son is also missing now. That must be the reason our animals are.. are dying."
He commented his tirade tripping over his own words.
"Dying? Max, they've been snatched from us. The hunter died because he had become too old. Why are they saying such things?"
Rose couldn't make heads and tails of this.
"Don't you understand!? You looked at the beast that she called his 'son' when first took him. Entirely pale and silver like Devil's horns at night. It is not human-spawn. Oh that woman! It is her!
"We need to tell this to the villagers. Let's go!"
"W-wha? Max you-? How did 'glistening moonlight' become 'devil's horn'? You yourself said that. And we recuperated from the beast's losses before the flood hit us. Have you been-"
"Shut up!"
Rose's whole body jerked at the loud shriek. Yes it could only be called a shriek but it scared her nonetheless.
"We need to tell them. I was wrong then. I see it now. It must be her fault."