end will come

BACKGROUND

Born in the Louisiana bayou, Ophélie had known hardship from an early age. Something lurked within the bayou, something unseen but dangerous. It preyed on those who ventured out at night and those who returned were changed people. As such it was often that 'hunting' parties were sent out into the bayou, of whoever was able-bodied, in an attempt to keep whatever lurked at bay.

It worked until one day when Ophélie was nine. Her father and a group of villagers had gone out into the bayou, yet only one returned by morning. He was maimed, one arm ripped clean off and covered in mud. Without the means to save him, the man perished due to blood loss and infection after two days. Five days later, body parts of the hunting party would slowly start to trickle down stream and into the village. An omen of what was to come, and as such the village was abandoned.

Ophélie's mother took her to New Orleans, where the two tried to start a new life. Her mother remarried a carpenter, a quiet man who didn't care much for Ophélie herself but he seemingly liked her mother. It gave Ophélie a chance to attend school and become a somewhat learned lady. Despite of her mother's repeated attempts, Ophélie never seemed to show any interest in academic pursuits and didn't make any friends. Instead she was forming a longing to the bayou, to the place that claimed the life of her father. Perhaps it was an attempt to cope with the loss.

At the age of sixteen, Ophélie's mother had another child who took most of the attention. Ophélie didn't mind, finding solace in finally having time on her own without being watched over by her mother or stepfather. The addition of a newborn led Ophélie to sneak out more, before she started to formulate a plan; she was going to leave New Orleans and travel back to the bayou, one way or the other.

Ever resourceful, Ophélie managed to scrape enough money together to buy a rifle and half a box of ammunition by the age of seventeen. She packed her bags and left a note for her parents before leaving into the night, the call of the bayou luring her back. She realized she had to finish what her father started, and so began her journey as a hunter.