Can we survive this time?

Years, centuries had passed since the last time that the Huntress had the chance to leave the Guardian’s residence. She couldn’t remember the last time she actually saw the streets of Vanaheim and walked through them, whether it was on a mission or simply because she wanted to avoid the fights between the Guardians. Those still happened, but she never had an excuse to leave their mansion, hence why she was pretty excited to finally have a reason why she could do something other than gardening.

Over the years, she had grown less and less accustomed to her role of judge. Hunting and nature were in her blood, but testing out a kid on their abilities of surviving, to see if they were fit for ruling was a whole different thing. Not remembering exactly what she used to do when she used to check on possible candidates for the Conclave, the redhead decided to start over with a new idea, a new concept. Testing hunting skills would’ve probably been the obvious choice for Diana, but hunting wasn’t everything. The woman knew that to rule, this person had to be able to think critically and solve problems with his intellect, not only with his physical strength. And what place better than the woods to test him out on his ability to survive?

Knowing that she first had to take him there, she had to act out a little bit, hence why before entering the village, she decided that it was better for her if she looked as messier as she could. Even though she hated when her hair was messy and her clothes were never dirty, that was exactly how she looked like when she slowly made her way out of the woods and towards the village. ’I need help, I need- My family is..’ Her voice cracked up when she started talking and she pointed at the woods behind her. Looking confused and disoriented, the girl clinged onto the man’s arm and gulped as to untie a knot inside her throat.

The man that she randomly stopped in the street, looked at her as if she was a leper, which was exactly what she expected. Rushing in the village, while looking extremely distressed and dirty, while screaming for help, perfectly knowing that you are an outsider? The reaction had been and still was the same throughout the centuries. The Huntress tried to maintain her character when a boy, who looked exactly as Orion was described to her, approached them, looking pretty concerned. As the man fled, the younger took his place and while he was making sure she was okay, by asking her different questions, Diana held onto his arms instead, as if she needed him to support her.

Catching his attention was the first step, but now she had to draw him into the woods without him being suspicious. The redhead took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a brief moment before focusing her gaze back on him. ’They’re stuck..’ She managed to get out through her shaking lips in a whisper. ’Probably hurt and I- I don’t know how to- I don’t know what to do..’ Stuttering, she finally replied to his question before hiding her face behind her hands and falling on her knees. ’Please, help’. Those two words, said between sobs, were muttered right before her voice cracked. Looking desperate and miserable, trying to play with his empathy was her only strategy and she hoped it worked.