Hello Everyone, for those who are not aware this is a fanfic for Snow White with Red Hair. This is a piece that I originally wrote in early high school. Many years have passed and now I hope to give the story more depth. Unless otherwise specified the point of view is in Mirayuki's, the main character. Please give me patience as I revise the piece as I am a full time college student and have a part-time job. I will post the old chapters and they will specify this as well.

Without Further ado, please enjoy this first chapter of the new and improved... The Girl with Golden Eyes...

The forest past by me as I looked for my prey, the bow in my hand felt light the arrows a feather in the wind. I closed my eyes listening to the trees as the air past through their leaves, small footsteps crushing the fallen ones as it tread.

My troop were all watching me with wide eyes filled with awe, I was training them to be hunters. All of their ages ranged from 13 to 18. We started the kids young who showed interest in the hunt. More and more girls finally joining our ranks because of me.

I prayed for the life I was about to kill, for it's meat would bring nutrition to my people. My eyes snapped open as a let the arrow fly towards the wild boar.

I heard multiple gasps from behind me as the kids watched in wonder as the arrow sank into the beast. It was a quick and painless death. I sent a quick prayer and thanks to the beast who would feed my people and my friends for the upcoming days.

"Go get it." I turned as the children scrambled to carry the boar back to our makeshift camp. Closing my eyes I enjoyed the summer sun on my face. A content sigh slipped past my lips.

I know that the troops will begin to get tired soon, we had already been gone from our home for five days. I fully planned on staying until the summer solstice, the official beginning of summer. Longest day of the year and the best time to hunt with newbies.

Glancing back at the them I saw how much they were staggering as they carried our meal. Perhaps if they can manage to bring home dinner tomorrow I'll let them go home a day early.

Hunting for such a big civilization was difficult considering how many hunters we had before I began training the children. We only had four hunters back then, now we had around fifty teens who were fully trained. Two batches of seven kids ages thirteen and under were under my training regimen.

"Teacher!" I watched as one of the younger boys ran towards me pointing excitedly at the deer the others were carrying.

"Did you see Teacher!" I smiled petting the boys small head, this was why I loved to teach hunting. Seeing their eyes light up at their first success, the joy of eating something you killed themselves.

I always taught my kids to value life, even though these are animals they provide us with life. They have a heart beat in their chest, they're alive to.

"Suboki led me to it." I asked my pupil, planning on showing him how I honor the creature after death.

Suboki led me to the deer the other boys were carrying. I had them gently lower the deer onto the group and had them all kneel.

"Repeat after me," I paused watching all the students nod, "Thank you for giving us life, energy, and joy. May you find peace."

"Now then let's continue our hunting lesson." Onward we all went my troop gathering together so that we could head back to camp. I suppose we learned enough on this excursion, we can start heading back tomorrow.

Laughter could be heard coming from the empty field where the children played under the starlight. At home at last, my troop all sleeping knowing fully well that our archery training would be started back up tomorrow.

My Father and I sat around Fermented Rye near the firepit. It was good to be home, no matter how I felt about the woods... The Lions would always be my home.

"Anything interesting while the Troop and I was away?" I took a swig from my bottle, letting the alcohol burn my throat. It was a relief.

"I'm not sure daughter of mine, what would constitute as interesting?" My Father, Mukaze, joked lightheartedly.

Both my parents had always been rather lighthearted folks, even though my mother passed when I was very young. Ever since then I had become the serious one, the person who got things done. The person my Dad could lean on when things got hard.

"Come now don't tease her. Little Blue will get too angry with us otherwise." My best friend, Kazuki, appeared with his own bottle of booze in hand. Using the nickname he had always used, named fondly after my sapphire blue eyes.

I had long learned to hide the wince that would follow every time he said the nickname. An ever present reminder. A brief memory of the lie I told everyone I came across.

Kazuki had been significantly younger than me by almost seven years. We had been raiding a dirty noble in Tanbarun for one of our own members when we happened by the boy. He was only twelve, not even a teen, yet even locked in a cage he had such spirit.

I couldn't leave him there even though rescuing him could have sabotaged the mission entirely. I was the one to take him in and to raise him. The kind of raising he had deserved instead of being tossed out like trash like how his parents had.

"She's my daughter, I can do as I please." My Father still wore a smirk, the kind of smirk that said 'I know something you don't'. He was so happy to. Much happier than he had been for a long while.

"We had a special guest while you and the troop were away." Kazuki explained sharing a knowing look with Mukaze. A look that made me ready to wring both males necks in annoyance.

"For goodness sake, I don't have time for games. I have to wake up early." Training started at eight which would mean that I would have to waken an hour earlier to get ready and set up targets.

"You should tell her, its a family matter after all." Kazuki stood, his comment making begin to put the pieces together, and placed his hand briefly on my shoulders. A small smile tugged at both of our lips.

Once Kazuki was out of earshot my father finally began, "I'm sure you can guess off of what Kazuki said."

"Shirayuki was here." I didn't ask, I knew that could be the only reason Kazuki was acting that way. The only reason why my father seemed like he was walking on air.

"Actually Kazuki kidnapped her to bring her home." That made me sit up straighter ready to find the boy I had practically raised and berate him.

"He did what." My voice turned sharp and deadly, I began to raise from my seat ready to teach my once pupil a lesson.

"Sit down Mira, all is fine now. No matter how misguided Kazuki was." I begrudgingly sat back down wanting to here what else had happened.

"Did she look good? Has she been well taken care of in Tanbarun?" I pondered tilting my head slightly, my night black hair falling slightly out of its ponytail.

"She left Tanbarun, the prince set his sights on her to be a... concubine." I could tell my father was just as unsettled even speaking of this, let alone knowing his youngest daughter had gone through it.

"Is this when Kazuki decided to kidnap her?" Perhaps my friend had a good reason for kidnapping her sister. Then I wouldn't have to give him a firm talking to.

"Not quite... it was actually the younger Prince of Clarines who sheltered her." I couldn't recall the younger prince, even though I had talked to the older one on two separate occasions.

My father's eyes flited over my face with worry. The extreme happiness he had shown before slightly dampened.

"You're holding something back," I watched his facial muscles closely, "What is it?"

"The Prince appears to be her boyfriend now..." I couldn't speak, barely could breathe. I could tell my father knew I was going to react badly to this information. It's why he had been so reluctant to share it with me.

"Excuse me?" I had to keep my rage at bay knowing that some stuffy political official... No this was worse than an official. This was a prince. Who would put my younger sister in danger. Everything I had tried to protect her from since Mom.

"And you let them leave!" I didn't give my father a chance to talk instead my hands slammed onto the table. I stood my eyes razor sharp focused on my father. Unrelenting.

"He isn't what you're thinking Mira." It was hard to win over my father, and perhaps if I had been thinking clearly I would realize that.

"You spent what a few hours with him? I suppose you're an expert on his character then?" I may not remember the younger prince, but I certainly remembered the older. He was a cocky man who didn't like untitled people.

"Mira-" I cut him off before he could say anything else. My rage boiling over.

"You sent her away to protect her from this life! She doesn't even know me because of it!" I opened my mouth to yell at my father more. This time though he seemed to have enough of my verbal abuse.

He rose to his full height, the alcohol forgotten on the table, his gaze no longer that of a loving father. Instead on of a Chief talking to his second in command.

"If you wanted to protect her then you should have went with her like I had planned." I visibly tensed knowing fully well that I was being hypocritical. Though my dad didn't know that I had stayed with him because I had been too worried about him.

Worried about letting him go from his three happy girls to none within the same breath. Even if Shirayuki had been alive this entire time she wasn't with us. It was like she was gone herself. I couldn't have let my father lose me to. Not that he knew that. Nor would he now.

"Dad, I-" I didn't know what to say, I was speechless. In the heat of my rage I had forgotten who I had chosen at the end of the day. I had chosen my dad over my sister, not that I regretted it, and I couldn't be angry at him for that.

"Go and judge the boy's character yourself." My face raised to his in shock that he would even suggest me leaving the lions.

I was his second in command, which had taken years for me to acquire, and I trained the hunters. I couldn't leave my family, even to protect my sister.

"I can't, I have the troop and-" I lowered my eyes in panic unwilling to do what I wished because of my duty.

"Itayo can take care of your duties until you return." He still spoke as the chief, but this time I could tell it was not out of anger. This was a Chief telling his second in command that it was ok.

"I can't leave Kazuki, he doesn't do well alone for long stretches of time." Look what the last five days had done. He had gone off and kidnapped someone for no good reason.

"Take Kazuki with you then. Some time out in the world will be good for the boy." I couldn't argue against that knowing fully well that was true. Kazuki had been trapped for the majority of his life. First with The Sea's Talon, then into slavery, and finally with us.

Even if his home here was freer that any of his other homes. He still hadn't seen much of the world and had little experience with it. He was only fifteen and he deserved the chance to live a good life.

Itoya had been my training partner for the majority of my life having been older than me by two years. I glanced down at the emerald studded sword that was always resting on my hip. The color of my mother's eyes.

I could trust Itoya to take care of the training while I was gone. I smiled softly looking up at my father to find that the Chief was gone once more. I wouldn't be gone long, a month at most, and he could handle himself now.

"I have to go and make sure, I trust your judgement but..." I trailed off still feeling slightly guilty that I would be leaving him.

"It's only fair that you get to spend some time with her." My father began the smile growing on his face, "I understand, you don't have to worry about us."

"I'll leave first thing in the morning after I set up the Troops practice for Itayo."

"I'll miss you." My father spoke quietly as if as Chief he couldn't miss his daughter. I quickly made my way around the old table, leaping into my father's awaiting arms.

"I'll miss you too." We hugged for awhile, even if I was nearing twenty-three years old... My Father's hugs would always be my favorite thing.