Ayame heard a commotion coming from the riverside but didn't want any part of it. She was still shaking from seeing the headless body of a woman she had known being dragged away and likely consumed. 
She cautiously made her way back towards the village. They were hoping to have the first of the warriors that had sent for arrive before nightfall. Everyone in the village was supposed to dress in their best clothes and prepare a banquet of their best food. Ayame had been ordered by her grandfather, as one of the village's prettiest young women, to smile and parade around like peacocks.
It made her ill to think about it.

Ayame had been engaged at one time, but he had died in the war. She hadn't been too upset, she hadn't known him that well. He had been the son of an elder in another village. She supposed that made her a terrible person, but how were you supposed to mourn a person you had only met once?

Holding her basket tightly, ready to throw if needed, Ayame moved cautiously up the path towards the village.