The Four Swords

Chapter 76: Hunted

I tossed and turned. Sleep eluded me for quite some time, because although my body was tired, my mind was restless. Why did everything happen so fast?

At some point, I must've drifted off to sleep. My uncle kicked the foot of my bed, rustling me awake.

"Wake up, sleepy head! Everyone else is downstairs and ready to hunt," John's singsong voice jarred me awake further.

Who knew he would be so chipper after standing last watch. Maybe he just enjoyed waking me up. Or, more likely, he was excited to go hunt so that we could eat something other than dried meat and bread.

I quickly got dressed. When I reached the bottom of the stairs I got a sinking feeling in my stomach. Everyone was indeed waiting for me.

I could not place my finger on what made me feel uneasy. It could be that I felt guilty for eavesdropping on the girl's conversation last night.

Maybe it was that Cali was armed with a bow and a maniacal look in her eye. I had never seen her use any weaponry beyond a sword and yesterday's branch. Surely she could not be as terrifying with every weapon she put her hands on, but I've been wrong before.

Carrion, likewise, carried a bow. Alina carried no weapon. She and Cali both kept on the riding pants that they escaped the castle wearing. Although I heard my uncle offer them some of my mother's spare things from her trunk the evening before, I'm glad that they weren't going to be stomping around the forest in gowns.

My uncle carried a large sack and had a sword hanging at his hip. I assumed the bag would carry anything we caught and that he would be playing travel guide more than huntsman. He handed me a sword as well. I guess I would be in a similar position.

"Jack, do you want to lead or have everyone's back?" My uncle asked.

"I'll take the rear. You know the forest better." My uncle camped many times out in those trees. I knew he could lead to better hunting than my limited exploration could.

The sinking feeling that had somewhat subsided, came back in full force. I hope nothing is hiding in the woods that would dare attack from behind.

"Let's go!" My uncle led us out the door.

As we ventured through the woods, memories came flooding back. It had been so long since I had played among these trees, but they taught me some of my first lessons.

My mother and I would walk out into the edge of the wood so that she could take in the beauty around us. She would tell me the name of a plant that I should avoid or the type of bird I was hearing call out.

When I craved more knowledge, she would get me a book on the topic whenever we next had a chance to go back to the capital city. I liked to think these trees helped feed my thirst for the written word in forms beyond fiction.

We traveled further. This was deeper in the woods than I think I ever ventured before. I made the right choice in letting John lead.

The realization dawned on me that I should have been paying more attention to the path we took. I had a decent idea of how to get home, but I would still have to heavily count on my uncle to lead us back.

We came across a meadow with a stream running through it. My uncle motioned for us to hide in the underbrush along the edge of the wood. This gave us a decent vantage point of any creatures that could venture into the clearing.

I was never much of a hunter. My father and uncle took me a few times but I always ended up with my nose in a book or asking too many questions for their liking. I wanted to know everything they did about the animals we spotted or the wild berries nearby. On more than one occasion, my ill-timed chatter chased off the game.

This hunt, I had no questions I wanted to ask out loud. I had my thoughts to keep me company. I lost time replaying every movement of my night watch from the evening prior.

Cali and Alina ended up crouching nearest to me in my shrubbery. What confidence did they keep that I did not understand? Could Cali, the mighty warrior and picture of independence, really be interested in a bookworm like myself?

As if she could read my thoughts, Cali looked my way and smiled. A chill ran down my spine, leaving a warm sensation in its wake. I stared at the ground for a moment feeling my face flush.

When I gathered the courage to look back up, Cali was still smiling, but her gaze moved closer to the middle of the meadow. I followed it to a large stag. Of course the smile had not been for me!

I rarely got to see the magnificent creature that symbolizes my clan so close up. His pecan colored coat was starting to fill out. The winter months were almost upon us with the evenings growing colder.

His crown of antlers, voluminous and wide, declared his kingship over the meadow. He was majestic. My heart swelled with pride that such a beast represented my people.

The ruler of the meadow examined his kingdom. Not seeing us in our hiding place, he continued on his quest. Just as the stag's head bent toward the water to drink, Carrion's arrow flew true. The stag fell with only one arrow.

I had mixed emotions watching the strong beast fall, but the creature was beyond my help now. My throng turned toward Carrion to congratulate him on his hunt. Our mumblings were not quiet.

Instead of a look of celebration and joy, my uncle's face went white. He held up his hand to stop us. That's when we heard it. Someone else was slowly clapping their congratulations. We were not alone