“Don’t mention it,” he said without acknowledging me further. We continued in silence, like a wall was being built between us. I told myself it was fine, probably for the best. Still, a part of me cried out to not lose the one partial ally I’d somehow made.
“So, you’re the best hunter, huh?” I asked.
“I am,” he replied without a shade of humility, but it still didn’t come across as cocky. He smacked away a low-hanging branch, ducking under it. I didn’t even have to crouch to avoid it, just stared up at it as I walked beneath.
Every snap and rustle screamed our position in this otherwise quiet forest. “What’s the game plan?”
“There’s a small clearing ahead. We’ll check if there’s any evidence that an animal has been there. If not, we’ll wind back around to follow the river.”
As we approached, he tilted his head, silent instruction for me to take the left while he took the right. He must have detected something worth hunting. Rav, Tio and I had similar formations when approaching a target, flanking them from all sides. One would cause a distraction, or block their path, and usually I’d bump into them, expertly lifting something off their person before they’d even noticed. Those operations were rare, usually when we needed keys for something, or to intercept mail we suspected had information we could use.
My steps were careful, deliberate, reaching for soft patches of dirt and avoiding twigs. I gave a wide berth to the circumference of an invisible circle, paying attention for any movement.
Without a fresh kill, Dae and I would be in serious trouble by the time we reached the camp. Still, I didn’t want to do this. I didn’t want to be here. Yes, my archery skills were some of the best, but I never used them to hunt. You’d have to be heartless to overhear the internal thoughts of a creature and choose to end their innocent life.
The edge of a clearing came into view after a few minutes of skulking through the trees, and in the middle lay a wild boar. The tusks gave away its identity for what otherwise might appear to be a mound of dirt. I was far enough away that I couldn’t hear if it was thinking. My feet remained firmly planted even after I considered getting closer in range, because hearing its thoughts would only make this horrendous task harder.
Quickly, I rationalized why I shouldn’t fire. Dae was somewhere beyond that clearing. What if I missed? I could kill him. He was the closest thing to a lifeline I might have on this death trap of a mission. My fingers twitched on my unraised bow and arrow.
Minutes ticked by, and I started second guessing my decision. If this boar managed to get away, there may not be another chance to catch something. I grappled with the understanding ofAlba’s situation now. The life of one boar, versus the future fate of our entire camp. The choice was clear, even as it tugged on my humanity with every lifted inch of my weapon. I sent a silent prayer to Taia, asking for her forgiveness.
Almost as if in answer, a hulking orange feline pounced from the other side of the clearing. The shrinking distance between them alerted the boar with just enough time for it to shriek with an ear piercing squeal and launch itself into the woods.
A fucking tiger?! My eyes went wide with shock, and I didn’t know which creature to aim for. I froze, watching the unlikely skirmish between predator and prey, until they scampered deeper into the forest and out of sight. My heart tapped against my ribs. Left in the quiet, I grappled with the idea that I’d doomed us by my inaction. You’d think I’d feel better that I didn’t have to slaughter an unsuspecting creature, but there was no winning here.
When leaves rustled again, I poised my arrow. I may not want to kill anything, but I also held no interest in being mauled by a deadly feline.
The boar barreled through the woods, heading in my direction. I held no interest in being impaled by a wild pig either, and I couldn’t afford to make the same mistake twice. Raising my aim, I offered a silent soul-felt apology, and fired the same instant a tear trickled down my cheek.
The hog continued for several feet before stumbling and crashing into the ground with a slicing, high-pitched squeal. My hands shook, frozen in place from when I’d launched the arrow. That delayed reaction could have been what sealed my fate as the tiger prowled from the woods.
Our eyes locked, but it stilled, tail flicking behind it. It glanced between me and pig, looking far too calm compared to a moment ago. I was no threat in its eyes, so perhaps it was simply contemplating which snack to try first—me or the boar.
Strained terror wrapped around my limbs, but I slowly reached for the quiver at my back. Before I could touch the arrow tail, the tiger imploded in an unnatural way, bones morphing grotesquely. No, not imploded, transformed. Four paws became two feet and in its place stood Dae.
I shuddered a breath, reeling from what I’d done, and what I’dalmostdone as my fingers hovered a mere inch from my weapon. “You could have told me you were a shifter! I almost shot you!” Anger hummed through my veins, mixing with adrenaline.
“Wouldn’t be the first time.”
I couldn’t see the humor in his reply. He casually stalked forward, checking the boar to see if it still breathed. It didn’t. I finally lowered my weapon and crumpled to the ground, setting my back against a tree and burying my face in my hands.
Did Braxius see what I’d done? Would he understand? Would he be frightened of me now?
Radhak and Ravinder tried convincing me countless times to join hunting parties. I’d fought for my values then, but coming back to this wicked, insidious kingdom under the rule of an evil man corrupted what I stood for. Two lives I’d taken when I didn’t want to.
If it was just my life at risk, I wouldn’t have folded. But the weight of Rahana rested on my shoulders, and I had no choice but to become all the things I despised.
“Hey.”
My fractured, gasping inhales sounded pathetic. I dropped my hands to see Dae crouched before me. My eyes were full of tears. There was no sense in trying to wipe them away before he noticed.
His gaze flicked over me, assessing. “You don’t hunt, do you?” There was no judgment in his voice as he searched for understanding.
I shook my head, the admission so stiff I barely moved. Was telling him that a mistake? In the fragile state my heart was in, I almost didn’t care if it meant my doom.
He sighed, clasping his wrist in front of him while he hovered on the balls of his feet before me. He looked to the south. “If you continue in that direction, you’ll eventually intersect the river. There shouldn’t be anyone else in these woods until you get to the nearest populated town. You don’t have to worry about any of us coming after you. We have a deadline we can’t afford to miss.”
I blinked away the pooled tears, letting them fall. “I’m not leaving.”
