“Where are we going?” I whispered, keeping my voice low to avoid frightening off any game. I’d gotten a beating for that when I was just a lad and was dragged out hunting with my brothers. They said I chattered too much when I was only asking what we were looking for. I took to hiding on hunting days after that so they wouldn’t bring me with them anymore. I only went when my father made me.
“There is a tree farther in that is good for scouting,” he murmured, his voice rumbly and low, giving me goosebumps. It wasn’t from the cold; he’d brought me a fur covering to keep me warm while we were out here. It was just my response to him.
We continued on for a little while longer, and while I wanted to chat with Rath like I always did, I enjoyed the quiet time with him as well. It was nice to just be near him without filling the silence.
Vann stopped next to a wide tree like he knew that was where he was supposed to go without prompting. Rath slid off his back, plucking me down once his feet were on the ground. He gathered his hunting things, his bow and knives and such, and attached them to himself in various ways before leading me around the tree to where there was a lower-hanging branch above us. For Rath, it was easily within reach, but I needed a boost, and I muffled a yelp when he palmed my behind in the process. I shot him an incredulous look over my shoulder, but he only winked at me, making my face flame hot. I scrambled up the tree and clung to the trunk, waiting for Rath to join me. I’d never been much of a tree climber, and I felt a little dizzy being that far off the ground.
Rath swung himself up with ease, crowding close, and lifted me again to the branch above. I wanted to protest it was too high, but the higher branch was a little wider, and there was a knot in the tree big enough for me to press myself into to feel a little more stable. I squished myself as far into it as possible to give Rath more room and watched, fascinated, as he climbed one more branch and sat with his back against the trunk, his eyes narrowed as he scanned the area.
For a while, we sat there in silence. I scanned the area like Rath did, but I wasn’t entirely sure what I was looking for. I was familiar with a few of the animals closer to town, but this far out, the animals were unrecognizable to me, and I wasn’t sure which were for food and which were to be avoided.
A snap of a twig made me whip my head around, but it was only Vann below us, chewing on a bush. I had to crane my neck to see him, and that was when I noticed something moving around farther away. It was sort of deer-like, with antlers and hooves, but it had long fur that hung all the way down to the ground and a wider face, like a horse. One of Rath’s legs was dangling down from his branch, so I tugged lightly at histrousers to get his attention and pointed. Slipping off his branch, he crowded against me to look around the trunk, and when he glanced back at me, he looked proud.
Leaning until his lips were against my ear, he whispered. “Good job, my Finn. I will be back. Stay here. It is safe.”
I nodded, pressing myself against the trunk to show him I understood. My heart rate picked up, fear for his wellbeing making my hands clammy. I remembered his warning about it being dangerous out here. I didn’t want him to get hurt. Before he could climb down and slip away, I caught his arm, leaning in to kiss his cheek.
“Be safe,” I whispered.
He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine, and kissed me chastely before climbing out of the tree and sneaking off into the forest. The creature had moved out of my view by the time Rath left, so I couldn’t watch what he was doing, but I figured it’d take a minute. Stealth took time.
For a while, I studied the forest, trying to see if any other creatures would pop up that I could point out. It made me giddy whenever Rath looked at me with pride in his eyes, and I wanted to earn more looks like that. Nothing happened, though, and eventually, I got bored. I wished I had a book with me. I would’ve been happy to wait here for him if I had something to occupy my time.
When he wasn’t back as quickly as I expected, I began to worry. The creature hadn’t looked overtly dangerous, but it could have been. I doubted Rath would have told me as much. He didn’t want to frighten me. Nevertheless, I worried, and when enough time passed that my rear went numb and he still hadn’t shown back up, I thought it was better to get down and look for him. He might be hurt and all alone. It hurt my heart to even consider it.
It took me a lot longer than it took Rath to get down from the tree. I clung to the trunk, easing myself off each branch, but I couldn’t reach the ground directly. I had to dangle myself from the branch and jump to avoid hurting myself, and still, I stumbled. My muffled yelp was a lot louder than I’d hoped, but I managed to regain my footing without injury and when I looked around, the forest was still and quiet.
Wandering in the direction I’d seen Rath and the creature go, I hid behind trees and peeked around them, my breath a little stilted from fear. Fear of what, I wasn’t entirely sure. I knew names for animals thanks to Zoya, but not what they looked like or which to avoid. I walked for a while, searching for any signs of Rath, but the farther I got from the tree, the more nervous I got. What if I passed him? What if he was at the tree waiting for me? I turned in a circle, frowning at my surroundings. How did I get back? Had I managed to get myself lost in a pathetic attempt at rescuing the best hunter in the clan? I really was useless.
A snapping twig had me whipping around. I didn't see anything at first, just trees and bushes as far as the eye could see. But a sense of foreboding settled on my shoulders, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I took a step back until my back was up against a tree, looking around desperately for the source of the noise.
“Rath?” I hissed out, tears pricking my eyes. Foolish, foolish, foolish.
“Finn!” Rath’s call was loud but distant. I jerked upright, turning in the direction I’d heard his voice, and I was going to run to him, but a low growl filled the air, freezing me in place. Slowly, I turned my head to the side. There, in a thicket of bushes, something black and sleek crept closer, baring razor-sharp teeth as long as my forearm. Panic made my throat close up, stopping me from calling for help. I stood frozen, unable tomove or run or cry out, while the creature slowly stalked toward me.
“Finn!” Rath’s voice got closer, but not nearly close enough. He wouldn’t get here in time. Tears slipped down my cheeks as I stared at the creature. What was I to do?
It crouched lower, readying itself to pounce, and the panic kicked up enough to free my feet. I ran, a scream caught in my throat as the creature snarled and leapt. It would have landed on me if not for Vann. The massive horse came out of nowhere, his whinny loud. He spun and kicked out with his enormous hooves, and hit the creature square on, sending it flying. He stood over me when the creature got on its feet again. Rearing on his hind legs, he kicked out again, warning the creature away.
The creature was panting after taking that kick and seemed to think better of challenging the horse. It slunk off into the brush right as Rath came barreling in from another direction, his eyes wide and terror-filled as he searched for me.
“Finn!”
He snatched me off the ground and into his arms, hugging me close. I choked on sobs, clinging to him with my face buried against his neck.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to?—”
He shook his head, pulling me away enough to pepper my face with kisses. “It is my fault, korvash. I should not have left you alone. Are you alright? Were you hurt?”
“N-no. Vann protected me. I’m okay.”
I said that, but I still wasn’t brave enough to let him go. And he didn't make me. He helped me wrap my legs around his waist and kept me in his arms as he mounted Vann and steered us in the direction he’d come from, eventually leading us back to the scouting tree. At the foot of the big tree were two dead animals, but neither of us paid them any mind. Rath stayed on Vann’sback, hugging and petting me until I stopped trembling and could finally look him in the eye to apologize properly.
“I’m sorry. You said to stay put, but I got worried, and I didn’t listen. I should have listened.”
Brushing my hair back, he studied me with a frown. “What worried you, my Finn? Did you see something?”
Embarrassed, I tried to duck my head, but Rath wouldn’t let me. He cupped my cheeks, lifting my chin to force me to look him in the eye.
