9 – A Hunter

Not doing any training, physically or mentally, was like trying to see how long you could go without breathing.

It's complete 𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦.

I hardly see any of my father these days, and hey...I ain't complaining, and Lucas has been out and off quite recently. I've felt utterly useless and just waver in the way of people.

I had no idea how long I've been spending in my room, giving myself time to heal, which didn't feel like any improvement. I should be doing something, like helping to stock or keep the horses maintained, but my side, if not more, burns with pain.

Like remember when you were small and spilled boiling water on yourself, (oh come on, that happened to everyone at least once) yeah, but ten times worse than that.

I don't even know if it's horn was dirty.

I could be infected. I wouldn't be surprised if a 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘦 started to grow from my side.

Okay, let's forget about the tree.

Some words from the small 'meeting' with Anvis were still swimming in my head. Like the fact something "came up that morning '' he didn't want to tell me.

My mind wouldn't stop running around thinking for an explanation when a voice startled me from behind.

"Skyler, right?"

My mouth got ahead of me before my brain.

"No."

It's a defense thing, okay?

"I mean, yes. I am she."

I spun around to see it could only be...

"Hunter? What are you doing here?" I stood, baffled.

He looked around him.

"As if it weren't already clear, I'm helping to stock for winter."

I really hoped my cheeks didn't show as much heat as I felt it internally. Regret spread through me like a rocket for asking the obvious.

"Oh, uh yeah right."

The regret turned into awkwardness. I never talked to Hunter before, so I didn't know how he really was, personality-wise.

The info Chase shared wasn't enough.

"How have you been? I never actually got a chance to talk to you after the incident."

It all rushed back to me that Hunter was with me when I blacked out.

"Oh yeah. Um, well I'm feeling better thanks. Though my oblique feels like hell."

And then I remembered Hunter was 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦 through the whole attack.

"How are you feeling? Did you get hurt?"

Why did I sound like a concerned puppy?

Gosh.

"Me?" He sniffed from the cold that wrapped around us like a blanket. "Oh, I'm fine."

His hand waved in the air to dismiss the thought. I peered into his cool hazel eyes that gave away nothing.

My brows furrowed.

"Why were you so close to Darkwood, anyway? I thought no one ever goes that close."

Now his eyebrows rose slightly when he opened his mouth. "Actually, I was just about to ask you the same question. Not very often you catch a female close to the Woods."

I 𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 when people pointed out gender for certain reasons, and this was one of them.

"I was hunting. Getting a deer just before winter to stock it up. It would've lasted us a long time."

I didn't know if I should have spun a little story instead of the truth, but the words already came tumbling out of my mouth before I had the chance to decide.

What was going on with me?

"Huh." he breathed. "A hunter."

"What?" I snapped, a little bit louder than intended.

Hunter's lips quirked up by the corners. He was obviously enjoying this.

"She said you were curious, but I didn't think 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 curious."

Before I had a chance to ask anything further, he was already walking in the opposite direction, away from me.

𝘚𝘩𝘦?