The Dragon Prince

Chapter Three

With Lady by her side, Annabelle walked comfortably towards her hunting lodge. Well, more like cave. Either way, it was cozy and protected not only from the animals and elements, but also from the beasts and unwanted intruders. Extremely difficult to find, it also served as a safe haven for those who knew its location. Only those closest to her were privy to such information.

After her first kill as a huntress, her father had helped her choose the location and stocked it with the most basic of necessities, allowing Annabelle to take whatever else she wanted for the lodge. Over the years she's stocked it with medicinal herbs for emergencies as well as extra weapons, a small bed, a short table, cooking supplies, as well as a few changes of clothes. Everything Annabelle thought would be useful for a home away from home.

A loud bark from her right broke Annabelle from her train of thought. It was Lady. Trained as a pup to notice human blood, Lady would bark three times so those around her would know that a person could possibly be injured. And by the way the wolf was sniffing around a large part of the area they were in, Annabelle could only assume someone was indeed injured and bleeding profusely. She needed to find whoever it was before they died and soon.

Annabelle bent down, dipped her index and middle finger into a spot of blood she found on the ground next to her and called for the wolf. "Lady." The wolf walked towards her master and whined as soon as she was in front of her.

Annabelle held out her hand with the blood on it and placed it in front of Lady's nose. "Track."

Leaning in, Lady sniffed the blood, sniffed the ground, and then the air. After a few seconds of trying to figure out which was the scent lead, Lady began walking with her nose to the ground in the direction to Annabelle's left. Climbing over fallen trees, Lady continued with the search of the injured person.

After almost two hours of tracking, Lady finally leads Annabelle towards a familiar location. With boulders and thick branches blocking the entrance, someone could be right next to it and think there is nothing there. But Annabelle knew better. It was the main reason why she chose the spot in the first place.

Looking at Lady she noticed her companion growling and pawing at the ground. A signal that meant that whoever was in there did not belong to the tribe. Annabelle needed to find out whoever it was in there and soon.

Before they became a threat to her people. Annabelle bet down and pet Lady on her head. "Calm," she whispered. The wolf stopped growling and pawing to lay on the ground with her head on her paws. "Good girl."

While the wolf stayed on the ground, Annabelle decided to check inside her hunting lodge. She needed to find whoever was in there. Whether friend or foe, no one knew the location of the cave except a few trusted friends. Could one of them have revealed the location to someone at a meeting outside the village? If so, that person needed to be dealt with immediately.

Crawling through the main entrance, Annabelle reached the end and noticed that the stone slab was in place. Great. Making her way back out of the cave, Annabelle had to move backwards. I really need to start working on this opening more often, she thought.

Finally out of the tunnel, Annabelle then headed for the escape tunnel. "Follow, Lady." The wolf jumped to her feet and walked at a leisure pace beside her caretaker.

Half an hour later, the two females ended up in front of a tree. On the outside it looked like any other tree, but there was a secret within it.