Hunt: The Sin of Sloth

4. The Dragon's Test (2)

"What can it do?"

"Well, he can fit into almost anything and he's really smart. Hunter can survive just about anything, so he's going to guide me to success," Solaire praised Hunter, tickling his little chin with his finger, "And with your magic, I'm sure it'll be a bit easier." His faith in me was comforting. Unlike myself, he was confident I could help secure a good score. It made the idea of giving up more painful. I would be fine with going back home, but that couldn't be the case for everyone. If I were the reason Solaire failed, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself. The memory of his heartbreak would follow me to the grave.

Hunter leaped onto the rock, erratically shaking his head and looking over the area. After a second of doing that, the catling bounded from its new spot and took off sprinting toward the back of the wall. His summoner followed quickly behind, waving for me to join them. As we chased the animal around the field, it picked up some objects and inspected them. After swallowing a small stone and gathering two thick twigs, we followed him further into the field. The path we took led us to a clearing before the hill, narrowly avoiding the instructors close by. Hunter stood on his hind legs and sped up, leaving Solaire and me in the dust.

A blur zipped past me and rammed into Solaire. The faint whistle of the wind was all that alerted me, as I barely caught a glimpse of whatever was responsible. He flipped and tumbled to the ground, his feet sweeping from beneath him. My slick shoes made stopping hard, and I nearly tripped trying to swivel on my toes.

"Are you okay?!" I asked, rushing to his aid.

"Behind you!" As I was bending down, I felt something shove me hard. My limbs flailed in the air, crashing to the ground with a thud. Grass and dirt stuck to my face and snuck into my mouth, leaving a mold of my surprise in the earth. The sound of swift footsteps came from behind me.

"That's such a cheap shot," Solaire growled at the assailant, an instructor with shiny brown hair and energetic blue eyes. He had a soft smirk on his face and was tapping his foot at a rapid pace.

"It's my specia-AHH! What the hell?" Hunter had jumped onto the instructor and gripped the hairs on his neck. Suddenly, they sped off in a streak of colors. The swift streak whizzed around the clearing erratically, making it clear the small creature was holding on incredibly tight. I pushed myself to my feet, wiping my face on my sleeve and turning to Solaire. He had mud all over his back, but he was too focused on the high-speed panic attack to care.

"That should keep him busy. When Hunter latches onto something, nothing can pry those little paws off but my command," Solaire glanced at me, looking down to my shirt, "You've got a little something on your shirt."

"Yeah, I noticed. It must've rained recently," I sighed, "We don't have a plan. Luck and convenience can only carry us so far. What are we doing?"

"Goin' up." A random voice from our left drew Solaire and I's attention. I felt my feet lift from the ground as the sensation of falling settled into my stomach, and suddenly we were ascending higher and higher with every second.

The feeling of plummeting face-first into the sky was both baffling and nauseating, and I was honestly too terrified by it to move. Solaire managed to flip himself upside down before we reached a medium. The sensation left me as I suddenly halted several feet in the air. Opposing forces on my body kept me perfectly still, trapped between two currents of gravity. Solaire stood as though he was on the ground, neck craned to look down at the instructor responsible. He had on the same poncho as the others aside from the captain, white with black claw markings on the shoulders. This particular instructor wore a netted cap and was covered in freckles from head to toe. His large face greeted me with a satisfied smile, revealing he was missing some teeth. "I've gotta admit, y'all sure got Danny!" He seemed amused by the whole situation, watching the still panicking speedster run around us.