The Unhappy Heart (Book 1 of The Wolfheart Trilogy)

11. The Hunter

The young man gave a half smile, and something seemed to glint in his eyes. Whether it was a bad thing or not, Andrea wasn't sure. The young man gave a small curt bow. "I stand corrected. Answering your question, my name is Dagen Mor-" He cut off and his gaze fell. A weary sigh left his lips and his shoulders seemed to sink. Andrea frowned as he met her eyes once more, and she noted his eyes had hardened again. But when he spoke, his voice was calm and polite as before. "My name is Dagen Mortenson. I am a hunter."

Andrea's frown deepened. "You hunt inside these woods?"

"Yes." He leaned forwards slightly, studying her closely. "It surprises you?"

"Well, I heard that there was like-" Andrea paused. She closed her eyes as she thought of the creature from last night. She gave a shrug as she continued. "I dunno, some beast that lived here who hated people trespassing."

Dagen smiled "And so there is. But him and I are old acquaintances. Plus, we have a deal. He allows me to live and hunt freely here, as long as I do no harm to the wolves and leave him two-thirds of my hunt. So," His lips curled tauntingly. "Shouldn't you be the one who needs be more cautious?"

Andrea looked down at her hands, where her fingers unconsciously rubbed against the back of her hands until the skin turned red. "I don't really care anymore. But you said you live here?"

"Why not?" inquired Dagen. "I can live here in more peace than I can within a village. After all, who dares enter these woods to claim taxes from me."

Andrea couldn't help but smile at his words. "That's why you live here all alone?"

Dagen nodded, the smile leaving his face. "But come, I see you are lost, and I will guide you home."

"You know where I'm from?"

Dagen nodded again. "There's only one place someone like you would come from."

Andrea's mind became clustered with a swirl of memories as she thought back to the carpenter's words. "Another orphan?" "Why live out here away from everyone?"

Of course, only someone like Harriet would live so close to the woods, thought Andrea. She moved forward as the young hunter turned and began striding through the forest. As she followed him, she examined him closely. He didn't seem to notice her staring so she made the most of it. He was much younger that she had previously thought, but had lived too long alone and had survived too many hardships for her to be able to guess his age. There was something about his stony eyes and proud jaw, that told Andrea he had been a child who had matured before his time.

His skin was also darker than most of the people she had seen so far, tanned by the years of living under the harsh Erlenian sun. With that in mind, Andrea guessed he hadn't always lived under the shade of the forest. He must have lived on the plains when he was younger or else, he left the forest regularly.

The next thing she noted was his hair. It was pitch black; unlike any hair she had seen before. It was obviously long, but how long she couldn't tell for he had tied it back with a piece of black leather. If it was washed and combed, Andrea imagined it would fall below his shoulders like a glossy cascade of black silk.

Dagen swung around, causing Andrea to step back in fright. His eyes narrowed as he stared at her. "Quit," was all he snapped before turning and continuing his swift pace.

Andrea glared at him. "How long?"

Understanding the question, Dagen replied without looking back, "We're nearly there."

Andrea frowned and followed. If anything, the trees were getting thicker. There was no way they were reaching the forest's edge. But as Andrea squeezed between two trees, she found to her amazement, they had stepped out and into a clearing. What Andrea saw made her jaw drop. Amid the clearing, glimmering under the light of the sun, lay a small pool. Green grass had grown thick and long around its moist soil and thin plants that looked like red reeds circled its edge. Mushrooms were scattered across the clearing and a beautiful white flower that resembled a swan's head grew beside the trees' roots. A sense of familiarity filled Andrea as she gazed about in wonder.