Hunter and the Hart

Lies and Lions in the Mountain Mist

"What.....?" I could see the questions in Aunt Ava's eyes as she grabbed the edge of the table.

"They're all dead." I closed my eyes, my chest constricting further as I said the words again. "It was my on my birthday. Mom said we were going to have to move again." I could feel myself starting to hyperventilate, and Malcolm ran around the table, rubbing my back as he leaned me forward.

"Breathe, cuz." He put slight pressure on my shoulders. "Head between your knees, I don't know why it helps, but it does." He laughed nervously as he did his best to walk me through the panic attack. I placed my hand on my chest and felt an odd pulse of desperation and fury run through my body. 

The black wolf, my magic whispered. He wants find you. He needs you, as much as you need him. He will find you, when the time is right. 

I felt myself relaxing against Malcolm's hand, finally able to take a couple breaths before continuing, my words still shaky. "I went for a run, just to enjoy the forest. And when I came back, the whole house-" my voice hitched with a silent sob, "-the whole house was on fire. There was no warning, no reason why, it was just.....burning." I managed to lift my eyes, blurred by unshed tears, to Aunt Ava. When I met her eyes another wave of panic washed over me. Her eyes were almost....sparkling. She looked...excited. I pulled myself up slowly, giving no indication that I'd even noticed as she turned to rest her elbows on the table.

"You're sure they're all gone?" Her voice quivered. Malcolm shot her a sympathetic glance, rubbing her upper arm comfortingly.

"There was nothing left of the house." I bit my lip as tears began to fall slowly. "The police said that their bodies were almost indistinguishable from the burnt rubble of the house. It took them three days to realize that they were bodies. And dental records matched." I few sobs wracked my body as I fought desperately not to let the sadness take me over. "The only reason I lived, is because I wasn't in the house. The fire department couldn't even find the source of the fire. The only thing left was the foundation." 

Aunt Sasha grabbed my shoulder softly, and I turned to her, the horror in her eyes telling me that she knew how it felt, that kind of loss.

"But, what did you mean, when you asked us if we didn't feel it?" Aunt Ava turned a careful eye to me, scrutinizing my reaction.

"When they died." Aunt Sasha murmured. "I know how it feels, but the family bond snaps back harder on those more closely related. I felt the snap, last week, but I had no way of knowing who it was. Being so far removed from your family, and so much weaker, the snap was only an echo. Ripples that spread from the source, alerting the whole family." She lowered her eyes, rubbing one hand over the necklace she wore as the other slid to my hand.

"Did anything else happen that day?" Aunt Ava shielded her mouth, but I could hear the excitement hesitating in her throat.

"No." My voice broke slightly, and I was worried that I had given myself away. I rubbed my eyes, clearing my throat before trying again. "We didn't have time to do anything, aside from dinner."

"Does anyone else know you survived?" Aunt Ava's voice turned almost sharp.

"Mom," Malcolm sighed, "I know you're worried, but that doesn't mean you need to take it out on her. She's been through enough without you taking your issues out on her. And regardless of whether she had contacted anyone, I called Grandma Mirabelle while Lissy was sleeping. They know she's here."

"Oh, that can't have gone over well." Aunt Sasha laughed humorlessly. "I don't expect Mira wanted you kids staying here with me." She shook her head in a way that reminded me so much of mama, when she told me stories of the mischief that she'd gotten into as a child.

"Actually," He scratched his cheek slightly, "she was fine with it. Saying that this was the second safest place that she could have been. But she is sending out Uncle Max to pick her up."

"Why did she send Max?" Aunt Ava scowled. "She's safe here with us. She's with her favorite aunt, and the one of the best healers in the country." She made an indignant sniffing sound, thrusting her chin forward.

"Well, since you'll be staying here for a while," Aunt Sasha tugged my hand gently, "why don't you go ahead and get some more rest while your Aunt Ava takes your cousin to go get some groceries. I'll wake you up when dinner's ready." She led me off to a small guest room as Aunt Ava and Malcolm shuffled out the front door, though not without plenty of protest on Aunt Ava's part.

I stood awkwardly in the guest room, a thousand thoughts running through my head, tangling together into a knot that I had no chance of unraveling.

"It's okay, dear." Aunt Sasha smiled from the doorway. "They're going to be gone for a while. Do you want to talk about it?" Her smile was soft, but after how Ava reacted, my world was in chaos.

"No, it's okay." I managed with a small nod. "But if you don't mind some fresh meat, I can go hunting. There were a lot of rabbits out there." 

She seemed almost sad as she pointed out an archery set by the front door. "Just try to collect the arrows on your way back. Not much chance for feathers out here, and fletching without feathers is a nightmare." 

I laughed softly, slinging the bow and quiver over my shoulder. "I might be able to scare up something with feathers, but I can't guarantee it'd be edible."

I walked into the woods with small wave, relishing the feeling of the dense woods closing in around me. The magic if the place felt distorted; dark and dangerous. I breathed deeply, rubbing the chill from my arms. A soft thud sounded to my right, and I turned to see a mountain lion walking toward me, her tail flicking back and forth playfully against the bushes.

"Hey, there, pretty girl." I reached out my hand to her. "Bit late for you to be up, isn't it?"

She rubbed against my leg, making a soft mrr-umph sound. "Hello friend." Her voice was soft and flighty in the language of magic, like a child giggling after dancing through a field of flowers. "It's rare for one your kind to be out here this late. You should not have come here, child of the forest. There are monsters in this place, far more terrifying than the ones that call themselves hunters. I'm sure you can feel it, child of the forest." She looked up at me fondly. "You are far more special than you know. And you are in danger here."  She flicked her tail against my leg as she turned, leaving one last chuff before loping into the dense underbrush, disappearing quickly in the night.

I shook my head slightly, trying to figure out what that could have meant. Animals that lived around magic had always had a deeper understanding of the world than most, but I'd never had one give me a cryptic warning before. I shuddered slightly as the night mist gathered around my ankles. This was not shaping up to be a very good night.