The Huntress

Chapter 29

Mustering up every bit of strength in me, I rush over to pull the dwarfs off from him. Of course, as soon as I get one away and start on another, they just jump right back into the mass of limbs. At one point I get whacked in the face and clutch painfully at my bleeding nose. I feel something inside me snap and I step back from the group.

"Hey!" I yell.

Nothing...Seriously, what is it with men and this stupid testosterone?

"Hey!" I yell a little louder.

I wait as they keep throwing punches. I don't think even they know who they're hitting. Frustrated, I look around. A mischievous smirk spread across my face as I walk over to the long metal pole and grab for the small frying pan lying on the ground.

"HEY!" I yell even louder and start beating the pan against the pole - making as much noise as I possibly can.

After about the fifth hit, I notice the noise behind me stops. I look over to see eight pairs of eyes watching me in shock. I smile triumphantly and drop my hand with the pan tightly gripped in it to my side. Suddenly, one of the men gasp and starts flailing his arms in the air. He starts incoherently muttering to himself and walking in circles before rushing over and snatching the pan from me. I jump back in shock.

"Do not disgrace the pan - for any purpose!" he says, waving a finger at me.

I watch the tiny guy - seriously, he's like three and a half feet tall and quite chubby - in astonishment. My ears perk up under my hood and my tail starts to twitch.

"Grub....seriously! Strangers barge into our home after all that's happened and you're worried about a pan?" one of the others asks grumpily.

"What? There's always a time to keep food on the brain..." Grub replies, sticking out his tongue playfully.

I laugh as the other dwarfs groan and a few even roll their eyes.

Of course, as soon as they hear the noise, they turn and stare little daggers at me. To be honest, for their tiny size - and odd names - they're quite intimidating when they glare like that. I press my lips together and take a step back, hands in the air. Like a surrender.

"Who are you?" the grumpy one asks, coming up to me menacingly.

"I'm Skye...we came to look for you. I-I'm sorry for intruding...we can come back at a later time if now's bad for you." I say, backing up into a tree as he continues to come closer and closer. Seriously, why is he so freaking creepy?!

"Calm down, Grumpy. It's not her fault we've had a bad day." an older looking dwarf with graying hair says sadly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah...still don't like her." Grumpy says with a clenched jaw.

I'm just about to say something when the sound of approaching feet make a growl rise through my throat. It stops when I see a familiar face being dragged into the small clearing by another dwarf.

"I've found him!" the new guy says triumphantly.

The other dwarfs cheer their friend and start to drag Prince Donovan through the forest. I look over at a stunned Archer before hurriedly helping him up and rushing after the herd of men. I follow the sounds of their feet as they race to some unknown part of the forest. Where are they going? I hear them stop and rush forward to see what the heck is going on...

As soon as I make it around the last tree, I skid to a stop. There, lying in a casket made of ice and vines is Snow White. My jaw drops open as I realize what's happened. Snow's dead. Tears rush down my cheeks as I silently curse myself for not getting here sooner. Why did I have to waste so much precious time?!

I look over at Prince Donovan...the last time I'd seen him was at the ball. Just before I'd gotten that awful headache, he'd asked Snow for a dance. He'd looked royal, handsome, and confident back then. Now he looks broken and weak. Yes, his clothes are still coiffed to perfection, but it's his face...those eyes. He looks lost and unable to comprehend what's happened.

I silently walk forward and place my hand on his shoulder. Surprised, he looks up at me. For a moment, I can tell he doesn't recognize me...and then it dawns on him. He swiftly stands and wraps me up in a hug - one he needs more than I do. I close my eyes and wrap my arms around his waist.

We stand there for a bit before someone rudely clears their throat. I sigh-groan and turn to face Grumpy - one brow raised.

"What?" I ask, reaching up to wipe a tear from below my eye.

"Who are you?" he demands, crossing his arms over his chest.

"It's okay, Grumpy...this is Skylar, she's an old friend of Snow's." Prince Donovan says and I look over at him gratefully.

"You knew her?" Grub asks, walking over to me.

I nod sadly and look up just as Archer enters the clearing. His eyes widen when he sees Snow's coffin. He rushes over to me and wraps me up in another hug. Man, please tell me today's not going to be some sort crazy hug-fest. He pulls back, looking into my eyes to see if I'm okay. I nod and look over at Snow one last time.

"Wait a minute!" I say and rush over to her side.

"What?" one of the other dwarfs - I really need to learn their names - says, rushing over to me.

"Look, she's still breathing slightly." I say, glancing back at them all.

"What?" Prince Donovan says, walking slowly towards us.

"It's not really easy to see...but I can hear her soft breaths." I say in astonishment.

"That's impossible! I checked myself and found no breath left in her." the one, I'm guessing he's Doc, says looking confused.

"Trust me...I can hear it." I lean in and hear a very faint heartbeat as well.

"It must be a spell." Archer says, walking up behind me.

"And there's only one thing that can break a spell as powerful as this." I say, looking over at Donovan. "True love."

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Yay! They've found Snow...sadly she's in a comma. Obviously, we all know Snow will be fine, but what will she do once she sees Archer?

Vote and comment ;)

Always yours,

Kera