Sang's Dragon

Chapter Twenty-Two

Tormentingly slow, Gideon's eyes creeped open and his lips pulled up in an annoyed snarl. Trying to push jovial thoughts through the bond, I fought the urge to cringe. Dead shadows shredded up in a field, wraith stew, flying through the air at unbreakable speeds. A low, warning growl filled the air and I became rigid with tension. Not working, damn it.

"Gideon," I warned as I picked my bow and arrow up from the ground. I wasn't going to stay to watch because I wasn't able to do anything to stop it. Apparently they needed to bond. "Go easy on him."

"Where are you going?" Jay asked, just as Gideon lunged on top of Tao and pinned him on his back, muscles rippling entrancingly. I shrugged and showed him my bow and arrows.

"Hunting."

Kota and Nathan stood up from their resting spots, both flicking wary glances at Sean, whose body was trembling in restraint. I felt bad, but even I knew it was bound to happen. One of the more playful dragons was going to approach him to test out the waters, to find out what was acceptable.

"We'll go with you," Nathan said as he threw a jacket over his shoulders. My heart swelled at their willingness to tag along, but I kept my face impassive and gave them a short nod.

I gave the other members of our group a smile before hiking my bow over my shoulder. I then threw the hood of my coat up to keep the chilly mountain air from hitting my face, then made my way down the hillside of our camp.

Kota and Nathan followed silently from behind, their footsteps unhurried. I didn't say anything, just kept my face straight ahead, scanning the frosted turf for signs of life other than ours.

Further down the hill, I spotted tracks that resembled bear paws in a small patch of snow. Relief flooded my system. I was starved. It'd been far too long since I enjoyed fresh bear meat, but from what I could remember, it was delicious. Not too gamy. Kota and Nathan showed no signs of seeing the tracks, they just dutifully followed behind as I changed my direction to the east side of the mountain.

Keeping his voice low, Nathan broke the silence between us. "So, tell us more about yourself, Sang."

"What do you want to know?" I quietly asked back.

"I don't know. Anything, everything." He shrugged while he rubbed warmth into his palms. "Where did you learn to hunt?"

My lips screwed to the side, eyes still scanning our surroundings. "I spent a lot of time in the forest as a child and found my curiosity peeked when a small group of hunters from my village skirted past me. I shadowed them through the seasons until I picked up on a handful of things."

"They never noticed you following them?" Kota asked while shoving his hands into the pockets of his jacket. His cheeks and nose were turning a light shade of pink from the chill in the air.

"Of course they did," I mused. "They let me have my fun and never said a word about it until I grew up." The hunters found it oddly endearing to have a little girl track their hunts, eyes bright as she watched them carry fresh meat back to the village.

They were my idols once upon a time, the kind of folks that I, as a little girl, looked up to in her time of despair.

Both of the boys let out chuckles and I found myself smiling as well. As we followed the bear tracks, they asked several questions, none of which being too personal. I felt myself relaxing around them.

The tracks took us further down the mountain, then back up a narrow trail that only allowed us to walk in a line, one behind the other. I took the front with Nathan behind me, while Kota followed from the rear.