The Hunting

Chapter 50

Javier and I have been walking around for about 20 minutes at this point. Very few words were spoken between us. We didn't run into anybody as we were walking about, but when we got to the center, I was surprised to see that no one was there. The only sources of light were the fire that was only down to its ambers and then there was the soft glow of the lantern that was placed throughout the area. Since no one was around, Javier and I went and sat down next to each other on a couple of logs. What should I even say? I pondered to myself quietly. Surprisingly, Javier spoke first.

"Are you glad to be back home?" he questions plainly.

It took me a moment to respond, "Yes, I enjoyed the adventure and meeting you and everyone else. However, I'm happy to be home and that my family was reunited."

I looked up at Javier to see that he was smiling softly as he looked at me. "I could tell. There is a light in you that I didn't see until we got here."

"So, what are your thoughts on the Burrow?" I asked curiously, wanting to change the subject.

Javier chuckled, "I knew you were going to ask something like that." He paused for a little bit but then spoke thoughtfully, "If you told me at the beginning of our journey that you were a Burrower, I would've laughed and thought you lived in a cave. I didn't know what to expect, but I feel comfortable here. The people have all been very nice and welcoming... that's – it's just not something that any of us hunters are used to."

I nodded, "I understand. After being with you all, it's obvious that you're not used to this lifestyle. But I'm glad you like it!"

"I do really like it here." He repeated.

"You like enough to stay?" I responded, leaning closer to him in anticipation.

Javier spoke hesitantly. "That's actually something that I wanted to talk to you about."

I looked at him so that he could say whatever he was going to say. He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "Well, we're thinking about leaving."

My eyes flew open, "What! But why?"

Another sigh, "It's not that we don't like it here. We plan on coming back if that's alright. It's just that Calum wants to find his brother. He believes that Cain is still alive and wants to look for him. Pietra is obviously going with him and they asked me earlier today."

"What did you say?" I questioned.

"I told them to let me think about it, but I'm probably going to say yes. They are going to ask Don when he's fully healed, but I think he's found his place – his person here."

I nodded as I fiddled with my necklace looking away from him.

"We also talked about asking you and Nate to come with us as well, but we haven't decided that yet either. This isn't something easy and it's not going to be an easy trip either. We're headed to where Calum and Cain got separated, which is over the mountains, following a river – it's a couple of weeks journey. We don't even know if he's still there or where he might have wandered off to. It's hard to say how long this will take."

He's leaving. That thought echoed through my brain as I was trying to come to terms with what he said. Javier gently placed his hand on my shoulder, I turned to face him. I didn't know what to say, so I just stared at him. His other hand cupped my face as he spoke, "Arden, I know you have been through a lot and your mind is probably going a million miles an hour. All I want to say is this – no matter what you decide, my feelings won't change."

With that, he removed his hands from me and stood up "Let's get you back home."

I stood up, dusting off the invisible dust from my pants. I looked up to Javier to see that he was holding out a hand for me to hold. I laughed pathetically as I grabbed it.

I woke up the next morning exhausted. I rubbed my eyes while I was contemplating going back to sleep. I don't want to be awake right now. I was about to roll over to try and go back to sleep when I heard my name being called. "Wake up little girl, you and I are going to go scouting today."

I flew out of my bed and out of my room to see a smiling Tatum standing in the common room of my house. "You're lucky that I'm so excited to go scouting that I would stab you for calling me, little girl."

He laughed heartily, "After hearing about your adventure, I actually take your threat seriously now."

It only took me a couple of minutes to gather all of my stuff and leave the house with Tatum.

Over the next couple of hours, I realized more and more how much I missed the Burrow. Scouting is one of my favorite tasks to do. You go out into the woods and look for food, resources, and anything else that could be deemed as useful. Back before my trip with the hunters, Tatum and I would often go scouting together. We would use this to de-stress and relax. We would also talk about what's on our minds. On one of our scouting missions, Tatum admitted to me that he was in love with Shelby but was too nervous to say anything. I can tell Tatum anything, he's the person I trust the most. So I told him everything – including my nightmares. He was furious when I told him about what happened when I was a prisoner of the scavengers. What made it even worse was when he asked if anybody else knew. I shook my head, "I think my dad knows what happened. He was right outside of the tent. Sorry, but this is something that I would rather not share with others. That man is dead and I want to move on from this topic."

It was silent for a little bit after that, but Tatum moved on to another topic I was being touchy about.

"Javier told you that he liked you and Nate finally told you that he likes you? You still haven't talked to either of them about your feelings and now you are stressed because Javier is leaving soon to find Calum's brother. To make matters worse is that you like both of them but in different ways. That sound right?" Tatum questioned.

"Yeah... that's right," I said defeatedly.

He shrugged, "Sounds like you got yourself in a sticky situation."

I groaned, "That does not help me, Tatum!"

"Well, this is a situation where you have to help yourself smalls. I can't do all the thinking for you."

I fiddled with my necklace, "I know, I was just hoping that by talking to you I could come up with a decision."

"Well Arden, you have multiple options. One, pick the mysterious, dreamy Javier. Two, pick Nate, who is fun and caring. Three, pick neither."

I raised my eyebrows, "Why is that the third option?"

Tatum sighed, "Arden, for as long as I have known you, you've been an independent person. You've never thought about boys, love, anything of the sort. They both told you that they like you and that there is no pressure in taking your time. Figure out what you want not only from your life but a person that you want to be with."

"What is Shelby told you to wait when you admitted your feelings? That's just not easy!" I argued.

"Yeah, you're right. I would've been losing my mind. However, my feelings for Shelby wouldn't change. Also if she went on that life changing experience, I would fully expect her to need time to adjust. You just went through a life-changing experience and you're thinking about jumping into a relationship. Arden for once in your life focus on yourself. You almost got killed, you were sexually assaulted by one of the scavengers, and you were scared for your life the whole time. You are a brand-new person; I see the difference."

I was silent after that. Both Don and Tatum have given me advice, but I still have no idea what to do. To think that I was just starting to understand my feelings and then all of a sudden, the hunters decided they were going to leave soon... Tatum is right though – I have been through a lot. What do I want? I chuckled as I thought things over. Well, when I ask myself that question, I can answer it rather easily.