A Thorny Tale

A Thorny Tale: Part four

Chapter Twenty

Ryo

'My l- umm Sir?' Hunter looks up at me and his tongue stumbles over his greeting as he drops his boots onto the ground and stands up from his upturned crate being used as a seat.

'Relax Hunter,' I order and he does so marginally but still remains focused as he begins to look over me with his trained professional eyes until they land on the girl in my arms.

He quirks up a surprised tawny eyebrow at me and waits for me to speak. It's not every day I have a girl in my arms like this, well it's been never but Hunter doesn't have to look so surprised at me though, it kinda hurts my pride I think.

Hunter is restraining a smile on his face and carefully coughs to hide his laughter at me. 'For God's sake man, don't read my mind all the time!' I exclaim at him and he loses his wrestling match with his smile and it spreads over his face.

He coughs again and speaks carefully as he reveals something to me, 'I didn't read your mind Sir,' he tells me and keeps his eyes trained on my face but not looking directly at my eyes, 'you were...speaking your thoughts aloud again Sir,' Hunter informs me and he tries to, but he does a bad job of it to keep the laughter from his voice.

'Oh for the love of the Gods!' I groan out loud, I would scrub my hand over my face for my shame but both my hands are occupied at the moment and that reminds me of why I'm here.

'Anyway Sir,' Hunter speaks moving towards me after getting himself quickly under control, 'what's the problem?' He asks and then proceeds to lead the way into his tent and holds the flap up for me to duck under and quickly place Briar down on an empty cot bed.

'It's Briar here,' I tell Hunter straight away, 'something's not right with her, she's suddenly fallen ill, looks pale, feels cold, acted like any exertion was a tremendous task and was complaining of maybe having a headache,' I list her symptoms to Hunter who nods and begins taking her pulse and starts to rummage in a bag off to the side of the tent for something. 'I think though, someone's given her something because no one asked for help for her when she's so obviously in a bad way,' I reveal to Hunter my suspicions.

Hunter stops with what he's doing to look at me and nods, 'I see Sir,' in his understanding way and now instead of doing whatever he was first going to do, he does something different and unexpected now but that's why he is the best mender to have by my side.

His features distort a little as he can choose freely what part of his body he can shapeshift into and still retains his reasoning unlike some shifters who are all or nothing and can't remember anything of importance in the other state of mind most of the time.

Hunter's wolf nose twitches at me for a surreal moment and then he buries it quite suddenly in the crook of Briar's neck and he begins to sniff in earnest and moves down her body, pulling her loose top up to reveal her stomach and the pale moon touched coloured skin.

I couldn't help it and I growled in the back of my throat, a long deep threatening growl that had Hunter stop what he was doing and move away from Briar, he then pauses to look at me with narrow eyes.

'Do I need to order you to leave Sir or will you behave?' Hunter asks cautiously of me.

I pull myself together and speak up, 'I'll behave,' I tell him. That's because I rather see what you're actually doing instead of imagining really bad things I reason to myself in an effort to tame my beast's reactions.

'Sir!' Hunter snaps out in shock, 'I heard that one as well and I am a professional!' He reminds me and this time I slap myself in the face.

'I'm sorry Hunter,' I apologise sincerely and heavily to him, 'I'm a little overtaxed and under slept these last few weeks, it messes with my filter and my control it seems if I push myself beyond six weeks,' I admit to him.