The 7 Deadly Sins - Gluttony (Book 2 of The 7 Deadly Sins Novella Series)

Chapter 4

Morning came quickly but you would never know it in the cave.

"Hungry!" Hagen moaned as he rolled over on the solid floor and started to look around for something to eat.

Eira was pottering around a few metres from them and handed him some branches from the night before to satisfy his hunger.

Talitha slowly opened her eyes and watched her family get ready for the day from a distance.

Still thinking about her plan, she waited until her father announced his solo morning hunt and jumped up,

"Father, can I come with you?" She asked eagerly.

Gunner was still annoyed with Talitha but knew that her hunting skills were the best in the family so he reluctantly agreed and beckoned her towards the boulder closed entrance.

Eira gave her daughter a nervous glare as she watched them head to the entrance with apprehension.

Talitha ignored her mother's telling glare and helped Gunnar push the large boulder to one side with ease and left the other two to investigate the other areas of the cave for possible intruders to eat.

Dew dripped off the leaves as the hazy morning sun slowly reared its head over the still tree tops,

"I smell food that way" Gunnar whispered.

He lifted his enlarged bald head and exhaled deeply.

Talitha followed her father's lead and welcomed scents of meat, blood and protein into her senses.

"That way" she pointed and guided her father to a trio of deer in a small clearing ahead.

Ready to get back into Gunnar's good graces, Talitha set about to getting breakfast for the family so her father would be more receptive to her dangerous plan.

Carefully circling the animals, they stopped grazing on the foliage for a moment and pricked their ears up to the sky with foreboding.

The atmosphere became thick and tense as Gunnar watched on with excitement gleaming from his eyes.

The trio of deer became agitated, knowing there was an unseen danger near and started to look for all available exits but it was too late.

Within seconds of marking her prey, Talitha used her super speed and created of a circle of death around the petrified animals and killed all three in one go.

Dropping to the ground in a thud, Gunnar clapped his giant claws in glee at his daughter's success and joined her next to the carcasses to help take them back to the cave.

The pair flung the deer over their shoulders with ease as Gunnar proceeded to take two of the animals, leaving Talitha feeling proud and satisfied with using her super strength to take one back to her mother and brother,

"I'm proud of you, daughter" Gunnar stated with a smile.

"Thank you, father" Talitha replied as she hesitantly waited for her moment to announce her plan.

The pair casual walked back to the cave, making small talk and discussing where their next meal was going to come from.

As they reached the entrance to the cave, Talitha knew it was now or never to ask her father's permission to excuse her plan.

She dropped the deer to the ground and stopped, looking at the clear morning sky for support.

Gunnar looked back at his daughter in confusion,

"Why you stop?" He asked curiously.

Talitha stepped closer Gunnar but kept a healthy distance, unsure how he would react to her plan.

She shifted around from one foot to another, nervously trying to build the courage up,

"What is wrong?" Gunnar pressed, becoming agitated at delaying his deer feast.

Talitha took a deep breath and pressed on the picture frame in her pocket for courage,

"Father, I want to be human. I want to be human to bring back riches and then I will be with Elof after" she tried.

Gunnar dropped the dead animals from his hunched shoulders and regarded his daughter with frustration.

"No! You be with Elof like plan. No human change. Human change dangerous. Longer human, less troll. Less troll, less troll powers. Longer human, less life" Gunnar angrily stated.

Talitha looked at him in confusion.

She thought her father would relish the idea of more riches, especially after her failed attempt the previous night.

"I would lose troll powers?" She asked in bewilderment.

Talitha knew that not many trolls ever shapeshifted into human form but never knew why.

Gunnar nodded firmly and concluded,

"Stick to plan and be with Elof".

He picked back up the dead animals, swung them back over each shoulder with ease and walked into the cave entrance, leaving Talitha to look at the picture from her pocket and wonder if she only shapeshifted for a short amount of time, she could get the riches and be back in time to fulfil her families wish of uniting with Elof.

Talitha joined her family in the cave and presented them with the deer as they all tucked into the morning feast, leaving Talitha to devise her plan of deceiving her family to become human until the next full moon.

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