The Forbidden Daughter 'Completed'

~Six~

Jewel's Point of View

"Bolta!" I said quickly, snapping my fingers to get his attention. We had no time to mess around today. We needed to stock up on supplies while we could.

He looked at me for a moment before he seemed to grin at me. He had caught a scent, and had been nosing at it the whole walk, when we really needed to look for signs of game.

"Bolta! Look here. It's just a silly animal." I said, slowing down so I could hold my hand on his back to keep my balance. I'd been dizzy since the storm ended this morning, and I didn't know why.

Bolta stilled, looking around. I looked at the ground and saw tracks.

"Good job." I praised him quietly. I took my hand off his back and stepped back against a tree. I slid down the bark and pulled my bow off from my shoulders, along with an arrow. I notched an arrow and drew the string back, waiting for an animal to come across the trail again.

Bolta was still sniffing, which concerned me. Bolta was never this curious about a scent, even when it was fresh game nearby. Suddenly he stood straight and barked loudly, his fur on his back raising.

He sat down after his little scene, looking as if nothing had happened. He turned his head towards me, almost looking like he wanted to ask why I was so quiet.

I sighed, and closed my eyes, easing the pressure on the string. I was so tired, and it was so peaceful here...

I snapped awake, realizing I'd almost drifted off. What was wrong me today? I normally didn't just drift off while hunting. It was just too important to make sure I got a kill. Not to mention that Bolta wasn't the worst thing out there, even during the day.

And I couldn't count of Bolta to protect me while I was sleeping out in the open like this.

Not that I didn't trust him to guard me. But I could use my bow, or even my knife, a lot more effectively than he could with his teeth and claws. Not to mention the whole Bond issue. I couldn't risk him being hurt and leaving both of us wounded for nighttime to come.

I heard a small thump and saw a young buck trotting towards where we were. He only had buttons on his head, and for a moment, I felt guilty. But I had to have food, and if I didn't act on him, I might not see another one today. It'd happened before.

I pulled my arrow back as far as it would go before letting go. The arrow struck his side, where his heart was. He stumbled, before falling to the side. Bolta raced at him, leaping for his throat.

I followed, watching with a sort of fascination. I never liked taking a life, but I couldn't deny the beauty of the final moments. I crouched in front of the buck, looking into his eyes.

"Thank you for letting a forbidden child take your life for her own. Without you, I would not live long." I whispered to him before praying to my mother to watch over his soul.

Bolta released the buck's throat and padded over to where I knelt, putting his head in my lap and closing his eyes as I smiled.

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Ok, yes I know that not everything is one hundred percent accurate, but it mostly is, and again, if you continue reading, this will make sense eventually.