𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝙱𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚁𝚞𝚗....

𝙸𝚇

"Amaya! Give me a boost!" Willow shouted to me. I locked my hands together, and she used them as a step stool as I launched her into the air.

She flipped mid-air and landed on a tree branch just above me. I took a few steps back and got a running start before I jumped upwards, Willow grabbing my hands and swinging me up onto a branch.

We had practiced moves like this several times, and now it was coming in handy.

We both notched two arrows before letting them fly. They all made a *thunk* sound as they hit their targets, which were dracaenae.

We were passing through New York and were almost to the border of Connecticut.

It had been a week since we had parted ways with the Hunters of Artemis, so it was now mid-April. The goal was to make it to camp before May.

The hybrid cat that I had named Shadow, swooped down and slashed the dracaenae with her claws, turning it to monster dust immediately.

"Good work Shadow." I praised as she flew back to sit on my shoulder. I scrated her under the chin and she started purring. I smiled, happy that she was getting more comfortable with everyone.

Luna and Ash joined us up in the tree, while Maya, Alaska, Zada, and Ember laid down at the base of the tree to rest.

I tossed down a pouch to Oakley who caught it. The pouch had bowls to put food and water in for the dogs, which Oakley set out, while up in the tree, Willow and I put down a bowl of seeds and granola for the two birds, and a bowl of food for Shadow.

I swung my legs slightly as I ate my sandwich, "Hey Willow?" I turned to my friend. She hummed to show that she was listening. "Since we aren't with the hunters anymore, we aren't training with them anymore either." Willow turned her body to be fully facing me.

"What are you thinking Shadow Girl..?" She asked, quirking and eyebrow at me.

"Well, I was thinking... What if I summoned the spirit of a fallen hunter?" I looked at her nervously, unsure how she might react.

"That's actually not a bad idea— We should ask Melody and Celeste what they think." Willow smiled at me. "Sounds good!"

I called upon the two spirits, and they appeared to us. "Hey Amaya! How's it going?" Melody asked cheerfully. "Willow and I were wondering if it's a good or bad idea to summon the spirit of a fallen Hunter of Artemis to help us continue our training?"

Melody and Celeste seemed to have a silent conversation before Celeste broke the silence. "I don't see why not." She shrugged. "Awesome! Thank you guys!" I grinned.

I swung from the branch I was on to the ground, tucking a rolling back into a standing position so I wouldn't break any bones.

Willow packed up the things that were still up in the tree before tossing the pack down to me, which I caught, before dropping back down to the ground in the same manner that I had.

Willow grabbed a stick off the ground and pulled out her spell book, flipping through the pages until she found the right spell. Willow quickly skimmed the page and then shut the book, placing it back in her bag.

She chanted the words of the spell, and then suddenly the stick morphed into a shovel. Willow handed it over to me and I started digging.

After a few minutes, I had a rectangular grave that was a couple inches deep. Perfect for summoning a spirit.

I pulled out a vial of red liquid from my bag. Animal blood. Yeah, yeah, gross or whatever, but it was easier to get sometimes seeing as we mainly hunt for our food these days, rather than steal it.