The Lost Princess (1st book of the Protector Series)

Chapter 25

Peter was the first to stir awake between the two of them. He kept his eyes shut and listened, waiting for whatever woke him up to happen again, but it didn't.

The fire had died down over the course of the night, and nothing else stirred in the early morning air. It was peaceful, quiet even, and for some reason, it was too quiet for his liking.

Peter slowly opened an eye but kept his head near his sister's head and didn't move an inch. His breathing was still even and quiet, and he made sure that whoever was out there didn't know he was awake and aware of his surroundings.

He had no idea where his blood brother was at, not able to feel him nor his horses near the area he and his sister had been sleeping.

He had no idea if they had been caught or hurt or what, and he prayed that they were safe and together.

That only left his sister and the mystery person watching them sleep...

The person didn't move towards them nor did they do anything to them or the area they were in.

All they did was watch them, and it felt as if they were watching over them, protecting then from the unknown.

All too soon the stillness was broken when his horse whinnied in warning, and the feeling of being watched left him just as fast as it came by.

Peter "stirred" and sat up quickly as if his horse had woken him up. He moved away from his sister and grabbed his bow and an arrow before he knelt down beside the now awake female and waited for whoever to appear.

"Peter?" his sister asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She sat up, and her whole body was tense while she stared at the male standing in front of her with his bow taunt. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Peter didn't say a word and moved a hand to signal that she should stay silent while he felt the pounding hooves of his horses coming towards them, and he had a feeling that Silon was with them.

His sister stayed silent and moved closer to the other male. Her whole body was tense while she looked around, but she couldn't see anything nor did she sense the person that her brother felt.

Finally, she couldn't take the silence any longer and shifted closer to him. "What is it?" she asked again, her voice barely above a whisper while she ignored her brother's warning. "What's wrong?"

Again, Peter signalled for her to stay silent, and he kept his eyes trained on the area where he knew that his horse and brother would appear from. His whole body was still rigid, and it took all of his self-control not to get up and meet them.

The horses and Silon burst through the bushes and made it back to the two companions with Silon holding some meat in his jowls. The horses moved closer to the two on the ground while Silon started to inspect the area, trying to pick up any scent that might have been left from whoever was watching them.

Peter's eyes were solely trained on his brother while he sniffed around to make sure that they were alone. He was on edge because his brother's hackles were raised, and he had a feeling that he had picked up a scent but it had disappeared as quickly as it came.

"Well?" he asked finally when his brother's hackles became lower, and the wolf prince started to trot towards them. "Are we safe?"

Silon nodded, the rabbit swinging back and forth in his mouth with the movement of his head. He stopped in front of them and dropped the rabbit before he shifted into his human form. "I caught breakfast," he said. "It's not a lot, but..." He shrugged and grimaced.

"It is fine," Peter said and relaxed slowly, putting down his bow and arrow. "I had packed some extra food and whatnot when I felt something in the air shift. I have enough to last us a couple of days."

Willow wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips in disgust at the sight of the rabbit but stayed silent. She had no idea if she was supposed to eat that or not, and she prayed that it wouldn't be the case.

"I also got food for you, too, Will," Peter said while he looked at her. "I wasn't going to let you starve under my watch." He winked with a small smile on his face, and she rolled her eyes at him and stayed silent.

Silon looked at the two of them, amused before he solely looked at Peter. "Should we cook and eat it now, or should we cook and eat it later?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question.

Peter looked around before he looked at his brother. "Later," he replied, and Silon nodded. "We should get started and get further away from the forest than we are right now."

The wind blew gently from the forest and twisted through their hair. It whispered an apology and a sense of encouragement as if it knew that it would be the last time they would be this close to it.

Peter closed his eyes and listened to the wind, his heart aching. He was going to miss being under its branches but knew that it'd be for the best of his sister and the whole community that they served.

Willow looked at her brother before she looked towards the forest. She didn't like what it had done to him and prayed that the next time they entered it, it wouldn't try to turn her brother against her.

If only she knew why it did it in the first place...

Peter cleared his throat and shifted on his feet before he turned to his sister and helped her stand. "Let's get everything packed and make it look like we haven't been here. I have a feeling later down the road, we'll have to travel by night instead of the day."

Silon nodded silently because he felt the same way as his brother. He picked up the rabbit and walked over to his bag where Cerina had given him something to put his kills in so that they wouldn't attract other predators to them or for them to get rotten before they could eat.

Willow watched Silon for a second before she started to help her brother pack up everything that Silon had taken out last evening.

She had no idea where they were going and prayed that she would stay alive to enter the trees again.

The young princess could hear them beckoning, calling her to go under again, but she stayed put under the watchful gaze of the horses and her brother's dragon overhead.

Her brother tapped her on her arm, and she looked at him to see that he was staring at her with concern in his eyes and a frown on his lips.

She slowly blinked and cocked her head, going back into the present. "Yes?" she asked, her cheeks turning red while she looked at the ground, not able to meet his gaze any longer. "What is it?"

"Are you ok?" he asked softly, and she hesitated but nodded. Peter frowned and narrowed his eyes while he scowled when she nodded because he knew that she was lying. "Don't lie to me, Will," he warned. "What is it? Are you ok?"

Willow sighed and shrugged while she shook her head and cleared her throat. "I don't know," she replied honestly. "I... want to go back into the forest again... but I know that I can't." She looked at her brother, letting him see the pain and sadness that she wanted to keep hidden from him.

Peter slowly nodded, and a look of understanding flickered on his face. "I know," he said softly. He nudged her shoulder and offered her a small smile. "We will be able to go back there someday, and I will get to show you everything that I know and have learned."

Hope filled her body, and she looked at him with eyes wide and filled with hope. "Promise?" she asked, her voice breathless and barely above a whisper. "Do you really mean that?"

Peter smiled and nodded. "Promise."

He cleared his throat and grew serious while he grabbed her robe's hood and pulled it over her head. "Now, come, let's get you ready to go on a new adventure where new sights and friends await."