The Hunted: Book One In The Hunted Trilogy

Bitten

Sally slowly gained conciseness of her surroundings. She felt, not hard rock of a dungeon floor, but the softness of a standard feather pillow. Slowly, with unopened eyes, Sally moved her hand across her torso and felt the fabric of a rough blanket. Moving her leg gently around, Sally felt the crisp feeling of freshly washed sheets. Voices whispered around her, as Sally sat bolt upright sending sheering pain threw her torso and making her really dizzy.

"Careful now," Menark moved from the back of the group and sat on the side of Sally's bed, "you lost a lot of blood."

"Where am I?" Sally lay back gently onto her pillow.

"Sampsons," Menark explained, "in the hospital room."

"How long have I been out?" Sally turned to her old history teacher, Professor Ursine.

"Three weeks," Professor Ursine said.

"What's going to happen to me?" Sally knew if she was out for three weeks that soon she'd shift and put the whole school and village in danger.

"Well," Professor Ursine shuffled his feet.

"It hasn't exactly been discussed," Menark mumbled only loud enough for Sally to hear.

"The full moon rises soon," Sally, ignoring the pain in her leg and side, sat strait up "and my fate hasn't been discussed yet!"

"You must understand," the battle trainer, Professor Wagner, stepped into Sally's view, "only two percent of hunters get bitten in a fight."

"And of that two percent," Professor Ursine looked at sally, "only point five percent survive the first change."

"So," Sally relaxed a little, "there is a chance I wont make it threw the first night."

"Now, now," Menark spoke, "don't say that so lightly."

"Yeah," an older man sally didn't recognize was standing behind Professor Ursine, "Lamace has built a nice safe place-"

"The only safe place is the wood," Sally, who was laying back on her bed at the time, sat upright again with a screams as pain shot threw her side once more, "that is why my mother went there eleven years ago!"

"Take it slow," Menark said as Sally swung her legs over the side of her bed.

Looking down Sally saw her leg was rapped with a crisp white bandage. Feeling the side of her hospital gown, sally was sure that the same bandage was around her waist. Sally slowly stood up trying not to put to much weight on her bandaged leg. She tried to step on her hurt leg, pain shredded her mussels and she fell forward, Menark grabbed her arm right before she fell on her face.

"Let us help you," Menark and Lamace, the tall staunch man Menark had pointed to when talking to sally, grabbed both of Sally's arms and helped her stand up, "where were you going any way?"

"Just trying to stand," Sally placed her weight on her right leg, the wolf had bitten Sally's left leg. "what is going to happen to Henry?"

"That," the whole groups demeanor changed as Professor Ursine spat out every word, "has been decided!"

"How?" Sally was more than angry at Henry, the pain of betrayal from her prior fiance broke her heart.

"His sentence," Menark readjusted his shoulder under Sally's weight, "is death."

"Oh," Sally's face fell, after all that had happened to her at the hand of her once betrothed, she felt sad at this news.

But, she knew what the law of hunter told:

If another hunter betrays the people or village they protect, the consequence is to be imprisoned, but, if a fellow hunter is severely hurt of killed because of the betrayal the hunter is executed.

"They are going to stake him," Eric's voice came from the bed next to sally, "every ones been worried about if-"

Sally knew he would have said 'if we have to hunt you,' but he had kept it to him self. "What every is best for the village people and this school."

"I know," Eric gulped, worry covered his face.

"You are free to go Eric," the nurse next to Eric finished checking the rapping on Eric's legs.

"Thank you nurse," Eric got up, "I hope we see each other more."

"Yeah," Sally answered, wondering, would I be able to kill a fellow hunter?

"Now, now," Menark scolded, "don't go counting your wolves tell there dead!"

"Where is it?" Sally asked trying to take a step, "Henry's execution?"

"In the courtyard," Menark frowned.

"And when is it?" Sally, with the help of Menark and Lamace, started to walk down the hall from the hospital room.

"In three hours," Menark mumbled.

"What time is it?" Sally asked

"Six o'clock." Foot steps thundered down the halls after a long high pitched horn sounded threw the school. Sally watched a hoard of student charge the dinning hall. Loud excited voices filled the air as student talked about the exams coming up that week.

"Should I really be going in there," Sally stopped at the door to the dinning hall, "most of the hunter will know what I am by now?"

"You'll be fine," Menark laughed his haughty laugh.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive," Lamace smile as they entered the giant dinning hall.

The hall was bright with morning sun that flooded the hall from the large window in the back. About two-hundred tables filled the room. Most now filled with students, Sally shook as she was lead into the room.

"Why don't you go eat?" Menark gave sally some wooden crutches. Sally turned toward the long table that served as a buffet line.

Along it sat sizzling bacon, hot buttered pancakes, biscuits, stake (food, not weapon), and many a Romanian delicacy.

"Morning Miss Mueller," a sly voice whispered in Sally's ear.

"Morning Professor Sampson," Sally laughed, almost dropping her plate of food, "how are you ?"

"Fine, fine," Sampson seemed preoccupied to Sally, "why don't you go sit with your friends? Mr. Johnson seems a little over excited."

"Have a nice day sir," Sally limped off to the table where Eric was standing on he's chair waving his hand high in the air as if signaling a boat. At the table with Eric sat, Janace, Ace, Marco, Peter, Kanye, Lace, and Jack.

"Where is Johnny and Anna?" Sally placed her tray onto the table top.

"Saying goodbye," Eric murmured. The group, who had been talking, fell silent for the rest of breakfast tell a man came up.

"Sally Mueller," he announced, "Sampson wants you."

"Why?" Sally looked at Eric who just shrugged. Sally shoved the last bite of pancake in her mouth and ran to meet up with the tall man.