Huntress of Frairn

Chapter 3

Catherine awoke to the smell of bread baking in the oven. For a moment, she thought she was in her parents home, with her mother and father. She could imagine them joking  and laughing with each other. Her daydreams were interrupted by a wet nose, nuzzling her cheek. The dog that had carried her to the house, Zev. Catherine faintly smiled as she rubbed his black ears. 

The smell of bread made her stomach growl. She sat up and swung her legs over the side. The dirt floor was soft and warm on her toes. Looking around the room, Catherine saw a fireplace in the corner. A small, but warm, crackling fire was burning inside. 

"I was wondering when you would wake up." Lukas peered around the corner from the tiny kitchen. "Are you hungry? You've been out for almost a full day."

A day and a half? It had felt as if she had just fallen asleep. Her stomach growled. Lukas enthusiastically nodded and turned back to the kitchen. Catherine quietly tiptoed after him. Lukas was crouching by fire, poking the white-hot coals. The only other items in the kitchen were a few pots and pans, and a table only big enough for two or three people. Lukas sat up and handed her a fresh loaf of bread, wrapped in cloth. She ravenously bit into it. It was very delicious. 

Lukas sat down at the table. He beckoned her to come sit with him, too. Though slowly, Catherine scooted over to the table, and slid into the wooden chair. Lukas seemed to be lost in thought. He was staring at his hands, fiddling with a piece of his tunic. 

Lukas cleared his throat. "Do...do you have any relatives?" 

For a moment, Catherine wondered why he had asked the question. She then realized he wanted to get rid of her. Of course! He didn't want to babysit an orphan. Anger filled her, along with fear. Now that her parents were gone, where was she going to live?

"No, I don't have any relatives." Catherine snapped, "But I won't take up your precious time. I'll go live in the woods somewhere." Even though it would be dangerous, the idea pleased her. 

Lukas smirked, which just angered Catherine even more. "Well, even though I'm sure you could handle yourself, I thought that you might stay here for awhile. It does get quite lonely at times. You could stay in my sons... I mean my spare room."

Catherine's anger subsided. Lukas HAD rescued her from the woods. He had also taken care of her while she slept. 

"I guess I could live with you. But I have a condition." Thinking Lukas was going to stop her, Catherine rambled on. "I want to learn how to live on my own. When I'm older, I want to be able to learn how to defend myself from the Rebels. I need to learn how to sword fight."

Her own words surprised her. She had never had an interest in the arts of swordplay before, but losing her parents had awakened something her in. Something that no child should ever have to go through. 

"Alright." Lukas agreed. "I'll teach you sword fighting. Simple. But I must warn you, I will be gone some days. My job requires that I must be there twice a week."

"What is your job?" 

"Eh... well, the thing is..." Seeing her expression darkening, Lukas smiled. "It is a top secret. I will tell you when you are older. For now, you can practice swordplay."

"Fine." Catherine glumly said. She had a feeling in her gut that hr life was going to be better. Though not as good as her life with her parents. Catherine pushed those thoughts away. It would be best if I forgot them, she thought. Looking back at Lukas, she set her jaw. Trying to make herself look confident, Catherine lifted her chin up. "When can we start?"

                                                                                  ************

"Hold your sword higher! No, not that high!" Sighing, Lukas strode towards Catherine, who was awkwardly holding her sword above her head. The girl was learning fast. He had been teaching her swordplay for over a week now. 

"Here." Lukas moved her petite arm to the right angle. "There you go. Now try to block my attack." He slowly, but forcefully swung his sword at Catherine's right side. She quickly parried the attack and tried to swing back at him, but Lukas easily sidestepped. 

"I told you to only work on blocking!" He snapped. Seeing defiance flash across the girl's features, he softened his tone. "If you can't block, you won't last a minute. It is better to play defense than offense. We will try again tomorrow."

Catherine slid her sword into a sheath that Lukas had given her. He could tell that she wanted to keep on training, but she didn't push the matter. She was defiantly an independent child. 

"Where is Ranulf?" Catherine looked around for the white wolf. She had been following him around ever since she was strong enough to walk outside. Ranulf avoided her the best he could, but the girl wouldn't give up. She would sit outside for hours, clicking her tongue and cooing at Ranulf. He had eventually walked back into the cave next to Lukas's house. 

"He must be off hunting somewhere." 

"Well, I'm going to keep trying to be his friend." Catherine unsheathed her sword. "Can we fight some more? I'm not tired, I promise."

Her pleading eyes looked up into Lukas's bright blue ones. If people saw them together in the market, they might think she was his daughter. They had the same black hair. They both had peculiar colored eyes. The biggest difference between them was the girls personality. She was a stubborn, independent little sprite. Lukas had considered taking Catherine with him when he went away to his job, but thought otherwise. She was too proud. She needed to learn to obey orders before Lukas ever showed her the camp. No, she wasn't ready yet. 

Lukas un-sheathed his long, iron sword. "I suppose, but if you get hit one time, you have to help me with supper tonight."

A sly grin came over the girls face. "Too bad for you then, because I won't be helping you."

Lukas chuckled. "Ha! We will see about that! Now, get ready... START!"