Heir to the Ice Queen (Book 1)

Ch. 23

     "All right, tonight's practice is going to go a little different," Nazim said when all of us were together, "Zinnia, Ray, Kaden and I are going to be a team."

     I looked around, "Uhm, so I don't have a team?"

     "Well, seeing as how you are more powerful than the rest of us, you against four shouldn't be a problem," He said with ease.

     Nuri came rubbing his face on my calf, "Well I want Nuri on my team."

     "You don't even know why we're having teams," Zinnia whined, "You can't bring in a tiger and a royal."

     "I'm a royal too," Nazim said, acting offended.

     "You know what I mean," She replied, and they looked at each other longer than usual. While on the other hand, I was trying my best not to glance over at Ray. Poor Kaden is starting to be the odd one out of this group.

     Nazim cleared his throat, "It's fine, Nuri can play too. We are going to be in his home."

     "Well, what's the game," Ray finally spoke. His voice didn't have his usual upbeat tone.

     "We are going hunting in the jungle," Kaden said.

     So the rules to this hunt were pretty simple, who ever found and brought back the wild boar with a black silk ribbon tied around it's tusks to the castle wins. Another rule was that it needed to be alive, therefore Nuri cannot have it as a late night snack. Which might add on difficulty to me. With that being said I asked if the game would be over if we already found the boar dead, Nazim just shrugged and said everyone loses.

     We were right along the outside of the jungle, all five of us - plus Nuri - were in our running stance ready to charge in. Even though my outburst earlier with Ray left me slightly weak, and the never leaving heat irritation just below my skin was a constant reminder of the summers warmth, I pushed it to the far back of my mind where I would deal with it later. Right now adrenaline pumped through my veins, I wanted to win - to prove to myself that I was not weak.

     With the sun down and moon hardly full, our setting was dark. I felt the glowing eyes of the night animals looking at. The warm wind tickled my bare skin as all hunting and battle strategy came rushing back into my mind.

     "Ready.... GO!" Nazim yelled over the noise of the jungle, and we all rushed into the trees, weapons in one hand, and rope in the other. Nazim and Zinnia split from their group and started heading to the left side of the jungle while Kaden went right. I just continued to run straight ahead to where I found Nuri, I imagine there must be some prey lingering around if that was his hunting ground, maybe a boar with a silk ribbon on his tusk. 

     I followed Nuri deeper into his home, his paws pounded with each step as he maneuvered his way out of the trees and vines. I wasn't ask fast or quick as he was when dodging or jumping over broken branches or hidden rocks, but I didn't fall behind. From the rear I herd heavy breathing and steps, two at a time - couldn't be an animal. I turned my head slightly to see who was behind me from the sides of my eyes and thought it would be Kaden catching up with me, but instead it was Ray. 

     I silently groaned to myself as I remembered he's a runner. He found me on the beach the morning I came over to summer during his run. Memories of just a few weeks ago came back to me, how I bumped his head as he startled me awake. And seeing him that first time at the beach, with his chocolate like skin soaking up the sun.

     What am I doing? I need to focus. I snapped my thoughts back into the present, to focus. My skin was already heating up from my run, I didn't need to add blushing to it. Nuri had started leading me towards the right of the jungle, we passed some harmless animals who scurried off into hiding. The jungle was just as awake at night as it was in the day. The little bugs and birds made their wings buzz and flaps echo in our surroundings.