The Hunting

Chapter 16

"Where am I?" Josh spoke in a whisper that somehow traveled to my position. At the moment I was standing in the middle of a wooded area searching for my new training instructor, Joshua. Roman insisted that I lay off boxing and anything too physical since I worked hard yesterday and my knuckles were bruised. So here I am working on using my senses. "Zariya, don't just stand there, use your nose and ears." He commanded. I huffed but obeyed.

Closing my eyes, I listened to the trees sway back and fourth. Soon I picked up faint breathing coming from the north. I then sniffed the air. A clean cottony musk mixed with a woodsy scent caught my senses and I realized Josh wasn't to the north but to the east. I scanned the bushes but found no movement. The trees! I thought. Nonchalantly I bent down and picked up a handful of small rocks. I looked around making it seem as if I didn't know where he was. As fast as I could I spun around and threw the tiny pebbles into the tree I was sure Josh was hiding in.

"What the crap!" I heard him grumble before seeing him jump out of the tall tree. His face was bright red informing me that I actually hit my target. I began to laugh as Josh stood there rubbing his face gently. Joshua was slim and tall yet built thicker than most vampires. With brown hair and blue eyes he would be considered handsome to any female.

"I'm sorry! I really didn't think I would hit you!" I apologized while still laughing. He chuckled.

"It's okay. I told you to find me and you did so I guess that's better than nothing!" He smiled. "After the first seven times of not finding me and me having to find you after you got lost I really didn't expect you to find me as fast as you did this time." I rolled my eyes.

"I was ninety-nine percent sure I had your trail back there and the next thing I know I'm tackling an innocent man who was just hunting and we go rolling down a hill!" I threw my hands up in defense. Josh started laughing recalling how he went looking for me after waiting for fifteen minutes and stumbled upon me laying on top of some stranger covered in dirt with twigs all in my hair.

"That was priceless! But furthermore you did really great this last time. Tomorrow I'll teach you the right way to sneak up on the target and attack him instead of using rocks or anything else that could potential harm me." I laughed and nodded. "Come on, I'll take you back to Cambren's house."

After making it back to the training field we stopped. "My house is back that way so we'll split up here." He said.

"Oh wait! I got a question!" I said before he was able to take a step.

"Shoot." He said smiling.

"How did you make your voice travel across the forest?" I asked truly curious. He chuckled and shook his head.

"I won't teach you that now but maybe later, okay?" He smiled.

"Okay, see you at the picnic!"

"Okay, oh! You might want to get rid of all that nature that's now tangled into your hair." He laughed. I smiled back and waved goodbye as I walked towards the house. I liked Josh, he was nice and patient, even when I failed the training exercise over and over again.

"I'm thinking practice went good due to that smile on your face." Brayla said down the hall. Just as I was coming in through the back doors, she was entering the front one. I nodded.

"Yep! I had fun and Joshua was super nice!" Brayla smiled at me and wiggled her eyebrows.

"Joshua is very nice, plus he's a total gentleman." She smiled. "Does Z have a crush?" She teased.

"What?" That husky voice from this morning asked at the same time as I shouted no. I turned to see a shirtless sweaty Roman enter through the back doors.