A-Hunting We Will Go

"We need food," Lavinia grunted angrily. The other Marked ignore her overly obvious observation, but they couldn't ignore the fact that she was right. They were out of food, the world was frozen over, and they would all die soon if somebody couldn't think of something.

"I guess we could go hunting," Lavinia's devoted husband murmured, joining her at her barstool seat.

"What? No, John. It's too cold," Lavinia scowled firmly at her beloved. For all her wicked ways, she loved her John too much to have him needlessly risk his life trying to find something out there in the frozen weather. Humans weren't the only ones dropping like flies.

"Yeah, what would you even find?" Sarah asked from a nearby table, voicing Lavinia's thoughts. "This place has offered me the first food I've seen since the real winter!" she remarked bitterly. Behind her, Rosalie was crawling around in circles on the floor.

"Well actually, there is a good chance that we will find something, just as long as we look in the right place," Henry interrupted.

"What do you mean?" James asked, first to recover his wits. He and Tim were comparing hunting knives when Henry had spoken.

"I mean that probably, if we go to places in SC that are naturally cold, we will find something. Probably foxes, bears, or other creatures fit to deal with the cold," Henry explained. He was a hunter, so he'd know.

"But isn't that just the problem?" asked Mary, her bulldog on her lap. "SC isn't cold," she paused before sighing heavily. "At least, not this cold."

"Some places are," Edward said to her. "Henry is right. I've been there before myself. I've killed hares there!"

"But we need something bigger than a few stringy rabbits!" James argued.

"Well, you aren't exactly the best person to get advice from," Storm snickered and the others echoed the sound knowingly. They all knew James and his family were cannibals but they weren't afraid. James had vowed never to eat a Marked.

"Look, guys. None of this matters. We need food and that's the long and the short of it. It doesn't matter where we need to go or what we're going to be hunting, we just need food and we need it fast!" Tim interrupted them all, deep voice thrumming loudly. The other Marked were silenced. The man had a point. "I may be new here but I've got a big, big gun and she's ready to shoot. I just need something to shoot!" he said impatiently. It was clear that he didn't care where or what they hunted, so long as they hunted. His determination did get the others somewhat back on track and it was finally John who offered a solution. Rosalie crawled over to the fireplace, trying to warm herself with the dying embers.

"There are a few black bears native to SC. They won't be very meaty but if we can find them, who knows?" he asked. Black bears. Now that was a thought. But it was either that or humans and so far, James and his brood were the only ones who felt fully comfortable with eating a human. The others would if it came to it, but they still believed in trying to avoid cannibalism as long as possible. James hadn't felt the same. He hadn't wanted to eat humans but the moment that became a viable option, he took it. Now here he sat, listening as his comrades suggested trying to hunt animals. He had the propriety not to try and convince them just to heat human anymore.

"So black bears?" Tender asked finally. John nodded. "Ok. Sign me and Storm up."

What ensued was a mini argument over who was getting to go hunting.

"I want to go!" Edward pleaded eagerly, waving his sword. It was short but it was real. He hadn't been lying about killing several hares on it and, if his mark was true, that wasn't the only thing to meet its bitter end on Edward's sword.