The Scavenger Hunt

Chapter 1 part 1

The outside of my house was wet. Drenched by the rain last night and drenched by the rain right now. The air was moist, a cold senstation dropped by in my body wanting me to cover myself up in sheets of blankets. "This is a good time for hot chocolate." I said.

My brother looked at me as he carefully sipped his warm milk with his hands all covered up. "Well you didn't tell me you wanted one. I could've made one for you. I'd even put those little marshmallows just like you want it to."

"Sorry, I got stuck looking at which raindrop would reach the bottom of the window first. It always seems as if they bump into each other to make themselves heavier so that they would drop down easier." The sight of the raindrops outside the window calmed me, but I wouldn't have minded drinking some hot chocolate while I watched it.

"Make me one then please!" I demanded with a smile.

Hunter walked towards me with my favorite cow themed cup. Mom had given it to me way back when she had still worked on that construction sight a few years back south of Malley.

He served it to me with a distinct tone in his voice. "Here you go then Hibiscus." His eyes were dark and black just like mine and they seemed to twinkle for a second or two until he looked back to get some food on the table. He sat down next to me and was chomping down on some midget sized cookies we had baked just this morning.

"So how are the cookies? Do they taste any good?"

"They're a little bit bland for my taste but they'll do, after all we did make these together didn't we?"

I looked at him with disapproval. "Let me taste one of those then." I took one bite from the cookie he held out in his hand. "You're a liar Hunter! These taste good, not as good as mom makes them, but good."

He gave me a smile that meant either I was too gullible or that I couldn't take a joke. Maybe he even meant both. I was just about to charge at him for no apparent reason when something dropped into the chimney of the house. I then saw big white birds fly away gracefully outside the window.

"Those were Regal Eagles weren't they Hunter? Then that means they're from the citadel."

Hunter picked up a scroll that was nestled among the ashes of last night's fire. "It's a message from the citadel alright." He looked stern as he was reading everything written in the scroll.

"What does it say then? The citadel doesn't just send scrolls to every house in Plethora."

Hunter looked at me blankly for a few seconds as if analyzing the situation. He then read the text which was written on the scroll.

Greetings from the imperial citadel,

As another year approaches, we must continue our annual tradition here in Plethora. We are indeed very happy to announce the rebirth of the 100th Scavenger Hunt which will be held three days after today. Gather around the city grounds after dawn and get a chance to be one of the lucky few to be part of this year's celebration. May you all remember the reason why we do this.

The pride and glory of you all,

King Semerion

"This could be it Hunter, the very thing we might have been waiting for."

Hunter stiffened up a little. "No, we're doing just fine the way it is. This isn't the time for us to be taking such risks."

The sight of him saying such things brought me to a complete boil. "How could you say that? This might be the only chance we get of seeing mom again, just like it was before they took her away."

"Hibiscus, mom wouldn't like it any other way. This is too dangerous. All they want is to draw us in, like fishes. Once we take a bite of their bait, they'll be the one to decide our fate."

Mixed emotions started to kick in. Hunter was right, but at some point it just didn't seem right anymore. "They've already decided how we live our lives don't they? They've given us nothing but what they want. The city might not know their being monopolized but I'm not the city!"

I got furious that very moment, the rain outside had softened up to a drizzle. I stormed outside with nothing more than what I wore : a little white dress and slippers.

As soon as I stepped outside the house. A cold breeze tingled straight down my spine but my mind was completely focused about the discussion with Hunter. I went to the back of the house and peered inside the dwellings of my horse. She magnificently stood up from her comfortable position as she eyed me. Her white coat was damp. I guess the chill outside of the wind mixed with the rain broke inside of her roof. "Mango, I'm sorry for bothering you on this very fine weather we're having but I need you right now. You're the only one I can turn to at times like this. Mango gestured at me as if she was okay with it. I walked straight at her and felt her smooth silky pelage. I attached a saddle on her back and climbed my way up. The next thing I knew is that I'm out in the open without a care in the world. Mango and I were both soaked wet as we both ventured out into the woods.

"Hunter just doesn't seem to understand things , Mango. He keeps on denying the fact that without the Scavenger Hunt, mom might possibly be gone for good." Mango neighed as if she completely understood what I was saying. It felt good, to talk to someone without the knowledge that they might be judging you by what you were saying, it was great. That's why I was always happy when Mango and I go on our daily routine of strolling along wherever my mind and her feet takes us. It was a way for me to relax my mind and bond with her.

Mango and I kept our adventures to ourselves, I didn't want Hunter to know where we were going. It would just make things complicated. The fact is, Hunter just knows Mango and I spend a lot of time by the stream or out in the plains. He thinks that because I told him that. But sometimes, I just wish that he knew what was really going around. It would make me more complacent. "Hunter just needs to loosen up sometimes, Mango. He needs to know how big of a deal this is for all of us." Mango replied with a head shaking snort. She always knew just what to say even if what she's saying wasn't exactly words. Still, it was very comforting.

The woods seemed to be thickening up as we continued our little adventure. The trees looked as if they stretched out their branches in the direction they wanted Mango and I to go. I wasn't scared one bit, I was into these kind of things, mystery driven travels, not knowing what might happen at each bending turn you take and each single step you make. But I wasn't stupid. I would always be ready for whatever would face me. That's because I have a little compartment custom made by Hunter beside Mango's saddle to put stuff in just in case. It's mostly filled with food, water and all the essentials, but I also had a dagger that Hunter gave me for these kinds of situations.

A sudden sound erupted from the back. It startled Mango a bit but I wasn't shaken at all. I decided to order her to gallop a little faster. We started to end up on a stretched out path that led darker out into the woods. I had the bright idea to turn around just to be sure and because we haven't traveled this far before. There seemed to be something following us because I sensed a presence and I guess Mango did too because she felt very uneasy. I gripped the dagger in the little compartment. We stopped for a minute. Moments of silence flew in the atmosphere. Nothing but the gust of the gentled out wind was heard and the occasional sound of an owl. A twig snapped once and I was pretty sure it wasn't the work of nature.