Silver Shackles

Chapter 3

We'd been eating snow rabbits he captured around the main road. Snow hadn't started falling yet, but it'd gotten cold enough to do so. I lent my trench coat to Baal, so he could wear it over his own cloak and perhaps keep himself warmer without the need of magic. The man kept saying how he was okay, that I didn't need to worry but his shivering and goosebumps had clearly stated otherwise. Baal was a stubborn person, he could be freezing to death and he would never admit it.

Today he chased a deer. Baal was a speedy fellow, quiet and damn deadly. Which is why he hunted "alone". He never noticed me following him, or at least he seemed like he hadn't. He found his prey and set himself to shoot it down.

Baal hunting was one of the sexiest things I had ever witnessed in my long life. The way his eyes glistened as they sharpened and narrowed down on his prey was mesmerizing, how his muscles tensed as he drew on his bow... Oh, he was so handsome. The man would stand still, aiming at his prey, much like a marble statue, before he finally breathed in and released the bolt, his entire body relaxing once the arrow was on its way. The complete procedure was a total work of art. The way even his killing seemed so delicate and refined was way too much to bear. If I had to describe this... well, it'd be as love at first sight.

Baal's arrow shot through the air and hit its target, the deer fell sideways twitched and moved no more. The hunter hurried over to it and stroke its fur. With his actions, he made sure the creature wasn't alive before he picked it up and swung it over his shoulders.

"Your stance is absolutely flawless, simply beautiful." Baal jumped and screamed a curse before he glared at me with rage-filled eyes.

"WHY would you sneak up on someone who's hunting?! It's fucking quiet out here, you shit for brains!" He exclaimed getting the jump scare off his system. "Unbelievable, GODDESS."

"Hahaha, I'm not sorry. You're quite a show to watch, we're having deer tonight?"

"Pretty much, I might poison your share, but yes." Baal replied still rather pissed off.

"I wouldn't mind having it anyway." I half intended to flirt and managed to make Baal smirk amused.

"So, you wouldn't mind if I killed you? Are you sure your ego can handle getting murdered by a simple human?" He got near me with the deer carcass over his shoulders and pursed his lips.

"What is that? What are you doing? Are you some sort of horny duck?" I teased again and Baal grunted frustrated. "It looks adorable compared to your usual sexy shenanigans."

"You're awful. Fucking dipshit." Baal basically spat acid at me and continued his way to where we settled camp.

I followed him and when we got to camp I saw him grab some rope. He tied the deer up and hung it to a nearby tree. I sat down by the campfire, we decided that it'd be more convenient in this cold to have an actual fire place than Baal working as a life powered lighter. Using life energy is exhausting, especially if one used it in a continuous manner. Baal told me he wasn't having any sort of trouble using it, but I refused to risk having him drop unconscious on a random moment.

He took out his hunting knife and started skinning the creature. He peeled the skin off the deer with expertise, not letting a single drop of blood on his clothes. While he did the bloody work, I set myself to build us a cooking place with random wood.

"Wish we could stew this thing." Baal commented as he continued to skin the deer. Nasty sounds, a combination of slipping and ripping noises, formed part of the background.

"Me too, it's one of my favorite human foods." I chuckled remembering how great it tasted from an old memory. There weren't many deer down South, it had been years since I had eaten some deer stew.