The Hunting

Chapter 32

I watched as Nate and Jaiver walked back towards us. I wonder what they talked about. I looked at Jaiver, his expression was blank. When I turned my attention towards Nate, who was now standing in front of me. His eyebrows were furrowed and he was frowning. He's worried. I sighed and looked at him, he met my gaze and shook his head gently. I glanced to see all the hunters saying their goodbyes to Jaiver. My attention got drawn back to Nate when he grabbed my hands. He looked like he was about to explode. My eyes met his as he drew me in for another hug.

I patted him on the back, "Nate, don't worry. I will see you before you know it."

He squeezed me tighter as if he didn't want to let me go. "Arden, I can't stop myself from worrying. What if I never see you again?"

I tried to lighten the mood by laughing, but it came out weak, "Well, just know that I went out helping other people."

Nate broke the hug and grabbed both of my arms. He leaned down so that our foreheads were touching. If this didn't seem like a serious moment, I would've let out a laugh on how ridiculous he looked bent over to be at eye-level with me. He let out a shaky breath, "Arden, can I tell you something?"

His gaze was serious, eyes burning into mine. I raised my eyebrows curiously, "You can tell me anything Nate, you know that."

Another deep breath, "Adren. I – If – If I don't ever see you again, I want you to know that – that I love you. I always have. No matter how much you hated me, I have loved you since we were kids."

My jaw dropped. He what now? As I was standing there in shock, he kissed my forehead gently and let me go. Before I could say anything I heard Calum's voice from behind me, "Alright, you two need to get going. If we take any longer, the sun will begin to rise."

I looked at Jaiver to see that his back was already turned walking towards the entrance of the canyons. I took a couple of steps, following Jaiver. I whipped my head back to Nate. He smiled at me sadly and motioned for me to continue walking. The next couple of seconds were a blur, I waved goodbye to the hunters and jogged to catch up with Jaiver. My eyes were wide as I fiddled with my necklace. All I could think about is what Nate said. He loves me.

Jaiver and I have been walking for hours now. The sky is turning colors of yellows, pinks, and purples. The sun has probably already risen in the sky, but all I can see now is the tall cliffs. The red dirt and all the dead vegetation made me on edge. The air is quiet and ominous. All that could be heard is the sound of our footsteps. We haven't spoken a word to each other, which is the exact opposite of what I want. Nate loves me. Why did he have to say that now of all times? I didn't even respond to him. How am I going to respond to him? All the time we have been walking my mind has not stopped thinking about what Nate said. I'm still in shock.

"Hey, you need to pay attention."

I snapped my head to Jaiver who had stopped walking and was looking at me. I took my first breath in what seemed like forever. "I am paying attention."

Jaiver huffed, "No you're not."

I was about to apologize, but Jaiver started talking to me. "I understand that you're nervous, but you don't have to worry. We are just going to find information and leave."

I sighed lightly, "I know that."

We started walking again. We were quiet for a little bit. This time, the silence was broken by Jaiver chuckling. Without looking at him I spoke, "What?"

"It's just funny that I'm the one having to start conversations for once."

"Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind right now."

I heard him shift next to me. I looked at him from the corner of my eye to see that he was rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Arden, if you're still upset with me I understand. However, we need to be able to communicate so that this goes successfully."

It was my turn to chuckle. And they say that girls overthink. "That's not it. Yes, I am worried. The air is quiet, too quiet for my liking and it has me on edge."

"I agree with you. I don't like this either, but the others are relying on us to gather information."

I nodded.

He sighed, "Come on Arden, how about we pass the time with questions? I know you like asking questions."

I smiled lightly, "Alright. You go first."

"What's one of your favorite memories?"

"Oh, that's a tough one. I would say when I got my first kill. I was eager to prove my worth, I was more even more eager to prove to myself that I wasn't useless. I got one and scared the rest away. I felt terrible, but it taught me patience and communication. Those are the two most useful hunting tactics I've ever learned. You can be the best shot, but if you're not patient and don't communicate, you could lose everything. How about you?"

"Mines a lot like yours. It taught me a lesson."

I raised my eyebrows, "What is it?"

He paused for a second, "It was when we first got together as a group. I had only known Pietra and Don for a couple of months and I thought I would pull a prank on Don."

"And?"

He continued, "And Pietra beat the shit out of me because of it. Now I can pull pranks here and there, but I learned from then on not to mess with Don."

I laughed lightly, "Good to know."

I paused to think about my next question. Before I could ask him a question, we came across a split in the canyons. Instead of one path, there are two. Jaiver and I looked at each other than both split up to look for clues onto which way we needed to go. I went right, he went left. On my side, I saw dead vegetation. That's normal. Nothing seemed disturbed. Even though the vegetation was dead, I didn't see any trace of footprints or trails. No signs of a marker or anything. I heard Jaiver call my name. I walked over to the left side and I gasped. On the ground, there were bloody rags and a clear trail leading deeper into the canyons.