Chronicles

The Hunter Part Four

Glynn didn't respond rolling towards his fallen bow. The hunter grasped the weapon knocking and releasing an arrow in the blink of an eye, just as the energy left Valen's open palm. The arrow sliced through the air speeding past the black energy and striking Valen in the chest. Valen's eyes widened upon impact, his body crumbling against a tall pine. His body shuddered as the poison from the arrow courses through his system.

The writhing ball of energy raced towards Glynn, obscuring the hunter's vision. Before it hit, a mass of white fur leapt from the bushes intersecting the energy's path. The ball slammed into the wolf, tossing him backwards into the hunter's chest. They both crashed to the ground. The white wolf's fur was charred black from shoulder to hip.

Glynn grunted as he heaved the wolf off his chest. He rolled out from under the wolf's weight and knelt beside it. He bent gently resting an ear to its chest. The secounds past as Glynn sat and listen. A faint beat fell upon his ears causing the hunter to smile.

"Hold on old friend." Glynn said as he lifted the wolf atop his shoulders. The hunter groaned as he lifted the large wolf into his arms. Lances of pain shot from his ribs, ripping across his chest. He made his way slowly out of the clearing without a backwards glance towards the Brovakian warrior.

The forest had grown dark when the warrior let out a wheeze. His wound felt like it was on fire as Valen slowly opened his eyes to find himself slumped against a tall pine. He felt his strength fading, as his heart slowed. His fingers scrambled for a vial tucked into his belt. Valen ripped off the cork with his teeth and drained the green contents inside. As the liquid passed his lips, the vail crashed to the floor, shattering upon impact. Valen's hand struck the forest floor as he fell into a deep sleep.

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A crackling fire illuminated the campsite in a cheery glow. I looked up at the sound of the hunters' clumsy entrance. His white wolf was cradled in his arms, it's head lolling to one side.

"What happen?" I asked springing from a log beside the fire. I placed a hand on Glynn's shoulder to steady him. The wolf let out a whimper as the hunter dropped to his knees to lay the wolf on his pallet.

"Please heal him." Glynn chocked out as he kneel. His legs shuddered with the effort to stay upright. I nodded, " I will. However, you must also rest my friend." I said my voice soft.

"No, I stay till he is healed." Glynn said moving to the top of his sleeping pallet to cradle the wolf's head in his lap. I sighed. I had forgotten the stubbornness of young men.

I focused my attention upon the wolf. It's fur was charred from shoulder to hip. A portion of the fur had incinerated to reveal cracked and bleeding skin. The worst was the very center of the wound where a gaping hole, a hands width apart. My hands rose tracing the beginning runes of healing magic to examine the inner damage of the wound. I grimaced, this would take all of my energy to heal.

My hands glowed a bright green as I traced the runes in the air above the marred flesh. Words fell from my lips as the patterns became faster and more complex as the spell grew. The glowing runes fell unto the wound melting away the burns. The gaping hole slowly began to knit back together as white fur regrew over the wound. Words of power fell from my lips for long hours into the night.

The glow from runes dimmed as my head dropped to my chest. I collapsed sideways into a deep sleep.

The hunter stroked the fully healed wolf staring at the collapsed mage. Glynn rose, cradling his ribs and dragged the mage onto his pallet. He laid the blanket over the mage's still form.

Glynn gritted his teeth as his ribs burned red hot. He walked slowly back to the wolf, resting his back again a large rock to stand watch over the duo as night grew into day.

The first rays of dawn filtered through the trees when I took a breath and rose from my sitting position. My legs cramped from the night of kneeling

I saw Glynn slumped against a rock. The sleep had replenish some of my magic. I whispered a spell, my breath, white wisps in the chill morning air. I sensed three broken ribs along his right side. I wove my magic, knitting the bone back together.

The hunter groaned in his sleep, His eyes blinking open. "Careful." I warned as the hunter tried to rise, " Your ribs are still fragile." He froze, looking at me, then nodded.

I sighed and got up slowly to wash myself in the river.

"Thank you." A voice unlike the hunter's spoke behind me. I turned but the hunter was the only other person in the camp. I nodded and proceeded to the river slowly washing last night's exhaustion from my muscles.

I prepared breakfast flexing my magic to light the fire and forage for eggs in a nearby nest. Not happy about it, I killed a rabbit in a nearby warren carefully extracting it as not to disturb its family. A knife rose to pin the rabbit to a tree as another skillfully skinned it. A thin flat rock flew to rest of the edge of the fire. The eggs were crack upon it sizzling as the pieces of rabbit meat were placed over it to cook.
This magic was easy for the high-class mage. But I kept it hidden as the power usually frighten the common people. The hunter had fallen back into a deep slumber, only the wolf watched the floating dance of food licking its chomps.

The hunter awoke to the smell of sizzling rabbit. He moved to rise but groaned midway.

"Careful. The bones are healed but need time to set." I said sharply. I moved to help the hunter into a sitting position and handed him a bowl of food. The hunter nodded his thanks and ate slowly.The hunter fed half the meat to his wolf. The mage waited until the hunter had slated his hunger and thirst before asking. "What happened?" The hunter looked up and sighed.

"I underestimated the enemy. One was a Brovak." He said. I gaped at him, my mouth opening and shutting but no words left my lips.

"That's impossible, they were killed off in the last Great War; none survived." I finally spoke, still shocked. The Hunter groaned slightly as he lay back down.

"Apparently, they missed one." He replied.

"Why is he here? Why was he following us." I asked not expecting an answer. This had been the most the hunter had spoken the whole trip.

"I think you know the answer." The hunter said. I grimaced. I had not expected the king come after me so quickly. I hadn't even expected the king to notice my absence, let alone send trackers to bring me back. I never imagined the king still had Brovakian warriors at his command.

"We all have our secrets." I said observing the hunter's reaction. The hunter made no move and didn't respond so the I continued. "This does not change our deal. We must put distance between them and continue to the trench." The hunter still did not move.

"I killed one and hit the Brovakian with a poisoned arrow to the chest. While the Brovak might not have died, it will slow him considerably." The hunter said prodding his ribs gently before laying back down. I sat there reassessing my companion. The hunter had never been one to boast and he had shown ample evidence of his skills in archery on their journey. Yet, the fact that he had injured a Brovakian warrior and live to tell the tale seemed unlikely. However, I needed him to traverse the trench, so I nodded.  I moved one hand across my chest, three fingers bent, causing the camp to dismantle with unseen hands and repack their bags. The hunter watched the display of magic reserving his strength, the white wolf head resting on his knee.