The Hunting

Chapter 37

WARNING: There is violence in this chapter. 

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"Alright, we need a plan."

I stood up and clapped my hands together. The hunters and I have sat in awkward silence for too long. It's about to get dark soon. We need to save Arden... and Remmington. If we don't do anything, I am going to lose my mind. All of the hunters looked at me silently. Calum spoke up after a little bit, "What are we going to do? There's five of us and last time we were there, there was more than 10. They double us in manpower."

I responded, "Think about it, we killed a couple of them, injured one and then Arden got the other one injured. Some of them are weak and they are down a couple. We started this journey and dammit we are going to finish it!"

Pietra stood up, "We are going to finish it, we just need to be smart about what we do. If we all get captured, we're all as good as dead."

Don walked over to me and put his hand on my shoulder, "I know you're worried Nate, but we need to be careful. We'll come up with a plan."

Calum spoke, looking at Jaiver, "Do you remember where you met them?"

Jaiver nodded, "Yeah I do. I don't know how close their camp is though."

We were silent for a couple of minutes. I think we all must be trying to think of something. I looked at all of their faces in this silence. Calum had his hand to his chin as he was pacing around. Pietra looked pissed off, her eyes were narrowed and her brows were furrowed. I could tell that Don was zoning off. His eyes were glazed over with a blank expression on his face. I had to hold back my laughter. I then turned to Jaiver. His expression was unreadable. Even though I know it wasn't his fault that Arden got captured, I'm still pissed. He should've known better than to chase that scavenger. What if it was a trap and both of them would've been captured? I seriously hope Arden is still alive when we get to her. There is still so much that I want to say to her. We still have so many more memories to make. I ran a hand through my hair. I need to concentrate on saving her, not all the things I am going to miss out on if she's not around. She is my top priority right now.

"I've got it!" Pietra shouted.

We all looked at her with curious expressions. She continued, "We need to attack while it's dawn. They are more alert at night, at dawn, a good majority of them will let their guard down when it starts to get light out. We can leave right now and Jaiver can lead us there."

Calum nodded, "That might work. They're always out at night, so attacking them when it starts to get light is a good idea."

"But, you forget that we might run into guards as were traveling to their camp. That's what happened to Arden and me. We'll need to be on high alert." Jaiver chimed in.

Calum sighed, "Yeah we will have to be."

It was my turn to speak, "If we find any guards, can we capture them and make a trade for Arden and Remmington?"

My suggestion was met with silence. Don spoke up after a while, "It's a great idea Nate, but we already tried that. Before we met you and Arden, we tried to rescue Remmington but we failed. We kidnapped one of their scavengers and told them to give us Remmington or the scavenger dies." He took a deep breath, "They told us to kill that scavenger because if they were dumb enough to get caught, they were better off dead."

My eyes flew open. Before I could respond, Calum started talking, "You see, that's why we are being so aggressive. They don't care what we do to their people."

"It's so stupid! They have no sense of loyalty, no sense of purpose. Their only purpose is to hurt people." Pietra said scathingly.

I had nothing to say except, "I'm sorry guys. I now understand why you all hate them so much."

Jaiver surprised me as he shook his head, "No need to be sorry. You and Arden have never dealt with scavengers before. It's only normal that you don't want anyone to get hurt."

Calum clapped his hand, getting our attention, "Alright, we need to get moving. I know that we're all frustrated and upset right not, but we have to rescue our family." He looked at me, "And our friends."

I smiled lightly as Calum and the rest of the hunters started walking into the canyons. I shook my head as I watched their figures watching in front of me. Wow, these sure are some kick-ass friends we made.

It took us all night to navigate the canyon. Jaiver led the way as we walked. Pietra and Calum flanked him. Both Calum and Jaiver had their bow and arrows drawn. We decided that if we saw any guards, we should kill them on sight. It would be best since we are already walking into the camp outnumbered. That's why I am in the back with Don. I don't want to kill anybody if I can't help it. However, if it came between killing someone and saving Arden, I would do it in a heartbeat. The thought of that sent shivers down my spine. I never thought I would be in a situation like this.

I watched Jaiver stop in front of me. The rest of us stopped behind him. He whispered very quietly, "Around this corner is where Arden and I ran into the scavengers."

I saw the Calum nod silently as we slowly moved around the corner. When we rounded the corner, no one was there. I think we all took a sigh in relief. There wasn't much around the corner, about a small stretch of dead grass before it the path twisted out of view. Even though it was dark out, I could see a dark stain on the ground not too far from where I'm standing. That must be where Arden shot one of the scavengers. Damn that woman is impressive. Before any of us could react, two scavengers rounded the corner. They were both incredibly skinny. They were about the same height and looked very similar both with dark hair and high cheekbones. Maybe their siblings? For a second, we were all looking at each other silently. Jaiver was the first one to react, he shot his arrow into one of the scavenger's neck. The scavenger fell to the ground. The other one was about to turn and run, but Pietra was ready. She ran at the scavenger full speed drew her sword and slit their throat. I tried to look away from the two dead bodies, but Pietra spoke, "Let's keep on moving."

Without another word, all of the hunters kept on walking. I followed them slowly. I couldn't help but bite my lip as I passed the bodies. Don't look. If you look you're going to pity them. Remember what they have done to the hunters. I shook my head as I continued to focus. Come on Nate, keep your eyes on the prize.