The Queen's Conquer

Chapter 2 : Long Time No See

Dozakh • [doe-zack]
A place of torment one believes they are in when separated from their lover; hell.

🖤

~+~

Three days later—three long days later.

I'm sprinting through the Ancient Forest, hunting down my next meal with Delphine. She's better at picking up scents so I've allowed her to lead us through this endless chase.

We're trailing a skimpy fox—despite its size, I'm desperate for anything after I finished the deer meat late last night. If I go home empty-handed, the effects of my hunger will surely last longer than they should. And after the last few days have been spent restlessly hunting day and night with no success, this pursuit seems as though it'll be no different.

Delphine continues to weave through the scattered trees, nearly able to grab the small creature's tail.

Make sure we stay within the boundaries, I remind her through the bond.

Fuck the boundaries. I want food, she returns the snarky reply. I mentally roll my eyes, choosing not to comment over the fact that she's willing to put my life on the line for a measly fox. She snaps at it again, nearly grabbing its back leg but it surges forward, adding an inch between us. I growl in frustration.

This little bitch, Delphine huffs. She increases our pace, now able to go for the kill. So she takes a final lunge at the fox, but it abruptly turns left, veering into the roots of a large tree and finding a hole for it to crawl under. And we go hurtling into a pile of snow, hitting my head against a bear-sized rock.

You've got to be kidding me. I almost had him! she whines. I shake off the panging feeling growing against my head, restricting Delphine's control as I rise from the snow that's now splotched over my midnight coat.

It's not your fault, I grumble, irritated that she couldn't stick our landing a bit better.

It'll be my fault when we haven't eaten for weeks because I can't catch a damn rodent.

Animals are becoming harder to track down as the winter season worsens. It's always around the beginning of the year when the temperatures drop and conditions outside make it near impossible to be in. Even with this new body of mine, I'm finding myself weakening with the harsh changes. I would search for a different source of food—berries, perhaps. But most things around here are either dead, poisonous, or enchanted. I wouldn't trust whatever grows in the soil of the Ancient Forest either.

At least we're trying. I attempt to keep my tone positive, but it still wavers down our bond. Delphine doesn't respond though, clearly still upset over the fact that she couldn't catch the fox. I don't blame her. I've never done this before yet she's taught me so much about the arts of hunting from just watching her techniques alone.

I lay my dark furry frame next to a large pine, letting my lungs catch up to my racing heartbeat. I haven't realized how long we've been out here for—the partially clouded skies reveal the sun has nearly hidden behind the horizon. Taking a moment to observe my surroundings, a slight panic arises when I can't identify any landmarks.

Delphine, where the hell are we? I ask sternly. She's silent for a moment—almost provoking me to repeat myself—until she finally speaks up.

Oh, I don't know. I just chased the fox, she responds lazily.

Delphine! I bark.

What?

This is serious! If you were just blindly chasing that damn fox without being aware of where exactly you were running, then how the hell are we supposed to get back to the cabin?!