The Lord ✔️

Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Rubies, Emeralds, Diamonds, and Guilt

Hunter wandered towards the training ground where himself and Ruby would train. He was still shocked from what she had told him yesterday, yet he knew that he needed to accept it, because she was three years old, and he was two, and she was going to be his teacher for another year, until he was four.
"Hello, Ruby," he said, proud that he showed no hint of nervousness. "What are we doing today?"
Ruby looked at him, regarding him, and then she looked into the horizons of Findrut. "Hunting," she said, with breathless excitement. Hunter's eyebrows rose higher than ever before. Hunting? "Mother... might not be too happy about me taking risks," Hunter grumbled, a trickle of venom creeping through his voice at the mention of his mother.
He shoved it away.
Ruby shrugged. "I told her we'd just be watching the elk herds, and I convinced any guards not to follow us or I'd rip their throats out, because they all seemed to want to protect you, for the queen." Hunter was surprised that some venom came out in her voice, too, at the mention of Queen Coraline, his mother, whom he wished actually let his father make some decisions.
His father.
Hunter's eyes widened, horrified. How could he? His father had not been seen for days, and he hadn't noticed. And before that, he hadn't spoken at all, for three days. Hunter just thought he was busy. But he hadn't seen him in days and he hadn't noticed. What kind of son was he, who forgot about his own father, who had loved and protected him?
He let a solitary tear slip across his face, hoping Ruby wouldn't notice that his fur was becoming damper and damper by the minute. He closed his eyes, letting more tears fall, letting his emotions swirl out of control. "Why is it," he whispered, so quiet only he could hear, "that I always fail you?"
He had only wanted to make his father proud, and for once, only concentrate on his training. But he had ended up not paying attention to anything else, and his father had gone missing right under his own nose. They had been so close, when he was a pup, they had been father and son, together through everything, and he had betrayed his own father.
He blinked back more tears.
Ruby started speaking. "Well, I just remembered, I invited my sisters, Emerald and Diamond, to hunt with us. It's easier when you hunt as a group then alone, as you might know; plus, they're all really nice, and I'm sure you'll get along fine." she said. However, Hunter detected a faint trance of something strange in her voice—jealousy? Anger?
...
The plains where beautiful, as always. Long, fresh green grass that was luscious and emerald-coloured, and the scent of lavender everywhere. He saw two wolves, grey and white, who were most likely Ruby's sisters, Emerald and Diamond. Hunter found it quite strange that they were sisters, since they all had different coats.
Ruby was black with amber eyes, which was very good-looking, in Hunter's opinion, Emerald was grey, with pale blue eyes, mixed with the faintest amber and much emerald green, and Diamond was white as the snow, with eyes that looked like the ocean, but they shimmered. Hunter couldn't choose who was the prettiest. They were all beautiful.
"Hello, you must be Hunter!" said Emerald, who looked excited. "Pleasure to meet you. I'm Emerald, and you must know this frosty one is Diamond."
Diamond gave Emerald a ice-cold glare, but Hunter could tell she was amused, slightly. Ruby, who was clearly the eldest, smiled at her younger sisters' antics. "Yes," Diamond said, with a warm smile that seemed very uncharacteristic of her. "I'm Diamond, lovely to meet you, Prince Hunter." Hunter wanted to say no to formalities, but Emerald had stepped on Diamond's tail, a death sentence.
"H—Hello," Hunter stammered.
Ruby seemed like she was about to say something to her sisters, but her gaze shifted to something just fifty meters away from the four. She blinked. She blinked again. Hunter wondered if she was surprised, or just delusional. No, he mentally scolded himself, she's lovely, not delusional. But he followed her gaze anyway.
"Guys," she said, and Hunter knew she was unsure. Emerald and Diamond looked at her. "What is that?"
Hunter was the first to peer more closely at it. Somehow, it seemed familiar, like he'd known it before, and it had a warming sense, everyone from a far distance. He sprinted towards it, and he stared, shell-shocked. Now he knew why it was familiar. It was familiar because it was his father.
Hunter let a few tears slip from his eyes, the guilt again eating at his heart. His father was bleeding, terribly injured, and having difficulty breathing. Hunter brushed his paw against his father's face gingerly, and was excited to hear him gasp. Then he spoke, and it made Hunter much more guilty than before. "They all left me," his father said, staring at him.
And for the first time since he was a pup, Hunter allowed his sobbing to take over his body.