The Silver In Her Eye

CHAPTER 8

Chapter 8

Branches tore Avreale's recently healed wounds open. Dirt clouds fogged up her sight. She rolled clumsily down yet another hill, failing to stop herself with the measly knife that occupied her hand. She groaned before standing up right and adjusting the straps of her drawstring bag.

Judging by how long her eagle, Venator, took to get from about here to The City and back, it would take at least 7 days of journeying. Or 4, if she traveled by night as well. But she needed her rest as she surely would not have enough energy without it.

So far, Avreale had retraced her steps past the cave where she first encountered the horrid prince who shall not be named. She was now about a days journey away, using the Kianna river as her guide.

She had never traveled this far away from her village Nixiton, so she had absolutely no idea what she might encounter.

Venator glided smoothly through the evergreen trees, swooping down and landing on Avreale's shoulders with one swift motion. Even though she was not looking, She could feel Venator's claws digging deep into her fragile skin on her right shoulder blade. "Ease the grip there," she commanded.

He did, and she let out a small sigh of relief.

In Venator's beak was a big fat snake, wiggling around as if to signify that it still had plenty of life left in it. "Drop it! Drop it!" she shrieked, holding out her hand, palm up, to him.

Venator glared at her with his narrowed beady eyes. But still, he obeyed, drooping the snake into her waiting hand. The snake touched her hand for barely a moment before she let it drop to the leaf covered, forest floor. The snake immediately slithered away as fast as it could from Venator's preying eyes.

"You know the rules. No hunting without me. You never know if it was poisonous or not! It could have even been spelled with some sort of magic!"

If Venator could roll his eyes at the girl, then he probably would have.

Reaching into her pack, Avreale pulled out a piece of slightly dried up mouse, the eagle's favorite.

If Venator could grin, then he probably would have.

He swallowed the dried up mouse whole, the tail and eyes, everything.

Avreale sighed and continued on her trek with the eagle on her shoulder.

"Right or left. Right or left," she muttered repeatedly, once she had reached a fork in the trail.

A low growl came from the left trail. Avreale wasn't frightened though. When she looked up, she saw her black panther friend, Ajax. "Left then?" She asked the panther.

To respond, Ajax turned around with his tail in the air, and stalked down the left trail.

She chuckled and followed the black panther. The trio made it through the evergreen trees that were constantly dropping sharp pine needles onto the thin path.

Avreale stopped by a fallen, slightly rotted log, to rest. Her legs were sore from the constant walking, and it had been a while since she last consumed something.

Bread and cheese from the pack that she had claimed in her father's shop, and a handful of blackberries she had gathered from an overgrown bush.

The blackberries burst in her mouth like a bomb of sweet and sourness. The soft cheese slid down her sore throat. She had to take smaller bites of the hard bread so it wouldn't hurt when she swallowed it.

Once Avreale was done, she wandered on a bit farther until she found a small clearing where she could set up camp for the night. It was surrounded by prickly pine trees and had a small path through the trees.

Avreale worked on building up a decent fire while Venator perched on a tree branch to keep watch, and Ajax curled up at the entrance of the clearing. Her stomach roared in hunger as she finished adding a pile of dry wood to the fire.

As she was in the process of burning a skunk. She heard a loud shriek coming from not far away.

Avreale quickly went after the sound and found something rather surprising.

Prince Lucian surrounded by a gang of thieves.