A/N: I really do hate posting short chapters, but that's why I post several together, make up for it a bit.
~Riverside Hunt~
His gaze scanned the horizon. A storm was brewing. He could feel it.
They had made it to the river, though much later than he had expected. It was indeed a good spot to stop, even countless years after he'd been there before.
"Emma, darling-"
"Darling?" She rolled her eyes before turning back to her task of washing up as much as she could in the river. "That's the second time you've called me that."
He absolutely ignored her calling him out like that. He tried never to reserve any of his pet names for anyone, specifically, but he had been calling her 'love' a whole hell of a lot more than he normally would. Of course she noticed the change, bloody vixen. He wondered if that meant she missed the previous pet name.
"We should put up camp." He said instead of the many numerous retorts on the tip of his tongue.
She looked up sharply, scanning their surroundings. "Here? Already?" She shaded her eyes before looking up. "It's not long past midday."
"Aye."
"Ohkee."
He glanced at her back with a raised brow, waiting, finally giving in with an overly dramatic sigh and flourish of his arms even though he knew she couldn't see him. He knew she wasn't about to break the silence that settled over the two. He was going to have to keep nudging her. "We'll cross first, make camp on the other side" He pointed across the river to the opposite bank when she glanced up. "There's a storm brewing in the direction we're heading. The sun's much lower than you'd think, and we still have dinner to consider. That," he gestured. "is as good a place as any."
He watched her carefully as she looked across the water. There wasn't much of anything, he knew, grass, rocks, shrubs and flowers, a tree here or there, the forest edges, then forest slightly thicker than where they'd just emerged from. Almost a mirror image of this side of the river. Certainly not what she was used to for an evening.
He could tell she was uncertain. He could feel her thinking. But she wasn't communicating with him.
"We should cross soon." He suggested gently, hoping the comment would strike something within her.
"Why cross if we're only setting up camp on the opposite side?"
There. Finally, communication. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"The storm. Water will collect in the river."
"And you're sure there's going to be a storm?"
He grinned. "Pirate."
She closed her eyes tightly. "Right. And it's easier to cross now, before the river floods." She looked up and down the river. "After we cross, I'm definitely going to go kill something."
"Surely it's not I that you're ready to murder."
"No. You, I sacrifice to the Demons in the tomb."
"Ah, yes. Exactly how I planned to go out."
-x-x-x-
Emma was frustrated. She never realized before just how much she relied on other people. Others killed her dinner, cooked it for her, drew her a bath, hell, they even helped her get dressed every single day. She was spoiled.
She hated that fact.
After they had crossed the stream, she took her bow and charged, quietly, into the forest. She'd been on several hunting trips since she turned five, first with her mother, then Graham, then with Red. Sometimes with a combination of two, or even all three of them. She thought she had been prepared for this. She didn't realize before now how long it really took to hunt.
Though she'd never been followed by a suitor before, and his presence made her nervous. He was mere steps behind her, which was bad enough. She supposed it wasn't really him that was distracting her, just her thoughts about him.
Which was bad enough.
She had to get her head into what she was doing, otherwise, they'd both starve.
It had been over an hour since she started, and her resolve was wavering. But luck would have it, she saw a small creature appear before them. Fluffy and white, with small antlers poking just above the plants.
She steadied her bow.
Thank you for reading!