A/N : I'm alive! Yay! And here's chapter seven. Unfortunately, I've been assigned an essay at school over Antigone by Sophocles. It's due Friday, so after then, I should have chapter 8 done for you guys. :) my highschool was on the news last night! Craaaazy.

Chapter 7

After finishing breakfast, Jack wanted to take me flying. He said that he wanted to show me this clearing in the woods that he had found that would be great for target practice with my bow. And he really wanted to learn. So I agreed to show him a thing or two.

I didn't take a lunch this time, because Jack said that there were patches of snow berries near the clearing. I took my bow and quiver, and my empty gamebag in case I actually hunted. I was low on rabbit, and was running out of beef jerky I had gotten earlier that year from town. I would have to keep my eyes open for tracks.

When I came down the stairs, Jack was sitting on the last step waiting for me. He heard me and stood up so that I could get by. I made sure to check that the furnace was out before we left. I closed the door behind me, not bothering to lock it. No one ever came close to my cabin. They were all leading their boring lives in a big city or town, where fantasies and stories had died long ago. I was here, out in the forest, free to believe in whatever or whoever I liked.

Jack looped his arm around me, and we took off into the frosty sky, high above the evergreen trees and snowy ground below. Cold air bit at my face, annoying me. Then, I looked at Jack, and gave him a suspicious face. Was it him?

"Jack, are you doing that?"

"Doing what?"

I sighed.

"Nevermind..."

"Hey, just because you get cold, you can't blame me."

"Ohhh. So you did know what I was talking about."

We laughed.

"Ok... It still wasn't me though."

I felt like dusting my response with sarcasm.

"Ya, okay."

I caught him smiling at me, but it turned into a mischievious grin quickly. What was he thinking? Then, his arm loosened around my waist a bit. I gave him a look of disbelief.

"You wouldn't."

His eyes looked daring.

"I would."

And with those words, I felt his cold arm slip away from my waist, and I was in midair, touching nothing. It was the weirdest sensation I had experienced, but it was also the most frightening. I fell, looking up at his smiling face, my back to the earth. Clouds rushed past me, their wisps clinging to my hair and clothing as I fell through one after the other. So that's what they feel like. I was making some kind of noise as I fell. It was close to a scream, mixed with both exhilaration and fear.

Jack was falling above me, never leaving my sight. He was no more than 6 feet away the whole time. I tried grabbing his arms, but he would move them, taunting me.

"Say sorry!"

"For what Jack!? Sorry that I'm so heavy, and that you were too weak to hold me any longer?!"

"No! Sorry that you accused me of makin you cold!"

I looked at him with my very best are-you-freaking-kidding-me? face. He gave me the most serious look I've ever seen in response. (It was so serious, it would have matched Batman's face on any joyous occasion. Like Christmas or New Years. Or his birthday.)

"Ok, ok! I'm sorry that you're so frickin sensitive! Now grab me!"

The ground wasn't getting any softer.

"Never thought a girl would demand me to do that. But ok."

He dove close to me and got me from around the waist, and pulled us both up in time to miss the ground. My heart was fluttering and thrashing around inside my chest. That was close. I clung with both arms to his back, just in case he got any ideas. He was quiet, and didn't protest until we landed softly on the ground, thick with snow. We were in the clearing.

"_..._? You can let go now."

"Oh."

I untwined my arms from him and rested them against my sides. They were freezing.

"You wouldn't have let me hit the ground."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Never in my life."

He walked past me, and I turned around to see where he was going. He had stopped in the middle of the clearing, his back to me, with his arms crossed over his chest from what I could tell. I followed his tracks and stood beside him. His bare feet weren't visible in the deep snow, only his ankles. He turned to look at me.

"Here it is."

The clearing was a flat plain of white for the most part, and was shaped in an oblong blob. Tall, sturdy evergreens encircled the clearing, an unending wall of green and white. They looked ancient and enduring. Jack pointed out a particularly tall bunch in front of us.

"I'll go set up some targets for you on the trunks."

His feet popped out of the snow with a soft *puft*, and he floated above the plain down to the trees. I reached over my back and grabbed my bow, swung it around to my front, and grabbed an arrow from the quiver. Jack was doing something with the trees still, so I stood a while longer. Then, he came flying to me, low to the ground, his back to the sky.

"Okay, I made 5 targets. Those trees have rings of frost on the trunks now, can you see them from here?"

"Ya. Thanks."

I drew the arrow close to my chest, felt the tension on the cord, and released the feathered end. I was left with a small, crimson ribbon on my finger from the stiff feathers, and the satisfying *twang* from the tension released in the cord. Seconds later, a solid *thunk* sounded off into the clearing. I had hit the ring just outside the center circle. Jack smiled.

"Not bad."

"Thanks."

I let 4 more arrows go into the air at each remaining tree with mixed results. 2 tress had an arrow each in the center. Not dead on, but pretty close. The other 2 had an arrow each embedded in the 2nd furthest ring from the center. I kept shooting arrow after arrow from my bow until the trees were riddled with them. When I ran out, Jack went down-range to pull them out of the bark. He came back, and put them in my quiver for me. I took it off my back, and gave it to him.

"Your turn."

I gave him the bow, and moved his arms and elbows to the correct angles. I showed him how to grasp the cord and how to load an arrow at the same time. How much tension to use for a target that far away. How to hold your breath when pulling back the cord to your chest. How to line up the target with the metal arrowhead. He caught on quickly, and really didn't need my help. But he kept asking for it.

"Is this right?"

"Yep. Now concentrate and-"

The arrow flew through the air, making a sound of urgency, and made contact with the wood near the center. He smiled at me.

"Very good. You learn fast, Jack."

"Thanks. This is fun. You teaching me this."

"Ya..."

I trailed off, something caught my eye near the trees. It was small, and scuttling from the base of one tree to the next. I squinted, and recognized the ears.

"Jack, hand me my bow real quick..."

I never took my eyes off the rabbit, and held out my open hand towards Jack. As soon as the weight of the wooden weapon registered with my mind, I grabbed an arrow from the quiver, and in one fluid motion, loaded it on the cord, pulled back hard, and let it sing through the air. The poor rabbit never saw it coming. Instead of a solid *thunk*, the snow reflected a muffled *thump* back to our ears.

"Was that a rabbit?"

"Yep. I'll go and get it, before something else does. Can you hold my bow for me? Snow will damage the wood if it sits in it. I haven't put a coating on it yet. Be right back."

I took off running for the treeline, happy to have finally shot something that would make a good stew. As I came closer, I looked back at Jack and smiled. He was still in the middle of the meadow, peering into the tree line. I turned back to face the rabbit I had shot, bent to pick it up, and froze. A low growl broke the peaceful silence. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. There was a large, black and grey wolf with brown eyes staring at me, baring it's long and yellow teeth. Fear took root in my chest. I can't just scream for Jack. If it get's startled, it'll definitely attack me. What if I just give it the rabbit? I edged my hand close to the rabbit's head, but the wolf snarled even louder as its ears moved from being pressed against it's head to standing straight up, directed at me. It's lips curled violently upwards, showing its dark pink gums and nasty mouth to me. It took a step closer. That was the breaking point. I sprinted through the snow, racing towards Jack, yelling at him.

"JACK! JACK!"

I could hear the wolf hopping through the snow behind me, getting closer, chasing me down. This must be what it feels like, to be hunted.

Jack raced over the surface of the snow towards me, the wolf was gaining. They were both so close.

I could see Jack's eyes. They were furious. He was gritting his teeth, his jaw locked when he nearly passed over me. His staff was blue.

"Get down!"

I dove into the fluffy snow, my face instantly frozen. I lifted my head out quickly, and flipped over onto my back after hearing the noise of ice crackling. I rested on my elbows, looking at the face of the frozen wolf only a couple feet from mine. It's teeth we're shining, and it's mouth was wide open. Jack was crouching beside me, his staff fading back to brown. He stared at the wolf, then turned to look at me.

"Are you hurt?"

"Um, no... I don't think so..."

I was in a sort of shock.

"I... I almost died, Jack."

"I know."

He stood and grabbed my hand, pulled me to my feet. He spoke softly.

"You're ok."

The wolf stared at me with blank, lifeless eyes from behind Jack. I closed my eyes after staring back. Jack put his hand on my shoulder, and we walked back to get my bow and bag.

A/N : you guys hang in there for chapter 8.