We agreed to travel in opposite directions to hunt and return to the camp-site with whatever we caught. I headed in the direction of the Gaena river, reasoning that more animals were likely to stay close to the source of clean, drinking water.
I crept through the brush as quietly as possible, with my bow poised expertly, the way I had been taught since childhood. I paused momentarily when I heard a nearby bush rustle, but continued on past it when the source of the disturbance was revealed to be nothing more than a starling.
It was not long before the unmistakable sound of rushing water filled my ears and I was assured that I was, indeed, travelling in the right direction. The river was in sight, but I remained in the concealment of the scrub, waiting, hoping to be presented with a worthy kill.
I am not sure how long I stayed there, but it could not have been longer than an hour before a feeling of triumph that was not my own rose within me and I cursed inwardly as I realised that Obsidian had been successful before me. I stayed a little longer, determined that I would not return empty-handed, when a single doe gracefully approached the water's edge. I flexed my fingers, which were numb from gripping the bow for so long, and took aim.
She looked around, cautiously, checking for enemies, before lowering her head to the cool, clear water of the river. I studied the animal for a moment, sizing her up. She was a decent size and her coat had a beautiful gleam, a good indication that she was healthy. Curiously, she had a perfect white triangle of fur over her left eye, which I found painfully endearing. But I knew that, as guilty as I was sure to feel afterwards for killing such a beautiful, innocent creature, we needed the meat, so I pulled back on the bow-string, preparing to lease an arrow into her heart. The killing shot was never fired, however, as a disturbance to my right startled the animal and she shot off into the safety and cover of the trees.
I swung my weapon towards the noise, but lowered it in surprise when I saw that it was not an animal that had frightened the deer. A young man, who looked to be my age, if not a little older, was walking slowly along the river-bank. Another hunter, perhaps? No, he did not seem in the least bit annoyed that the deer had fled, nor was he carrying a bow. I swung my own bow over my shoulder and was a second away from calling out a greeting to him, when I saw the weapon in his hand. A short-sword? I wondered, frowning. This struck me as odd, as such a weapon was only ever used in battle, and it was a strange sight in the tranquillity of the forest. I considered what I should do...if I stayed hidden and he came across me, he would certainly be suspicious, and that was the very last thing that I needed. However, if I approached him and he revealed himself to be a foe, I could do nothing short of calling Obsidian to my aid, and he would surely tear the young man to shreds.
My mind worked furiously, and my hand fell absently to my hip, where it rested on something cold and hard. It was the dagger that Selena had given me, and I hastily untied it from my belt, unsheathing it as I did so. I made my decision. I would make myself known to the stranger, who was nearing my hiding place with every passing moment...but if our meeting turned sour, I would have no choice but to use my sister's gift sooner than I had expected.
Taking a deep breath, I rose from my position on the forest floor and strode out of the shade, with all of the confidence I could muster, into the path of the young man.
"Good evening." I greeted with a smile, and he stopped in his tracks, facing me with an expression of polite surprise on his dark features.
"Good evening..." He replied, sheathing his weapon, relieving me more than I cared to admit. He bowed his head, respectfully, strands of dark hair falling absently over his eyes as he did so...and I became suddenly conscious of the smudges of dirt on my clothes and face, raising a hand automatically to make sure my hair was tidy. It was not, as I soon discovered, but there was not a whole lot I could do about it.
He glanced up at me and I smiled, awkwardly, struggling to think what to say.
"You...um...you scared my deer away." I motioned to the now deserted bank where the doe had stood only moments ago. He started to apologise, and I had to suppress a giggle at the mortified look on his face.
"Oh! I am sorry, if I had known-"
"Do not apologise, it was not intentional." I replied, smiling. He returned my smile with a sheepish grin, and lowered his eyes. I took this opportunity to study his features, and it struck me that he was rather attractive. He had dark, piercing eyes, sallow skin and soft features. His face was framed with shoulder-length brown hair, only a few shades lighter than my own, and his body appeared to be lean and muscled. I blushed furiously when I heard Obsidian's thoughts join my own.
Do not let your guard down because you think he is handsome! Stay alert, I will circle overhead..if all is not well, I will be with you instantly.
Instinctively, I jerked my head up to look at the skies, but he was obscured from vision by heavy cloud cover, for which I was grateful. The young man followed my gaze, curiously.
"Are you hunting?" I blurted out, stupidly, in a desperate bid to draw his attention back down to earth, lest he spot Obsidian.
"No...actually I came here looking for someone." He replied, relieving my worry by bringing his searching eyes back down to meet my own.
"Oh? And how is your search going?" I asked, feigning interest.
"Hopelessly, I should say. To be perfectly honest, I do not know exactly who it is that I am looking for." Answering my questioning look, he continued, "I was robbed this morning by bandits, though I did not get a look at their faces."
"How awful! Did they take anything of value?" I asked, surprised by my own genuine concern for the boy when my own situation had robbed me of so much.
"Only sentimental value." He shrugged, studying his feet.
"That is the most worthy kind. I hope that you are successful." I said, truthfully. He smiled, a little sadly I thought, before replying,
"Thank you. What is your name, if you are happy to part with it?"
I hesitated in my reply. My family name was well known across all Alagaesia, and my father had no doubt started his search for me already, so giving my real name would be a foolish thing to do. Instead, I said the first name that came into my head.
"My name...is Selena. Selena Arnavel. And you?"
I noticed him flinch, oddly, when I gave my sister's name as my own, but the curious expression in his eyes was gone as quickly as it had come, so that I was never really certain that it had been there at all.
"It is a pleasure, Miss Arnavel. My name is Murtagh."
AN: I hope this one was better than the last, not that it would be too difficult...Thank you for all of the great reviews so far, they've really helped! Please keep them coming, as they do make me smile :-) xxx