Chapter Fourteen - Trailblazer
It took me nearly half an hour to figure out how to change my hair color back to normal, and in the end I was still stuck with a single braid of vibrant purple hair. I swear, even the wolves were laughing at me.
"Oh cheer up, Skipper," Hunter said, handing me a plate with a river fish fresh off the fire on top of some mixed greens that the others had foraged. "Do you even realize how ridiculous it is to have even one power, let alone three?"
"Really?" I blinked. The two kids that wrote the Enchiridion both had powers. Chance might have preferred the blade, but he was able to use music to interesting effects in a pinch. And thanks to her control of Reality Warping Mystiokinesis, Isabelle was a complete powerhouse based on what I had read. Was that not normal?
"Most kids don't have any powers from their godly parents," Hunter said. "Those that do have powers usually have something that indicates their heritage. For example, some children of Apollo can magically heal injuries with a song, or glow in the dark, or just shoot a bow more accurately than anyone that isn't one of Lady Artemis' hunters while children of a nature goddess like Demeter can help certain plants grow faster."
"Huh, I guess," I nodded along. What she was saying made sense, and I definitely remembered seeing some of those powers outlined briefly in Elena's notebook. "Well, what about me?"
"Not a clue," she admitted, causing my shoulders to slump in defeat. "If it wasn't for the fact you don't use words of power or some other focus, I might have pegged you as being a child of the crossroads. You really are kind of all over the place, Skipper. "
"Can you at least stop calling me that?"
"Would you prefer Polly, instead?" Phoebe asked, joining the conversation.
"Polly?" I was almost afraid to ask.
"Polly Pocket," she grinned, and the others laughed.
"Skipper's fine," I sighed, then glanced around. "Hey, where's Art- er... Where's Lady Artemis at?"
"Probably off doing god stuff," Hunter said. "For the most part, you'll find the gods don't spend a lot of time with mortals. Lady Artemis spends the most time with us, but that's only by comparison. Unless it's a major hunt, she typically leaves the day-to-day stuff to her lieutenant.
Just then, Zoë Nightshade spoke up; "When you finish eating, begin breaking camp. Even with our Lady's brother doing his best," she paused as a couple other girls tried to cover their scoff with a sneeze, "the afternoon temperature will still be high. Fortunately, in that regard, most of our journey today shall be made under tree cover, and there shall be ample shade. Unfortunately, this also means there shall be plenty of undergrowth to watch out for as well. Be mindful on the trail, as well you know that even with our Lady's blessing, a broken ankle still takes time to mend."
There came a chorus of 'Yes, Zoë' from the others, and the lieutenant nodded before walking off with a couple of the girls who had already finished eating - presumably to begin taking down the camp.
"So," I said, taking a bite of fish, "does anyone know where we're going?"
"I hear there's been some monster trouble near the border between Vermont and Quebec," Phoebe answered. "Normally, we wouldn't get involved with anything even that close to Montreal, but the Bore-" she said, with distinct emphasis on the first syllable, "-eads have agreed to stay out of our way."
"Guess the skinny one didn't enjoy having to pick your arrows out of his butt after all," laughed another girl whose name I think was Tamsin. Tammy?
"Got that right, Tiffany," Phoebe laughed. Okay, so I was a little off.
The rest of breakfast was spent in scattered conversation about where we were going and what monster we'd be hunting - with giants being the popular theory. Apparently there was a group of cannibal giants that lived in Canada. I wasn't sure how much I believed that particular piece of information, though.
After eating, Hunter helped me break down and pack the tent back up. It still amazed me how it could fold down to the size of a box of matches. It was even light weight enough to carry comfortably in my pocket. With the camp fully taken down, and the clearing returned to how it was found the night before, we began hiking once more with the wolves running ahead and Zoë taking point. As the 'new girl', I got to take the back of the marching line. Thankfully, Hunter and Phoebe joined me.
Along the way, the two girls pointed out useful plants that could be used in medicines or eaten, plants that should be avoided at all costs, and how to read a trail for signs of animals. I wish I could say that I took it all in and became an immediate expert, but by the end of the second hour I felt like I had already forgotten most of what they had told me in the first hour. It didn't help that the path we were hiking was practically nonexistent in most places, either.
After around six hours of walking, the sun finally climbed directly above us in the sky. I was hot and sticky from sweating, and slightly glad to see the others occasionally wiping sweat from their own eyes. Then I heard it - rushing water. The trail we were following opened up onto the bank of a quick moving stream.
Zoë called out, getting our attention; "We shall rest here for one hour. I require three volunteers to catch our lunch. Hunter, Phoebe, gather enough firewood. Penelope," she looked to me, "I ask that you start the cooking fire. Celyn will show you how best to make the pit."
Everyone moved quickly to carry out their tasks. Naomi, Tiffany and another girl who, based on my reading of her aura, might have been a nymph, went with Zoë. Hunter and Phoebe disappeared into the tree line not long after. The remaining girls either sat down where they were standing or made their way to dip their feet in the running water.
"Come on," Celyn said, prodding me in the back. "Plenty of time to relax after we get the fire pit ready, yeah?"
"Right," I agreed.
"Now, first thing to know is you want to set it up well away from the trees. Don't want a stray spark starting a forest fire," She eyed me appraisingly. "Well, you might be alright, but none of us will."
"I can stand the heat," I nodded. "But, the smoke would be a different story."
"Right! So, we'll set it about ten feet away from the tree line. That's a little over halfway to the stream, which will be useful for putting out the fire when we're done. Water's heavy, and you don't want to carry it further than necessary - especially if the fire gets out of hand. Next, we gotta clean the whole area. Sticks and leaves, even pine needles. Even if they're damp, it's all flammable, so it all has to go."
I nodded, looking around. There was a lot of cleaning to be done.
"While you do that, I'll be gathering rocks."
"Rocks?" I asked, confused.
"You place the rocks in a circle to keep the burning wood contained. We'll be digging a little pit as well, so the rocks pull double duty as a wind break. Plus you can set up a stone on top that'll heat up and serve as a cooking surface."
"This seems really complex," I said.
"Nah, it just sounds that way because you're new. It's actually pretty easy."
"I'll take your word for it," I grinned. "So, these rocks. Anything special about them I need to know?"
"They're rocks. The bigger, the better. You don't want to try building a ring with small, fist-sized stones," Celyn said. "Oh! And you don't want to get ones that are wet. They can sometimes explode, sending rock shrapnel everywhere. Hyale once almost lost an eye that way."
"Dry stones," I gulped. "Got it."
By the time we finished cleaning up the clearing and stacking stones, Hunter and Phoebe both came back with arms full of firewood. Celyn showed me how to stack the wood properly so it would burn more efficiently, then stood back and let me work my 'magic'. Holding out my hands palms facing outward, I closed my eyes and took a couple steadying breaths as I reached for that inner spark.
It didn't take long to find, and when I made the connection, I opened my eyes to see twin jets of flames shooting from my open palms. The fire caught on the wood almost immediately and I grinned as the trio clapped me on the back.
"Good work," Zoë said, returning at that moment with the other three hunters. They each carried what looked like several dead squirrels. No, not like. They were actually carrying several dead, white and brown bushy-tailed furry squirrels. "We will begin cleaning our catch. Go on and relax with the others. Lunch will be ready soon enough."
"Squirrels." I said, dumbfounded.
"Hey, don't knock it until you try it, Skipper," Hunter said, dragging me over to a large rock not far from the stream.
"Squirrels," I repeated, then let out a low groan of relief as I sat down for the first time since breakfast. I hadn't realized just how loudly my feet were screaming in protest. No surprise after five hours of steady hiking at a pace that put most motorists to shame.
"What? You didn't think there were wild cheeseburger bushes or something like that, did you?" She smirked. "You are such a city girl, it's ridiculous."
"But... Squirrels?"
"Are pretty tasty," She nodded. "I mean, they're not bad, really. A bit small, not a whole lot of meat on them. But when they're cooked up right it's almost better than rabbit. And Zoë knows how to cook."
"So why'd you drag me over by the water?" I asked, giving the rushing water a wary look. Nope. Still not a fan of wet, thank you very much.
"Figured I'd keep you distracted while the cooks do their thing," Hunter answered. "Don't need you losing your lunch before you eat it."
"What do you...?" I trailed off, glancing over as one of the girls holding a squirrel made a sudden ripping motion. I quickly turned back to look at the water. "Got it!"
"Yeah, it can be a little shocking at first. But you should know you'll probably have a turn at it eventually. When we're on the trail, we usually all take turns with the responsibilities."
I gulped.
Soon enough the squirrels had finished cooking and the meat was distributed around evenly. I briefly entertained the idea of searching for one of Hunter's wild cheeseburger bushes. Or maybe even a spaghetti tree. I think I remembered reading that one of the founding fathers had discovered spaghetti seeds. Luckily for me, the meat had been removed from the bones and skewered to cook, so I could imagine I was eating something else.
To my pleasant surprise, the meat was good. Lightly golden brown in color, the texture was okay and, while slightly sweet, it wasn't over powering. It almost tasted nothing at all like chicken. In fact, the meat had a slight nutty flavor. Must have been their diet. Still, I probably wouldn't eat it on its own otherwise. The nymph, whose name I still didn't know, had apparently done some foraging while Zoë and the other two girls were busy hunting bushy-tailed rodents, and so there were also plenty of nuts and berries to supplement the meal. The only thing that would have made that better would have been some chocolate. I briefly wondered what the Hunt's stance of trail mix was.
Suddenly the wolves went from chowing down on shish ke-squirrel to full alert, hackles raised and teeth bared in a dangerous growl directed at the woods. I reached for my knife as the other girls also armed themselves with bows or blades. The smell reached us before we saw them, like a sack of rotten meat left in a back alley dumpster for two weeks in the summer heat. Do not ask me how I know what that smells like. Two hulking men with jacked muscles, long, unkempt hair and glowing red eyes marched toward us flanking a woman who looked like she just jogged off the Stephanie and Fred Shuman Running Track. She grinned when she saw our weapons drawn, her teeth sharply pointed.
"Well, if it isn't the wannabe Girl Scouts," the woman said, her voice deeper than I would have thought. "Let's show these girls who the real hunters are in these parts. Get 'em, boys!"