Soul Bound

Chapter 1

The purple sky began to give way to the morning's blue hue as the sun began its rise over the mountain. Dew-kissed leaves grazed my legs as I passed them, the cool water seeping into my cotton pants and sending a welcoming chill to my bones after trekking through the thick forest for hours.

It was strenuous work, sneaking from tree to tree, watching my every step to blend in with the sounds of the forest. This close to the waterfall, an amateur would think they could make as much noise as they wanted without being detected, but the creatures of the mountain were always listening. Waiting. No one was safe. Not even the littlest of mice hiding in their burrows. It may be beautiful--the sun glistening off the pool of water, the rainbow dancing around the cascade, the lush moss with dainty purple flowers clinging to trunks and branches all around me. But no beauty was ever free. The price on this mountain? Your life. 

Did that stop me from hunting off the path? No. The best game was here, and I wasn't about to let the bountiful quarry in this area go to waste. My brother, Jacob, and I found this spot a few years back. Of the three spots I hunted regularly, this one was by far the most consistent. I confidently went off the path up the mountain, knowing I would return home with food for my family. With Jacob gone now, I felt the pressure more to make sure my family was fed. I didn't hold it against him for leaving--it was our dream to be Dragon Knights and he was lucky enough to have been recruited--but I would be lying if I said I didn't miss the days when I hunted with my big brother. My hikes were quiet, hollow, without him. It was along this very trek where we would talk about being Dragon Knights together. In this clearing, we often peered up at the sky and wondered what the world looked like from above. Now he was somewhere up there, while I remained hidden in the forest's canopy.

Hearing movement up ahead, I ducked behind a bush and watched a sounder of boars scuttle through the woods towards the base of the waterfall. A thick layer of foliage surrounded the pool of water, shielding critters from predators. 

Most of them.

Undetected, I moved for the first trap laid by a large fallen log; it had snagged a hare.
I haven't had hare for a while. Grinning, I collected it and reset the trap. I tied the hare on my shoulders and went for the next one. There was nothing in the second trap, or the third.

Pressing my lips together, I glanced at a boar grazing away from the rest of its kin. Jacob taught me not to go for game too big, otherwise its blood might attract a predator I wasn't equipped to fight. But I wasn't going to be able to feed my family with a hare. If Erika was to be big and strong like her brother and sister, she was going to need all the food I could provide. 

I drew my bowstring back and stole a steadying breath from the chilly morning air. I listened to the forest, waited for the wind to pass. Exhaling, I loosed my arrow. It struck home in the boar's heart. The other boar watched their sounder-mate fall then ran in the opposite direction. Once they were gone, I moved to collect my prize.

I knelt over him and brushed his coarse hide before ripping the arrow out. "Thank you, my friend. You will feed my family and earn us extra coin for the winter to come."     
Hare slung over my shoulders and boar steadily in tow, I trekked back down the mountain. With my unplanned catch, it was needless to say my hike took longer than it usually did. By the time I'd reached the path at the base, the sun had fully risen. Beads of sweat rolled down my temples as I stumbled down onto the public trail. I hadn't run into any curious predators yet, but I didn't want to doddle on the mountain any more than I needed to and quickly called for my horse. I'd left Hiron somewhere along the path to graze safely while I went into the more dangerous parts of the forest. 

Suddenly, a jackalope hopped in front of me and sniffed my feet. Its red beady eyes held mine, long ears twitching to the sounds of the forest. I wish King Renkon hadn't made it forbidden to hunt the magical wildlife; this jackalope was three times the size of the hare I held. It'd be enough to feed my family for two days! But no, magical beasts were sacred and should not be trifled with--even as delicious as they looked.