Twins of the Hunt - Book 1: The Golden Hind ✔️

Chapter 16: Aidan Screams Like A Girl

1338 words

Comment to tell me what you think please!

We flew for about six hours, until Dad landed us in a forest by a lake.

"Where are we?" Raiden asked.

"Trinity Alps Wilderness, Northwestern California, United States," I said automatically. "Right by Smith Lake."

"How do you know that?" Raiden asked incredulously.

"No idea," I said.

"Okay," Dad said, after he had turned back in a human. "It's nearly sunset. Let's gather dinner and set up camp."

"Okay, Raiden, Me, and Agro will go gather food," I said. "Aidan and Pher can go get water. Dad, Zoë, and Snow can set up camp. Sound good, everyone?"

"Okay," Dad said.

"Sounds good," Aidan said.

"Meet back here in an hour," Dad said.

I led Raiden and Agro deeper into the forest.

"What are we looking for?" Raiden asked.

"Berries," I said.

Or deer, Agro barked, licking her lips.

"Or deer," I agreed.

Walked for about 15 minutes, before coming to the clearing. It was full of flowers.

"Look!" Raiden pointed at a tree with red berries hanging off it. "Let's grab those!"

She was about to grab them, but I knocked her hand away.

"Don't!" I said warningly. "Those are Holly berries. They're poisonous."

"Oh." Raiden looked embarrassed that she had almost poisoned herself. "What about those?"

She pointed at some blueberries.

"Those are fine," I said. "Let's pick some. C'mon."

We picked several armfuls of berries and walked back to the camp, where Dad and Zoë already had the tents set up in a half-circle. In the middle of the half-circle was a fire, crackling merrily. Over it was a deer roasting on a spit. Aidan wasn't back yet.

"Where's Aidan?" I asked Dad, who was adding more wood to the fire.

"I dunno, kid," Dad said, straightening up. "I haven't seen him."

Just then, someone screamed and yelled, "HELLLLPPPPP!"

"It's Aidan!" I yelled. "I'd recognize that girlish-scream anywhere."

I sprinted in the direction of where the yell had come from, Agro at my heels, and found Aidan hanging upside down, his ankle caught in a classic snare-hunting trap. Pher was below him, trying to get him down.

"Aidan," I said, skidding to a stop underneath him. "How the heck did you get up there?!"

"I was just walking back with the water," Aidan said, his face reddening with every second. "And I stepped into an illegal hunting trap and suddenly, I'm up here! Can you get me down, please?"

"Of course, little brother," I said, climbing up the tree.

I unsheathed one of my daggers and slashed through the rope holding Aidan up. He crashed to the ground in a heap.

"Thanks," Aidan said, standing up.

"Okay, let's go," I said. "Did you get any water?"

"Yeah, we did," Aidan said, pointing at Pher.