No Better Than The Beasts

Chapter 3- Lone Wolf Hunt

 (Don't play the song until told to for added effect. Unless you have the burning desire to listen to it.)

               "Son," King Just declared, "I know that you are a bit sour this morning..."

               "Sour?" Prince Derrick spat sarcastically , "Why would I be sour?"

               "Son, you should be happy," the king smiled," You could meet your soulmate at anytime."

It was the morning of his twenty-first birthday and Prince Derrick was feeling just peachy. He had come to a conclusion that he did not want to meet his soulmate and most definitely did not want to go to a ball. Even if that meant he could dress better than he normally did, he just couldn't and wouldn't accept his fate.

                "Anyways," the king continued, "I have issued something that will hopefully cheer you up."

                "What could possibly 'cheer me up'?" the prince huffed stubbornly.

                "Oh, I don't know, maybe a wolf hunt?" the king smiled slyly. Derrick rolled his eyes.

                "Have you not noticed that I always go on wo-" 

                "Alone," interrupted the king. Prince Derrick stopped mid-argument and looked at his father with wide eyes and an slightly-opened mouth.

Derrick almost smiled. Yes, he had gone on wolf hunts before, but never alone. He would always have this ring of knights surrounding him like bodyguards. It was as if he was a precious, delicate jewel that needed protection all day, every day. Derrick, as you've probably guessed, hated it. The sword around his waist was never really used to kill anything because, where as he would get a few slashes of his sword, the knights did much of the wolf killing. The prince was shocked to hear that he was finally allowed to do as he pleased.

                 "Alone? With no knights?" the prince asked, just to assure himself. The king nodded his head, smiling knowingly, while the prince resumed glaring.

                "Well," Derrick sniffed,"I guess that makes today less terrible. When am I going on this wolf hunt?"

                "Whenever you want, Son," the king replied, "Today is your day, and you have no one to wait for. The knights are guarding the castle and Oliver is ready to go. I made sure of that. You could even go right now if you'd like."

                "Right now seems like a time to start. Things like these do take a lot of time," the prince reasoned, standing up from the table laid out with food, and turning to leave. Before the prince could leave the king reached over and grabbed his wrist, making Derrick turn to face his father's worried and withered expression.

                "Be careful," the king requested. Derrick rolled his eyes and ripped his father's hand off of his wrist. 

                "Trust me, your majesty," Derrick huffed,"I'm not going to end up like Mom."

Derrick walked swiftly out of the dining room, feeling his guilty father's eyes watching him leave. He knew that his father felt responsible for his mother's death, but Derrick couldn't help but rub it in his face. It was a horrible aspect of his personality: if something bites him, he bites back...but on the wrong person. For a twenty-one year old, Derrick has too many responsibilities and too many things on his mind to concentrate. Maybe the good thing about getting a soulmate would be that the person he was destined to be with could ease his mind in some way. Derrick shook his head; no, of course not, he might not even get a soulmate. He doesn't even want a soulmate.