Bound At Heart

The Hunt

Everyone sprinted off, Elmora being the swiftest, took off in flight as Ilyana and Eldrin follow behind her. All groups split off immediately. Meanwhile, Ilyana ran at full speed behind Eldrin as they swerve through the forest, pursuing Elmora. The two jump over boulders, using lower branches to propel themselves forward. The forest was huge, spacious, and ancient. Its canopy was competed for by cypress, hemlock, and hawthorn, and ample openings let enough dancing beams of light through for a variety of bushes to dominate the soft, rich soils below. Bundled tree limbs suspended from the occasional tree, and a mishmash of flowers, which bloomed brightly, contrasted against the otherwise emerald backdrop.

A medley of wild noises, most of which were critters, reverberated through the air and overpowered the swaying of treetops in the wind. They were suddenly stopped by Elmora who landed in front of them as she approached Ilyana.

"Wait here, I'll scout on ahead," she told her and flew off past the tree canopy.

"What did she tell you?" Eldrin asked.

"She told us to wait here," Ilyana replied. "She's a quick flier... the only thing I pray for is that if that beast doesn't poison her with its magic or she won't be coming back for a while..."

"She'll be fine, Ilyana."

The two of them sat down as Ilyana began to play around with her fingers, her leg twitched in anticipation. Eldrin laughed and placed a hand on her knee, causing her to stop.

"You're doing that thing again, relax!"

"Sorry," she laughed. She attempted to strike up a conversation, "How have you been Eldrin? I haven't seen you in the last two weeks."

"I've been with the boys going out hunting and camping in the wilderness. Our hoard was enormous, I am not lying. Three female deer and two bucks! We've sold the deer hides and buckhorns to the market. We saved whatever meat we could carry for our families. One night we went out drinking in celebration of our success. What about yourself? You've seemed to have kept yourself busy."

Ilyana sighs, "Honestly, I have. Ever since I last saw you, I took it upon myself to take a temporary leave and go out camping with Elmora by my side. I went to my private cabin, just so you know, the one far north from the village. On my journey, for two days I trained even harder than I ever did before since I managed to put my skills to the test. I spent my weekend at the cabin to meditate and use my custom training course. I encountered a wild black bear too, which was the extraordinary part... but... the odd part was when – hold on, let me explain this properly...

"I was exercising one morning, testing my arm strength by climbing trees and hanging by branches and still trying pulling myself up one-handed... I've only managed to successfully do that once. Anyway, I finish and on my way, I reunited with Elmora who brought me my rag and canteen. Mind you that my cabin is directly next to a large lake and meadow too, and this beautiful black bear. Not the common Guardian bears, no! His hide was purely black and his eyes didn't glow with magic. You know how incredibly rare those creatures are, Eldrin! He was drinking so incredibly close to my cabin. When his eyes caught sight of me, he sniffed the air and stood up. I carefully walked around it. At first, all I could think about was reaching for my bow to kill him for his hide... but I figured I would only make the breeding situation even worse... I also wanted to save myself the regret for doing so. He made his way over to me. I froze because apparently, I thought that was the only good idea I had at the time. Elmora began to growl but I told her it was O.K. The animal charges and knocks me down. He didn't pressure his weight on me though but when our eyes met, he never attacked. I ordered Elmora to not charge at the animal. While I laid against the terrace, the beast never seemed as terrifying as the stories say. Now, here is the odd part; I sensed how he felt. He was scared and alone, acting off on defense, for I think he has seen much in his life... causing me to feel pity... Without thinking, my hand reached for his head.