Chapter 32 #2
Walking out of the dining room, I glance back at Maribel, who’s cradling Max in her arms.
Soren looks back at me one more time, a half-smile playing on his lips. It’s meant to be comforting, but it does little to alleviate my growing anxiety.
The night outside is pleasant despite my apprehension.
The moon hangs high in the sky, casting long shadows across the ground that twist and skulk with every rustle of leaves.
Cold wind brushes past us, causing me to shudder involuntarily when I catch a whiff of something, making my eyes dart warily to the trees looking for the smell, that seems to have taken over my senses.
Soren’s hand tightens around mine and he shoots me another reassuring glance.
“It’s just a rabbit, you’ll get used to it.
I know being outside is overwhelming your senses, but try to focus on me,” he says before leading us farther away from the well-lit castle and into the blackened forest beyond.
Yet out here my skin prickles, my senses heighten as my eyes adjust to the dark.
I try to force my focus on Soren but every noise has me jerking, and twitching in the direction.
There's a scent I can’t seem to get from my mind, my nose wanting to follow it and find its source.
Without realizing it I stop as the breeze carries the same scent.
Soren, forced to stop, glances at me expectantly.
His grip tightens around my hand even more.
“Come, Aubrey, not here. You can hunt in the forest. Max doesn’t need to see you rip poor Bugsy apart, you’ll give him nightmares.
” I glance at the castle. Max peers out his bedroom window rubbing his eyes.
A second later I see Maribel coax him away.
We keep moving along the tree line and my thoughts jumble, everything heightened.
It’s hard to keep one line of thought when I hear the crunching of leaves.
Soren tugs my hand but he doesn’t turn or look scared — instead there’s a wild, almost exhilarated glint in his eyes that mystifies me.
“Just Damian, he’ll stay nearby in case I need help but I won’t.”
I gulp, holding my breath, too scared to pick up on any more scents after the rabbit. Its scent alone has my blood rushing in my ears. The last thing I need is to start hunting Soren’s brother or his guard.
As Soren guides me into the forest, the castle falls away, hidden by the trees, my senses latching onto every nuance.
The soft crooning of crickets floats through the air while overhead I can see shadows flicker as silent owls prowl for their nightly meals.
The scent of pine needles makes my nose twitch with delight and somewhere close by I hear water trickling – a stream or perhaps even the waterfall.
Soren’s voice cuts through my wandering thoughts softly but firmly; “Trust yourself and your abilities. I won’t let you hurt anyone, even if you don’t trust yourself, trust me.” His words seem to echo through the night when something else catches my attention: a thumping sound.
Instinctively, I sniff the air, catching the scent of something, something that smells like…
I don’t remember shifting but like with Max, that urge to hunt takes over and forces the shift, leaving my clothes ruined at my feet.
My sole focus moves to the sound of something running and the heart beat that grows faster as I give chase.
“Soren…” I stutter knowing soon, I will have no control.
“You’re safe, there is no one out here you can hurt.”
Yet there is, whatever is making that sound that calls to some deep part of me. Some poor creature that is merely trying to exist out here but the urge is too strong. The breeze shifts again, and I catch a whiff of its scent.
The scent overpowers my senses, a heady mixture of fear and wet earth along with that delicious mouthwatering scent from earlier.
My nose remembers the scent but my mind can’t seem to put a name to it.
Listening carefully, the scurrying of claws on the forest floor sounds and mixes with the shallow breaths of the creature.
Panic seizes me, but not mine—the animal’s.
It knows it’s being hunted and its racing heartbeat has mine syncing to it.
“Soren!” My voice is a desperate plea now, a desire to not harm this innocent creature.
I blink, my gaze adjusting to the ethereal glow of the moonlight filtered through emerald leaves, everything glows brightly.
My lungs fill with an intoxicating blend of fragrances: moss, wildflowers, damp earth, and the tantalizing scent of the creature that had set my senses aflame.
My furry feet quietly crush fallen leaves beneath them as I move swiftly through dense foliage, seeing it dart between trees trying to escape me. Despite the darkness, I see the world with newfound clarity and greater detail than ever before.
I creep closer to the source of the tantalizing scent, a small huddled shape crouches next to a fallen log, trying to hide.
Its eyes wide and gleaming in the starlight, its heartbeat frantic.
The thrill of the chase gives way to a strange calm.
I draw closer, the sound of its pounding heart echoing in my ears, growing louder with each second.
Just when I’m close enough to pounce, a sudden rustling halts my advance. I turn and see Soren’s form emerging from the shadows. His eyes meet mine and the sound of scampering feet makes me jump to see my rabbit darting through the trees.