Page 14 of The Hunter's Mate

Fawn

The game is on.

I wake up early the next morning, just like I would have if I were going out for a hunt with my dad years ago. We don’t say anything as we get dressed and eat some rations, Nyrik tossing me a pouch of something flavorless and textureless rather than treating me like he did last night. His tail twitches when I get dressed, having had to spend the whole night naked and ashamed in his bed.

I can’t believe he wouldn’t so much as give me the time of day. I could tell he wanted it, but I just couldn’t make it happen.

He finally talks to me when he gives me my gear, packing a go-bag full of rations, rope, and a weird little gizmo I think is some kind of compass. He thrusts it into my hands, then I sling it over my shoulder as he picks up my weapon.

“What do you expect me to do?”

“Return to your hut and prepare,” Nyrik mutters. “I’ll set the creature free in one Earth hour…and then we begin.”

I cock my head at him. “Do you really think it’s fair to do this without a handicap when you’ve caught this thing before?”

He meets my gaze. “Do you think you need a handicap…or do you have enough faith in your abilities to catch the thing yourself?”

“Fine,” I say. “But you have to give it a head start—otherwise, you’ll get an edge when it comes to knowing where the creature is hiding.”

“Fair,” he says.

Nyrik turns and paces away, his tail swishing. When he comes back around, he extends his hand.

“On your planet, I’m told that competitors shake…hands,” he says. “I do not, per sé, have hands—but I will shake on it anyway.”

I reach out to grasp his clawed fingers, and he retracts all but the claw on his thumb. A moment later, it drags sharply against my wrist—but I don’t even flinch. I keep my gaze on Nyrik’s golden eyes, unable to read his face and knowing he feels it too.

This heat between us.

Unending…

Unsated.

“I’ll see you…” I pause. “Or I won’t. May the best hunter win.”

“Good luck,” he says. “I sincerely hope you succeed.”

And with that, I head back out into the wild.

10

Fawn

I spend most of the day hunting, and I learn the creature’s patterns.

I find dead turtles, alligators, gar, pythons—some of the deadliest creatures in the swamp, slain by the zimya. It kills a whole family of boars and I come upon the carnage right after. I feel like I’m on its tail for most of the day, but as night falls, I realize I have to get back.

Set a trap.

There are dangerous creatures in the swamp…now more than ever.

I keep my crossbow aimed through the squat window, my eyes having adjusted to the darkness long ago. Nyrik and the zimya are out there—and soon, I’ll head out and catch the creature for myself. I’ve left bait in the swamp around the hunting cabin, assuming the creature is a carnivore, but I won’t be able to stay here forever.

Nyrik will be out there, racing me—forcing me to prove myself.

I growl in frustration and step back from the window, the first time I’ve moved or made a sound in hours. I need to pee—and then I’ll head out and take the creature on. I know enough about the patterns of the Atchafalaya Basin to hunt down anything that isn’t supposed to be here, and I assume it’ll leave a trail.

Dead animals; unusual droppings; strange tracks in the mud. I know how to recognize these signs.

---