Published via Ecency

Greetings Readers!

I hope that you are all very well. We are settling into the new house, but we are getting new furniture from father-in-law's house on Sunday, just as we managed to pack out most of our boxes.

Anyway. I hope that you all enjoy today's update. We are back with Kay.

“She’s gone hunting, yes, but I would have expected her back by now.” Said Silens. “She doesn’t have the survival skills yet to stay outside for two nights in the pouring rain in the forest alone.”

Mitis was feeding her son. She had wanted to placate the worried shaman, but within her depths she knew that something had gone terribly wrong. She hoped she was wrong. She needed to be wrong. Kay had gone hunting for a gift for her son, and she would never forgive herself if Kay got hurt because of a stupid gift.

Mitis had taken to walking small distances within the Shaman’s home while her son rested. She wasn’t ready to go back home yet, but she felt cooped up. She was sure she felt unease because Kay hadn’t come home in almost three days now.

Silens went to the front door and opened it. She had sensed a group of people coming to her home. She had hoped that it was the hunters she had sent out the day before with some news. While she was partially correct, the hunters had brought someone with them.

A large man, with a brown tail wrapped around his waist, was leading the pack. His unruly brown hair was only barely held in check by a leather strap. Silens had to actually look up at him when he arrived at her doorway. Behind him were several men she didn’t know and then the hunters she had spoken to yesterday.

“I am here for my son!” declared the man brazenly.

Silens looked behind her to see Mitis quickly duck into her room to retrieve the baby.

“You would be the king then?” she asked. Not really caring for the answer. The worry over Kay was too much.

“I am.” He said proudly.

“How many brothers?”

The man seemed to stumble over his answer before saying, “Twenty.”

Silens chuckled, knowing that she had killed close to double that about before she even hit sixteen. She stepped aside and allowed the king into her home.

“You must be the new shaman that I have heard so much about. The one that saves babies.”

“That would be my assistant.” Said Silens, looking over to the hunters, hoping for an answer.

The hunters shook their heads.

“Damn it.” Hissed Silens.

“Problems?” asked the king as he looked around the rooms, waiting for Mitis to bring his firstborn.

“Kay, my assistant went hunting a few days ago; we haven’t seen her since.”

“My huntsmen and I were out hunting too.” Said the king nonchalantly. “I wished for a white pelt for my first son. Saw a white star wolf but it fell into the river. After that, the rains were too bad to travel to look for it, so I took the village up on their offer to house my men and me after a long journey.”

“A star wolf?” Silens snorted. “Those are children’s tales, Your Majesty. It was likely a large wolf…”

Silens trailed off when she realised what she was saying. A white wolf, a large one at that. There were no wolves in this part of the forest, not with the large forest cats that kept them out of their territory.

“Where?” demanded the shaman, fury and horror growing in her chest.

“A small cliff that overhangs the river. I just so happened to see it getting up, gleaming white, and jumping for a white stag. That would also have been a good prize, but when the body hit the water, it spooked everything, and the deer scattered.”

“What?” a small voice came from the room where Mitis and they baby were.

Mitis clutched her son to her chest and was glowering at the king, who seemed oblivious to the change in the room.

Silens looked to the hunters, who looked just as horrified. She nodded her head once; if Kay had managed to survive, then time was running out, and they needed to find her soon, especially if she was injured. The cliff wasn’t very high, but a bad fall could have caused damage. The hunters took off, leaving the other huntsmen looking on in confusion.

“Star wolves aren’t real, Your Majesty, but my assistant who wears armour that resembles a white wolf is real. And she was out hunting the white stag. We have no wolves in this forest.”

The King, who had been reaching for the child, stopped dead. All bravado gone as blood drained from his face.

“She saved Gatex’s life when his birth cord tried to kill him. She made sure he developed right. You killed her.” Said Mitis in a whisper.

The man stood back, feeling the anger in her words. He had been rash. He hadn’t known the animals of this forest. This was too far south from where he had grown up. Had he actively hunted a member of this village? Had he killed the very person who had breathed life into his son a few days ago? He had heard from the girl’s parents how the assistant had spent a night fighting to keep his firstborn alive.

He hadn’t known. He had just wanted to honour the woman who had borne him his first son. He turned on the spot and signalled the huntsmen to follow the hunters.

“They know the forest; they may know where the assistant has washed up.”

He then turned and bowed to the shaman. “I will find her.”

Oops.

For those of you who have never heard of Fell Dragon you can find Book 1 here, Book 2 here, Book 3 here, and Book 4 here, Book 5 here, Book 6 here, Book 7 here, and Book 8 here
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I love discussing my books!
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
Saasha’s Direct Family
Saith Characters Recap
Human Characters Recap
Alternate Timeline Brucel
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