25| The Hunt

Mel begrudgingly followed an excited Lori back towards the manor above ground, her thoughts in shambles. What might have been minutes or hours ago, the manor, along with the whole settlement had been quiet and peaceful. But now, it was the complete opposite and Mel was frankly quite alarmed as to what was happening, and she dreaded asking Lori why.

Since Lori seemed a little happy, it didn’t seem like they were under attack. But on the other hand, if they were preparing for a festivity or something, Mel felt like she was going to lose her mind. Would she be executed if she ended up burning the clan down?

*‘No. What am I thinking? Everything should be fine. I have Annie by my side,’* Mel thought, trying her best to relax.

A lot of people stopped what they were doing to greet Mel in a swift curtsey as she passed and this made her feel conscious. She strapped the vase to her chest.

“Lori. Tell me what is happening,” Mel asked, unable to take the suspense anymore. They were all excited for one reason or the other and she had to know why.

“Everyone is preparing for the hunt,” Lori said, as if she was just realizing that Mel was right beside her.

“A hunt?” Mel’s brows twisted upwards in a quizzical frown. “What hunt?”

“Oh. I wanted to bring you in before—” Lori started, trying to find the right words. “Eustace was asking of you and I don’t think you would have noticed it but—” Lori pointed at the sky and Mel stared at it, puzzled. The late afternoon sky was clear and other than that, Mel could not understand what the state of the heavens had to do with a ‘hunt’.

Lori continued. “I presumed Sprites could read the skies since you tend to plants and nature…” She faltered, a questionable look pointed at a flustered Mel.

“Oh! I see!” Mel exclaimed half-heartedly, her heart racing as a nervous wreck consumed her. Lori wasn’t wrong. They were taught to study the skies in order to determine the best weather conditions for certain kinds of plantations.

“I’m really sorry. Then again, it isn’t that obvious,” Lori put in. “I’m sure you noticed the relentless cold when you arrived in Grime. It isn’t always like this, but we can sense a coming shift in the air and this means the long winter would be arriving early.”

Mel’s eyes widened, already beginning to grasp the meaning of what Lori was trying to explain to her. “But we’ve not even reached half of this year, does this always happen?” she asked, a little alarmed as a silent question remained on the tip of her tongue.

*‘And how long would this winter last?’*

This would mean she would be stuck indoors for months on end. But on the bright side, she could explore the undercity. This thought alleviated her anxiety just a little bit.

Lori let out a nervous chuckle, the sound coming out a little funny as she walked briskly. “Honestly, it is a little more frequent than required. So it’s more common to have early winters here.” She looked back up at the clear sky. “Most of us at least are making plans for tomorrow. Early in the morning, we should be gone to get food and materials that should last us over the next few months, or at times till the following year.”

“The following year?” Mel grew pale.

“No. No. No. Please, don’t be alarmed. The winter storms don’t always last till the following year. It rarely happens, but it doesn’t hurt to prepare. And life won’t stop in Grime. You’ll find so many things in the undercities to keep you occupied, plus sometimes we have visits from other clan members. We always look forward to the winter season.”

Mel was quiet in thought, considering Lori’s words. This may probably be the last time she would see open air. Not necessarily immediately, but soon enough. She glanced up sideways at Lori. “How—how long does this hunt last?”

Lori twisted her lips in thought. “It mostly lasts within a span of two to three weeks. Most times, it’s shorter.”

“When do you think this storm is coming for you to be so sure?”

Lori laughed, a warm smile spreading across her cheeks. “Oh, Mel. Our senses are never wrong. Not to worry, though, you’ll understand the more time you spend with us.”

“I’m coming along for the hunt, aren’t I?” Mel questioned. Deep down she hoped for Lori to tell her yes. She had wanted to inspect some parts of the nearby woods, something she had never done before, and it seemed this would be the only avenue for her to do that until the winter rolled over.

Plus, the thought of a group outing excited her a little bit. The last time she had done something like this back home was when they had gone into a portion of the woods to source medicinal plants. She had only been thirteen years old. It had been that far behind.

“Yes!” Lori answered. Mel wasn’t sure if she was seeing things, but it seemed as if her question had dampened Lori’s excitement. That expression disappeared just as it had appeared and Mel was left wondering if it wasn’t the fatigue playing tricks on her mind. “You can absolutely come if you want to.”

*‘If I want to?’*

Faint hope blossomed within Mel, but she sadly only saw one side of Lori’s last reply. To her, it was a positive affirmation.

“Actually you must.” Lori straightened, coming to a stop in front of the manor’s busy entrance. “Nearly every single wife of the clan head frequently went out with the rest of the hunting party. It would do you good to observe the landscape. It’s your home now, after all.”

Mel smiled. “That sounds wonderful.”


_________________________


“No. You aren’t going.”

Mel stiffened. “What?!”

Bjorn paced around in his study, a direct replica of the one he had in his underground manor. Except that there were fewer books, fewer shelves, and a lot more space. He finally rounded on the two women, Mel, and his mother. He had watched his wife come in earlier with Lori, only for Mel to be intercepted by Eustace who chatted with Mel, probably to discuss with her how she would have to watch over the manor in his absence.

His expectations had been dashed, however, when Mel had approached him, letting him know of her eagerness to join the hunting party. It had been as if a dash of freezing cold water was poured over him when Lori joined in support, encouraging the young Sprite who knew nothing of the dangers of this kind of hunt in particular.

Nudging Mel here to his study in the futile hope of persuading her had resulted in his mother checking up on them.

Not like he would have succeeded if he was alone with the stubborn minx.

“There is nothing wrong if you remain here and take care of the clan when I’m gone,” Bjorn stressed, facing Mel. “My mother will put you through it.”

Eustace silently observed the interaction, not knowing how she was going to cut in. She was a little alarmed. From the looks of it, she had the vague feeling this was not the first time they were disagreeing so heatedly.

“Does she even know how dangerous this is?” Born turned to face Eustace. The poor old woman straightened. “It would be safer for her to stay home.”

“You can’t be serious,” Mel bit back, raising her arms and planting her fists on her hips. “Your mother says it’s safe. Lori says it’s—”

“You keep forgetting that you’re not a werebear!” Bjorn nearly yelled and Mel flinched.

Eustace's face creased into a deep frown. “Bjorn,” she chided in a scolding tone.

“You know what?” Mel continued, regaining her composure from the initial fright. “I refuse to believe you. For one reason or the other, you don’t want me there and I find that irritating.”

Bjorn’s jaw twitched. He disliked what she was saying, but he couldn’t deny that she was speaking the truth. He couldn’t fully understand why he didn’t want her there. It wasn’t as dangerous as he was making it out to be, but he doubted a girl like her would be alright out there in the wild. Nothing could mask the sheltered upbringing she was exuding.

“Bjorn,” Eustace said, coming to rest a soothing hand on Mel’s shoulder, calming the young woman down. “The hunt isn’t as dangerous as you’re making it out to be, and I am sure as a Sprite she could have a few contributions to make.” She addressed Mel, “Your help and knowledge would be appreciated when looking out for certain vegetables and spices to bring back to the clan, maybe something even new we’re not so accustomed to?”

*‘Oh, no. Not this.’* Mel silently cowered. She knew enough about vegetation, but not much to be outstanding, and she doubted that the werebears didn’t already know whatever plant-based knowledge she was going to help with.

“Yes. I can help with that,” Mel managed, her heart hammering with the small lie she just told. Well, it wouldn’t be a lie if she could happen upon some herbs she knew about. That would be her saving grace at least.

Bjorn caved in with a low grumble. He buried his face in his hands and was quiet for a while before he looked back up at them. “If that is what you wish, you can come… but there will be rules for you to follow.”