Chapter 8

"How..." Vixen says taking a step behind. He dusts his palm keeping the knife back into its sheath and therefore tucking into his shirts.
"Enough with the games." He says.
It s time to go.
She remains still looking at her as he places his hand akimbo. Are you deaf or dumb? Perhaps, are you both? He asks her taking a step closer.
"I'm not going anywhere if my bead isn't returned." She shouts, turning her back and he grabs a hold of her hand before she can commence.
Vixen tried to pull away from the hold but he drags her as he begins to head back.
Let me go! Vixen cries. She finally tears her hand away from him.
"If you do not give me my bead, I will report to my father and the king that you have assaulted me." Vixen says with vehement! I will tell the whole Southland that you brought me to this forest and defiled me. She says slowly as he lets go of her.
Really? He says.
"You must be the deaf one afterall." She instigates as she eyes him.
"You must know that such threats..." He says walking closer to her and whispering into her ear.
"Your threats do not make me waver instead I become determined." He says as he holds her tightly on her arm and commences.
Vixen shrugs and tries to pull away. All is futile.
"You are hurting me." She says hitting his knuckles on her arm.
Let me go!
She says once again.
"I shall report you to the King." Let me go! Vixen finesses.
Her continued wails and insignifact threats sweeps through the air. Vixen takes her feet off the ground and he pulls her along with the grasses. She picks a stone from the floor and hit him on his knuckles. He keeps on pulling her even when it did sting him.
Hunter pulls her from the ground when she reaches the horse and she turns to run once more . He grabs her back in the process and her sleeve tears portraying her bare skin with a healing injury.
The grasp from his hand must have been too hard, he didn't realize she was still healing . Vixen looks at herself and at her torn sleeve that Hunter holds. He drops the piece of material and readies the horse.
She holds her arm closely covering her bare bleeding arm and her eyes are catered with tears.
Climb. He tells her.
Her hands are raised and it makes contact with his face. Hunter turns back to her and her teary face is replaced with vengeance. He smiles before removing the bead from his wrist.
He raises it up to the sky and throws it into the thick end bristles.
Vixen is devastated but before she could began to let out her anger. He carries her and settles her on the horse. Hunter follows in pursuit and she cannot even fight it the moment he sits on the horse, it was silence all the way.

____________
He gets her to her attendants who run to her aid the minute he gets them at the town square. Hunter gets down from the horse but she remains still staring into thin air. Hunter thinks she must be mourning her item.
"My Lady,Vixen." The warrior like attendant say as she gets to her.
Are you okay? The attendant, Mary asks once again.
She tilts her head to the other side and her green eyes didn't look as charming.
Vixen gets down from the horse and when the attendants gets a closer look at her torn sleeve, they rush a cloak on her. She violently drops the cloak to the ground not sparing anyone second glances.
My lady, please say something. The attendant begs holding her shoulders.
Vixen pushes one of the girl that tries to force the cloak on her again, she pushes her hand away and returns the girl with a slap.
"Do not touch me, you filthy..." Vixen yells before holding back the remaining words.
The attendant takes a step back, her head lowered.
There you are! A woman of discipline and strict guidelines walks into the square. She had a lion skin coat wrapped on her neck and was followed by much more attendants and armies of men. Her eyes were cold and vicious. It held no feelings none sort .She must be the mistress of Richard Dounty.
The attendant of Lady Vixen are shocked at her arrival but they knew it was too late to return back home. The mistress must have tortured her way to find out what was going on from the attendants who stayed back.
Hunter turns back to the Lady Vixen whose eyes are still the same while she looks at the woman.
The woman walks further to Vixen removing her gloves from her hand and handling it to the maid beside her. She stops in front of Vixen and slaps her heavily, twice. The attendant who are around fall on their knees begging the woman's anger.
"Madame Anne, please punish me." The attendant of Lady Vixen, Emerald begs on behalf of her silent mistress.
Shut up! The mistress yells at her.
You think because you are to wed the King,you can do as you please? The woman shouts!
What were you thinking when you left home for some bead?The woman questions.
Are you trying to use the silent treatment, dear Vixen? She inquires when the Lady didn't answer her questions.
"Very well." Madame Anne nods.
"I will grant Emerald, your attendant her wish to punish her on behalf of you." She will be flogged till she breathes no more!
Finally, Vixen s emotion comes back once again and she holds back her step mother.
"I'm wrong. Vixen" says, hating every moment.
That's not enough. The woman spat back to her as she threw the girl's hands off her. Vixen looks at her maid again whose eyes are filed with tears and Vixen opens her mouth again.
"Do not punish someone else for my mistake." Vixen says.
"I have told you a thousand times, Vixen." Someone has to be punished at these times. I cannot punish you like that, so therefore let me use your attendant as an example,maybe that way you will learn.
Lady Vixen is about to let a piece of her anger now and Hunter has seen that, he decides to have a say in the matter.
"May I plead on the attendant's behalf." Hunter says walking into the argument holding the mare with its rope.
And you are? Madame Anne asks with her eyebrows knitted together.
"I am Hunter, General Hunter from the House of Benevolence." She looks at her in shock after a stern look at her step daughter.
Heavens! She says. The mistress gave a faint courtesy and he acknowledges it with a smile.
"Attendant Emerald and the rest have been of service in finding her mistress that she ran to my aid for help." If not for her diligence and humble nature. I wonder if the Lady Vixen would have been found.
It wouldn't be right to let a deserving person go to such waste, don't you think? Hunter asks the Madame.
Emerald came to seek your help? The woman asks staring at the girl once more.
Of course. He replies her.
"Thank you, for bringing her back from wherever she journeyed to." Madame Anne says.
He realizes that Emerald didn't say anything about an involvement with any man. Hunter believes that lady Vixen's maids must have been strict with the confession. It was a good thing.
My pleasure. He tells them before walking away from the scene.
Emerald is released and the madame drags the Lady along with her. Emerald looks at Hunter with a grateful bow and he smiles in acknowledgment.
There was this profound feeling he had stirring me up each time he looked at the lady's face. She was a spoilt one but it attracted him in ways I seek to decipher. I felt guilty.
Hunter knows he shouldn't have slept for too long but in all, waiting in the forest till dusk wasn't still the best idea and the traps?
He removes the bead from under his sleeve and smiles. Hunter may still give this to her if she becomes a better person, maybe.
He raises his head up and immediately, he met her eyes on his from the window of the carriage. It was watching mine and it bore revenge.
Could she have seen the bead? Hunter turns away from her before mounting the mare and leaving the town square which for some reason was too quiet.

He gets down from the mare when he gets to the House of Benevolence. The house is still undergoing repairs and Hunter pauses when he sees his mother laughing and chatting with three women. It brings a beautiful glow on her face and he remains still only to watch it grow wider.
Hunter! She says when she sees him and beckons him to come. He obeys and approaches her with a huge smile on her face. He takes her hand and kisses it slowly, the warmth in her eyes were beautiful.
She holds unto my hands tightly before introducing her accompanies to me.
"Hunter, I want you to meet Lady Zelda." She says.
The woman was a young dashing beauty, she had golden eyes with her golden black hair in a loose bun. She could be in her twenty's or so. He wonders why a young woman as her was spending time chatting with my mother.
Nevertheless, he takes her hand and introduces himself .
She returns a bow with a charming smile. My Lord, it is an honor meeting you. She says.
His mother smiles pleased with what she sees. She further introduces him to the two other women who are very much older.
"A thought crosses his mind." It felt as if his mother is extra careful when she introduced, Lady Zelda.
What was she planning exactly?
"I'm sorry that your visit isn't so equipped. I promise, the next time you visit,mayhap, you will be sitting in our newly furnished house." The women laugh not showing too much teeth.
We are quite satisfied with this showcase, Mi Lord. One of the older women, Lady Prisca?
I appreciate your satisfaction, Hunter says retreating and his gaze falls on the Lady Zelda, who is busily searching for something around.
Are you looking for something? I inquires.
"Um..no, not really."
Hunter nods before giving a polite excuse to the ladies.
He walks away from them, and he remembers only one physique. Her honey skin that he really wanted to caress. Hunter felt guilty when he saw a red bruise on her hand formed by his hard grip. Her green eyes that looked like a forest that hid a precious gem which was meant to be unravelled.
He felt guilty when she had started to plead with her step mother. It may have not shown on his face, for a man like me who has been cultivated in war who showed no weakness. The opposite is her, a girl who has been living under roses all her life will definitely not be able to hide it.
The more Hunter saw it, the more he tries to sooth it. His rough nature won't allow his heart to do as it pleases. He just wanted to say sorry and give the bead back to her. A part of him wanted to hold unto it, so it would follow him into his dreams where he may see her again.
Why?
She's my brother ,the King's fiancee and he is fascinated by her negative character. Apart from that, she's a child he is able to father twice. Hunter thought through gritted and clamped teeth.
The worst of all, the Lady Vixen is as proud as a peacock, never would she want to give up her life as a Queen for an illegitimate son. One, who was old enough to be her father! Something told him this wasn't the end of her revenge. The way her green eyes pierced his and assured him that he would still see more of her.
He couldn't wait to see what more she had under her sleeve.
Something Hunter didn t notice when he was thinking of Vixen is the way the ancient bead glowed while he spoke of the girl, the grasses around him bowed and grew longer but he was too deep in thought to sight a change in his environment.
*****
Thank you so much?