Tori Transmigrated

Chapter 126: Slaughtering His Way Through the Forest

“How much longer do you think it will be until the rest of the hunting parties enter the forest?” Sonia looked around the heavily wooded area. The dirt path they were on started wide, but after only ten or fifteen minutes of galloping into the forest, it had narrowed to be wide enough for a horse and a half. The dawn light barely breached the thick canopy of overlapping oak branches.

Behind her, Sir Granger, a tall man with reddish-brown curly hair and green eyes, was scanning the tree line. “When we left, I noticed that there was increased activity in the stables. I’d say that most of the other hunting parties were just getting ready. At the earliest, the bulk of them would be a half hour behind us.”

JP nodded, somewhat satisfied. “If that’s the case, I think we have a decent head start.”

“They’d have to eat breakfast first, as only lunch was provided, so it could be even longer,” Sir Lloyd, a blond-haired, brown-eyed knight, looked at a compass as he spoke.

Sonia furrowed her brows. “Lunch was provided?” She looked at the canvas drawstring tucked securely in her saddle bag. “Then why did Tori make our lunches? She didn’t have to get up so early to cook.”

“Miss Vissage, the lunches the duchy provided for the hunting parties were some jerky, cheese, and bread,” Sir Granger told her with pity. “Kitchen assistants were handing out the lunch bags outside the stables this morning to be packed in the saddle bags.”

“Would you rather have dried goods or Tori’s burritos?” Sir Nassaun asked, grinning.

Sonia pulled her lips into a line. There was obviously no question about which one to choose. As Tori had said: it was good to be loved. “The path looks like it gets narrower from here. What are the chances that it’s going to disappear the further in we go?”

“A large chance, miss,” Sir Lloyd replied. He gave his horse a gentle kick to move him forward. “When we studied the maps of the forest, there were three points of entry into this section that had been reserved and prepared for the hunt. From the three points of entry, there are smaller trails that taper off and eventually disappear. We’ll have to make our own way in a bit.”

“Duke Fekete said that when we start to see orange strips of cloth hanging on tree branches and beech trees start to take over the oaks, then we’ve reached the edge of the hunting grounds. We’ll have to turn around if we see them,” Sir Granger added. “It would be ideal to go as deep into the forest as possible.”

“Then, let’s go over the hill and into the valley behind it. I think it’ll be a suitable place to begin, and it will take some time for other hunting parties to catch up,” Prince Piers said.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Sonia adjusted her grip on the reins of Sprite. Dede had brought some horses with him from Alvere that were more suitable for hunting in forests. They were larger than Ciel Noir and Nuage, who were bred and trained for equestrian sports. Sprite and Maple were bay horses and were used to the terrain and sounds of forests, making them less likely to be spooked.

When Dede took her and JP to train, they’d brought Sprite and Maple.

“How do you think you’ll fare hunting?” Sir Nassaun asked as he looked over his shoulder towards her and JP. “Tori said that you were training with your grandfather before you left.”

“We spent days out in the surrounding forests. First we observed animal movements, then started trying to shoot.” JP let out a tired sigh. “Adjusting wasn’t nearly as easy as I thought.”

“We also didn’t take into account that since we’d be ambushing most game, the prey would move, but we would be stationary,” Sonia added. “That also took some time to get used to.”

“When we were practicing, we had better luck hitting moving targets while moving on horseback.”

“What about tracking game?” Sir Lloyd asked.

“We didn’t bother to learn,” JP answered. “We knew that you and Sir Granger were going to be doing the tracking. Dede said that if someone else was going to find the game, then we should concentrate on getting used to shooting them once we find them.”

“That’s fair.”

The group of six continued on and as Sir Lloyd told them, the dirt path did become narrower before disappearing altogether. Luckily, the underbrush wasn’t thick, and the horses didn’t have problems going through the forest. They continued up a small hill, following the direction of a compass.

“Your Highness, this area may have rabbits,” Sir Granger said as he slowed. “Permission to dismount and track.”

“Granted.” Prince Piers held up his left hand as he came to a stop. Sir Granger slid off his horse and began to look around the area. “How much were rabbits worth?”

“Rabbits and weasels are three, any game birds are two. Pheasants, grouse, and wild geese and ducks should be in the area,” JP said. “We’d need a lot of them if Tori’s going to win her bet with Prince Gideon.”

“As long as we find them, I’ll get at least one.” Sonia wasn’t as confident as she was when shooting stationary targets around a ring, but she felt she had some ability. Dede didn’t drag them to the forest for nothing.

“Did you two ever catch anything while practicing near Viclya?” Sir Nassaun asked.

“At first, no. It took a week just to get used to animal movements when they fled. We were doing better by the second week,” JP replied. “Did you know there are a few herds of roe deer and fallow deer, and at least one herd of red deer nearby?”

“Red deer are surprisingly larger than I thought,” Sonia said with a grimace. “Much larger.”

“We focused on roe deer,” JP said. “They were the most numerous.”

“They’re numerous here, too,” Sir Granger said as he stood up from where he was kneeling. “There is deer scat.”

“That’s promising.”

“I also found some rabbit scat-”

“Sonia, why is your bag moving?” Her brother seemed to suck in a sharp breath. He froze beside her and looked at the left saddle bag. Sonia had put her lunch in the right bag, but the left one was empty in case they had to carry the game. She snapped her head back and saw the leather flap and the sides of the bag moving.

Sir Nassaun came closer, his eyes narrowing. “Did you check all the bags before putting them on the horses?”

“Yes, Your Grace. They were empty when we attached them,” Sir Lloyd reported. Sir Nassaun turned Blue River around and moved towards Sprite. He lifted his hand and leaned over to lift the flap.

With a quick movement, he tossed the leather flap up to reveal the contents of the bag, only for something to jump out. He retracted his hand and Sonia yelled.

“What is that!?” A fluffy, gray streak jumped on to Blue River’s saddle before launching itself into the brush.

“That’s Alexander!” JP’s eyes widened as he yelled. As soon as he said the name, Sonia paled. He was supposed to be back in Tori’s room at Granite Tower. How did he get into her bag?

“Alexander, get back here!” Sonia shouted as she grabbed the reins and turned Sprite in the direction of the gray flash.

“What is the Countess’ cat doing here?” Sir Granger nearly choked as he ran into the brush to try to catch up.

“Are you sure that’s her cat?” Sir Lloyd asked. There must be a mistake. Why would the Countess of Cosora let her spoiled cat go hunting?

“I’m sure that’s him! We see him every day!” JP said. Sonia prepared to run after the escaped cat, but the prince’s voice stopped them before they could get any further.

“Hold!” Prince Piers’ firm voice instantly made them freeze in their spots. Sonia turned to look at him, both surprised and uncertain. She hadn’t heard the prince raise his voice before.

“Piers, we have to catch him. Tori will panic if he runs off-”

“He’s not running off,” Prince Piers said. His eyes narrowed. “He’s stalking something.”

Sonia turned her head back in the direction that Alexander had leapt towards. In the distance, she could make out an unnatural patch of gray fur on the ground, looking away from them. A fluffy tail twitched as the rump rose and began to jiggle. She’d seen cats hunt before; there were several barn cats in the knights' stable where her father worked. She always thought it was cute, though knew the posture meant they were about to kill something.

Before she could hold her breath, Alexander launched himself forward. There was awkward squawk, a burst of feathers, and then the rustling of leaves. The squawking continued and grew fainter before a period of telling silence.

Alexander, with his tail up, emerged from the leaves with the neck of a pheasant almost the same size as him locked in his jaws. He dragged the dying bird towards them, and everyone remained where they were, watching him. He brought the pheasant to Sonia’s horse and dropped it.

“Nyaow!” He then nudged it closer with his head before turning around and returning to the forest.

“Your Highness,” Sir Granger said as he watched the cat leave once more. “Did the Countess train her cat to hunt?”

“More importantly, whatever Alexander catches counts towards our total, doesn’t it?” JP asked. “He’s not a person and so we’re still within our six-person party limit. Nothing was said about animals.”

“It’s a loophole,” Sir Nassaun said.

“Sir Granger, tie up the pheasant to bring with us,” Prince Piers told him. “If Alexander brings us more, make sure to finish them off.”

“Your Highness, shouldn’t we try to catch him and bring him back?” JP asked. Sonia nodded. The last thing they needed was to lose Tori’s cat.

Several eyes looked towards the prince. “No. Cats are natural hunters. It would be a pity to stop him.”

Sonia squinted at him with a dubious expression. He knew if Tori found out, she’d scream at them, didn’t he? Tori and nearly everyone in Viclya spoiled Alexander. He had fresh food every day, was bathed often, and children loved to follow him when he wandered around the encampment. He was pampered and slept indoors on Tori’s bed. He even had his own heated brush to keep his fur soft.

“Let’s just keep an eye on him,” Sir Nassaun said. “It doesn’t look like he’ll come to us willingly.”

“Just to be safe, let’s try to catch him when he comes back. We have some rope; we can put him on a leash.” JP patted one of his saddle bags.

“Then, we can only wait until-”

“Piers!” A voice shouted from down the path they’d come from, and Sonia’s eyes crinkled up with annoyance.

There were three people at the hunting tournament who would call the first prince by his name alone: one was with them, sitting on Blue River; another was back at Granite Tower, probably looking for her cat; and the third....

“How did he find us so quickly?” JP’s shoulders fell as they looked down the path.

Prince Gideon was rushing towards them with an eager expression followed by the rest of the members of his hunting party. Von Dorn and the two imperial knights were expected, and Sonia wasn’t surprised to see Hart with them. Pulling up the rear with the last of the imperial knights was Lord Evzen.

The night before, he’d told them that he didn’t want to go hunt, but he’d likely be forced to go with his father’s party. It seems that he was stuck with Prince Gideon’s instead, and from his expression, he did not want to be there.

“Piers, did you already catch something?” Prince Gideon’s eyes were bright as he looked at the pheasant hanging in Sir Lloyd’s hand as Sir Granger cut a piece of thick twine to tie around its feet.

“No. I didn’t catch that,” Prince Piers said in a calm, but firm voice.

Prince Gideon gave him a lopsided smile. “Dawn and dusk are the best times to hunt. We’ve already caught three pieces!” He motioned towards one of his knight’s horses.

Sonia craned her neck and saw two pheasants and a rabbit. To get that much in roughly an hour was quite good from what she learned hunting with Dede, but she wasn’t going to compliment the second prince aloud.

“That’s not bad.” Sir Nassaun was much more amiable. “Who shot them?”

“Alessa was able to hit one of the pheasants and Sir Wagner finished it off. Sir Wagner also caught the second pheasant, but Alessa spotted them.”

Alessa, Alessa, Alessa. If he becomes crown prince, I’m moving to a territory. The corner of Sonia’s eye twitched.

“I caught the rabbit,” Evzen said, lifting his hand.

“Rabbits are fast,” JP told him. “Being able to shoot one is impressive in itself.”

Evzen smiled and sat up straighter in his saddle. He looked at the pheasant. “Who caught that one?”

“Alexander.” Prince Piers was looking towards the woods and didn’t seem to pay much attention to the other group.

Sonia saw the confusion on their faces that told her that they didn’t know who Alexander was. Sir von Dorn’s eyes went around the group. He was familiar with everyone in their party and none of them were named Alexander.

Prince Gideon looked at his brother. “Who’s Alexander?”

“Tori’s cat,” Sonia said in a dull voice. “He’s not a person, so he doesn’t count as breaking the six-person rule. This still counts towards the points.” She wanted to make it clear before they could argue it. They’d only gotten one game bird so far. It mattered.

“Maybe he’s a good luck charm!” Hart said with an excited look. “Your Highness, may we join you? It looks like you haven’t encountered much game yet and we have been lucky in sighting them.”

Sonia’s skin curdled at the thought.

“Yes, Piers, can we?” Prince Gideon asked. “We ran into you by chance, and we’ve had some good luck so far.”

“No. Too many people make too much noise and will scare off the game.” It was almost as if Prince Piers had that excuse ready.

“Yes, our hunting parties when we’re in training aren’t very large, either,” Sir Nassaun said. Sonia wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth or not.

“Are you worried about how we’d split the game?” Prince Gideon asked. He raised a hand and shook his head. “We will be fair.”

“We are planning to go deeper into the forest, and it’ll be difficult to move with so many people,” Prince Piers said. “And our cat doesn’t like strangers.”

Alexander was very popular in Viclya. Ewan was sure he had grown so large because everyone liked to feed him. Alexander didn’t seem to mind strangers, now that Sonia thought about it. He just didn’t like Alessa.

I wonder if he learned from Tori....

“Where is the Countess’ cat?” Sir von Dorn asked. “Did he run away?”

Sonia saw the gray fluff appear on the rump of Hart’s horse. Before she could register that it was Alexander, her eyes landed on the long, squirming brown thing in his mouth. She sucked in a sharp breath and pointed at Hart.

“JP...Alexander has....”

Her brother followed her pointed finger and his eyes widened. “Alexander!”

“Is that a snake in his mouth!?” One of Prince Gideon’s knights let out a yell of surprise. Everyone’s attention turned to Hart’s horse as Alexander stood behind her saddle and seemed to look around. The snake was still alive and trying to whip itself free.

“Snake?” Hart twisted around. Her eyes doubled in size as her scream ripped through the forest. Her sudden high-pitched shriek surprised Alexander, who dropped the snake into the saddle bag before he jumped off the horse.

To try to grab the snake, one of the knights reached forward only to miss and hit the side of the horse. It bucked. Hart let out another scream as her horse kicked up and took off running.

Von Dorn yelled her name and Prince Gideon ordered his knights to go after her. He turned to Prince Piers, apologized for his rudeness, and then galloped after them, yelling for Lord Ezven to follow.

The youngest member of their group let out a heavy sigh. He gave a bow of his head to her party and followed.

In the span of seconds, they’d gotten rid of an annoyance. Sonia wanted to praise the cat. Perhaps Hart was right about Alexander being their lucky charm.

She turned to look for the cat and found him sitting beside Ice Queen.

“Alexander,” Prince Piers spoke to him seriously. “You made a mistake.”

Why was the first prince of Soleil talking to her friend’s cat as if he were a person?

“Your Highness...he’s a cat.” Sir Granger looked a bit worried.

“He must learn. Alexander, don’t waste your time catching snakes,” Prince Piers said. “They aren’t worth any points. You must stick to game birds or rabbits.”

“...Are you giving him instructions?” Sir Nassaun said with an incredulous look.

“Nyaow!” Alexander stood up and trotted off into the forest.

“Hey! We should’ve put a leash on him!” JP groaned. They’d been distracted with the second prince’s party and forgot.

Sonia rubbed the side of her head. “I’m sure we’ll get him next time.”

That was wishful thinking.

In the span of three hours, the party had completely forgotten about the task at hand in favor of trying to keep up with the gray cat that wandered off too far. They were quick to learn that he wouldn’t come when called and anytime one of them got close, he’d rush forward once more.

Never mind putting a leash on him; they couldn’t touch him. They couldn’t leave him either; Tori would never forgive them.

The now familiar violent rustle of leaves reached them as they reached the valley floor on the other side. Sonia looked towards the six small game birds Alexander had dragged back to them, hanging off Sir Granger’s saddle.

“He’s just slaughtering his way through the forest, isn’t he?” JP said as they watched the mud-splattered cat pulling a brown and gray lump of fur.

“Good job, Alexander. You got a rabbit this time.” Out of the group of six, only Prince Piers seemed at ease with the cat’s killing-spree. “A rabbit is three points. We have fifteen points so far.”

“Your Highness, it’s almost lunch. Should we take a break to eat?” Sir Granger sighed as Sir Lloyd picked up the dying rabbit and took out a dagger to put it out of its misery.

“Yes. Alexander has worked hard. I’m sure he is hungry. The sandwich has some chicken breast. Everyone, take out a piece to give to him.”

Sonia tilted her head back and inwardly groaned. This hunt was not going as envisioned. It was probably not going the way anyone envisioned. Once the rabbit was bled and secured to the saddle, the group gathered around a large, fallen boulder with smaller rocks on which they could sit. The horses were tied nearby as they dug out their lunch bags.

Sir Nassaun used the wrapping from one of the sandwiches to use as a makeshift plate for Alexander. As the first prince ordered, everyone fished out a piece of chicken breast from their sandwiches to donate to the best hunter of their party.

Alexander seemed to wait patiently in front of his ‘plate’ as they placed one strip after another on top of it.

“Cats don’t normally do so much hunting at once, even when they are playing,” Sir Lloyd said. “My family’s cats never caught this much at once.”

“Alexander is catching things consecutively. Do you think he knows that we’re hunting?” Sir Granger asked.

Sir Nassaun shook his head. “How can he know? He’s a cat.”

“Yes, but he’s Tori’s cat.” They looked at Prince Piers in question. He lifted his hand to his own neck. “She put a special name tag on him.”

“You mean the crystals on it?” Sir Nassaun asked as he leaned forward and tried to catch a glimpse of the metal piece hanging from Alexander’s neck. “What are they?”

“Sky garnets. They change from teal to purple, depending on the light.”

“Do they have energy?” Sonia asked. She’d always thought the crystals on Alexander’s collar were ostentatious. It was strange because Tori wasn’t usually the type; she was practical in most aspects of her life. One could tell by how she normally dressed outside of Lycée. The crystals must’ve been meaningful in some way.

“All crystals have energy as long as they haven’t been used up or shattered,” Prince Piers told them.

“Tori did charge the crystals before she sent them to be placed on his cat tag,” JP said. “She had them on her selenite charger. I remember because they were so small.”

Sonia knit her brows. Tori didn’t charge crystals for no reason. She said that Master Ramos told her to keep crystals charged in case she needed them, so Tori must’ve charged Alexander’s crystals on purpose.

“What do sky garnets do? Do they control water or earth or something?” Sonia asked. She was only familiar with crystals that were common or that she’d seen Tori use.

Prince Piers paused before biting into his burrito. “Luck and intelligence.”

Both she and JP paused in the middle of chewing their sandwiches to look at the cat. “Do you think he understands us?” Sir Lloyd asked.

It was the first time Sonia looked at an imperial knight as if they were stupid.

“He’s a cat,” Sir Granger told him with narrowed eyes. “How can a cat understand-” A low growl came from Alexander. Sir Granger drew his head back. His eyes were wide as his jaw dropped. “Did he understand me?” he whispered, as if worried he offended the cat.

“I don’t think he’s growling at you....” Sir Nassaun furrowed his brows and looked in the direction Alexander was growling.

He had stopped eating. Most of his chicken pieces were still on his paper plate, but his ears were pulled back and his fluffy tail had become even fluffier. Sonia frowned.

“I’ve never heard him make that sound before.” It was a low, guttural sound that seemed out of place with the cat that had cute meows and would roll on his back to have his tummy scratched.

“Don’t move.” Her brother spoke up beside her. He was looking ahead of them, and Sonia tensed, but tried to follow his gaze without turning.

Several paces away, something reddish-orange, gray, and black stuck out from the earthy foliage around it. She sucked in a sharp breath. So that was what Alexander was growling at. “How long has that fox been there?”

“Perhaps it smelled the game on our horses,” Sir Lloyd said. His movements slowed as he covered his half-eaten burrito with one hand while reaching for his dagger. The fox didn’t seem that large. Perhaps it wasn’t full grown yet.

“Axton, grab Alexander. Don’t let the fox attack him.” Prince Piers was also staring at the fox. Sir Nassaun was closest to the cat. He moved forward, extending his arm and ready to grab the scruff of the cat’s neck. Alexander was rearing up. “Axton, quickly.”

Sir Nassaun’s hand shot down, but he wasn’t fast enough.

“Alexander!” Sonia screamed, dropping her sandwich as she tried to stop him. Her heart shot to her mouth. He slipped past her and suddenly, gray collided with reddish-orange and the most blood-curdling screams she’d ever heard filled the forest.

Both Sir Nassaun and JP were swearing as they shot to their feet. Prince Piers was ordering the knights to separate the two animals, but they seemed to be clinging on to each other as they tumbled through the dirt and leaves. Unearthly growls and shrieks came from the animals, and if it weren’t for the difference of coat colors, they wouldn’t know where the cat ended, and the fox began.

“Alexander, let go!” Prince Piers shouted, only to hear a growl.

“They’re too fast! I can’t grab them!”

“Can you shoot the fox?” Sir Granger asked JP.

“Are you insane? That close?” JP choked out. “The smallest movement and I could hit Alexander!”

Everyone was on their feet as the two animals somehow tumbled further away. There was yelping and more growling. Sonia's heart was slamming in her chest. If the fox were still, she was sure she could get it, but if they kept moving, Alexander could get in the way of the arrow. Unsure of what else to do, she yelled at the cat.

“Alexander, stop moving so I can shoot it!”

The twisting mass of fur began to slow. Alexander’s mouth was locked on to the back of the juvenile fox’s neck, claws dug into its face. The fox was twitching, trying to get out of Alexander’s grasp, but Alexander himself was not moving, as if he had tried to fix his body on the ground.

She reached for an arrow, and it whistled through the air before anyone could stop her. There was a thud, a high-pitched whimper, and then only the low growl remained.

“You got it,” Sir Lloyd said with a dumbfounded expression as all six of them looked at the arrow protruding from the side of the fox.

“He didn’t move,” Sir Granger muttered. “You told him not to move and he didn’t move.”

“Get the fox and bring Alexander here!” Prince Piers ordered in a stern voice. Sir Lloyd went to retrieve the fox while JP rushed to get Alexander.

“He has blood on him!” JP frowned and knelt. Alexander seemed out of breath as he stood up and let Sir Lloyd take away the dying fox. “Alexander, let me check you for any bites or scratches. If you’re hurt, we’re going to take you back.”

A small, cute meow was heard. JP knelt by the cat for a few minutes, moving his hands over Alexander’s small limbs and body carefully to feel for any injury.

“Anything?” Sonia asked.

Her heart was still racing, and she wanted to cry. One wrong move, one misplaced shot and she could’ve skewered her friend’s cat. She’d never been so afraid to miss a shot in her life.

“He’s not flinching or hissing, I can’t find any source of blood,” JP shouted over his shoulder. “It looks like the blood isn’t his.”

“He caught a fox,” Sir Nassaun was saying behind her as he and the two other knights looked at the creature. “I can’t believe Tori’s cat caught a fox...that’s bigger than him.”

“Maybe he does understand us.” Sir Lloyd sounded as if he were in awe. “Mr. Vissage, ask if he can find some deer!”

“If he can understand us, then any of us can ask him to find some deer,” Sir Granger said with a roll of his eyes.

JP carried Alexander closer to them. The cat seemed quite proud of himself, but seeing some of his fur matted with blood and mud made Sonia anxious. “Maybe we should go back. Duke Fekete has cats and there should be an in-house veterinarian.”

As if to answer her, Alexander let out a sharp meow, kicked JP’s chest, and launched himself out of human arms. He quickly returned to his paper plate and almost seemed to inhale his remaining chicken.

“Let’s eat first and then we can go back,” Prince Piers said. Everyone agreed. With the fox’s additional six points, they were up to twenty-one. That wasn’t a bad score even if they didn’t get anything meatier, like deer or a boar.

However, as soon as Alexander finished his meal, he darted off, as if knowing they’d try to capture him. He didn’t get far and climbed a tree. She’d seen him climb trees before and wasn’t worried, so they finished their lunch. The plan was to finish, rest a bit, then grab Alexander and return to Granite Tower. Once they were back on their horses, Alexander jumped down and darted into the forest once more.

“Are you kidding me?” Sir Nassaun was exasperated. “Piers, do something about Tori’s cat.”

“I don’t control her cat.”

“Then what do we do?”

“Follow him. He will come to us when it starts to get dark. Alexander doesn’t sleep outside.” The prince sounded much more confident than the rest of them, but as he was their leader, they obliged. They gave in to following the cat until Alexander stopped. He crouched on the ground, facing the west.

“Fallow deer.” Sir Lloyd narrowed his eyes and pointed west. The group followed his arm and in the distance, there was a sizable herd of tan deer with white spots. “He led us to deer.”

“Okay, I’m convinced,” Sir Granger said. “The cat does understand us.”

Sir Lloyd sighed. “The cat understands us, but he’s too small to take down a fallow deer.”

“Good job, Alexander,” Sonia said. Now I’m talking to him like him understanding is normal. “You stay here. JP and I will take care of the rest. I’ll make sure you get some venison.”

Alexander flicked his tail, as if in agreement. Sonia and JP looked at each other. “I go right, you go left?” her brother asked.

Sonia loosened her hold on the reins and reached for an arrow. “Try not to shoot me.”

“Funny.”

“If you can’t get them behind the front legs, try to take out their leg to slow them down.” She looked towards Sir Nassaun and the other knights. “We’ll try to shoot as many as possible. If any are slowed down, we’ll depend on you to finish them before they escape.”

“Understood.”

“Let’s go!” She kicked the side of her horse and sent it into the forest. From the corner of her eye, JP followed and quickly took a sharp right. They split up to approach the herd from different sides.

The herd was surprisingly big, but the sound of the horses galloping towards them alerted them quickly. They darted in all directions and above the sound of rustling leaves and hooves were the whistles of arrows as Sonia and JP shot at whatever spotted tan coat they could lock on to.

The familiar, exhilarating feeling of riding and shooting filled her and Sonia laughed. This was second nature to her. “Two down on my side!”

“One on mine! Another’s injured!”

“Hah, might as well have missed!”

Behind them, Sir Nassaun and the others followed to try to kill the fallen deer. JP and Sonia chased the herd a bit further, but turned around so as not to get separated from the rest of the hunting party.josei

Prince Piers was on the ground, cutting the throats of deer as Sir Granger and Sir Lloyd held them steady. Sir Nassaun was dragging another deer closer to them. The ultimate total was five does. Only three managed to be shot near the chest cavity while the remaining two were injured and had difficulty escaping. Multiple arrows had been used to take them down, as they were a decent-sized deer.

“They’re five points each,” JP said as he wiped his brow. “Twenty-five and twenty-one…forty-six. Not bad at all for one day.”

“Do you think that’s enough?” Sonia asked. She looked at her brother who seemed satisfied. “Dede said that we’d be lucky to catch two or three small game in one day, but there is the wager to consider.”

“Honestly, I didn’t expect us to get nearly this much. What do you think Prince Gideon’s party’s chances are of getting as many deer as we did?” JP asked.

“If two champion archers who spent weeks training to hunt with an experienced mounted huntsman were only able to get us five deer, then for them....” Sir Granger paused for a moment and then smirked. “They’d be lucky to get one.”

The group chuckled. They rested for about an hour before tying up the deer and spreading them across the horses.

It seemed that Alexander was done for the day, as he hopped on to the front of Sonia’s saddle and draped himself over it, clearly intent on riding along. From where they were, Sir Lloyd estimated that they’d get back to Granite Tower well before sunset. They took their time returning, though they stopped twice along a stream for the horses to drink and to try for some ducks.

Both Sir Nassaun and Prince Piers managed to get one each, though Sir Nassaun seemed to be convinced that they were simply lucky to hit one in the flock with blind shots.

They went over the hill and headed down into the valley where Granite Tower was located. Before they reached the base of the hill, they heard shouting in the forest. Prince Piers sent Sir Granger to see if someone needed help.

A nobleman’s party had been split up. Four people belonging to Lord Duarte’s party were yelling the names of the two party members who had scattered.

“It was a boar,” Lord Duarte told them with an exhausted look on his face. “We thought we could get it if we surrounded it, but it came straight for me. My two sons tried to lead it away, but we lost sight of them.”

“When were you separated?” Sir Nassaun asked. “What about their comcrys?”

“An hour ago. Walter dropped his comcry when they were chased, and I don’t know if Paul held on to his. He hasn’t answered. The horses were erratic when the boar turned on them,” Lord Duarte said, wringing the reins in his hands. “They couldn’t have gone far, could they?”

“It’s possible,” Sir Nassaun said. He looked towards Prince Piers, as if silently asking what to do.

“Which direction did they go?” Prince Piers asked.

“Northwest, Your Highness.”

“Let’s do a sweep of the northwest. If we don’t find them by sunset, we’ll wait for a crystal distress beacon.” Prince Piers gave Lord Duarte a small nod of his head. “Lord Duarte, please stay with us. It’s best if we all stay together and we can spread out further.”

Sonia studied the first prince for a moment. She usually saw him as Tori’s friend and occasional lackey, or as the older brother who didn’t like his younger brother, but seeing him dealing with the emergency shed light on his ability as a leader.

Tori was right to support him. I knew he’d be better than his brother, but not this much better. He sounds like a real crown prince. If he keeps this up, I don’t have to worry about moving to a territory.

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Lord Duarte looked relieved and gave him a bow of his head.

As they all began to get off the worn path and into the forest, one of the people with Lord Duarte commented on their collection of game, impressed. Sir Granger didn’t hesitate to give credit to Sonia and JP.

“And Alexander,” Sonia said as she looked at the cat lazily sitting in front of her. “He led us straight to the deer.”

“You brought a cat?” Lord Duarte’s daughter-in-law asked, surprised.

“He stowed away, my lady,” JP replied. “Alexander is Countess Guevera’s cat.”

“He caught the fox, too.” As if to agree with her words, Alexander meowed.

“He’s a smart cat. If I had known we could bring a pet, I would’ve brought my hound. He’s a purebred,” Lord Duarte said. Sonia noticed Alexander’s ear twitch. “I’m sure Aaron would’ve been able to track down my boys. Dogs are excellent trackers, you know.”

Alexander pushed himself into a seated position. He let out what sounded like a small snort, as if he had been personally offended. Before Sonia could stop him, he jumped down and scrambled to the head of the group.

“Alexander!” Sonia tried to call for him. Don’t tell me he’s mad at what Lord Duarte said. This cat is as petty as Tori.

“Maybe he can find your sons,” Sir Granger suggested. “He is very smart.”

Lord Duarte gave them a pitying look. “A smart cat, but I doubt he’ll be able to find them so easily.”

Less than half an hour later, Alexander began meowing and ran forward. JP and Sir Lloyd followed behind him and then shouted that Lord Duarte’s sons were found by a cluster of beech trees, trying to figure out where they were. As the old man embraced his sons, Sonia’s party looked at the gray cat.

“I’m fairly certain the crystals made him smarter,” JP said.

“To understand human words?” Sonia snorted.

“If he can react when you call his name, maybe he can figure out other words. I don’t know, Sonia; I’m not a cat with luck and intelligence enhancing crystals,” JP snapped back.

“What a good boy,” Lord Duarte said as he looked at the cat. “I will be sure to tell the Countess.”

“Axton, bring him back. We should go. The sun will start setting soon,” Prince Piers said. Sir Nassaun nodded and got off his horse to pick up Alexander, but as soon as he got within two steps, Alexander scrambled forward.

“Alexander, if you can understand me, come back. We’re going back to Tori,” Sir Nassaun said, as if reasoning with a child. The cat either didn’t understand or plain ignored him. He continued to lead Sir Nassaun away before Sir Nassaun gave up and went back to retrieve his horse. “Alexander, if you don’t come here right now, we’ll leave without you.”

There was a defiant meow. “Are you kidding me?” JP said. “Alexander Hamilton de Guevera the First, come here!”

Lord Duarte looked at them strangely. “You understand he is a cat, yes?”

Prince Piers started to move ahead, but not back towards where they came, but in the direction of where Tori’s cat was going.

“Your Highness?” Sir Lloyd asked, confused.

“Alexander doesn’t want to go yet. He wants us to follow,” Prince Piers told them in a calm voice. “If he wanted to go home, he would’ve climbed on to the saddle like before.”

“Alexander, we’re done hunting!” JP shouted. “Finished! Let’s go back!” The cat didn’t move, and JP sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “Maybe he found something?”

Sonia felt her stomach twist. Somehow, she was sure that Alexander found something. “Maybe it’s something good?” They followed behind Prince Piers, though Sir Nassaun rode ahead as a vanguard.

“Perhaps he smelled a pheasant or another rabbit,” Lord Duarte’s son said with a chuckle.

He was wrong.

Just as the sun touched the horizon, Alexander led them to a boar.