Chapter 2: The Kreil Warriors

The first day of travel passed quickly for Izzy. Her nerves couldn't decide if they were bursting out of sheer excitement or bursting from the nervous energy at the overwhelming prospect of finally participating in her own Hunt. She had been waiting years for her turn to participate, always listening with rapt attention to the regales from mates that returned with hunters to Ellisvale in prior years.

The caravan made camp that night halfway to Castle Rouge having escaped an altercation with raiders thus far. They had made their way through the forest and were camping next to a large river, a campground that Ellisvale used each year when they travelled to the Hunt with their hunters and prey.

Izzy's excitement had waned slightly, though for having sat on a wagon seat for the last 10 hours, she was still annoyingly chipper. There was no dimming her shine. Kate and Susanna were grumpy and didn't have quite the same outlook as Izzy after 10 hours of jostling on the seat without anything exciting to do. The trip had passed without any raiders to fight back with the pretend swords they didn't even know how to wield. It had been a wholly disappointment trip thus far. Their dreams of glory and valour had faded with the setting sun, but promises of excitement and adventure teased from the horizon.

Richard set up one large tent for the girls and a smaller one for him and Marcus. The girls ate dinner, cleaned their campsite, and then retired for the night, undressing, and snuggling under the blankets and furs set up for them in the tent. Richard and Marcus opted to sleep in front of the tent by the fire, despite having their own extra shelter. They would lend two additional sets of eyes and ears to those keeping watch over the most important members of the caravan, in their opinion, their daughters.

The fire was dying down when Richard heard a commotion near the hunter’s tents. They were set up at the head of the caravan, a circle of small tents with men walking about, watching the forest with assessing gazes. Richard and Marcus looked toward the north side of the camp and saw a group of six tall, broad-shouldered warriors walk toward the Ellisvale warrior’s tents in the camp. The newcomers were very obviously Kreil. They had wild hair and broad shoulders. Their hair fell in locks about their ears, some grazing their shoulders. They looked fierce in the firelight.

The Kreil were built differently than the rest of the shifters, their strength and power were palpable. Their arms looked like logs, able to snap a man in two. The strength that radiated from each man in the party was enough to even cause Richard to have a slight shiver of fear followed by extreme gratitude that they appeared to be a friendly addition to the evening camp.

Surely no raider would attempt to fight against a man that looked like that, Richard mused as he watched a dark-haired Kreil warrior gesturing with his hands as he talked to the head of Ellisvale's security. Several warriors broke off from the group and moved toward the trees to set up camp and keep watch for the night. Richard sighed in relief, he would be able to get a small amount of sleep knowing Kreil were keeping watch as well.

He turned to Marcus, “We seem to have visitors.”

Marcus was watching the Kreil as well. He nodded in reply. “Welcome visitors, that’s certain.”

Richard chuckled in agreement and mused, “I didn’t know men came that large.”

Marcus nodded as he laughed as well. “I think perhaps they feed them differently in Kreil. They surely must be Kreil, no other tribe has warriors quite so imposing. We certainly don’t.”

Richard shook his head as he watched from afar. Two men, both looking fiercely around the camp, walked about thirty yards away from where Richard was camped with his daughters. They sat on a log, just out of view from the pale flames licking the darkness with beams of light. Richard watched as the men spoke in low tones, glancing around the camp and gesturing toward the trees.

"Daddy?" Izzy stepped out of the tent cautiously, sitting next to her father on a log by the fire. Marcus stood and walked toward the Kreil, wanting to learn more about what brought them to camp. He had his suspicions as he walked toward the four remaining Kreil speaking with the warriors.

"What is it, love?" Richard asked, his focus split between his daughter and the Kreil warriors talking with a group of their own Ellisvale warriors.

"Couldn't sleep." She leaned against her father and lay her head against his shoulder.

"No, nor I. I can't believe you and Katie are already 18 and leaving me so soon," Richard lamented quietly, kissing Izzy's head, and patting her hand gently.

"Oh, Daddy, you can't really think we'd leave you. You'll have to come along with one of us! Who knows, maybe we'll go to the same tribe then you won't have to choose and let Katie know that I really AM the favorite daughter. That would just break her heart, you know." Izzy winked at Richard as he laughed softly. He would miss his bubbly daughter, no matter where she ended up.

Richard could have sworn he could see the two Kreil warriors making camp on the other side of the trees glancing at him and Izzy while they spread out their packs and made a fire.

Izzy sighed as she took a deep breath. "Mmm, that smells good," she said raising her head. "We aren't very near the ocean, are we?" Izzy asked her father curiously.

"No, not near the ocean, love. Forest for as far as the eye can see," Richard shook his head and mused quietly.

"Ah, maybe that's it, the pine needles of the forest. I don't usually like the smell of the forest, but these trees must have magic sap. Or maybe the future pages of the books they will become are speaking to my soul," Izzy said as she laughed along with Richard. Marcus chuckled as he joined the camp next to Richard again and heard Izzy’s chatter.

Izzy stood up and sighed, her heart in her eyes, "I'd better get back to bed, Daddy, see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, my little love. See you in the morning," Richard said softly.

As Izzy had sat with her father and Marcus, thirty yards away the group of Kreil were talking with the warriors from Ellisvale. "We found a village ransacked about six hours from here. We heard you were taking this path and the raiders seemed to be coming this way as well. We decided to intercept you to see if you needed any assistance along the way," Seth, a tall dark-haired warrior with deep brown eyes asked, addressing the tallest man from Ellisvale. That man happened to be Ethan.

"We haven't seen anything yet, but we would welcome the extra eyes. We have more prey this year than most. Are you not watching your own women on the trek?" Ethan's father, Samuel had stepped forward to address the Kreil warrior curiously. Samuel, while slightly shorter than Ethan, was the head of Ellisvale security and was making the trip to watch out for his tribe en route. He would hopefully be watching out for his future daughter-in-law on the return journey, as Ethan was heading to his first Hunt just like Izzy, Kate, and Susanna.

"No, we only have two women coming this year who are of age. It was a curious turn of events but the births in our tribe for the last 20 years have been predominantly male, thus Kreil have had very few women to bring to The Hunt," Seth replied in explanation.

"That is curious," Samuel answered.

Samuel and Seth kept talking about the journey they still had to take toward Castle Rouge while the remaining Kreil warriors dispersed throughout the camp. Nate and Logan, both friends of Seth, sat on a log not too far from where Richard and Marcus had set up camp not a few hours earlier. They started to unpack their beds and make a fire.

"What is that smell?" Nate asked Logan.

"What smell?" Logan asked, raising his nose to investigate.

"Honey and watermelon, I think?" Nate answered.

Logan lifted his nose again, taking a deep breath, "Nope. No honey or watermelon in the air here."

"I'm sure there is," Nate contradicted.

"Well, I would welcome some watermelon, so once you find the source, if you'd like to share-" Logan's voice trailed off as he heard Nate growl.

"I don't share," Nate said gruffly.

Nate had looked up to see a young blond girl sitting on a log next to an older man. Nate's eyes locked on her face. She couldn't see him sitting in the dark, dozens of yards away but his view of her was crystal clear. He focused on the conversation she was having with the man as he heard her say she couldn't sleep. Logan quickly looked between Nate and the girl smiling secretly to himself.

"Her. That's her," Nate nodded toward the blond.

Logan looked at Nate, trying to read his reaction. He had his suspicions and was about to confirm them.

"Your mate?" He asked to clarify, intentionally being obtuse.

Nate nodded watching her intently. The fire danced across her face; she was laughing with her father. She smelled him; he was sure of it. Her body tensed and she tilted her head. He watched her take a deep breath and ask her father if there was an ocean nearby.

I smell like the ocean to her? he thought curiously, that is rather interesting. He chuckled softly as he heard her joke with her father and retreat to bed inside the tent.

Logan was watching the duo intently as well, though not the father and daughter duo. His eyes were flitting between the blond and Nate. He smiled to himself; poor sap fell hard before he had even met her.

Though, he thought as he watched the blond beauty retreat inside the tent, she was quite a beauty. She would make a proper Kreil mate.

I suppose that is the purpose of this long journey, Logan continued to muse to himself as he hid his smile. He knew his turn would come eventually and he didn’t need Nate having more reason to rib him when it was his turn.

"We'll make camp here and follow the Ellisvale caravan into Castle Rouge," Seth said as he walked up to Nate and Logan’s campsite, the fire roaring as they unrolled their packs to sleep. Seth also started to unpack and make camp for the night next to Logan and Nate.

"Well, that is an immense relief," Logan said sarcastically.

Seth raised an eyebrow as Logan nodded at Nate. Nate was still staring at the tent the blond had disappeared into. Seth narrowed his eyes, trying to work out the puzzle.

"There can't be an enemy over there, Nate would have jumped into action straight away. The threat would have been extinguished before we even had a chance to build a fire," Seth mused, his brows lowering in concentration.

"Not an enemy strictly speaking," Logan laughed.

Seth's eyes got big as he worked out what Logan was trying to say.

"Oh shit, your mate? You found her already?" Seth looked at Nate with incredulity. Nate nodded and smiled.

"You're going to be so jealous," Nate taunted. Seth had a thing for blonds. Nate knew that Seth wouldn’t begrudge him the beautiful blond, but she had a magical aura. He had very likely found the most beautiful girl going to The Hunt, and she was his mate. He smiled in anticipation, "This is going to be one hell of a month."