Chapter 16: The Prey

Sam and Hazel made small talk as they ate and for a little moment, Hazel totally forgot about all her problems.

She laughed heartily at Sam's jokes and listened intently to all he said, hanging on to every word as if it was her life.

One time, when she listened to him talk, she took her time to assess him.

He had a well-chiseled face, with a strong jaw. His features were mostly hard –lips that looked rough, a pointed nose that had a little flare at the nostrils, and eyebrows that did not have an arch to them but were straight thereby giving his face an unreadable expression.

In all of this hardness, his soft baby blue eyes stood out, balancing the hardness with its softness.

She could not look into his eyes. Every time she tried, she felt like she was drowning in a never-ending sea of blue.

It was then it dawned on her what attracted her to him. It was not actually his beauty but it was because his eyes reminded her of someone else.

It reminded her of Asher.

The first time she had set her eyes on his blue eyes, she had been taken back to the moment, weeks ago when she first looked into another set of blue eyes that had sealed her fate.

She just hoped these blue eyes would not land her in another tragedy as the first one did.

"How was the food?" Sam asked Hazel.

"I have honestly never tasted anything better. And I'm not just saying it 'cause I know you own the place," Hazel said. "I mean it. It was wonderful."

With a smile on his face, Sam gave her a small bow with his head.

"Now, it is time we move on to the next," Sam said as he made to stand up.

Hazel looked above his head to where a beautiful antique wall clock was mounted on the wall. The time shocked her.

She had been having such a good time that she had totally forgotten about the time.

 It was already eight in the night which left her with just a few hours till the moon festival and she still had not made headway with her plan.

She had to think of something and she needed to do that fast.

"Where are we going?" Hazel asked.

She had to look for a way to get away from him and on to many more important things like finding money.

"It is a surprise. You will find out when we get there," Sam said, refusing to disclose any information.

Hazel had no time for any silly games. But she still did not have any plan on how to get money either. She hit her bottom lip and tried to look for a way but her brain came up blank.

Finally, she decided to just hang with Sam till she figured out a way.

Just as she did earlier, she walked with her head down as they left the restaurant.

They made their way to the next stop on foot, this time each walking with their hands by their side.

Sam kept on making conversations and trying to get Hazel to talk but her mind was too preoccupied that she gave him little attention.

She was busy scanning the town, trying to pick up possible targets for her heist.

"And here we are!" Sam announced as he came to a stop.

"A puppet show?" Hazel asked bewildered as they stood in front of a building that advertised on a board above that they were showing the extended version of the 'The Prey'.

A mischievous smile played on Sam's face.

Hazel would never have for once guessed this was where they would come to.

"This is one of the oldest plays in this town and is part of our culture," Sam explained to her as he took her hand and led her toward the entrance.

"It is only performed on the eve of the moon festival and so it has been for as long as anyone can remember," Sam continued.

Hazel did not want to go in. She had better things doing than watching characters made out of dirty old socks sing silly songs and do even sillier dances.

Moreover, there were going to be lots of people inside and she was trying as best as she could to steer clear of crowds.

Sam noticed her hesitation. "Is everything alright?" He asked.

"No —I mean yes. Everything is fine. it's just that I am quite tired from my journey and would like to go find a place to retire," Hazel said.

"Wait, you haven't gotten any accommodations?" Sam asked concerned.

"No," Hazel said truthfully then realizing that it was absurd that she had nowhere to stay, she added, "I came into town just this morning and I had some business to take care of so I did not have time to get a place."

"What of your luggage?" He asked.

"Oh! I left them in the care of a shop owner. I would get them on my way back," she said.

"I don't mean to be a bore but trust me, you would not want to miss this show. Also as your self-appointed guide, I highly recommend that you watch this," he persuaded her.

Hazel started to hesitate when he suddenly added, "I promise we would be out after the first act and I would escort you to an inn to get you settled."

Hazel heaved out a sigh. There was nothing she could do and so she agreed.

As they got inside, she realized that they were late as practically every seat in the arena was taken. 

—This seemed to actually be the hottest show in the town.

They were however lucky to find some chairs at the back where they sat down.

"Would you care for anything?" A woman who looked like one of the evil stepsisters from the fairytale walked up to them and asked.

"Yeah! Could I get two mugs of strawberry ale?" Sam asked.

"Coming right up!" the evil step-sister doppelganger said in a voice that sounded like it was coming from a six-foot man.

"There are very many combinations on earth that make a lot of sense and I assure you, this puppet show with a mug of lukewarm strawberry ale is one of them," Sam said to her with a smile.

Hazel honestly wished she could relax and enjoy the moment but her anxiety was weighing down on her.

But one thing she did anticipate enjoying was the strawberry ale. She wondered what it would taste like to blend strawberry and ale...

The waiter had slapped down two mugs of a light pink, sweet-smelling substance on the table and she didn't have to wonder for too long.

"Thank you," Sam had said before taking out his wallet to pay the woman.

"Have a taste." He told Hazel and he looked at her as she picked up the mug, with both hands and slowly brought it to her lips.

She paused after her first sip as she tried to savor the taste.

The drink had to be one of the best things her tongue had ever tasted.

It was in no way an ale. It was more like fruit juice but it had a certain tinge to it that she could not place.

"What do you think?" Sam asked after she had tasted it.

"I can't seem to bring myself to the fact that I almost missed this," Hazel said and she did mean it.

With glee on his face, Sam exclaimed, "I told you! I should be awarded the world's best tour guide."

Hazel laughed at his outburst.

"But this is not an ale," Hazel said.

"You see," Sam started to say, "it is actually juice and not an ale. We just call it an ale because it is served in mugs I think. I have actually never quite understood why it is called an ale."

Hazel nodded as she continued to gulp down her drink. She was happy that they served it in large mugs affording her plenty of it to drink.

On the stage, a string of people started to line up.

"Whoo! The show is about to start," Sam said with his eyes fixed on the stage.

The people on stage started to play some folk music and the audience started to sing along.

"This song is said to be as old as life itself. It is sung in honor of the moon goddess. Every child is being taught the lyrics from a very tender age," Sam explained.

Hazel knew all of this. She was a wolf. This song was the most heard and the most sacred to every wolf.

She was about to explain this to him when she realized why he was explaining all this to her –she was a human.

He definitely knew as he would perceive her human scent on her.

She just stared on and for the first time in her life, listening to the moon song being sung without singing along.