Chapter Four
Hunter and Prey
--Hunter and Prey
After what happened with her brother, Kila became more careful. She declined when asked to go deeper in the forest and stayed closer to the edge, apologizing profusely to the wolf when he whined. And once there, she was careful not to fall asleep. But nothing kept her from visiting every day.
One particular morning she had been making plans to do just that, in the early afternoon of yet another calm and sunny day, while tending the chore of weeding the garden. The morning had been spent washing dishes and linens, tending to the chickens, and then preparing a small meal for her brother to eat when he came home for lunch. He had eaten and then left again to rebuild a neighbor’s pig shed, and he would not be back until the evening.
As soon as she finished clearing the weeds, she would assemble some leftovers and then be off.
Her idle thoughts were interrupted by the staccato vibrations of hoof beats, first felt through the earth, eventually becoming audible as they drew closer. Horses? Surprised, Kila looked up when a small crowd of horsemen surrounded her cabin and halted at the edge of the forest. These were not any men that she knew from the village, and they had a rather unwelcoming look about them. They all carried weapons of some type, bows and arrows or wicked sharp lances with blades that gleamed in the sunlight. Their dress was rough and nearly all of them wore some kind of animal pelt.
Kila stayed where she was, kneeling in the dirt, watching nervously and wondering who they were. They all dismounted, but made no move to venture into the woods—they seemed to be waiting.
She got even a bigger surprise with the next arrival. Not another batch of horsemen, but an elegant carriage rattled up the dirt path and then around her home, the driver directing his steeds as far as they could go before tugging on the reins.
A carriage! Kila’s eyes nearly popped from her head. No one, not even the richest citizen of her village, owned such a thing. It had to be from the city, but why would some rich noble come all the way out here, to her cabin? Amazed, she studied the fancy gold crest in the door and tried to remember where she had seen that symbol. It was so familiar…
The driver dismounted his bench and opened the door. “Your majesty,” he said with a sweeping bow.
She mentally slapped herself. It was the royal crest! Kila hadn’t thought that her eyes could get any bigger, but they did just then as the driver pulled up from his bow and respectfully saluted. The king of Loraine disembarked and stepped onto her family’s land. He was a tall man, well-built and obviously powerful, his graying black hair pulled back at the nape of his neck and a beard framed his square jaw. He was dressed simply for a king, in a royal blue shirt and tan doeskin pants that still looked to be high quality and expensive. His interested gaze swept over the crowd of men and the forest behind them, settling on Kila.
The king was looking at her! She couldn’t just stay down there in the dirt, she had to greet him properly. Hastily she jumped to her feet and curtsied, painfully aware of her grubby appearance and wishing that she’d worn her nicer dress instead. But who would have ever guessed what would’ve happened that day? Why was the king in her village at all, let alone her front yard.
“Well, well, well,” he drawled, with a voice rich and deep. “What have we here? Come closer, girl.”
Her heart thumping, Kila obeyed. Not sure if she should move quickly or gracefully, she settled on a compromise and took several short but fast steps until she was merely steps away from the king. Was a commoner permitted to look into the eyes of the king? She let her gaze on the ground just in case.
“Look up,” he instructed, and she was quick to do so. Up close the man was even more intimidating, his gray streaks hardly comparing to the hard jaw and sharp black eyes. The king was terrifying to Kila, but then his face cracked into a smile. “It’s a fine day.”
Tongue-tied, she nodded.
“Do you have a name?” he asked.
“Kila Lethitt,” she muttered, and then remembered to add, “your majesty.”
“Well, Kila, had I known that this part of the forest was home to such beautiful girls, I would have visited sooner!”
When the meaning of his words sunk in, Kila blushed to the roots of her hair. The king had just called her beautiful! She had no idea how to answer, but luckily the driver of the carriage saved her.
“Your majesty,” he said with the utmost respect. “Shall I send out the hunters?”
The King nodded, his eyes never leaving her face and he waved his hand in dismissal. At once, one of the men, more ornately dressed, turned to the crowd of horsemen and barked orders to move in and fan out, leaving Kila to wonder once more what was going on.
“I’ve come here today for sport,” the king explained upon seeing her puzzled face. “Hunting wolf.”
Kila’s elation suddenly took a sharp turn downward. “Wolf?” she repeated, uneasily.
“Oh yes,” he said. “It’s a…peculiarity of mine. In fact, I’m seeking one in particular, a very large one with a coat that is more brown than gray. Have you ever seen such a wolf, little Kila?”
“No, your majesty,” she lied automatically before her mind could catch up. “I…would be very frightened to see any wolf.”
The king nodded understandingly. “Of course, of course, a pretty young maiden such as you ought never to cross paths with a predator like that. Still, I’ve received reports matching his description from this corner of the woods, so I’m hopeful that today I will finally catch him.”
He grinned, a predatory glint in his eyes and weakly, Kila returned the smile. She had lied to her king, surely that was a sin, and even if it wasn’t, then it was still a terrible crime indeed. But the king was there to hunt a wolf, her wolf, and she would not betray her wild friend even to royalty.
But why? Why did the king want to hunt him at all?
“It would surely make the day more pleasant if I had a fair companion,” the king said. He extended a hand and Kila stared at it blankly, not quite sure what to do. “Won’t you join me in the forest?
“Umm…” she responded briefly, her mind boggled. The King of Loraine, ruler of her country, was asking her to accompany him. Every girl in her village would have given anything to take her place, but Kila was hesitant. She did not want to join the man who was hunting the wolf.
But how could she refuse the king?
“I would be honored, your majesty. Please forgive me, I look frightful.” Timidly, she placed her hand in his and he grasped her fingers, pulling her closer.
“Nonsense. There is hardly a lady in all my court with a face as lovely as yours.” And with that, he raised her hand and pressed his lips to it, igniting a furious blush. No one would ever believe this. “Now then, shall we?”
“Yes, your majesty,” she replied softly.
In one chivalrous gesture, he swept an arm towards the forest, as if inviting her into her own woods, and started walking. She had to hurry to catch up.
--
Though Kila had been to the forest many times, this walk was certainly quite different from any previous time. She’d never walked under the trees by the side of a king, and his idea of a ‘hunt’ was unlike any she’d ever heard. He carried no weapon, and he walked along the path as easily as she would about her yard, engaging her in conversation without any worries of making noise. His captain scouted ahead and a pair of royal foot soldiers shadowed them by several paces, ready to protect their king if any danger presented itself, and behind them came still two more servants loaded down with baskets.
The scruffy looking crowd of hunters had already dispersed throughout the threes to do the real work, and thinking about it kept Kila from concentrating on the king’s casual dialogue. Would they din him? No, surely not, her wolf was far too clever to let himself be caught…
“Do you often walk these woods, Kila?” His voce interrupted her thoughts and she turned to look at him. She did not like how he spoke to her so familiarly.
“Hmm? Oh yes, but never too deep into the forest. I often hunt mushrooms or pick fruit to feed my family.”
He shook his head, looking disappointed. “Such beautiful hands put to menial work. What a shame. A young lady such as yourself should grace my palace halls and touch nothing but diamonds and silver goblets.”
Kila turned pink again. No one had ever called her a lady, and his words made her quite uneasy. Surely he didn’t actually intend to bring her back to his castle?
“Your majesty is very kind,” she mumbled, staring down at the path. “I am very happy in my home.”
“Have you a husband?” he asked. She felt even more uncomfortable.
“No, your majesty,” she answered. “My brother insists that I am too young for courting.”
“Oh?” The king looked rather amused. “Perhaps he will change his mind soon.”
Kila did not like the way that he had said that, and so was happy when a distraction presented itself in the form of an open clearing. She’d often come here to spend time with the wolf, and when the king spotted, he declared that it was time to take a rest. Quickly the servants went into action, unfolding an elaborate groundcover and unpacking their baskets. Though Kila had already eaten a small lunch, she couldn’t help but stare at the variety of food they were setting out: and entire load of crusty white bread with pâté to go with it, a cold roasted hen and a variety of pastries.
“I like a small snack when I go hunting,” he explained, accepting a goblet of wine from the servant. Numbly Kila took the one that she was offered, though she had never tasted wine before.
“To the god fortune in the hunt,” he proposed, raising his glass. Meekly Kila copied him, and he tackled what he had called a small snack with enthusiasm. To her it was a large dinner and dessert.
“If I may ask, your majesty,” she finally ventured, “why is it that you seek this one particular wolf? Surely there are many others in the forest.”
“That’s true,” he agreed amiably, “but I want this one. I’ve been hunting him for a long time, you see. I would say a little more than three years now.”
Kila gulped. For so long? It frightened her that the king was so determined to see the wolf dead. “Why?” she asked, hoping she hadn’t overstepped some boundary.
“We have a history, the wolf and I,” he drawled lazily, a far-off look in his eyes. “Three years ago I killed his parents, when he was hardly more than a bo- a pup. He managed to escape my, however, and I’ve hunted him ever since. Three years…my, it has been some while, hasn’t it? He must fully grown now. I wonder if he’s taken a mate?”
For some reason, that thought tickled the king and he chuckled. Not all sure what was so funny, Kila kept to silence and prayed that this hunt would end soon. It must be wrong to think this, but she did not like being in the company of the king at all. He made her nervous.
A shout from within the trees followed by others startle her. The king looked up with a smile of anticipation, just before the captain burst into the clearing.
“Your majesty! They’ve cornered a wolf. It’s the one that you’ve been seeking, I am sure of it!”
Kila’s heart leapt into her throat and she froze, but luckily the king wasn’t paying attention to her. Immediately he got to his feet and started forward, his long strides eating up the earth.
“Where?” he barked. “Take me, and quickly!”
The captain bowed and turned to go back. “Yes, your majesty.”
He had apparently forgotten all about her, but Kila could not stay with the servants. Not with the wolf possibly trapped. Perhaps the hunters had made a mistake, but she had to see for herself. Holding the skirts of her dress up, she dashed after the king.
--
It was her wolf. Somehow the hunters had manage to corner him against a patch of thorny brambles with their lances, and shouts to the others brought a crowd down upon him that even he couldn’t escape. Terror-stricken, Kila watched the group surround the wolf, lances all turned inward like the spokes of a wheel and they encircled him. One or two had already poked him lightly, and some blood matted his fur. Enraged, he snarled and barked at the men who held him captive, but he could not see a way to break through.
The king smiled in delight. “He is indeed, captain, that’s the one I’ve been looking for. Excellent job. A bow and arrow, please.”
He extended one hand and the captain hurried to fetch him the weapons. At the command of an order, the circle opened up partly, allowing a clear view from man to wolf. Again the king smiled, and strung his bow.
Kila looked at the wolf helplessly. He had stopped barking abruptly upon seeing the king. He dug his claws into the earth, muscles tensing as if he would leap at any moment, a deadly growl deep in his throat. Perfectly aware of the danger that the arrow presented, he didn’t move. His eyes were bitter, boring into the king with a fury beyond words. Kila didn’t know if a wolf could glare, but this one was, glaring with all the bitterness and hatred of a thousand wronged victims.
The wolf hated the king with a fiery, burning passion.
“And now,” the king gloated softly, “it ends. You are mine.”
He pointed the bow directly at the wolf’s chest, cocking the arrow. At this distance, it was a sure shot. Panic flooded Kila as she moved, sprinting to the king. It all happened to fast to think; she only felt the brunt of the collision and his startled grunt. Her small weight was not enough to knock him over, but the king stumbled back a few steps and dropped the bow and arrow to the ground. Frantically, Kila grabbed them and tossed them as far as she could into the brush.
“Run!” she shouted hysterically. “Get away!”
The wolf didn’t have to be told twice. Everyone there had been frozen by Kila’s unexpected attack and in their hesitation, the wolf had fled. Like a brown blur, he whisked past her and disappeared into the trees, too late for the captain to yell at the hunters to follow. He would get away, certainly. He was too clever to be caught a second time. Only then did it occur to her that she really ought to have been running too. In a split-second decision, she bolted for the trees.
Too late.
“Get her,” the king ordered calmly, and she was tackled to the grass before she had taken more than three steps. Struggling in vain against the soldiers, Kila was dragged to her feet and held in place. Dread formed a lump in her throat when she saw the king idly brush off his shirt and then saunter closer. There was a different look in his eyes now. No more intrigue and curiosity.
“Well, well, well,” he said. “It seems that he took a mate after all.”
Too terrified to speak, Kila only trembled under his hard and calculating stare. When he slapped her, her head turned and her cheek felt as though it were on fire.
“You have committed a serious crime today, Kila. You assaulted your king. I could have you killed right now.” A sinister smile spread across his features, blurring in Kila’s vision as she tried to hold back tears. “But I won’t,” he concluded. “I have a much better idea.”
