Chương 32: Before The Hunt Begins

For the next hour, the two boys continuously searched for a stream or any place that any animal would like to claim as territory before marking a certain spot, returning up without anyone noticing them. It was a miracle how she'd slept through it all, her complete lack of awareness was baffling.

Returning to his room, the two went their separate ways and prepared their mornings, taking their baths and changing, acting as though they didn't break into the royal hunt's forest. On time as he expected, his mother was there for Theia. "Are you getting enough sleep?" She questioned just before leaving, stealing a glance at him.

Outwardly he showed no expression, but of course his mother would notice him looking a little pale. "Mother, I'm fine, just a bit tired from reading." He smiled softly, one of the rare occurrences. Nodding, she took her leave to prepare Theia for the day as Nyx came in a few minutes later.

"Now that's no one's here ya ready to review?" Nyx asked, Isaac nodding while opening the map onto the bed beginning their discussion of the plan, along with the backup plan just in case. The real capital charge wasn't for poisoning a noble, it was much more severe to that.

Nyx's magic would be plan A, everyone attending had been marked. Worst comes to worst, he wouldn't hesitate to use plan B at the end of the day. An Argyris never plays fair, after all. The Argyris family will surely recognize Nyx's magic, but not the severity of it, what a grand reveal this would be.

Pulling out what he bought from the boss after Isaac entered, he grinned and tossed it up in the air, catching it in his hand once again. "Leave not enough proof behind to deem ya guilty, huh?" Nyx hummed, tossing it back into the bag.

During the morning, the meals and everything went relatively smoothly with all the children doing their own things, including what Nyx and Isaac were. The Duke didn't even know that he himself had created monsters that were going to kill him, and this hunt was a warning to them of just the lengths they'd go to get what they want.

By the fifth day, the beasts were finally released into the forest, allowing Nyx and Isaac to prove themselves right. No beasts would attack them despite growling as long as they had Theia. Nyx who believed in himself ended up getting a small graze from a leopard, before returning to Theia unless he felt like murdering one of them.

She had finally woken up during one of these night sessions to pure confusion, looking around as these strange men dressed in black were holding her in the middle of the woods. She nearly screamed if it weren't for how she recognized Nyx's spear by his side.

"Bubu?" She called out, Nyx immediately squishing her cheeks and greeting her a good morning as Isaac spun her through the air away from Nyx into his own arms. "She's awake now so I'll hold her." He said, glaring at the beast across from him trying to approach.

Glancing over to where he was looking at, she really needed to stop being so surprised. Of course things were too quiet the past few days no wonder something dangerous was happening again. Staring at the leopard keeping its distance, she reached out towards it, pretty confident that it wouldn't be able to hurt her with the other two around.

She still felt like she was dreaming, the beast was as soft as the fluffy wolves she played with awhile back, furry, warm, and soft unlike the snake which was cool and scaly. As she just thought about her slithery friend, it emerged from the neck of her dress, staring at the leopard before hiding away again, she took note that they were quite the coward.

The growling from earlier turned into purrs as it licked her hand, the other boys watching, one in amusement and the other with annoyance directed towards the animal, watching as she begun petting it.

What turned from petting one leopard turned into a wild beast petting zoo that she was quite ecstatic by. A part of her were afraid of the large deer and other animals that definitely could bench press her just be sheer looks. She was also quite moved by the fact that they looked like creatures beyond her wildest imagination with their colors and features, some normal like the leopard while some had pretty genetics like the snake.

She was still quite scared of the deer though that was incredibly muscular like a stallion and could trample her, but she got to petting it. While having her time at the forest petting zoo, Nyx and Isaac exchanged looks and hand signals without her knowledge.

"This is getting a bit outta hand don't ya think?" Nyx sent over to Isaac, who rolled his eyes. "It got out of hand the second that bastard came close." in reference towards the leopard. Stifling his laugh at how obvious Isaac was, Nyx continued to sign at him.

"Was this a good enough sign for ya that she's gonna be alright while yer a bit occupied, or still need me around constantly?" He teased, knowing how protective Isaac was being of his sister that reminded him so much of his mother when she was just born, and even more so now as she inherited her magic.

Closing his eyes, he turned away and made sure to stand directly behind Theia as she was on the ground being friendly with the beasts. He couldn't help but feel slightly assured that even with this many animals, she was completely fine. Not to mention the lack of fighting, as though her very presence was held as priority over who is prey and who is predator.

It was no wonder the beast tamers were sought after and used to the bone if she, a newborn, had this ability. Or rather, did she simply have too much power as a newborn? Would an infant beast tamer even be this close to beasts, surely they'd also have fear as an infant. Shaking his thoughts aside, he got the information he wanted, and was prepared for the hunt to begin soon.

If he were correct, there were no major large threats of animals nearby, he already knew what the largest animal would be, staring at the eyes emerging from the lake from a distance. But, there could also be the chance they release an even bigger beast during the day itself, a monster no one but he and the Duke would dare go for.

Regardless, within the next week he would be recognized by both the Argyris family and any outsiders as a serious threat, they'd better not bully his mother or sister. While she would be officially announced as an Argyris, not only that but he could already see that coming soon after. This was not the climax of one tough battle, but the beginning of many more for all of them.