CHAPTER FIFTEEN. Saving Him Again.

Eva peered out the window for what felt like the hundredth time. 

There was still no sign of Arud or Jaden.

They'd both been gone for far longer than she felt was normal. She couldn't shake the feeling that something had gone terribly wrong. 

The more the sun sank toward the grassy hills that seemed to swallow the sky, the more dread she felt.

"What is taking them so long?" 

She gazed out the small window in their little room, overlooking the fields that stretched out as far as she could see, wishing her mate and son would appear, walking down the winding dirt road that led to their door. Safe and sound.

Nothing. 

Cal tugged at her sleeve to gain her attention. His large grey-blue eyes flashing up at her in the dim light of the setting sun that streamed into the room.

"Mommy's scared?", he asked. Without waiting for her reply, he puffed up his little chest, taking on a brave and determined look and for a minute, Eva wondered if she was really looking at Cal and not Arud.

" Don't worry, I'll take care'f you", he declared. And despite her growing apprehension, Eva couldn't help but smile.

"No, Cal", she said, letting go of the window and dropping down so they were at the same eye level.

She reached over to ruffle his thick mop of white hair, a trait he'd gotten from her, thinking how funny it was that none of their own children had inherited Arud's eyes or hair colour.

"I'm not scared, sprout", she assured him, "I don't have any reason to be when you're around".

"Mom?"

Eva turned to the sound of her daughter's voice, watching as she strolled into the room.

Cherry rubbed her eyes and yawned, pausing at the threshold. 

"Is dad back yet?" she inquired, her eyes barely open. 

Eva tried her best to look brave and unbothered by Arud's absence, she didn't want to give the cubs any reason to be afraid.

The minute Arud left, she had put Cherry to bed in order to calm her, then left to finish weeding her garden.

She'd hoped her mate would be back by the time she was done. 

No such luck.

"No", Eva replied.

She moved to brush a stray wisp of white hair off her daughter's face.

"They're ... not back yet".

"But I'm sure they're already on their way. We just have a to wait a lit....."

A chorus of yells and shouts floated down to them from the window all of a sudden, breaking apart the quiet of the evening, drowning out everything else.

Cherry frowned, "what's that?".

Eva got to her feet. Tilting her head slightly, she listened. 

The voices seemed to come from far away, but there was no mistaking the harsh tone of rage that accompanied them.

"Mommy?", Cal called.

"Shh", Eva snapped, her voice harsher than she had intended it to be, "Cherry, stay with your brother".

As her daughter wordlessly moved to stand next to Cal, Eva gazed out the window, peering out into the fields that had grown still darker over the past few minutes.

At first, there was nothing, just the grasses swirling under the breeze, fluttering Nightblazers dancing over them, their glowing wings bathing the land in numerous brightly coloured hues.

Then, like a furious stormcloud, a dark row of figures appeared above the rise of the hills, casting their shadows over the fields. 

Eva's eyes widened as she recognized the dark shapes of the villagers pouring into her mate's hunting territory. 

She could see the blazing red flames of the torches they wielded like spears.

Heading for her home.

****

Arud ran faster than he had ever done before. Now in beast form, he tore through the forest after his son's scent. 

Yet, with every bound, he felt more and more like a fool than he'd ever felt in the past. 

The one he was rushing to save was the same person who had killed an innocent cub in the space of a few minutes. 

And could most probably kill many more in the years to come.

Jaden's life replayed itself in his mind, like the pages in a book.

From the day he'd rescued him in the forest till now, Arud could still feel an overwhelming desire to protect Jaden. 

To keep him safe.

But he knew what needed to be done. 

In order to keep the future of the kingdom safe, he needed to right his wrongs, to correct his mistakes.

He would let no one else do that for him as it was only right that he finished this himself, as painlessly as possible.

The roar of the river reached him then. 

As he drew closer to it, he spotted the hunters staring down at the churning waters.

His heart skipped a beat. There was no sign of Jaden.

He moved faster, his heart ringing in his ears.

He spotted the hunters standing at the river bank. Alone.

Jaden.

The hunters soon noticed him and immediately moved to stand in his way. 

Arud felt his skin harden, his fur slowly thinning out, only to be replaced by the bone - hard scales of his Abmador form.

Still running on all fours, he snapped his long jaws at them, bulling his way through and halted at the edge of the river, throwing sand and debris off into the water.

The ground below him had fallen away, revealing the raging, tumbling river below.

Right now, he couldn't care less if the hunters attacked him from behind, all he wanted was to see some sign that Jaden hadn't drowned.

His eyes scanned the surface, desperately. 

The river lost it's shine as the sun had begun it's descent toward the trees.

Everything was gradually growing darker with each passing second and he feared he was too late.

Jaden was gone.

His heart sunk, much to his surprise, heavy with grief at the loss of the one who's life he had sworn to end.

He stared at the violent waters as it mercilessly carried all that it could along it's perilous path. 

Then he spotted it, a flash of a small shivering figure barely holding unto a stray tree bough that hung, precariously, over the river.

'Jaden!'