by Morgan Landry 4/8/2016, 5:46 pm
Aria ducked underneath a branch. "They'll be fine. A nest of scorpions is good for building character anyway."
They continued their run throughout the rest of the morning, stopping only once to enjoy grilled trout and cereal bars for lunch. Then the hunt resumed. At dinner time, they had reached the general location of Spring Hill and threw open their tents in a glade, starting to discuss guarding times. Normally, their wolves and falcons were their guardians during the night, but right now they only had Nymeria (Aria's massive she-wolf) and Mr Angry-Face (Asina's owl).
"Go to sleep," Artemis told them, wiping her mouth as they were all sitting around the camp fire with sausages on spits. "We are more than cared for." Turning her head to the side, she let out a loud whistle that almost sounded like a bird call. A few seconds later, several coyotes and two bobcats crept out of the undergrowth, circling the small encampment. Even an alligator joined them, resting its long scaly body against the side of one of the tents. It looked almost asleep but Aria's sharp vision showed her that its eyes were still open and vigilant. Smiling, she nodded and finished her sausage; then she stood up and took a light bow.
"Good night, sisters," she said and disappeared into the tent she'd share with Asina in a sweep of silver fabric.
She stayed awake for quite a while, staring into the void. The tents were quite spacious, fitted with carpets and actual beds. Animal and monster heads decorated the sides, trophies of previous hunts, and a small fridge in the corner could provide you with almost any food or drink you wanted. Aria rolled to her side and placed one hand under her ear, staring at the white, furry carpet before glancing at Asina and closing her eyes. She needed as much sleep as she could get.