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Chapter 17 [The Hunt 4]
CHAPTER SEVENTEENThe Hunt 4The darkness swallowed them whole.Muri walked with his sling in his hand, his pouch of obsidian stones tied securely at his waist, the five diamonds nestled in a separate pouch close to his heart. Every sense was stretched to its limit—the drip of water somewhere in the depths, the distant scuttle of something small and quick, the cold air that grew heavier with each step.And beneath it all, the breathing.Deep. Steady. Waiting."The Aji knows we're coming," Venit whispered beside him. Her voice was low, tight. "It's not sleeping anymore. It's watching. It's been watching since we left.""Good." Muri said, though his throat was dry. "This means it would be more fun."Muri did not know but this point he had on a wide terrifying smile.‘ One way or the other, one body is dying today.’They reached the edge of the chamber. The drop loomed before them, the space vast and echoing. The scent of dried blood still hung in the air from their last visit. The A
Chapter 16 [The Hunt 3]
CHAPTER SIXTEENThe Hunt 3Muri's heart pounded in his chest like a trapped bird.He stood at the edge of the cliff, the cold draft rising from the depths below, carrying with it the scent of something ancient and powerful. The breathing echoed up from the darkness—deep, rhythmic, the sound of a predator sleeping without fear."Aji," he whispered, the word tasting like ash in his mouth. "You want me to hunt an Aji.""I want you to try and hunt one" Venit corrected, her voice light but edged with steel. "Hunting implies success. I'm asking you to attempt something worthy of a legend." She shrugs"Venit, listen to me." He turned toward her, his hands trembling slightly. "I've heard the stories since I was a child. An Aji is not a deer or a complex grass feeder. It's not a shadow-stalker, it's not even a pack of shadow-stalkers. An Aji is a mini force of nature. The elders say that when an Aji moves through the jungle, the trees fall silent, birds stop singing, insects stop chirping.
Chapter 15 [ The Hunt ]
CHAPTER FIFTEENThe Hunt They walked deeper into the jungle than Muri had ever gone.The familiar paths, the trees he knew by touch, the streams he had crossed a hundred times—all of them fell behind as they pushed forward into unknown territory. The canopy grew thicker, blocking out the sun until only scattered shafts of light pierced the green gloom. The air grew damp, heavy with the smell of wet earth and rotting leaves.And, as expected, they argued."You're walking too fast again," Venit said from behind him. Her voice was sharp, carrying that particular edge of someone who had decided to be annoyed before the day even began."I'm walking at the same pace I always walk." He retorts "Your pace is aggressive.""My pace is purposeful.""Your purpose is to make me trip over hidden roots.""My purpose is to find food before we starve. If you trip, that's between you and the roots.""I don't trip. I stumble with style and grace of the heavens .""There's no style in falling." He mutt
Chapter 14 [Rite Hunting 2]
CHAPTER FOURTEENRite Hunting 2Kaelen was tall—taller than Muri by a head—with broad shoulders and thick arms that spoke of years of hunting and fighting. He carried himself with the kind of confidence that came from never being challenged, from always being the strongest in the room. He was the pride of the clan, the leader of the young warriors, the son who had fulfilled every expectation their father had ever had.He had never had time for Muri, never really cared about the weakling of their bloodline. Not when they were children, when Muri stumbled through the village with his hands out, learning to navigate a world that didn't care if he could see. Not when Muri failed his rite the first time, or the second, or the third. Not now.Muri stood slowly, his jaw tight, his hands curling into fists at his sides. "Kaelen.""I heard you passed the rite." His brother's voice was flat, unimpressed, carrying the weight of someone who was delivering news, not congratulations. "The elders co
Chapter 13 [ Rite Hunting]
CHAPTER THIRTEEN Rite HuntingThey made it back to Sena's hut just as the sky was fading from orange to deep purple. The evening air was cooling, carrying the scent of cooking fires and the distant murmur of the village settling in for the night. Crickets had begun their evening chorus, and somewhere a child laughed before being shushed by an adult.Muri ducked through the doorway first, dropping the heavy satchel of meat near the hearth with a grunt of relief. His muscles ached. His shoulders burned from carrying the load through the last mile of jungle. His dreadlocks were tangled with leaves and twigs, and he could feel the grit of dried sweat caked on his skin.Behind him, Venit stepped inside, and the moment the hide fell back into place, Sena's voice cut through the dim interior like a knife."Well…" She beganMuri winced. He knew that tone. It was the tone that meant his mother had already formed an opinion and was about to express it with surgical precision. "Mother—""Don't
Chapter 12[Rumours]
CHAPTER TWELVERumoursThey ran.Fast.The jungle blurred around them—a chaos of green and brown and shadow, of leaves that slapped against their skin and roots that reached up to trip them. But Muri did not see any of it. He felt it. He knew it.Every root was a memory. Every branch was a warning. Every dip in the earth was a map he had memorized through years of survival, years of moving through this jungle with nothing but his ears and his hands and his instincts.His feet found purchase where there seemed to be none. He ducked under a low-hanging branch, his body twisting at the last possible moment, the rough bark brushing against his back. He vaulted over a rotting log, his hands pushing off the damp wood, his legs tucking beneath him. He wove through a thicket of thorn bushes without slowing, his body finding gaps that barely existed.Behind him, Venit struggled to keep up.She was fast—goddess-fast, faster than any mortal should have been—but she was not accustomed to runn
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