Chapter 12

     "Mommy?"

     "Yes, darling?"

     He ran up to the woman sitting before the fire, an object enclosed in his tiny fist. Opening his hand, he revealed a small gray stone in the shape of a heart. The edges were so smooth and natural. The woman, a quite beautiful and pleasant woman, smiled as she looked down at her son.

     "Mommy, what's this?"

     "Where did you find that?" she asked, her gaze softening.

     "Beside your bed. Where did it come from, what does it mean? Is it real?"

     She pulled the little boy up onto her lap, holding his hands in hers. She opened them and looked down at the stone, running a finger over the smooth surface. "Your daddy and I were down at the lake one day, before we were married. He leaned down and picked up a rock and was about to skip it across the water when he noticed the shape. He walked over to me, placed it in my hand, and asked me to marry him. He said it was meant to be."

     "So Daddy didn't carve it?"

     "No, he found it, just like this." She reclosed her son's hand around the heart.  "Drake, I want you to keep this, and give it to the woman you fall in love with one day, the person you want to spend the rest of your life with."

     "Does that mean I can give it to you, Mama?"

     Nuzzling her face in his dark brown hair, she laughed, a laugh so beautiful and sincere that it stopped the angels' songs in heaven, and nearly brought her husband to his knees in the next room. A large man walked into the kitchen....

 

The trees swayed high above, the light breeze ruffling the leaves. It reminded him of the sound Truth's wings made when her feather caught the wind as she flew through the sky that matched her eyes, regardless of hair color, or the fullness and beauty of her wings. Drake took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He grabbed a handful of sand beside him and let it trickle through his fingers, the grains to be lost among the millions of others that surrounded the lake of fire. Why had he suddenly remembered that memory now? It had been locked away in the back of his mind for so long. He treid not to think of his mother very often. It always made him think of Truth. He didn't want to think of her, but her presence in his mind was so comforting; both of theirs was. That stone... He still knew where it was. Remembering it now, he felt reluctant to part with it. Leanne wasn't the one. He wanted her to be. But alas, she wasn't. He had made a promise to his mother. Drake would just have to wait until he knew for sure, which was why the ring was required.

     Sunset was approaching, and Drake was sure that he would be expected to cook dinner. Since he was rarely home these days, making dinner was a good way of participating with and giving to his family. Especially since his father had suddenly decided to cook that morning.

     Once home, he found the three of them already at the table eating. A full plate of food was set in front of his seat opposite Cassie and Truth, since Cassie had insisted that all the girls sit together. "I again took the liberty of cooking in your absence," his father grumbled. "But there's no more meat."

     Drake sat down and glanced at his plate, which consisted of potatoes, and cooked carrots and turnips."Yes, I'll have to go hunting tomorrow. I hear a large group of deer have moved into the area."

     "Ah yes!" roared the man, "That's what we need: Good, fresh venison. And it would be wise to have a decent supply before the snow hits in a couple weeks."

     The family finished the meal in silence. Drake could not speak of his deal with Seth, nor could Truth tell of her night with Edmund. Drake's father didn't like to talk while eating, and Cassies was falling asleep in her chair. Truth offered to clear the table while Cassie was put to bed, a long ritual or storytelling and stargazing. Sometimes, when the angel listened to the father and daughter, she wished that she had been a child once. God had created her in an adult form, and the only stories He told her those of the Bible, tales that got old over the centuries. After the table had been cleared, Drake sat down once more and laid his hunting instruments out to clean and sharpen. A few knives, a bow, and a dozen arrows. Truth watched him for some time while he readjusted the string of the bow and sharpened the heads of the arrows. "May I come with you?" she said at last.

     Drake stopped and looked up at her. "Do you really want to?"

     "Yes, it might be interesting to watch, and perhaps I can help."

     "Isn't it against your nature to kill animals, or allow them to be killed?"

     "No, it is the way of life. It does not bother me nor do I wish to stop you. I am simply curious."

     "Very well. Though wouldn't you want to go with your Edmund? His form of hunting is much more glorious than mine."

     "I said I wanted to go with you, not him. I said what I meant. Your hunting is for survival, his for game and pleasure. There is a certain beauty to yours, when it is done out of necessity."

     He turned back to his work. "Just don't interfere, and all will be well."

     "I understand."

     Walking through the woods of Eldor, it held a silence that could only be found in nature - because the forst was never truly silent, now with so much life that lie within it. The rustle of the autumn leaves upon the ground, the footsteps of the animals that tread over the sea of fire, the breathing of the plants, the birds, the humans that entered that place. A hunter had to blend in with this silence, be one with nature. Drake knew and practiced it well. The forest was his playground and his friend. It sheltered him, fed him, comforted him. Often it had been a hiding place from the harsh realities of the world, particularly the lake that dwelled in its center. A young man needed such a place.

     Drake glanced around and sniffed the air, standing up from his hunter's stance. For the moment, they were alone. He caught sight of Truth out of the corner of his eye. She stood a few paces away, arms hung loosely at her sides while her head spun around, taking in everything that surrounded her. He was pleased that she appreciated his forest. He had taken Leanne here, years ago; she feared it. "Before we get too far in," said Drake, "I wanted to tell you something."

     Truth brought her gaze to the hunter.

     "I was approached, the other day, by an angel. She informed me of something you might find interesting."

     "Hope!" she exclaimed.

     "Yes, I believe that was her name."

     "What did she want?"

     He backed up to lean against a tree. "She told me that God has given you another chance to return to heaven, but you must redeem yourself to a holy status."

     "Ahhh," she said, almost relieved. "That makes sense. Did she give a deadline?"

     "Christmas."

     Truth chuckled. "When else? I appreciate you telling me, though I respectfully decline His offer."

     "What?" choked Drake.

     "I like it here. I have no urge to return to imprisonment."

     "You wore shackles when I first found you -"

     "Found and left, yes. God considers Earth a punishment. I consider it freedom."

     "You have no idea what you're giving up by saying that."

     "Neither do you, Drake."

     He sighed and took a step away from the tree. "Sometimes I really don't understand you. But I know you will change your mind. I will make you if I have to. I don't want to spend the rest of my miserable life constantly worrying about you."

     Truth suddenly became interested. "You worry about me?"

     "Forget it, let's get moving. I don't want to starve," he said, slinging his bow back over his shoulder and continuing down the invisible path toward, he hoped, his prey. Truth said nothing more, though he was glad for it. The thought of her absence the other night re-entered his mind, and he found that he was not angry with her, perhaps because he secretly wanted to do the same with Leanne, though had hoped she would have tried to be the higher person. He had never named the want before, but he knew it's what now drove his actions. To get revenge on Truth. It made him feel sick. I suppose I'm just a sick individual; for falling in love with an angel, for wanting revenge, for lying about my feelings for an innocent girl... Maybe I'm the true demon here. He paused in his thoughts. No, Truth is still the demon. I'm simply the victim.

 

Drake stopped, holding his arm out to halt Truth. He could hear them. He could smell them. Perfect, they were downwind. Crouching down behind a berry bush, he readied an arrow and waited, watching out of a gap in the branches. A doe walked by his line of vision. Just a few more seconds. A glimpse of antlers. With no time to lose, he let the arrow fly. It whooshed through the bush and pierced the buck's thigh. It fell to the ground with a high pitched squeal. The group quickly fled at the sight of their fallen leader, leaving the young buck struggling to get on its feet. Drake lept to his own and pulled out a knife, walking over to the poor creature and thrusting it into its heart. The buck convulsed and was still. Not the best shot, but it did the job.

     "Well done," said Truth, coming up behind him.

     "Thank you," he murmured.

     "Will this be enough?"

     "No, we should probably bring back a handful of rabbits as well. As many as we can get before evening. I have plans."

 

By the time they arrived home, it was still a few hours before sunset. Drake carried the buck, which hung around his neck and shoulders like a scarf, Truth holding a large canvas bag with several dead rabbits. Cassie rushed to greet them, but avoided the carcasses, declaring that if she saw them she would want to name them, and everyone knew that once you name an animal it was your pet, and you're not supposed to eat pets. Drake questioned why anyone would want to name a dead animal, but the little girl simply stuck her tongue out at him and went back inside. Drake left soon after to visit Leanne, where he discovered that she was now home. While there, Seth slipped him the money and they agreed upon the next day for the first lesson.

Author's Note

I feel like I'm kind of dragging stuff out a little, so I plan on pickin up the pace a lot and continue to move the story forward. I guess I just like the little details... It helps my imagine what's going better. Please bear with me!