Page 27 of Heart of the Hunted
CHAPTER NINE
Taredd
It didn't take long for them to find the closest tavern once they left the pass. It was a bit further away from the pass than he would have liked, but it was better than nothing. After spending the last few days traveling, and one night in a cave, he was more than ready for a soft bed and a hell of a lot to drink.
They spent the rest of the day in the tavern, drinking and having a laugh. The room Taredd stayed in was much better than the last one, but it was nowhere close to his own bedroom back home. Taredd couldn't remember the last time he stepped foot inside his home. He had to admit, he was missing it and couldn't wait to go back.
The following morning, Taredd and Arun were up at the crack of dawn to start the bet. They split off to go their separate ways as soon as they left the tavern. Dain was still fast asleep when they left., Since he wasn't part of the bet, he could do whatever the hell he wanted.
Taredd didn't bother asking them where they were going to be. Arun would probably move around a lot as he hunted down his own Human anyway, and he knew that Dain could be found in any of the taverns... more than likely the same one they’d just left him in. It wasn't a problem though, because he could find them both easily enough when the time came, so he didn't bother to ask them.
Taredd decided to hang around and search the area closest to the mountains. His reasoning was that the Humans had to have a hideout somewhere close to the pass for when they travelled along it, kind of like a last pit stop before attempting the treacherous journey, or maybe even a safe place they could recoup once they made it to the other side.
He didn't know why they would come this far north though. It snowed for more than six months at a time, making it near on impossible to grow anything that would be worth eating. It might have made him think of home, if not for the freezing temperatures.
It was just as difficult to grow food where he was from, but it was because of the opposite temperature. Instead of it being too cold for most of the year, it was too hot instead.
All living plant life shrivelled and died within a matter of days as the heat soared during the hottest months of the year. There were only a few months where it was cool enough to grow anything. Which was one of the reasons why he didn't mind staying here.
Taredd made his way along the base of the mountain, looking for any indication that Humans had been in the area recently. Taredd had come across a few signs here and there, mainly footprints in the mud, but there was one spot that appeared to have been used as a campsite. Whether it was a Human campsite or not, was another question.
Other than that, it appeared none had been through this way for quite some time. Still, Taredd wasn't about to give up so easily, because he knew there was bound to be a few dotted around here somewhere.
When it started to get dark, as night fell, Taredd decided to make a camp. After all the alcohol he consumed last night with Dain and Arun, and with an early start tomorrow, he decided to catch up on some sleep. Unfortunately, he didn't have a soft mattress tonight, but he could improvise.
Taredd collected fallen leaves and handfuls of moss to make a bed, along with fallen twigs and branches to use for a fire. It wasn't exactly the soft and comfy bed he wanted, but it was better than sleeping on solid rock in the cave.
Taredd set up a trap not far away from where he was making camp, before building a fire. Once the fire was going and his bedding area pulled together, he sat back to admire the scenery. For such an unforgiving place, it had one of the most beautiful views he had ever seen.
After a couple of hours, Taredd went back to check on the trap. Luckily, he had left it long enough to catch something. He managed to snare a rabbit in the short time he had been away setting the fire and preparing a sleeping area.
Taredd untangled the animal before taking the trap back down. Since he didn't need more than the one rabbit, there was absolutely no need to leave the trap up. He didn't want to get another animal caught in it unnecessarily. Grabbing the rabbit by the hind legs, he carried it back to camp.
It had never bothered Taredd to spend the night sleeping under the stars. As long as it stayed dry, he was happy. The last thing he wanted was to be woken during the night to rain, or worse, snow. Especially since he was a good few miles away from the nearest building where he could take shelter from the elements.
Yes, he could have gone to one of them instead of sleeping rough, but that would have wasted even more time. Taredd wasn't willing to travel to and fro each day just to have the luxury of sleeping indoors, that would just be a complete waste of his time.
Not only that, but if a Human was to come from the pass at any time of the day or night, he wanted to be here ready for them. He had set up his camp so that he would be the first to see them as they left the pass, but not so close that they would see him easily.
Since this was a bet after all, he was willing to take any advantage over Arun that he could. If that meant staying by the mountains, then so be it. After all, the sooner he won the bet, the sooner they could get back to hunting down Humans as a team again.
Taredd skinned and gutted the rabbit, then propped it over the fire to cook. It may not be the largest, or fanciest, of meals, but it was better than nothing at all. On the up side, Taredd was rather keen on the taste of rabbit, so it was a win win situation.
There was nothing better than cooking on an open fire while staring up at the twinkling stars up above. It was peaceful here, nothing but the sound of nature surrounded him. No talking, no bickering, nothing but peace and quiet, just what he needed at that moment in time.
Taredd had watched the sun set as the fire crackled next to him. Breathing in the cool air, he leaned back against a tree, relaxing while his food cooked. Listening to the birds singing in the trees as they settled in for the night, and mammals, as they scurried around on the ground. Some of them making their way into their burrows or dens for the night, while other nocturnal creatures were just waking up.
Closing his eyes, Taredd listened to all the sounds around him. He tried to identify where each sound was coming from, and what creature was making it. It wasn't something that Taredd would normally do, but since Dain and Arun weren't around to cause a racket, it was peaceful enough for him to do.
Taredd wondered how Arun was getting along in his search. He doubted Arun would find a Human before him, but on the off chance that he was wrong. Arun might be lucky and stumble across one, or even a group of Humans before him, but it was more likely that when Taredd finally met up with him again that he still wouldn't be anywhere close to finding one.
Not unless he recruited Dain to aid him in his search, but that was highly unlikely because Arun would see that as cheating. Arun had the same view of cheating as Taredd did, it was dishonourable. After all, there wasn't any point in making a bet if you weren't going to play fair. They may be a Demon and a Fae, but they still had their honour and they weren't about to throw it all away over a stupid bet.
The smell coming from the rabbit was making Taredd's mouth water. Not wanting to wait any longer, Taredd opened his eyes and sat up. Pulling a knife out of the sheaf strapped to his leg, he started cutting off bits of cooked meat.
"Mmm." He moaned as the flavour burst in his mouth.
Taredd savoured each bite before swallowing. It wasn't often he ate rabbit, so it was like a bit of luxury while camping rough.
Before long, his meal was finished. Taredd cleared away the remains, then rebuilt the fire before laying down on his makeshift bed. Stretching out next to the fire, he yawned and then rolled over onto his side so he could watch the flames dance as he drifted off to sleep.
