Page 49 of Heart of the Hunted
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Natalia
Natalia was amazed at how fast Taredd had skinned and prepared the rabbit. It was the same with the fire as well., In a matter of minutes it was a roaring fire, warming her and shedding some light on the area.
Natalia wasn't complaining. No, she was more than grateful for his speed because she was absolutely starving, plus it was so cold she was finding it hard not to shiver.
So, if it meant she could warm up, even just a little bit, and fill her stomach to stop it from rumbling, then she definitely wasn't complaining. Natalia would have preferred it if he had gone a little slower though, so that she could see what he was doing, but she got the gist of it anyway.
If it had been left for her to do, then she would probably still be trying to figure it out. Natalia knew how to get a fire going, but it still took her at least twice as long as it had taken Taredd.
It was mesmerizing watching him work, especially once the fire was going and she could actually see what he was doing clearly. Luckily for her, Taredd had waited until he had the fire going before he started to skin the rabbit, otherwise she would still have no clue what to do with one.
What Natalia hadn't been expecting though, was for the rabbit to taste so good once it was finally cooked. When she had told him earlier that she didn't mind what he caught for dinner, she didn't want to mention to him that she's never tried rabbit before. At least, not that she had known about anyway.
As soon as she took the first bite she instantly knew she’d never eaten it before. Nothing she’d eaten had ever tasted so good, it almost melted in her mouth.
Natalia was definitely going to be eating it again. Especially since she knew how to catch it for herself now. It meant she wouldn't have to rely on scavenging so much. It was a lot nicer, and a hell of a lot safer, than scavenging from the monsters all the time.
If only she had known sooner how easy it was to catch the furry little creatures, she would have done it years ago. It would have saved so many lives over the years... maybe even her mother’s.
That was all in the past now, Natalia couldn't do anything to change the past, but maybe she could change the future if she survived long enough.
Natalia tried her hardest not to look back, there was nothing but heartache and pain to be had from dwelling on things she couldn't change. So instead, she concentrated on the future instead, or at least tried to.
"Do you like it?" Taredd asked her out of the blue.
Natalia had been so caught up in her thoughts that she jumped when he spoke.
She looked up at him and then back at her food before saying: "It's really nice."
"You sound surprised," he said, smiling.
"To be honest,” she said. “I wasn't expecting it to taste anywhere near as good as it does."
Smiling at her reply, he said: "So, does that mean this is going to be on the menu from now on?"
"If it's as easy for me to catch them as it was for you, then yes, they'll definitely be on the menu from now on."
"Good, I'm glad you're enjoying it," he said. "And I promise, it's that easy for everyone, you just need to find the perfect spot to set the trap."
"I hope you're right," she said.
"I am," he assured her.
Natalia was going to take his word for it. She couldn't wait to try it out for herself, she just hoped she lived long enough to be able to try it on her own.
She was even more eager to show Amberly and Donovan, but it was impossible at the moment. Until she could get away from Taredd, she had no chance in showing them or any of the others in their group.
Just because he promised not to kill her, it didn't mean he was going to share the same courtesy for the rest of her group. There was no way she would willingly risk the lives of everyone in the group, but especially not Amberly's and Donovan's lives.
Thinking about them made her heart ache. She longed to be back with them again. From as long as she could remember, this was the longest she had been separated from either of them. A small part of her even missed Bella, with her whiny voice and constant bitching.
Natalia wished she could at least check on them to make sure that they were safe and well. She wanted to let them know that she was okay, because she knew they would be just as worried about her as she was about them. She was beginning to feel more than a little homesick.
Mentally she shook her head to clear it from the negative thoughts. Then she said: "Thank you for catching and cooking this for me."
"You're welcome, Natalia," he said. " I couldn't let you starve to death now, could I."
