Page 26 of Heart of the Hunted
CHAPTER EIGHT
Natalia
Natalia searched for far longer than she planned to, but since the weather had made it too dangerous to travel along the pass, she had time to kill and she didn't want to kill it by sitting around doing fuck all. She might as well spend it trying to find Bella. Not that she was having any luck, but it was still better than doing nothing.
It was as if Bella had vanished into thin air. The only sign Natalia had seen of Bella after turning back for her, was at the entrance of the pass. After that Natalia hadn't come across any sign of her. Which was weird because Bella wasn't prone to covering her tracks.
In fact, out of everyone Natalia has ever known in her life, Bella was by far the easiest to find. This time though, there was nothing. Not even a random foot print in the mud or anything.
Natalia knew something wasn't right. Bella couldn't have just vanished, someone must have taken her, but after days of searching there was still no sign of her or anyone else having been in the area.
With nothing else to do, and completely out of ideas of where else to look, Natalia had to call it a day on the search. The others needed her more and they didn't need her to get herself caught by the monsters while searching for someone who obviously didn't want to be found. If she did get caught, Amberly and Donovan would never give up looking for her, even though it would be in vain. So, she needed to get back to them before they sent out a search party for her.
Even though she told them not to, if she didn't return, they would worry about her and then they would end up breaking the rules to find her. That was the last thing she wanted. She couldn't have one rule for everyone else and a separate one for herself, even if she was the leader of the group.
As it was, by the time the storm had cleared enough for her to attempt the pass, several days had gone by. She hoped the others made it through before the weather turned. If not, then she prayed that they were able to find shelter along the way.
Natalia finished packing her satchel and then headed for the pass. The weather still wasn't great, but at least it wasn't a complete whiteout over the mountains any more. When Natalia first attempted to join the others, she could barely see the mountains through a cloud of white. It wasn't clear blue skies this time around, but she could at least see the tops of the mountains, which was a vast improvement from last time. It meant that she would be able to see where she's going.
The last thing Natalia wanted... or needed... was to step in the wrong place as she tried to navigate the treacherous mountain pass. One wrong step could easily end her life. Natalia wasn't willing to die just yet, and especially not like that. She hadn't evaded the monsters all these years, just to die accidentally.
That would be rather ironic really, wouldn't it? Survive all these years, only to die by taking a wrong step. It sounded like something that would happen to her, but she wasn't going to let it happen if she could help it.
As she made her way further along the pass, Natalia regretted not finding something warmer to wear. The thin coat she was wearing barely kept her dry, and it did very little to keep her warm. The even thinner jumper she had on underneath wasn't much better.
"I need some more clothes," she mumbled to herself.
As soon as she met up with the others, she was going to put that at the top of her list of things to collect, along with food.
Her stomach grumbled for the thousandth time since she woke up. The meager amount of food she had on her when she left the others ran out days ago. Natalia had looked for some food while she was searching for Bella, but just like with Bella, there was no sign of any.
Natalia hoped that the others had managed to restock their supplies when they reached the other side. She hoped what little they did have with them had lasted them longer than it did her.
If they had found some, then it would mean she could have something to eat as soon as she caught up with them. With that thought in mind, Natalia picked up the pace. Even at a faster pace, it was going to be a couple of days before she even reached the other side. Then came the hard part of finding them.
Natalia didn't have a clue where they were staying. It could be a mile away from the mountains, or it could be twenty. It wasn't easy finding others of her kind anymore, which made her wonder how the monsters seemed to find them so easily.
Even after all these years nobody knew exactly what abilities or magic the monsters possessed. Those who got close enough to them to find out, never lived long enough to learn their secrets. And since the monsters weren't in a sharing kind of mood, there was no way to find out for sure.
Natalia had come across lots of books that featured the monsters, but as far as she could tell, none of it was real. It wasn't as if there were any books written by the monsters themselves. At least, none that Natalia had found and she had been looking for years. Even if there had been at some point in history, she wouldn't put it past the monsters to destroy all evidences of their existence.
Natalia would love to know their secret, she would love to know what powers they possessed, because she would happily use it against them if she could. Natalia wasn't an aggressive person by any means, but she would make an exception for the monsters, especially if it was a choice between her life and theirs.
If Amberly or Donovan's lives were on the line, then she would fight tooth and nail to keep them safe, even if it meant forfeiting her own life to save theirs. Natalia knew she should feel the same about the rest of the people in the group as well, but she didn't. As much as she tried to treat them all the same, Amberly and Donovan were more like her brother and sister, whereas the others she just couldn't see them the same way, no matter how much she wanted to.
Bella was just a completely different kettle of fish all together. At least Natalia liked the rest of the people in the group. But Bella? No, she couldn't stand the woman. Something about Bella grated on Natalia and she couldn't pinpoint what it was, but it had been that way ever since she joined the group. There was something just not quite right about her.
Nobody else in the group knew her feeling about Bella, she never mentioned it to anyone. Even Amberly and Donovan didn't know, because she didn't want her feeling to rub off on them or anyone else. At the end of the day, it might not be anything other than her simply not clicking with Bella.
As it was, Natalia had a feeling that not many of the others in the group liked Bella, if any of them. But if they found out what Natalia's view of her was, then it could have caused an even bigger rift between them all. It was probably all a moot subject now anyway, since it was unlikely any of them were ever going to see Bella again. So, there was no point in telling any of them now.
If they found out now, then they might even think that Natalia didn't bother looking for her as hard as she could have. So, it was in her best interest never to let anyone know, even Amberly and Donovan. None of it would matter if she didn't manage to find them anyway.
Natalia just hoped that she hadn't made a huge mistake in splitting up the group by going off on her own to look for Bella. It was possible that in doing so she had made it a permanent arrangement, but she knew the risk when she made the decision. She knew it could mean that she might never see any of them again.
Natalia couldn't let herself think that way though, she needed to stay positive for her own sanity, otherwise she might as well turn back now and not bother attempting to travel along the pass on her own. It was only the thought of seeing them again that kept her going as it was, if Natalia didn't have that then she would just give up and turn back.
It was also the thought of how much they relied on her, and the fact that she knew Amberly and Donovan would refuse to stop looking for her that spurred her on. Even if nobody else in the group would miss her, she knew Amberly and Donovan would.
Natalia knew without a doubt that they would search for her if she didn't catch up with them soon enough. She couldn't let them risk their lives trying to find her, so she had to push forward, she had to keep going until she found them.
So, here she was, traipsing through knee high snow as she navigates the treacherous mountain pass on her own. All in the hopes of reaching her friends... her family.
