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As he trails off, I shake my head. “I’m not following.”
“You’re not the rabbit,” he explains. “You’re the hunter, less threatening than the wolf to the rabbit, but more accurate in your aim.”
“Ahh. Well, that’s one way to word it.” I tilt my chin down, raising my brow as I give him a stern glare. “We’re waiting for our window to be replaced. The last one was busted.”
My dad chuckles at my accusation. “With good reason. I have plans, taking a vacation and all that.”
“What kind of vacation?” I ask cautiously.
My stomach roils, and I swallow as his lips turn down, hoping he’s not going to say—
“A long one, Gem.” He stares at his hands. “One I’m not coming back from.”
“We can get you out.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“You can’t stay,” I stress, flattening my hands on the table. “You’re getting out.”
Dad shakes his head. “I have to. I have something to do here.”
“But what about all the—”
“You know who to trust,” he cuts in. “You’ve been building your foundation since you were a teen. The rabbits can be domesticated, can follow the hunter, letting her know when danger is close.”
“What if I don’t want the rabbits?” I counter.
He pegs me with a stern expression of his own, reminding me of how much alike we truly are. “I don’t want the rabbits, Gem. You have always wanted the rabbits and the forest. The wolves and bears. The eagles and crops.”
“That doesn’t mean I want to do it alone.”
“You won’t be alone,” he murmurs, reaching over to grab my hand. “But I can’t stay in the woods while you roam the forest. I knew this from the very beginning, and I’m so proud that you’ve outgrown your fear of the dark.”
“I haven’t.”
“You have,” he argues. “You’ll see. I’ll always be a nightlight in the gloom, but I’m not bright enough to light the way for you anymore.”
I stare at our hands as my eyes tingle with the coming tears. “You can’t leave me with the darkness.”
“I won’t,” he promises. “I’ll be taking the darkness with me. Then you won’t have anything left to fear in the forest. It will be yours.”
“What you’re telling me... It’s like you want to—”
“I can’t be the hunter, Gemstone,” he insists. “I don’t have it in me, and I’ve loathed the burden for most of my life. As selfish as it may seem, I was so happy when you told me you wanted to hunt. And since then, I’ve been taking steps toward the city of light, but I’m at the end. There’s only one more step for me to take, then you have to do the rest.”
My eyes burn as tears pool against my lashes. I furiously shake my head, nostrils flaring to hold back my emotions as I give him the reply he wants.
“Because I can’t fully own the forest while other hunters walk on my land.”
“You can’t,” he agrees.
“The rabbits will look to you if we’re the only two hunters left,” I continue.
He nods, softly conceding, “They will.”
“What if—” I fill my cheeks with air, blowing out a harsh breath. “What if I can’t out-aim the other hunters, Dad?”
“You will.” He flashes me a genuine smile. “You’ve become the trophy hunter I could never be.”
