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I positioned myself subtly between them and Arlet, my senses alert for any sudden moves. “This is a protected area,” I said evenly. “No hunting allowed.”
The burly man took a step forward, his hand resting on the rifle slung over his shoulder—a silent threat. “Who’s gonna stop us? You?”
Arlet stepped to my side then, her stance confident and unyielding. “We will,” she stated clearly, her gaze never wavering from theirs.
There was a moment of tense silence as we faced off in the clearing—the hunters with their entitlement and us with our resolve to protect this land.
It happened quickly then—a rustle in the bushes that drew their attention away from us for just an instant. In that heartbeat of distraction, I gave Arlet a slight nod—an unspoken signal we understood between us.
As one, we sprang into action—Arlet darting towards the nearest tree while I advanced on the hunters with deliberate steps that left no doubt about my intent.
“Leave,” I growled at them, my voice dropping into barely heard registers—a primal warning that spoke directly to their instincts.
The hunters hesitated. Clearly I was a danger they hadn’t expected encountering today.
Arlet’s voice rang out from her new vantage point above us. “This forest is under our protection,” she declared boldly. “And we will defend it.”
The standoff stretched on for a few heartbeats more before the burly leader spat on the ground and motioned to his companions. “Let’s go,” he grunted. “Not worth it.”
They retreated slowly at first before picking up pace as they put distance between us and them. Once they were out of sightand their disruptive energy no longer tainted the air, I relaxed slightly.
I turned to Arlet, who had climbed down from her perch and was brushing leaves from her hair with an exhilarated smile on her face.
“We did well,” she said as she approached me.
“We did,” I agreed with a nod of respect for her courage and quick thinking.
Our eyes met then—a silent conversation passing between us about what had just occurred and what it meant for our partnership. We had faced our first real test together and emerged stronger for it—not just as protector and protected, but as staunch allies bound by a common cause.
As evening approached and shadows grew long around us, we made our way back towards Arlet’s cabin in comfortable silence. The forest breathed easier now as we dealt with the disturbance—its peace restored by our intervention.
Once we arrived at the cabin’s doorstep, Arlet turned to me with gratitude shining in her eyes. “Thank you,” she said simply, but with a depth that encompassed more than just today’s events.
“There’s no need to thank me,” I replied quietly. “This is what I’m here for—to protect you and this place.”
She smiled then—a smile that held warmth and something more—a recognition of what we were building together here among these ancient trees.
“Can’t you come in and stay tonight?” Her eyes widened like that of a puppy.
“No, love. After those hunters, I need to keep vigil out here. For a few hours anyway.” I smiled, and she nodded with understanding. As her bodyguard, I needed to ensure the area’s safety first.
I watched her enter the cabin before stepping back into the twilight world outside where my vigilance resumed—an ever-present guardian against any threat that might dare approach.
From a distance, hidden by foliage yet close enough to act if needed, I settled down to watch over Arlet through the night—as much a part of this land now as any creature born to it.
And as stars peppered the darkening sky above me, thoughts of our future together wove through my mind like trails through these woods—complex and uncharted but somehow inevitable in their convergence.
Despite all uncertainties looming on horizons yet unseen—all those potential consequences of our growing bond—a conviction dropped deep within my being that our paths crossed, that whatever destiny lay ahead for us from some ancient time when they wrote stories not in words but in constellations etched upon night skies by hands unseen.
CHAPTER 12
Arlet
Leaves rustled underfoot as I paced the length of my cabin’s porch, my thoughts as tangled as the underbrush surrounding my new sanctuary. I paused, leaning against the wooden railing, and cast a glance at the stoic figure of Hayze standing just at the forest’s edge. The bronze sheen of his skin caught the dying light, and I marveled, not for the first time, at the surreal turn my life had taken.
“Hayze?” I called out softly.
He approached with silent grace, an innate stealth in his every move. “Yes, Arlet?”
