Zenora

“Could you fly straight for a while Nightwing? Knock it off!” Brock yelled at Nightwing but he didn’t care what Brock said. Nightwing was swiping his tail towards Bastet every once in a while, and it made me laugh.

“Brock.” I said his name to get his attention and I pointed to Nightwing, made a heart shape with my hands and then pointed to Bastet. Now he finally got what was into Nightwing and he rolled his eyes.

“Come, let’s go this way for a few hours, I know a place you might like.” Brock said to me and we flew downwards to the left.

After flying for about twenty minutes I noticed a T-shaped building on flat grassy plains. Around the building were training fields and I could see a lot of animals training together with their owners.

“This is the Hunters Lodge, love. It is where young hunters get to train and hone their skills before joining the army if they wish.” Brock said to me and I was really curious now!

A whole building filled with hunters, training with their pets and sharing their skills with other hunters. I really wanted to see that!

Brock’s point of view:

Within two weeks, Emily’s whole life turned up-side down, she really needed a break from all the things that happened to her lately. So, I came up with this idea and knew I made the right decision to come here when I saw those sparkles in her eyes.

She is so beautiful, so dazzling to me that I have changed a lot since I met her as well. I don’t think I’m the angry general anymore as I was before, but that doesn’t make me soft though. If anyone dares to touch Emily, my fury will be unleashed upon them. My men still have to know who is leading them, so when we land, I have to act that way.

“Bastet, I think I saw a nice lake a bit further south, go there with Nightwing. Brock will whistle when we need you again alright?” She said to her gryphon and a loud squeak came from her in agreement.

A few hunters that were close to us when we landed, heard her speak and frowned. I guess soon a lot of people will come to know about her powers, so I might as well just let her be and not telling her to keep them to herself. Not that she would listen to me though on that part… fierce hunter of mine. I think this is the best place to start learning about other hunters and I think they would be interested in seeing her abilities as well.

We walked around the training fields, and I watched how she gazed upon the men and a few woman. They were fighting each other, shooting on dummies or training and playing with their pets. So far, Emily didn’t have a pet yet that could fight with her. She had Miles, her dog, but he wasn’t like any animal here on Zenora. Miles doesn’t have the strength to fight alongside her, so he’d better stay at the castle. And Rhydon and Bastet were her riding companions, not much suited for fighting either. She smiled at every single creature she saw, the leopards, lions, hogs, eagles and what not more. It was like she was a child in a candy shop.

“Mona!” She suddenly said, and the white eagle came soaring towards her.

Mona landed on the ground and Emily greeted her with some scratches on her head, and talking gently to her. I guess Archeops went to this place after realizing that he didn’t have to arrange a team to join us to the forest.

Whispers from the hunters around us started to form.

“Hehe, Mona realized really fast that Emily was here and she just squeaked until I let her go.” Arch said smiling. “I’m still amazed that she can do that to pretty much every creature around her.”

“Yes, I know, the Queens Gryphon has been tamed by her also.” I said to him.

“Bastet? Really? Wow, that’s fast. I imagined to have to visit her with Emily a few times before a connection would be made, but I guess it’s not needed anymore!” He said while laughing.

Arch is pretty much the opposite of me if it comes to communicating and training his men. He has a loving wife and three children, all hunters as well and he loves a good joke and has plenty of funny stories to tell also. While training his men, he takes his time if one of the hunters has trouble doing something, while I just train my warriors harder and angrier. But I’m not interfering with his way of training though, as the hunters that join the army are all well trained and brave in combat.

“Miss? I noticed you talking to your Gryphon and now to the colonel’s bird, and I was wondering if you could talk to my wolf as well? He is not feeling well and I… Ouch!” He got interrupted by a smack on the back of his head from Arch. I had to smile a bit.

“That is your Princess, private! So, address to her accordingly!” Arch said to him, and the private stumbled over his words, trying to apologize to her.

I was smiling, since I know how she is like and will absolutely try to help this young man and his wolf. Even though she is the Princess, she never acted like that at all.

“Archeops, it is alright, I haven’t been introduced as the Princess yet, so he couldn’t have known.” She said to both Arch and the young private. Just as I thought she would.

Emily’s point of view:

“What is your wolf’s name? Let’s see if I can help him.” I said to the private while following the young hunter, and Brock and Archeops followed behind. We walked to the side of the training fields where a grey wolf was sleeping, all curled up. The private said his name was Argent and that he was being down for a while now, and since yesterday he stopped eating.

“Hi there Argent, could you show me what is wrong with you?” As I said that, he lifted his head and I put my hand on his fur.

A vision started.

It was raining and the wolf was hunting a rabbit in a grassy area, I guess because he was hungry. When he finally found it, he killed it with his teeth and started to rip off its fur. Then he ate the juicy flesh and ran back to his master.

I got back to reality and asked the hunter about it.

“When did it rain, last time you hunted with your wolf?" I asked him and he frowned in confusion. “Let me explain, I can see visions of animals if they let me. I saw him eating a small rabbit during the rain when he ran through a field of poisonous plants. So, I’m asking you, when did it rain when you last hunted with him?” He was amazed by what I said but finally managed to answer me that it was two days ago.

Some other hunters joined our conversation and listened carefully.

“Okay good, not too long then. I think the rabbit ate some of the poisonous plants which your wolf digested as well, when he ate the rabbit. Give him plums and charcoal, mixed through some sliced-up venison. The plums will encourage his stool to come out, and the charcoal will cleanse his stomach the natural way. The venison is a treat of course, to help him eat. He will feel better in a day or two.” I said to him and he nodded with each word I said. Then he thanked me a lot, as he went straight away into the building to gather the ingredients I said to him before.

Soon the other hunters started to ask questions about their animals as well, and I wanted to help them all. Archeops wanted to help me, by telling the other hunters not to bother me so much, but I actually didn’t want him to send the hunters away. I was going to be a veterinarian on Earth if it wasn’t for all of the things that happened here. It felt normal and I liked it. So, I told Archeops to go and do some other hunter things, when I literally pushed him away. The privates had to laugh at my action.

They all stood in a circle around me and listened to what I had to say, with each and every animal that came to subject.

After an hour or two I had seen at least eight different species of animals, one fiercer than the other. All of the animals compelled to show me their visions, or make sounds and pointed me in the direction they were hurt.

Not all of them were hurt though. Some hunters just wanted to know what their animal’s favourite dish was, or if they were happy with their sleeping accommodations. We had laughed as well, as one of the female animals showed me her jealousy towards her master’s new girlfriend.