Love And Honour (Book 2)

Chapter XV

Vote ~ Comment ~ Enjoy!

One week later

Hunter's face was certainly one to capture. If one could contain the power and depth from a thundercloud, his face could. His dark eyebrows shifted down, his all-consuming black eyes shrinking but flashing with the strikes of lightning. Darkness draws to him as he glares down his older brother. Logan pauses and swings his catch onto his shoulder. He glances at Leo who shrugs, a large smirk places on his lips. Logan is returning to a tempest that had already risen to dangerous heights. Hunter stands; his eyes flashing as he pointedly moves his glare to Leo. Leo raises his hands in surrender but the smirk does not drop. Hunter narrows his eyes even more. Jag lets out a guffaw and receives a scowl from Hunter and a warning look from Leo.

"What exactly did I miss?" Logan asks hesitantly. Hunter shakes his head and bites down harshly on his tongue. "Leo?" Logan asks him directly; clearly Hunter is far too annoyed to do so yet.

"We woke up to find you gone. Hunter thought that they had found you and taken you." Leo replies, his tone neutral.

Hunter shakes his head, his eyes defiant as he watches Logan. "I woke up and you were gone." He bites out. "We are still within Ricell lands and you decide now is the time to wander off without a protector? Did they starve your brains from you?"

Logan tosses his three rabbits to Jag who catches them with a impressed nod. Hunter rolls his eyes.

"I wanted to be of some use. We needed food so I went out and I got us food. I did not go far; you could have easily found me." Logan tries to placate. The storm cloud within Hunter grows and Leo stands, holding out his hands in a placatory gesture. This does nothing to help matters.

"I tried to, but Wolfe's man refused to let me." He spits at Leo's feet and strides away. Logan watches him go while running his hands through his hair.

"I did not believe you had been taken. I thought it was more likely you had gone hunting since my knives were gone. I did not want Hunter ruining your first true sense of feeling free since..." his gruff, deep voice trails off and Logan nods.

"How did you prevent him?"

"I held him down." The giant shrugs but Logan winces.

"Stay here. I will go speak to him." Logan quickly follows his brother's footsteps. A broken twig here and there, soil moved under foot helps him to stay on his trail. Eventually he catches up and calls out to him. Hunter turns, the storm muted with the long walk.

"You should not have followed me. You should have stayed with your protectors." Hunter berates him. Logan lifts his shoulders and drops them, a smile touching his lips. "Why do you look so happy?" He warily regards his brother.

"You were worried about me." Hunter turns away. "Next time I will wake you but you still will not come with me." Hunter turns back, his mouth open to object. "My muscles still work; they had just grown tired with lack of food. They are no longer so fatigued. That is thanks to you. I still know how to protect myself and I will make sure that I do so."

Hunter studies his brother and finds that his words are true. Logan is still much slimmer than he ever used to be but now there is meat on his bones and within his cheeks. Slowly throughout the week he had been eating more and more, he had been depending more on his own strength and now he was strong enough to hunt by himself. Hunter runs a hand across his face and deeply exhales.

"I am sorry. I am turning into Bronco." He says with a touch of distaste. Logan laughs, agreeing with the statement. Out of all the brothers Bronco was most certainly the one who watches over them and worried about them. He would have gotten equally angry, if not more so, if he had woken to a brother who had been weak gone. Not even Leo would have been able to hold Bronco back if he intended to find those he cared about. "Forgive me brother?" he extends his arm and they clasp forearms.