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After that, things started going smoothly. Sage was no longer shy about going downstairs, and she found that she quite enjoyed the visits that she had with Edward and his family rather than the confinement of her room. Most of the time, she played with Reneesme, either racing her through the forest or playing the mundane game of Jacks (and always losing, for some reason), but sometimes, she would go out with Seth's wolf form, and she would hunt with him or one of the other vampires.
Seth never caught anything as she did, but Sage enjoyed the company more than she let on. Leah had finally come to terms with the fact that Sage wasn't going to harm her brother and decided to drop the matter altogether, something that has made Sage's life less complicated.
Elis was even warming up to the fact that Sage was here. He didn't stop his glares immediately, nor did he talk to her, but Sage could tell that he and Leah were talking about the subject more, for he would catch himself staring at her with a perplexed expression on his face. Something that wasn't quite glaring but also not staring-inquisitive. Each time he was caught, he shook his head, nodded at her, and left, so Sage counted it as a victory and hoped things would be better between them soon.
Today, she was hunting with Seth again.
Though it had only been a week or so since she hunted (more than two months since she came here), Sage discovered that the thrill of the hunt kept her at bay more than human blood ever could. Running through the woods, finding that delectable scent, the one that wasn't too sour or too sweet but somewhere in between, was a sensation that Sage had never gotten the pleasure of feeling until now-one she didn't want to let go of.
And Seth always kept up. He ran beside her easily, leaping over the logs that Sage ducked over, swiping at the air as he barked and howled to the cloudy sky.
Sage laughed as he tried to nip at her playfully before she jumped up and hopped over his back, pressing a shadow underneath his feet to trip him up. Unfair play, but Sage figured he'd understand that coming up behind her when she was focused on something else was unfair as well.
The weather was cool today, not rigid enough for a human to bundle up, but not warm enough to wear summer clothes. Spring was coming. Slowly. Sage let the cool air swirl around her as it took her towards the deer that was standing near a giant boulder, grazing at the grass in the forest, and soon enough, she had lessened the distance until the deer was in her grasp and the jugular was in Sage's mouth, tangy blood falling down her throat as she fed.
When she was done, Seth barrelled into her after she wiped her mouth clean of any blood and growled playfully. He had her pushed into the boulder, teeth white as he snarled at her. Sage snickered, pushing his face away with a huff.
"You were aware I was going to go after the deer and yet you still distracted me." Sage patted his head, wiping her hands on her jeans and walking back towards the house. "My shadows were warranted."
