Rogue Queen ➵

➵ XLIII. The Scavenger Hunt

Wednesday, February 21st, 2018, 8:45am

Asher's POV

Walking into the pack house, I sigh softly at the rush of warm air. Taking off my boots but keeping my coat on, I walk with the twins into the living room, where Raiden is talking Riley as he dusts the cabinet and fireplace mantle.

Riley's punishment is constant chores for a week, no breaks. He loves playing with the younger kids, and he can't do that for the seven days. He seems to tire fairly easily too, so it pushes his stamina. And he's not enjoying the punishment, if he was then it wouldn't be a punishment.

"Asher!" Raiden says, smiling when he sees me. "Happy birthday."

I smile back, "thanks. Riley, doing alright?"

"Yeah," he replies, pausing in dusting the cabinet shelves. "Happy birthday, Asher."

"Thank you."

Finishing the cabinet, Riley gives us a smile and little wave then heads out of the room, presumably to clean the living rooms on the other floors.

"I thought everyone would be at the end of the scavenger hunt," I say.

Raiden shrugs, "plan changed. You pick one of us up at every stop. Read their clue, then find them at the place. Next up is Rei's."

"I would've guessed her's would be last."

"Nah. We're going in order of when we met. You met her when you met me, so she's next. Also, she doesn't want to be away from you for too long. She's my sister and you're my best friend, do you know how awkward it can get for me?."

"Well, you're her brother and Clove's her best friend. It probably gets awkward for her sometimes too."

"Good point."

Raiden holds out a piece of paper. I hold if out for Chase and Rhea, letting them try to read it.

"Where you took me, in the... Sun... Something... Light?" Rhea mumbles, pausing when she needs a second to figure out the word.

Chase continues, "Where we something the... Bond with a... Bite?"

"Not bad," Raiden says as Rhea hands the note back to me. "Good job, Rhea, Chase."

The twins smile broadly, proud of their reading skills, which, for five year olds, isn't that bad.

Where you took me, in the sun's dimming light,
Where we sealed the bond with a bite.

"Where I marked her," I say softly.

"Let's go!" Chase says happily, going back to the front door to get his boots on.

Rhea, Raiden and I follow after him.

Walking through the snow covered forest, I feel at peace. The way the sun reflects off the snow, the view of the bare branches of the surrounding trees covered in white. It's beautiful.

Soon enough, I see the clearing, the sun shining on the ice of the lake. Rei is standing at the edge, her hair dancing softly in the light breeze. She turns, hearing the snow crunching under our feet. Seeing us, she grins, bounding over and hugging me tightly.

"Asher!" she says, kissing me lightly. "Happy birthday."

"Is this how everyone's gonna greet me? Yelling my name and saying happy birthday?"

"Maybe. How was your sleep?"

"Fine," I reply. "There's... Something we should all discuss later though." Rei looks up at me, expression concerned. "It's not too bad, Rei. Just a little important."