His Hybrid Archer

9 - Snow and Her Pets

Lance Kyle 

    Seeing my mate grab her bow and arrows like it was second nature didn't surprise me the least little bit.  What did surprise me was how the forest animals seemed to gravitate to her.  First, the spunky little fox that bit me wouldn't leave Snow's side, as we walked toward the forest.  

    When we reached the forest, a decent sized falcon swooped down and perched on Snow's shoulder.  Right away, Snow turned her head and affectionately nuzzled her nose against the large bird's beak.  That action alone had me swooning for my mate.

    We were approximately halfway to the Jungle Pack's border when I heard the sound of an owl hoot nearby.  Instantly, Snow threw her arm in front of my path to make me stop walking.  Meanwhile, she reached back with her other hand and pulled an arrow out of it's container.

    As she let her bow slide down her arm, she held the arrow up to her lips to signify for us to stay quiet.  Next, she held the bow out in front of her and placed the arrow against the cord.  With the bow and arrow ready to be shot, she slowly advanced in the direction of the owl's hoot.

    There was no way in hell I was gonna let my mate put herself in harm's way.  I followed right behind her for about fifteen steps.  Out of nowhere, she stopped in her tracks, then she somehow made a ball of fire form on the end of the arrow.

    A second later, Snow released the arrow and sent it soaring through the air.  I watched the arrow pierce right through the chest of a large brown rogue, then another flaming arrow glided through the air and hit a different rogue.  After a third arrow pierced the chest of the last rogue, the falcon pushed off her shoulder and gracefully soared through the air.

    I watched in pure amazement as that falcon landed on the first rogue that Snow took down.  It expertly removed the arrow from the rogue's chest, then it flew back while holding the arrow with it's talons.

    As soon as the falcon reached Snow who was holding her hand out, it dropped the arrow on her palm.  After that, flew back to the dead rogues two more times and retrieved her other arrows.  

    Me, Dane, Alfonso and the trackers all had looks of astonishment plastered on our faces after seeing my mate and her falcon work like a team to defeat those rogues in a matter of seconds.  I had never witnessed anything like it.  

    After the falcon brought back the last arrow, he went right back to his spot on her shoulder.  Snow nuzzled her nose against it's beak again, as she graciously mumbled, "Great job, Dart."

    So this is another one of her pets, I thought to myself and smiled, then I remembered the owl hooting and curiously asked, "Does the owl hoot to let you know there are rogues nearby?"

    "Yeah, Amber is a great lookout for us.  Although, she didn't see the disgusting rogue that took a chunk out of Jazzy's hind leg.  He managed to sneak up on Jazzy from behind.  Luckily, I was nearby and able to stop him from hurting her anymore than he did," she explained with pride.

    "You have the coolest pets ever," I enthusiastically chirped while beaming a smile at my amazing mate, then we started walking again.

    When we reached the tree line by the border, Snow bashfully remarked, "You wouldn't believe how many times I sat on that limb and watched you and the other cubs play.  Although, I always found my eyes wanting to stay on you."

    I glanced up at the limb she was pointing to, as I thought about the words she had just said.  "How many?" I asked with curiosity a second later.

    The cutest little giggle left her mouth, and it literally made my heart skip a beat.  I know they say the pull of a mate bond is enough to make two mates fall in love at first sight, but I didn't agree.  However, there was no denying the attraction I felt when it came to this amazing creature standing beside me.

    She was flawless in every way.  Not only was she drop dead gorgeous with a smile that could make any guy melt.  She was also smart, skilled, kind and a complete mystery to me.

    After a few seconds of giggling, Snow cheekily replied, "I don't know.  I lost track of count years ago."

    "How long have you and your parents lived here?" I inquisitively asked.

    "I have more or less lived here my whole life.  My parents were already established here when they found me," Snow casually answered like it wasn't a big deal that they had managed to stay alive on the free territory for so long.  

    Once again, I found myself amazed by my gorgeous mate.  I flashed a sweet smile in her direction, then I probingly asked, "You said you always found your eyes wanting to stay on me?  You must have felt the pull of our mate bond back then and didn't even realize it.  Why didn't you ever ask to join our games?"

    She looked down at the ground for a few seconds.  After that, she glanced up at me through lowered eyelashes and self-consciously replied, "I never got the chance to go to a real school.  I never got to learn how to make friends.  Also, I was scared you would all attack me, because I'm not a werecat."

    I realized at that moment, just how shy she actually was.  She couldn't hardly make eye contact.  When she did, I could only hold her gaze for a few seconds before she darted her eyes to something else.  The only time she hadn't talked in a quieter voice was when she answered the door, and after her pet fox bit my leg.

    In my opinion, it was important that she felt comfortable with me.  I didn't want my awesome mate to feel unwelcome on the Jungle Pack's territory ever again, so I encouragingly stated, "Snow, you are my mate, and you are always welcome on our territory.  You and your parents.  In fact, I would be overjoyed if you would move into the castle with me."

    Instantly, her eyes widened before she warily mumbled, "I don't know.  I will have to discuss this with my parents.  You should probably do the same."

    I chuckled as I grabbed ahold of her hand and entwined our fingers.  I felt Snow tense up a little at first, but it didn't take long for her to relax and get the hang of holding my hand.  It was truly a wonderful feeling to have my mate holding my hand as we crossed the border.   

    Now I just needed to get this beautiful creature to the castle and introduce her to my parents.  I knew she was nervous about it.  However, I was more than confident that my parents would have no problem with her being my mate and Queen.