Inamatus (Sequel to ILR)

Chapter 9

Deep breath. Focus. Aim. A bit higher. More to the left. Pull back. Don't let the arrow stray. Breathe. Release.

I watch as the arrow soars through the air, hitting the target directly in the center. I hear a clapping to my right and put my bow down to face Parker. I give him a dramatic bow, surely getting a glare from Uncle Jake. "Don't stop," Uncle Jake said, proving my point. "Keep going until you run out of arrows." I nodded and turned back to target, prepping my next shot.

When I'm done only three or four have missed the center. They weren't that far off yet Uncle Jake tells me to improve my aim. I look to Parker, "Why don't you give it a try?" Parker's eyes widened and he shook his head.

"I'm not uh- I shouldn't." I motion him over to me, keeping notice of Uncle Jake watching us. I always imagined Uncle Jake as a hard man to please so when I was younger I started to worry about Parker. He wasn't doing too great in training and tended to skip it , preferring to hang out with Zay. I was never sure if Uncle Jake was proud of him until he managed to help a pup when Zay was on a trip. The pup was 10, maybe, and got his foot stuck in a bear trap. Damn humans think they can do as they please. Parker and the rest of us were nearby and he managed to help out. Uncle Jake was very proud of him.

Nonetheless, I still wanted Uncle Jake to see how great Parker was. So I sighed and motioned Parker over to me again. Parker walked over slowly, his hands shaking a bit. I looked down at the bow. It was a bit large for someone as small as him. I was a good foot taller than him but that was due to me being in a blood line of ranking. Parker was adopted so he didn't have anyone of ranking in his bloodline, at least not that we know of.

"Just hold the bow like this." I show him by holding it myself and then hand it over to him. His eyes run over the bow. It has intricate paintings along the limbs. The lower limb has a bunch of detailed wolves, including my mother and father, while the top limb has the moon goddess with light flowing around her. It was a gift for my 16th birthday and I've taken good care of it ever since. "Okay, your grip is too loose. You're going to drop it when you shoot or worse."

"What's worse than dropping a bow in front of a bunch of pack members?" I shake my head at him and poke the side of his head. He glared at me and tightened his grip on the bow.

"You could always shoot yourself in the foot," I suggested with a casual shrug. I let out a chuckle that I regretted the moment Uncle Jake glared at me. He watched us from only a few feet away. "Would you like to teach him instead?" He shook his head.

"This will be your pack soon. Might as well learn while Parker is learning as well." Uncle Jake came closer and ruffled Parker's hair. He turned back to everyone on the training field, "Everyone go to lunch!" He looked back to Parker and I and gave a nod. "Make sure to collect any stray arrows when you're done." I nodded.

"So just hold the bow like," I shifted his hands a little, "that. Good. Now you're going to take an arrow," I turned behind me to grab an extra one. "Okay so the arrow rests right here and you're going to loosely hold it right here." This was proving easier than I thought. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, Parker is a fast learner. "Take a deep breath and try to aim for the center. For me, my arrows usually move down so I aim a bit over the center. Another deep breath and when you're rea-"

The arrow soared through the air, making a short whizzing sound. I smiled as the arrow struck the target, not too far away from the center. I patted Parker on his back. "I missed," he said glumly. I rolled my eyes.

"You've only done this like once or twice before right? And how long ago was that? Years? I think you did pretty good." He looks up at me, not really glaring but not looking kindly either.

"Because of you. You're a future Alpha." I shrugged.

"So?" He poked me in the shoulder.

"So you are really gifted."

"And so are you. I believe in you Parker and so does everyone else. Have your incredibly genius brain remember that." He nodded and I ruffled his hair, earning a glare.

"Can we go now?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Well we need to clean up first. I don't feel like getting killed by your dad, or worse: one of his lectures." His eyes widened and he nodded. We proceeded to clean up the archery equipment and then went inside to wash up.

I went to my room and took a quick shower, changing into jeans and the first shirt I grabbed. I looked in my mirror, noticing that my hair is growing long. I'll have to get it cut soon.

I leave my room, going down the hall and into my old nursery. The door creaked, making Arlena wake up and start crying. I walked over to her and gently picked her up, giving her head a comfortable support. She quiets down until she is no longer crying, just staring up at me in fascination. Her eyes, three shades of brown, were wide. She's small, very small. Everyone is pretty sure she will end up being a runt like mom. That doesn't mean she will be weak but if she is a runt, she'll be weaker than most wolves.

"When you get older I can teach you all kinds of things. I'll even help teach you archery, if Mom doesn't beat me to it." I gently picked up her small hand and she held onto one of my fingers. I smiled and kissed her forehead.