Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They were created by the brilliant people at Universal Studios for the television show Roar. The only characters that are mine are Hunter and Jerrin. Call of the Hunter by Carrissa e-mail: Part One: It was getting dark. Just the way I like it. The moment between night and day. I put on my cloak and stepped out of the cave. For the past few nights the cave had been my home. It wasn't much, but it was shelter. I had traveled all the way from Massalia*, and was now in Eire. By imitating the call of a rare bird from back home, I called to the only friend I had, a wolf whom I called Toulouse. I had found Toulouse when I was traveling through Britannia; he had been wounded and left to die. He was better now, but he still had a slight limp. "Come Toulouse," I said, "Tonight's the night. I can feel it. We will find the King tonight." With that, we walked through the blackened forest. I was so involved with my mission, I paid no attention to how long Toulouse and I walked until we came to a cliff and I saw the sun begin to rise. "Oh Toulouse! We walked all night and we still haven't found him!" I knelt down to pet Toulouse and started to cry. After a while, Toulouse left me to go find something to eat, but I stayed at the cliff to pray to the gods. I heard no one come up behind me, but suddenly I heard a voice. "What's the matter lass? And what're you doing out here all by yourself?" I turned to see a man with a very kind face looking down upon me. He didn't look Roman, he didn't look dangerous at all, and he seemed very familiar. But I was taught better than to only trust a kind face. As I stood up, I grabbed the dagger I kept in my boot and asked, "Who are you sir? Are you Roman?" "No," he said laughing. I liked his laugh, it was comforting. "No, no, I'm not Roman. Far from it. Name's Fergus. And you are?" "They call me Hunter." "Hunter, eh? Would ya care to put down that dagger Hunter? I won't hurt you, I promise." "I don't know if I should trust you," I said, but I put my dagger away. "That's better. Now, are you hungry?" "A little I suppose." "Good. C'mon, I'll take you to my home." So I followed Fergus. He led me to what looked like a cave hidden in the side of a small mountain. "You live here?" I asked. "Aye," he said, "many of us do." I walked into the mountain and was overcome. It looked like a village had been placed inside. We were standing above the little village and I could see houses, stables, even a waterfall and pool. "Come," Fergus said, "I'll introduce you." Fergus led me down to the floor of the mountain and back to a group of people. "Mornin' everyone." Fergus said to the three people sitting around a fire. "Fergus, where were you?" Said one of the men. "Well, I went out to do some hunting, and I came upon this little one. She was on the cliff looking very lonely. So I brought her here." "Please, sit down," said the woman of the group, "here, have something to eat." "Thank you," I said, "you're very kind." "I'm Catlin, you know Fergus, this is Tully," she said pointing to the man who had first spoke, "and this is Conor." She pointed to the other man who also looked very familiar to me. He smiled and I could feel my cheeks turn red. "What's your name?" Catlin asked. "They call me Hunter." I said trying not to look too hard at Conor. "They call you Hunter?" Tully asked, "Do you have another name?" "Aye, my real name's Terra. I was named after the Mediterranean. But everyone calls me Hunter, and I like that better than I like Terra." "Terra's not so bad." Catlin said. "No, but it doesn't fit me very well. Hunter does." "Why were you crying on the cliff?" Fergus asked. "I have failed my mission. I came all this way, and feel I have failed." "What mission?" Tully asked. I explained where I was from and said, "When my mother was younger, she lived here. She was a close friend of her village's chieftain's son. As they grew older, he married, and she married, and they decided that when each had a second child, the children would be betrothed. But eventually, she and my da moved away from the village and went to Massalia. On her deathbed, my mother told me my destiny was here, for I'm her second child. So, I've come to see this man, who would now be chieftain, and marry his second child." "Who is this man?" Tully asked. "Well, because he would now be King, he would be King Derek. But I'm not sure of the tribe." Suddenly, everyone became quiet. All eyes turned towards Conor. "What is it?" I asked. Before I got an answer, Conor got up and left. "Did I say something wrong?" I asked the other three. "King Derek was Conor's father. Romans burned the village killing everyone but Conor and Fergus." Catlin explained. "Oh no. I I'm so sorry. I had no idea." I stuttered over the shock. "It's alright lass. You couldn't have known." Fergus said softly. "Is Conor " "Yes, Conor is Derek's second son." Fergus said raising his head to look at me. "Fergus Now I recognize you. Mother kept a sketch she drew of you and Derek. Here," I said reaching into my pack, "I carried it with me, but I think you should have it." I gave the drawing to Fergus. "Thank you Hunter. Now I remember your mother. I didn't know her very long, but she was a good woman." "Thank you. That means a lot to me. Do you think Conor will talk to me?" I asked. "I'm sure he would." Catlin said. "I'll take you to him." Tully said. He took me to a cave in the mountain wall, which served as a house. "Conor should be in here." "Thanks Tully." I stood there for a moment, not quite sure if I should go in or not. "Go ahead, Conor's got a good heart. He won't be upset with you." Tully gave me a small push towards the door. I walked through the door and stopped, afraid to go any further. "Conor? Can I talk to you?" I realized I was calling into darkness. I looked over and saw smoldering remains of a fire. "Come in." "Conor, where are you?" "Right here." His voice came from my side. I jumped. He was no more than a few feet away. "Did I scare you?" He asked. "Yes, you did." I said. "I'm sorry. Here," He said taking my hand and leading me further inside. He motioned for me to sit on the bed as he pulled up a chair for himself. He sat across from me and said, "I'm sorry I left, but it still hurts to hear of my family." "I understand. I'm the one who should be sorry. I should have thought that you might be Derek's son, you look a lot like Derek does in the picture mom drew." "You had no way of knowing. Fergus probably already told you that I'm the second child." "Aye, he did." "And you're the second child." "Aye, I am." "And we're betrothed." "Aye, we are." My eyes were becoming accustomed to the dark now and I could see him more clearly. "What do you think of that?" "Well, no one's ever asked me before. What's said is followed in my family." "I'm asking you now." "Conor, I don't know you. You don't know me. With all my heart, I want to follow my mother's dying wish. But I think we should take a few days to think." "I agree. If this is what my father wanted, I want to follow it, but I want to know you first." "Wonderful. Let's start over. Hello Conor, I'm Hunter." He smiled at me, and again I felt myself go red. "Nice to meet you Hunter." I began to laugh. "You say that so seriously. Are you always like that?" "Most of the time." He said jokingly. "Liar." "You're right. Come, shall we go talk to the others?" "Yes, let's." I said standing up. "Now I only have one problem." "What's that?" "I'm not sure how to act around you." "I have the same problem. Let's just see what happens." "Alright." And we walked out of the house. ****************************************************** Part Two: We found Fergus, Catlin, and Tully in the stables getting horses ready to ride. "What're you doing?" Conor asked. "We're goin' huntin'." Fergus answered. "Can we come?" I asked. "If you like. Do you hunt?" Fergus asked. "Fergus Why do you think they call me Hunter?" "Oh Yeah " He stuttered. "Good going old man." Conor joked. I watched quietly as they saddled up. When everyone was ready I said, "What shall I ride?" "Oh," Catlin said, "well, I suppose-" "You can ride with me." Conor cut in. "That is, if you like." "I'd be honored." I said as he helped me up. "Do you always hunt on horseback?" I asked as we rode out of the mountain. "Not usually. But today we thought we'd go to the far side of these woods and it would take all day to go by foot." Fergus explained. We rode past the cliffs where Fergus has found me and into the woods. AS we rode I told them of the adventures I had along my journey. None of them were that exciting so I tried to stretch them as far as I could. We must have been gone a while, for by the time we stopped to rest the sun was high in the sky. "Hunter," Tully said looking at me, "aren't you carrying any weapons?" "I have this." I said pulling out my dagger. "You came all this way with only a dagger?" Conor asked. "No. I left most of my things in the cave I've been staying in. It's on the other side of the forest." "But you only had the dagger on you when you went through the forest last night." Conor said. "And you were all by yourself." "I can take care of myself." I said matter-of-factly, "But if it means that much to you, I fight with a quarterstaff. Though I prefer to fight with my hands." "You?!? A hand to hand fighter?" Conor cried. "Yes. And I'm damn good at it too." "Careful Conor, she may be able to take you." Tully said. "I'm sure she wouldn't-," Conor began. "Fight me." I said. "What?!?" He looked shocked. "Fight me." I said again. "Now you've done it Conor." Fergus said. "Hunter, I don't want to hurt you." I could tell Conor was making up excuses now. "Oh don't worry about me getting hurt." I said. "Well, ok. If you insist." Conor got up and put down his sword. I followed his lead. "C'mon boy! Show her what y'er made of!" Fergus yelled. "Get him Hunter!" Catlin yelled. Conor came at me with a battle roar. It was so cute the way the boy in him came out, thinking he could take me down. I didn't want to embarrass him, but I didn't have much choice. So, I flipped him over my head. He landed flat on his back. I walked around, put one foot on his chest, leaned over and asked, "Ready for more?" "Uh, I think that's enough for today." He answered. The other three erupted with laughter. "That's showing her Conor!" Catlin cried. I apologized as I helped him to his feet. "It's alright. I guess I had it coming." The rest of the day went by fairly slowly. We hunted some deer, a few foxes, and a warthog. That was too much to carry already, so we quit for the day. Dusk was upon us as we rode up to the cave. "Here's where I've been staying." I said, "You've all been very kind. Will I see you soon?" "Aren't you coming back with us?" Tully asked. "Oh, I Is that a good idea?" I was worried if I stayed with Conor too long, I'd fall in love and be disappointed later. Everyone looked at Conor for an answer to my question. He got off his horse and walked towards the cave. "C'mon. I'll help you pack." He said with a smile. My heart soared as we rode slowly through the woods. It was the time of day I love so much and I couldn't help but think of where I was yesterday at this time. I was so much happier now. Conor, Fergus, Catlin, and Tully felt like family and I'd only known them a day. Suddenly, a crossbow bolt flew through the air, barely missing Conor's nose. We were lucky we were riding slowly through the dark forest, or the bolt would have hit him. "Sweet Brigit! What was that?!?" Fergus yelled. We stopped the horses and jumped to the ground. "Conor! Are you alright?" I asked. "Yes, I'm fine. Fergus, what's that attached to the arrow?" Fergus walked over to the tree the arrow was lodged in. "It's a note!" He exclaimed. "Pull it off and bring it with. We'll read it when we get back to the sanctuary. It's too dangerous to stay out here." Conor said as he helped me back on the horse. We rode as fast as we could back home, but it wasn't easy riding through the trees in the dark. Finally we made it back to the sanctuary. We gathered in Conor's house to read the mysterious note. Tully took the note from Fergus and began to read it to us. "I am Jerrin McQuaid, here now to end this feud one way or another. I challenge you, Conor, son of Derek, to combat to the death. As we are both the ends of our family lines, this battle shall determine which line goes on, and which will forever join the annals of time. Meet me in three days time at dusk on the cliffs where the bald man found the woman. -Jerrin McQuaid" "Fergus, what does this mean?" Conor asked. "Conor," Fergus began, "this note is true. You must fight Jerrin. In the name of your family." ************************************************************ Part Three: "What for?" Conor asked. "Your family has been fighting with the McQuaids for a century. No one remembers why, but they've got their minds set on continuing the battle. It seems that Jerrin is now the last of the McQuaids. One fight with him could bring this whole thing to an end." Fergus explained. "I don't want to fight Jerrin. It's stupid." Conor exclaimed. "It is stupid. But if you don't stop this now, the war will continue to your children. And their children." Fergus said. Conor sighed. "We'll talk about this in the morning, I'm going to bed. Hunter, I'll show you where you can sleep." I followed him silently. I knew he had a lot on his mind and I felt terrible that I was contributing to the problem. I was shocked when Conor lead me to his house and pulled back the skins that served as a door. "Conor," I said as I walked in, "I thought you were going to show me where I can sleep." "I am. You're going to sleep right here. You've had a long journey, and you had to spend all those nights on the ground, the least I can do is give you my bed." "Oh no Conor! I couldn't! You've had a rough day too, and I can get by sleeping outside of the door on the ground." I started to walk towards the door. "You'll do no such thing." Conor said as he blocked my way. "You're going to sleep in here. Besides, I need someone to talk to." Now it was my turn to sigh. "Alright. I'll sleep in here. But at least let me be on the floor." He looked me in the eye and smiled. "You're a stubborn one aren't ya? Tell ya what, we'll decide who gets the bed later. Here." He tossed me one of his shirts. "Put this on, you'll be more comfortable. I'll go outside for a minute." He said as he walked out the door. I laughed to myself as I looked around the room. Conor was the nicest guy I'd met in a long time, and here I was betrothed to him. As I took off my dress I wondered what it would be like to stay here in Eire with Conor, Fergus, Catlin, and Tully. I put on Conor's shirt just as he walked in. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did I come in too early?" He asked. Oh no, it's alright." I said. "Here, Catlin told me to give you these shorts." I slipped on the shorts as he tended to the fire. He turned and saw me fold my dress. "I'm surprised you wear a dress, being a fighter and all." He said. "It's not so bad." I said. The conversation was awkward but we didn't want to talk about what had happened in the woods. I sat next to the fire as Conor busied himself behind me. "Why do you all live here in the mountain?" I asked. "And sit down. You're making me nervous." Conor smiled and sat down across form me. "Is this better?" He asked. I smiled back as a reply. Conor told me about how the Romans had come to the land, and killed his family. A family friend, Galen, told him that it was his destiny to unite and lead the tribes of the island and rise up against Rome. "This is our sanctuary. Our home." He concluded. "That's quite a story." I said. "Do you miss them?" "Every day and every night. I wish they were here to tell me what to do." "At least you have Catlin, Tully, and Fergus. They help you don't they?" "Of course they do, but it's not the same. Don't you miss your family?" "More than I ever thought I possibly could. But I know they are always with me. Now I just need to find a place for myself in the world." "What do you mean?" "I want to find a place to live, find friends and family, and start my own life." "Is that why you came here?" "I I told you why I came here. My mother wanted me to meet you." "I know. I was just wondering if there was a part of you that that " "That wants to stay here in Eire, have all of you as friends, start a family with you, and live my life here?" "Well, yes." I smiled at him. "I would love to stay in Eire. And I would love to have all of you as friends and start a life here. As for starting a family with you I can't answer that now." "Why not?" "Do you want me to stay here?" "I would love to have you stay in Eire, and we can make you a place right here in the Sanctuary to stay. I'm sure you'll fit right in, Catlin, Fergus, and Tully already seem to like you. And I like you too. But, I guess I can't answer if I'd like to start a family with you either." "It's not so easy is it?" He laughed and looked into my eyes. "No, I guess it's not." We talked for a little while longer, but soon we were both very tired. We argued about the bed, but in the end he insisted I take it and he sleep on the floor. I fell asleep thinking about what it would be like to have a life with Conor. *********************************************************** Part Four: I awoke the next morning and turned on my side to look at Conor. He had fallen asleep not to far from the bed and I watched him as he slept peacefully. "Destiny's a funny thing," I thought to myself, "If it weren't for destiny, Conor and I might not have had the chance to know each other. But we both had to loose the ones we love to get where we are now. And now that Jerrin has come along I wonder what destiny has in store for us now." It was still pretty early in the morning and I decided it did me no good to stay and watch Conor sleep, so I got out of bed, dressed as quickly and quietly as possible, and carefully walked out the door. I walked around the small village. Very few people were up and about, so it was a nice, quiet walk. I came to the pool at the base of the waterfall and sat on the rocks. My mind wondered back to Massalia; back to my family and friends. "Morning Hunter." It was Catlin, I snapped back to attention. "What're you doing out this early?" "Oh, I was just thinking about home. But, I'm getting homesick, so please help me think of something else." Catlin smiled. She was very pretty and seemed very nice. "That shouldn't be too hard. How did it go last night with Conor?" "Oh, just fine I suppose. We talked for a while about our lives. Where we've been and what we've done." "So he told you all about his family and Claire?" "Claire?" I asked. Catlin looked shocked, but she explained that Claire was a girl Conor had loved. Her father found them together one night and tried to kill Conor, but Claire stepped in his way and was killed herself. It's taken Conor awhile, but he seems to be getting on with his life now." I stared at the pool of water. "This changes everything," I thought, "how can I expect Conor to fall in love with me now?" "Hunter? Fergus, and Tully just came out, should we go and join them?" "Oh, yes, let's." I stuttered. We walked over to where Fergus and Tully were standing. "Mornin' ladies." Fergus said. "Morning." Catlin said. "Hunter?" I heard Tully ask. "What?" My mind was obviously somewhere else. "Are you alright?" He asked. "Yes. I just, um, forgot something back at Conor's. I'll be right back." And I walked away. It wasn't a total lie, I had left things in Conor's house, but I hadn't left anything important. Not knowing if Conor was awake yet, I quietly entered the house. To my relief, he was up and was working on building up the fire. "There you are." He said. "Aren't you going to come join us?" I asked. "No, I prefer to eat alone in the mornings." Then, remembering me he said, "But I'd be honored if you were to stay." "Well, if you'd rather be alone I wouldn't want to " "Please stay." Conor said those two words with such emotion, almost sorrow. It ripped my heart in two to hear him so sad. I couldn't just leave him, so I sat beside him. "Alright." I said. "I'll stay. Are you alright?" "No." He said quietly. "Would you like to talk about it?" "You wouldn't want to hear my problems." "Conor, I want to be your friend. Please, it would make you feel better." He took a deep breath. "There was this girl, her name was Claire." I pretended that I had never heard of Claire as he proceeded in telling me how they were in love. He kept his eyes focused on the fire at all times, and I tried to figure out what he was thinking. "I thought I would never find another love. Never get on with my life. But now " His voice trailed off. "Go on. But now " I said softly, not sure of where he was going with the conversation. "But now You're here." He concluded. I hadn't realized how close I had sat next to him until he finished his sentence and picked his head up to look into my eyes. I was close enough to see the tiny sparkles in those eyes. Close enough to push back his little braid, which had fallen into his eyes. And close enough to wish I could wake up every morning and see those eyes. I gently touched the side of his face. "Conor, what exactly are you trying to say?" "Hunter, when I met you, I thought you'd be just another girl. I knew you were nothing like Claire and I've been searching for someone identical to her, so I wanted nothing to do with the agreement our parents made. But something happened when you came in here to talk to me about our being betrothed. I don't know what it was, but I felt something I only felt with Claire And yet, something stronger than I'd ever felt with Claire. You're so kind, yet so strong. You listened to everything I told you. You're beautiful " He stopped there and couldn't seem to go on. "Don't worry Conor. I understand what you're trying to say. You think you may be falling in love again and it scares you a little." He smiled and put his head down. "Exactly." "Conor look at me." He looked up again. "I feel the same way." The next few days went by in a blur. Conor and I became very close, but we wouldn't admit it was love. We said we just liked each other a lot. Everyone saw right through it and knew what we really thought of each other, but they kept quiet to let us figure it out of ourselves. The days were filled with extra combat training for Conor, in which we all lent a hand. The five of us would go out of the mountain to a clearing each day to practice. While the other members of the sanctuary did their training, we would take turns attacking Conor and teaching him different maneuvers. When we would break from the training, Conor and I would walk along the land and he showed me his favorite spots. Where he went to think, where his village used to be, the beach, the cliffs, the woods, everywhere we could go by foot. "Some day I'll show you this whole island." He would tell me. The evening before he was to fight Jerrin, Conor took me to a small cave not far from the sanctuary. He explained that he and his older brother found it when they were small and it became their hiding place. "I still come here to be alone." He said as he got a far off look in his eyes. We sat on the ground and began to talk. He loved hearing my stories. He had never been anywhere but Eire and he longed to know what was in the world beyond. So I told him of all the places I'd been and all the people I'd met. As we sat in the cave I started to tell him of my trip to Verona when he interrupted me. "Hunter " "Yes Conor?" "Do you love me?" I was shocked by his question and unsure of what to answer. Finally I realized I had to tell him what was in my heart. "Yes Conor, I do." "Hunter I love you too." My head spun, my heart pounded, my blood raced. It took all I had in me to keep from falling over in excitement when suddenly I realized I was being kissed. And it was real and true kiss of love. That night, there was no chitchat with the group. There was no long talk by the fire. Conor and I lay on the floor of the cave and did nothing but hold each other. He didn't kiss me again, and we didn't talk. We just lay there, safe and secure in each other's arms and slowly, fell asleep. Conor and I awoke before the sun came up the next morning. We didn't say much to each other as we walked to the mouth of the cave and sat down. As the sun began to peek out from the other side of the ocean he whispered "I meant what I said last night." "I meant what I said too." I whispered back. We were silent for a while, and I started to get nervous about what he would say next. "You're a warrior, yet you're sitting here worried about what this man will say next." I thought to myself. But no matter how hard I tried, I could not stay calm. I was relieved when he spoke again. "I have to fight Jerrin today." "I know. Are you worried?" "Are you?" "Yes." "Yes?" He looked at me. "Why are you worried?" "I just found you, I don't want to lose you." I kept my eyes down. Conor put his hand under my chin and gently lifted my head up to face him. "Don't worry, you'll never lose me." "Conor! Hunter!" We heard Fergus calling us. We walked out of the cave towards him. "There you two are! Where have ya been all night? You know today's a big day." He didn't give us a chance to answer before he turned his back and started for the sanctuary. Conor and I looked at each other and smiled before following Fergus home. I was in Conor's house washing up when I heard him talking to Fergus outside. "Conor," I heard Fergus say, "it's not like you to just go and spend a night in a cave with a girl. No matter how many times I know you've wanted to." I smiled, apparently Conor was quite the lady's man. "Oh Fergus, you wouldn't understand." Conor said. "Try me lad, I understand more than you think. C'mon, what possessed you to spend last night in a cave with Hunter?" "I don't know." I worried a little bit about how he said that. What if he was a little ashamed, or even regretful about last night? "Fergus," Conor continued, "Fergus, she's special. Don't look at me like that, I'm serious!" Then again, maybe he liked last night… "Okay, okay, how is she so special?" "I can't explain it. She's everything I've been looking for, she's smart, she can fight, she's brave, she's understanding…" "You mean, she's pretty?" "Yes. No! I mean," Conor let out an exasperated sigh, "yes, she's pretty, she's very pretty, but that's not the only reason I like her." "So now you admit you like her huh?" "Fergus, last night I told her I love her." Conor blurted out. Fergus was quiet for a moment, then in a very serious tone, he said, "Conor, I hope you meant it. You shouldn't play with a woman's heart like that." "I knew you wouldn't understand!" Conor yelled. He stormed into the house and pretended to be calm when he realized I was standing there brushing my hair. I walked over to him and looked into those eyes. "C'mon Conor, be strong, you've got a big fight today." Suddenly, getting a rush of courage, I quickly kissed him and walked outside. I turned to see him standing there slightly shaking his head in astonishment. The day was filled with last minute training on the cliffs as we waited for Jerrin. Toulouse showed up as the sun was getting ready to set. The poor darling, I had forgotten all about him, but he was fine, and his leg was looking better. I started to introduce him to everyone, but as I did, we saw Jerrin. He came out of the woods on horseback, as he approached us he jumped down and walked over. Years of battle and hardships made him appear older than he really was, and he knew how to give the impression of a great warrior. He stopped, looked at us, smiled and bowed as he said, "I am Jerrin. Master of war and the greatest swordsman to ever live. I shall give you a small amount of time to say your good-byes. Then you four," he pointed to everyone but Conor, "will have to get out of the way. This is to be a battle between me and this so-called prince." With that, Jerrin walked back to his horse. "Well, isn't he lovely." I said. "Oh yeah, just my kind of guy." Catlin said. Both of us burst into laughter. "It's not funny girls." Fergus said sternly. That only made Catlin and I laugh harder. "What is so funny?" Fergus demanded. I was laughing too hard, so Catlin had to answer. "Fergus, look at the guy." She said gesturing towards Jerrin, "He's so full of himself! Conor can take him with no problems." "Tremble before me, for I AM JERRIN!!" Everyone laughed as I made fun of him under my breath. After we regained ourselves I turned to Conor and smiled. "Go on kid, do it for your past." "No." Conor said smiling, "I'm doing it for my future." I watched him walk away wondering what exactly that meant and hoping it was a good thing. Jerrin got off his horse and walked to meet Conor. The fight was beginning. The only weapons that were allowed were swords, Conor was well prepared and had the knowledge, but Jerrin had the experience. The two men were well matched and it made for a close fight. Fergus, Catlin, Tully and I stood and quietly cheered Conor on. I wanted to yell to him to show my support, but Tully warned me about breaking his concentration. The fight came to an end just before the sun had disappeared. Jerrin lay dying at Conor's feet. "You've won boy." He said. "Your family shall live on while I go to join mine. Good-bye Conor, son of Derek. We shall meet again." With that, Jerrin closed his eyes and died. Later that night all of us were sitting around a fire in the sanctuary. Suddenly, Conor got up and asked me to come with him. I looked at the group with questions in my eyes. They shrugged to say they knew nothing either. I followed Conor as he walked toward the waterfall. We stopped by the pool and he turned me to face him. "Hunter," He began, "I meant what I said last night. I love you. And… and I would be honored if you would marry me." I felt the ground sway, it seemed I was flying. "Yes Conor, I will." I closed my eyes as he kissed me again. When we parted I looked at this boy. This boy with eyes that sparkled like magic. This boy with a smile that sent chills down my spine. This boy with a voice that could easily soothe me when I was frightened or upset. This boy, whom I had known nothing about when I left home, had won my heart in just three days. And as we went to tell the others of our news, I knew that this boy could give me eternal happiness. THE END.... Remember to e-amil the author to let them know what you think.