"Oh no you don't, Cyd White! I haven't gotten all the sand out from the last time you tumbled me. Behave!" Carly protested, only half-heartedly pushing the tall strawberry blonde away. 

Cyd ignored the protest and continued nibbling along Carly's neck while keeping her hands firmly around her hips. She knew her friend would melt into a puddle with little effort. They were just too combustible and never could resist sneaking away from chores to share some intimate time together.

The brunette moaned, digging her fingers into Cyd's shoulders. "To hell with weeding," she panted then pulled her friend's mouth down forcibly, giving in to the heat of the moment.

From a distance, Rusty Ewing shook his head. His niece had snuck away from their afternoon lessons when he had gone to the water closet. Since she was no where in the Palace wing, he knew she had gone off to relieve the boredom of study in the way she knew best. Rusty was glad that he had outgrown his wild oats days and no longer had the urge to chase every pretty woman who winked. He understood Cyd's needs since he was seventeen once but his niece seemed to be trying to set a record the last few months.

He looked at the sun and decided maybe she'd get a sunburn as punishment for playing hooky. He'd give her only the time it would take to fix himself a cup of tea then he'd drag her back to her studies--after he tossed her into the shower.

He was just sipping the last of his tea when she tiptoed back into the sunroom. She gave him a semi-guilty look, shrugged, and closed the screen door. Before she could utter an insincere apology, he pointed the wash room and spoke only one word, "Shower."

She sniffed her hands. "Good idea. I'll be back in a little bit."

"And Cyd?" he said casually, making her look at him as she headed for her room. "Twenty laps around the field after your studies."

Cyd nodded, knowing she had to pay for her fun.

Rusty chuckled after she left the room. She was a handful, that was for sure. At least her older sister, the heir, had a lot more self-discipline. Bevy studied hard, was an excellent horsewoman, and had a talent for putting even the grumpiest people at ease. She would make a fine Queen one day once Minna decided to retire. He doubted it would be any time soon. Minna was an energetic woman of forty-eight years and seemed to enjoy the challenge of ruling an ever growing population. His older half-sister had asked him to take over her daughters' education when their former tutor had found herself suddenly with child well into her menopausal years.

Personally, Rusty thought there was something in the water around the township of Napa. Something that kept the women of the area far too interested in making their mates walk around with smug grins. Just because it was the site of the original Colony didn't make it the most desirable place to reside. No, it was more than the history of the land that drew people into the area.

He carried his cup to the kitchens, rinsed it, then placed it in the rack of the washing tub to be cleaned later. By the time he strolled back to the family wing Cyd was finished with her shower. She dressed in a floral wrapped skirt and little else. Only her life story necklace adorning her lightly tanned upper body. It bore only one white bead since she was under twenty years of age, and the lilac bead that declared her a member of the royal family. If she ever buckled down and finished her final testing as a Master Huntress she would then earn her silver skill bead. She had the skills but seemed to be hesitating over the career choice.

Perhaps she still wanted to follow her childhood dream of becoming an explorer. Minna thought her daughter had outgrown the idea but Rusty suspected that it was only not talked about anymore. Cyd knew her mother hated the idea and had pushed her into the closest thing to it possible that kept her living near home. Cyd had a talent for tracking and hunting, true, but it wasn't her heart's desire. 

Rusty picked up the text for the next lesson but something made him hesitate. He closed the book quietly and placed it back on the table, pushing it away slightly. He leaned back in his chair and studied his niece's face.

"Want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"About what's eating at you so much that you go out of your way to get into trouble."

"What can possibly be bothering me?"

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me? Something is bothering you and I don't need to touch you to feel it. The air almost hums with it."

"Well, at least you possess some of the powers from Cierra's line," Cyd said bitterly.

"Don't give me that. You have your talents even if you don't allow them free rein. It was you who refused any training to hone them."

"You can't hone what you don't have," Cyd said, glaring at him with her hazel eyes.

Rusty looked up at the ceiling and chewed on his lip. "I think I have a glimmer of what your problem is now."

"That I'm a complete failure at being a member of the White family? I already know that."

"That's the image you're trying to push alright. Cyd, you're still pretty young and haven't learned yet that burying your head in the sand won't make reality disappear. Your mother isn't going to change her mind about allowing you to be part of the exploration team. Pretending to be without any abilities and failing to follow through on a career choice isn't going to make my sister decide you're expendable. You know the dangers of mapping and exploring as well as I do. Most explorers are lucky to reach thirty-five years of age. Until you earn your adult status you can't go against the ruling of the Council and your mother."

Rusty took her hand, carefully keeping his barriers up since he didn't have her permission to lower them, and looked into her eyes. "Cyd, think about it, alright? Earn your skill bead, become responsible for once and earn your adult status. Once you've proven yourself you can go before the Council and try to win a place on the exploration team."

"Mother will still fight it tooth and nail and you know it."

"Yes, but until you prove yourself as an adult you have no chance at all at earning their respect. Prove to them that you're willing to fight for what you want instead of sulking like a child denied her favorite sweet."

Cyd's head snapped up angrily.

"That got your attention, didn't it? Forget the lessons. Put on your shoes and make it forty laps. Maybe it'll get you thinking for once."

* * * * *


Her nostrils flaired as Cyd tilted her head, examining the shadows made by the minute grains of sand. They did a good job hiding their prints but not good enough. The barest hint of an imprint casted a shadow in the morning sun. The scent of soap root clinging to the bush told Cyd that the quarry had recently bathed. She held her hand above the faint footprint and allowed herself to feel what they told her.

It was Jimmy who she was chasing. Well, he was one of the best hunters and finding him wouldn't be easy. She began following the direction that the print indicated only to stop to look back.

"Sneaky, very sneaky," she whispered. The strawberry blonde glanced up at the old tree near her and examined it. There was a heavy limb that stretched over the water of the stream and tangled with another tree on the other side. A natural bridge for someone wanting to hide their trail. She jogged over to the stream and looked over the stream bed before wading into the water. She didn't want to risk missing any clue as she made her way towards the tree. So far Jimmy hadn't left a single hint in the soil. She circled the tree, knowing he had to leave it since no other tree provided another route from it. Then she found her clue. A large stone about a pace away from the roots had tall grass growing around it. One of the stalks had been stepped on when Jimmy used the rock as a step. He probably took a large step off the rock to land on something like...yeah, there.

Cyd approached the broken flat rock formation. Yes, there. The stones had been pushed deeper into the  soil than the rocks near them. The rocks showed no sign of being twisted so she knew which direction to look. Knowing Jimmy was right handed, she believed he had stepped there with his right foot, leaving him facing to the northeast. Now where would he walk next? She placed her feet exactly where he had. Now straddling the gap, she examined the terrain as if she were Jimmy, looking for the best place to go next.

There were no ideal locations and if she were him, she'd just step forward twice and do her best to unflatten the grasses she stepped onto. Her eyes focused ahead and finally spotted one lone blade of grass that had been broken too badly to remain upright. That's where he had stepped. She placed her foot on that spot, leaving her other foot back on the lrge rock. Her slightly new perspective allowed her to see a print that Jimmy couldn't hide. Cyd grinned and stepped there as well. After that the tracking became a little easier.

The sun was rising higher in the sky, making the temperature rise quickly. Jimmy was making his way towards the higher grounds to the north. From experience, she knew the ground became rockier and she'd have a difficult time after that. Since her friend was healthy and in good shape, she'd never gain ground on him. She also knew he'd never give her a clean shot with her arrow. Jimmy would stay hidden behind every rock and tree he could. She could only release the single arrow she was permitted when the timing was perfect. This wasn't just a test of her tracking skill. It also pushed her patience to the limit. Did she have the personality that would allow her to wait or would she allow her target to escape by firing too soon?

This test could easily go on for days before either she or Jimmy made a mistake. Neither carried much on them. Only a small amount of water and a few energy bars along with the single arrow each carried. In this ordeal, the hunter could also become the hunted.

By high noon, Cyd was feeling the heat. Her small amount of water was already gone but she needed a lot more if she didn't want to suffer from heat sickness. Her ears picked up the sound of a brook nearby. The trail lead right up to it but Cyd refused to get too close. The only low area that would allow her to collect water was too good a location for an ambush. It was exposed and to get the water she would have to be out in the open for much too long. Cyd looked around for a possible hiding place Jimmy could use to watch her. Her trained eyes located at least five convenient areas he could be waiting.

She stared at each one until she spotted a sliver of bright blue behind some brush. She froze and kept her eyes on that spot from her own hiding spot. Her eyes remained riveted on that speck of blue until her eyes began watering from the strain but it never moved. Either Jimmy was very good at remaining still in an uncomfortable position or he tricked her, leaving a piece of his clothing where she'd see it. Unwilling to either step out into the open or waste her arrow (and failing her testing if he wasn't there) by shooting blindly into the brush, she chose a third option. She begun a slow sneak, circling around the area where the flash of blue was seen while looking at everything around her. It would be embarrassing if she became so focused on her target that Jimmy shot her from another blind.

Two hours later, she made her way to the bush and found that he had indeed laid bait by tying the material to the bush. She cursed at the time wasted and began tracking him from there. It didn't take long to figure out that he hadn't even been waiting nearby. He had only intended to slow her down. She quickly filled her canteen and used her hands to swallow a few mouthfuls of water before continuing after him.

The trail now was nearly all uphill as he approached the higher ground. Prints became fewer and fainter, leaving her no other means to follow him except for the inner voice whispering in her ears. Not developing her natural abilities was proving a mistake since her instincts and her training seemed to conflict with each other.

The path seemed to be leading up towards a rock face. If she followed her training as a hunter, she would be exposed for quite a while in order to reach the top of the cliff. Jimmy could easily pick her off at his leisure. Her training was screaming that his only path forward was up that rock face but her instincts were yanking her away, warning her to look behind her. But behind her had no places to hide. Or did it? She notched her bow and knelt behind the only boulder of any size.

She studied every inch of ground and rock in her view, her nose trying to catch any scent of her friend. A light breeze ruffled her hair and cooled her sweating skin but there was no hint of his scent.

All she could see was stone around her except for the few patches of yellowing grasses. Nothing was large enough to hide a grown man behind it. Then she saw it. A strip of color that didn't match the rest of the surroundings. What could it be? Was it a spring trap meant for her? Curious, she picked up a stone and tossed it into the air in a high arch. It struck the ground just beyond the odd patch then indented the ground. There was no thud of the rock hitting gravel or dirt. He was there! She raised her weapon and shouted for Jimmy to surrender.

Muffled cursing could be heard as the 'ground' began shifting and Jimmy emerged from his hiding place. He had used his tan wrap around as trap door that held sod and gravel to hide his small hollow hole.

He shook the material free of dirt and wrapped it around his hips. "You got me," he grinned.

"Not yet." She released her pointless arrow and it struck him in the breastbone.

"Ow! Damn it, that hurt!" he complained.

"Now I got you," she said smugly. "And don't bitch. I could have aimed lower.'

Jimmy covered his family jewels in reaction. "Damn, you're just mean."

"You know it. Now let's get back home. I'm starving."

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