Raven's Return - Ruby Dixon Page 0,39

nothing more than to continue as we have been." U'dron sighs. "But you need to understand why I act as I do. It is because…" He takes a deep breath and hangs his head. "I am not a true hunter."

13

RAVEN

I've been tensing as he speaks, waiting to hear the bomb drop, and when he says it…I'm not entirely sure I follow. I study his big body, his broad shoulders, his thick neck. He's as big and strong and capable as anyone from the island clans. This is why he can't make out with me? "I'm sorry, did you say you're not a true hunter?"

U'dron nods, his nostrils flaring with emotion. He's clearly miserable, so this must mean a great deal to him and I'm not understanding it. I rub his hand encouragingly. "Can you explain to me what you mean by this? How is it that you aren't a true hunter?" When he looks stricken, I give his fingers a squeeze. "You don't have to explain if you don't want to. I'm just trying to understand the situation."

He gazes down at our clasped hands and plays with my fingers. I can't help but notice that his fingertips are slightly callused, his palms rough, and it's a strange contrast to the soft, suede-like sensation of the rest of his skin. It shows he's a hard worker, and I find that utterly sexy. When he rubs his fingertips over my knuckles, it takes everything I have not to grab him and kiss him. "You…do not know the story of how the Shadow Cat clan came to be only four?" His words are hesitant.

"I know your island's volcano erupted and killed a lot of people, but that's all I know." I touch his thumb, petting him like he is me, since he seems to need comforting. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

"It is part of the story," U'dron says, his words slow and thoughtful. "The reason we survived the destruction of our cave was because I'rec, O'jek, A'tam and myself were on the proving grounds. That is the only reason we did not perish with the others."

"Proving grounds?" I ask.

He nods. "Once every full turn of the seasons, each clan sends out their young who are ready to become of age. They meet in the center of the island, where the land is most abundant with predators, and greet the Keeper of the Spears. The Keeper makes certain that we have no weapons or additional items to bring with us on our proving, and then we are sent off to become true hunters. We must create our own weapons and traps and bring down a sky-claw on our own, and then bring back some sort of proof that we have killed it. The Keeper asked for the tail tip this time, so we set off to hunt. I was most eager to go this time, because I had missed the last two provings. One time, it was because I hurt my ankle, and the second time I had to stay because my mother was giving birth on the day we were to leave, and she was having a difficult time. I had to stay." His voice breaks off and he stares down at our hands.

"Of course you had to stay," I tell him soothingly. It's clear that he loved his mother, and it's also very obvious to me that this decision has torn him up for a while. "You wouldn't leave your mother's side for anything if she was in danger. No one would."

"But it meant I had to put off the proving for yet another turn of the seasons." He shrugs his big shoulders and begins to trace a blue vein on the back of my hand, sending goosebumps up and down my body. "I was older than the others that were sent on the proving that time, and they teased me about it. All boys do such things." One side of his mouth quirks in an almost-smile.

I want to punch everyone else on his behalf, just for being dickbag teen boys.

"And then it did not matter, because the proving began. I was just as strong and capable as the others, of course. But because I was the oldest, we decided I should go last. We would help each other hunt, and then return to the Keeper of the Spear, triumphant." He shrugs, tracing my veins over and over again. "I was in the process of