Caitlyn's POV
Soon came the day of the hunting contest, the annual event.
Almost anyone eager to foster a connection with the Lycan participated in the competition for observation. The slots for participation were highly coveted, as everyone aimed to impress the king and meet his expectations.
Although I didn't qualify for the tournament, Talon informed me that Kaisa had requested the king to allow my participation.
Seeing Kaisa's provocative smile at the tournament venue, I couldn't help but feel a little indignant. The reason for Kaisa's plea became apparent—she likely wanted to face me head-on in her area of expertise to earn the king's favor.
"Let's wait and see!" Kaisa declared from a distance, her determined expression apparent.
"Caitlyn, be cautious in everything. Don't act impulsively, even if you don't secure a place. This tournament attracts a diverse set of participants, and I've heard that previous events had fatalities. Some individuals may harbor malicious intentions and exploit this opportunity to cause accidents," cautioned Leona, who didn't qualify for the competition.
"Don't worry. Can't you trust my current skills?" I replied with a confident smile. My hunting abilities had significantly improved in this short month, even surprising Talon.
"It's not your skills I'm concerned about. For some reason, I've always felt that this competition might be a bit perilous. My instincts are usually spot on," Leona admitted, still uneasy.
"It's okay. I have a feeling too. When the time comes and I win the championship, I'll ask the king to build me a grand palace. Just the two of us living there," I joked, and Leona's frown gradually relaxed.
"But, I have one more question: What are the criteria for judging this contest then? It can't be that whoever is the best at the end of the day is what the king decides."
I looked at Leona with some confusion.
"How is that possible? Your bows and arrows all have their own unique markings on them, and after hitting the prey, there will be special personnel to check and bring it back. So, whoever catches the strongest prey, the result must be obvious. And as far as I know, the king's favorite is the white fox, and the previous winners have basically hunted a white fox."
Leona, who knew the rules incredibly well, whispered. Before that, I didn't even know anything about them, so I nodded gratefully towards Leona.
She glanced at the raised platform not far away, which at the moment had a row of bigwigs of supreme status sitting on it. The King was sitting among them, but to my surprise, Talon was up there as well.
"I heard from Bard that the king called Talon away this time just to have him as a spectator. I guess he was also worried that his participation in the match would affect the fair fight between you and Kaisa before," Leona explained, sensing my confusion.
After hearing Leona's explanation, I glanced in Talon's direction just in time to find his eyes converging my way. Talon gave me a somewhat apologetic wave, and from the shape of his mouth, I could vaguely tell what he said: "Take care of yourself."
I gave a firm nod towards Talon and headed towards the center of the venue.
"Don't forget what I said. Your safety comes first," Leona shouted behind me, drawing a lot of sideways glances for a moment. I smiled at Leona and waved.
At this time, Fandom slowly walked towards the high platform, and the noisy venue instantly became quiet.
Standing on the high platform, Fandom didn't say any nonsense and twisted his head to look at the king sitting in the center.
The king nodded to him, and then Fandom picked up a trumpet made of rhinoceros horn and blew it. As that empty and long sound rang out, this hunting contest had a grand opening.
The crowd headed towards the Misty Forest, and the sky above the forest echoed with the howls of wolves. Kaisa and I, filled with energy, rushed to the front of the crowd.
"I can't believe there's a woman who can compete with Alpha Kaisa. That's surprising."
"Isn't that the human woman who stole a man from Alpha Kaisa a while ago? I can't believe she's so powerful too."
"A human? That's really interesting."
My performance caused murmurs in the crowd, but they didn't affect me because I knew my sole goal was to defeat Kaisa, even though everyone thought it was impossible.
"Sure enough, you didn't let me down. I didn't think you could keep up with my speed," Kaisa said with a light smile, twisting her head around while running briskly with her bow in hand.
"Are there more things you wouldn't expect?"
As I said that, I immediately raised my bow and arrow and shot violently into the darkness. A dull wailing sound followed, and a small deer fell to the ground.
Kaisa's eyes flashed with surprise, but she quickly regained her composure. However, there was a trace of solemnity in her eyes as she looked at me, perhaps realizing I was a more formidable opponent than she thought.
Kaisa and I rushed towards the depths of the forest in unison. Due to the large number of participants, finding suitable prey among them was nearly impossible.
To achieve a good ranking, it was crucial to look towards the depths, where more dangers and opportunities awaited.
As we went deeper, the voices of other contestants around us gradually slowed down. Kaisa and I separated, each pursuing our hunt.
It was already evening, with lush trees and a bright moon obscured by thick clouds. The rustling of insects around us plunged us into an eerie silence.
My heart raced, but the bow and arrow in my hand provided moments of security. After going through so much, I was no longer the incapable little girl. Now, I had the ability to protect myself and the people I cared about.
Despite my best efforts, I knew relying on the current prey to come out on top was almost impossible.
Just when I worried about what to do next, a white light flashed from a dark corner, followed by a tiny head emerging from a low bush. It cautiously surveyed the surroundings, confirming no danger before crawling out.
"White fox!" I subconsciously shouted, and the white fox turned its head to look at me.