He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but the hunter stopped abruptly. Far in the distance he could barely make out a soft, blue glow from between the trees. Realizing how late it was, and suddenly remembering he was unarmed, however, he thought better and bolted back in the direction of home.
The sun was just beginning to rise as he crept in the doorway, a soft sigh of relief escaping his lungs. The sound of his father rolling over in bed could be heard quietly in the other room. As Thorne slipped into his own bedroom and began to strip down from the lavish ball attire and back into his comfortable, familiar clothes, he began to wonder if the whole evening had been a dream. It felt like a lifetime ago that he had twirled with Caroline across the floor. Could that ever happen again? Unlikely, but he would make a point to see her sometime soon.
Leaning back against his bed to catch a quick nap before his daily chores began, he could only think... what was yet to come?
END
