Her Mythical Warriors (Book One)
Chapter Twenty-Three: Hunting for the Next Portal

“Who’s hunting for dinner?” Malique asked as he and Akira entered the campsite they would be staying at until midnight.

“I will,” Wolfric said, dropping their bags on the ground.

Akira looked at Wolfric. “I’ll come with,” she said as she ran over to him.

Wolfric grinned. “What are you in the mood for, little one?” he asked, throwing his arm over her shoulders.

“Well, what I’m in the mood for are hibernating,” she said with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

“We’re not replaceing a bear cave,” Wolfric said, pulling her to the north.

She pouted. “You’re no fun.”

Wolfric’s laughter could be heard through the forest.

Animals scurried away, but not before they caught the hunters’ eyes, and they made chase.

“Bear?” Darius asked, looking at Malique.

Malique chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. “She had been missing in the forest for five years.”

“Tell me,” Darius said as he stopped laying out a blanket. “I must know about our Havent.”

Malique grinned. “Get firewood, and I will tell you all I know as we start a fire.”

~⚔~

“Did you catch it?” Akira asked with a giggle.

She watched her Wolfie wiggle on the ground as he tried to catch the rabbit that had jumped into a bush to escape them.

“Damn thing got away,” he said as he moved to stand.

Akira jumped on his back, keeping him from moving.

“What are you doing?” he asked, trying to move.

“Stay still,” she whispered.

Wolfric did not move as he listened around them. The faint sound of hooves surrounded them.

‘She is good,’ Wolfric thought with pride.

“They will be passing us soon,” she whispered as she moved off his back.

Wolfric almost groaned. He had liked her there.

“There,” she whispered when a small hoof could be seen through the bushes.

“That’s a fawn,” he said.

She nodded. “Where there’s a fawn, there is always a doe.”

“You can’t take his mother from him so early in his life,” he said, turning to look at her.

She looked at him with a pout. “Do you think I’m that insensitive? Where there is one doe, there will be a buck and more doe. We will go for a doe that has no fawns. An older one that can no longer reproduce.” She got to her hands and knees and crawled away.

Wolfric stared at her ass as she crawled away from him.

‘What did Brynhildr teach her?’

He quickly got to his hands and knees and followed her.

“There she is,” Akira said with a smug smile. “They are so beautiful.”

“Can you do it?” he asked.

Akira snorted. “With my eyes closed,” she said, then looked at him. “I mean, I’m that good.”

He chuckled, “I know what you meant, little one.”

She nodded, then moved toward the herd. “Dinner will be good tonight,” she whispered.

Akira attacked the doe she had her sights on. The doe fought back well, but in the end, she won as her knife slid across the doe’s throat, killing her instantly. Akira did not believe in making them suffer.

“That was magnificent,” Wolfric said, standing next to Akira.

Akira smiled and looked up at him. “Do you believe me now that I can take care of myself?”

Wolfric smirked. “We always knew you could. We are just protective of our little Havent.”

She snorted, “I wish I had grown to be seven feet tall.”

He blinked. “But why?”

She looked up at him. “So my Warriors would stop calling me little one. It’s degrading.”

Wolfric chuckled as he pulled her to her feet and into his arms. “It is not degrading, my little Havent. It is endearing because we love how small you are. You are small yet fierce. You have always been that way. And I would have been sad if those five years had changed that in you.”

She sighed and wrapped her arms around him.

He kissed the top of her head, then pulled back and grinned. “Let us get your kill skinned and gutted. We’ll keep the skin and dry it out, maybe make something for you to wear.”

She chuckled as she reached up and kissed him. When their kiss ended, Wolfric lifted the doe over his shoulders and carried it to the brook they could hear not far away. Akira smiled and followed her Warrior. Her life could not get any better than this.

~⚔~

“Dinner has arrived!” Wolfric said as he dropped the skinned doe onto the blanket beside the fire.

“Well, that blanket gets burned,” Akira said, wrinkling her nose.

Wolfric chuckled and looked at the two men staring at the meat he had tossed onto the blanket.

“Where is her skin?” Darius asked, still looking at the dead animal on the blanket.

“Right here,” Wolfric said.

He lifted it from Akira’s arms and showed it to Darius.

“I made sure she was an older doe. She would have died in a year or so of old age,” Akira whispered.

“You killed her?” Darius asked, looking at her.

Akira nodded. “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, Psychi,” Darius said with a smile. “You did everything right.” He took the pelt from Wolfric and laid it out over a large rock. “We shall let the pelt dry.”

Akira looked at Wolfric, who shrugged.

“I’ll help you cut off the legs and prepare them for cooking,” Malique said as he watched Darius, then turned to Wolfric.

Wolfric nodded, and the two men prepared the doe for cooking.

“Darius?” Akira whispered, touching his shoulder.

Darius turned to her. “Did you really kill her?”

Akira nodded, and he closed his eyes.

“Why?” she whispered.

He shook his head. “Whose idea was it to keep the pelt?”

“Wolfric suggested making something from it for me, but I always take the pelts. And I leave the guts somewhere away from me where the animals can eat them.”

He nodded, then pulled her into his arms. “You are a brave woman,” he said, holding her.

“Darius, you’re scaring me.”

He chuckled, “you’re not used to the animals of this realm. If you had killed a younger doe or gone after the buck, or heaven forbid a fawn, they would have killed you. If you two had left the pelt or the meat, they would hunt you down and kill you. If you had not shared the guts with the animals, they would have hunted you down and killed you.”

Akira sucked in a breath. “I forgot we’re in a different realm than where I’m from.”

He nodded. “Did Brynhildr teach you to hunt?”

She nodded. “Everything I do is because of her.”

He chuckled, “she knew you would need the training.”

“Wow,” Akira said, her body shivering.

“Now,” Darius said as he pulled back and looked into her eyes. “Let us get ready for supper—I’m starving.”

She chuckled. “Let’s,” she said with a nod.

They joined Wolfric and Malique at the fire. Akira sat beside Wolfric on his right side. He transferred the stick he held over the fire to his left hand and wrapped his right arm around her.

“Everything okay?” he whispered into her ear.

She nodded, then told him what Darius had told her.

Wolfric chuckled, “I think she knew you would be traveling to different realms to replace your Warriors.”

Akira nodded. “I think so too.”

~⚔~

Dinner was great. Malique and Darius found some vegies and boiled them over the fire. Darius showed them an herb that gave anything a unique flavor, and they gathered enough of the herb to take with them on their travels.

When they finished supper, they put Akira to bed.

Akira felt like a child, having a curfew. But they were right; they will be up at midnight. They need their strength to fight whatever is guarding the portal. Wolfric even went down on her and gave her an orgasm to help her sleep.

The announcement to get up came too soon for Akira. She will have to have one of her Warriors knock her out with an orgasm from now on. Because not only did he rock her world, but she slept soundly, without a single dream—just pure bliss.

“The camp is packed, little one. It’s time to go,” Wolfric whispered into her ear.

“Give me another,” Akira mumbled, pulling him to her for a kiss.

Wolfric chuckled. “Later, my love,” he said, then pulled her out of the blankets and to her feet.

She swiveled, and he caught her with another chuckle.

“That good, huh?” he asked with a smirk.

She grinned. “Best sleep I have had in a long time.”

Wolfric smiled and kissed Akira’s forehead.

“You two ready?” Darius asked, handing Malique his bag.

“We’re ready,” Wolfric said, turning from Akira.

“How are we getting up there?” Akira asked, looking at her Warriors.

“Malique is running up there, I’m shifting into my wolf, and you will be riding on your Pegasus.”

Akira looked at Darius and grinned.

‘I have my own Pegasus!’ she thought with excitement.

He is sexy as hell and so sweet. So different than she had first thought him to be.

“Ready, little one?” Darius asked with a smirk.

Akira nodded, excitement shining in her amber eyes.

Darius shifted, and Akira stared at him, still in awe with the beauty of him. Darius nudged her with his nose, and she giggled.

“Okay—okay. Enough gawking, I get it,” Akira said as she pulled herself onto his back.

“Now remember, Akira. Do not leave Darius’s back until you are at the portal. And no matter what happens next, jump through. We will be right behind you,” Wolfie said, his giant white wolf watching her.

Akira nodded. “Okay, Wolfie. I will see you up there.”

The wolf’s massive head nodded, then he picked up two bags with his mouth and headed for the mountain.

The Pegasus flapped his beautiful white wings and lifted into the sky. Akira held on as they flew toward the mountain.

“Do you think we will make it?” she asked her Warrior.

Darius nodded his head and swooped down toward the portal. They landed on the rocks in front of the portal, and Akira jumped down. Darius shifted and ran for the portal. Akira followed, then stopped when she heard Wolfie howl.

“Come on, little one. We need to get you to safety,” Darius said, taking hold of her hand.

“Wolfie,” she cried.

Darius nodded; he had heard it too.

“I will go help them, but you need to get through the portal. That was the plan; you to safety no matter what.”

She cried. She did not like that plan.

“I promise I will help them,” he said, then pushed her toward the portal. “Now go.”

Akira did not want to leave her Warriors behind. What would she do without them?

“Now, Akira!” Darius hollered, giving her a shove.

Akira screamed as she fell through the portal, just as her Wolfie howled in pain.

Darius watched his Psychi fall through the portal and sighed with relief. At least she will be safe. He turned when he heard another howl and growled under his breath. Now to help his fellow Warriors.

~⚔~

Akira landed on the other side of the portal and cried. She had heard her Wolfie’s cries—he is in trouble and needs her. She looked at the portal and considered her options. She could stay here and wait for her Warriors to return to her, chancing losing one or all of them. Or she can jump back through and help her Warriors.

She is a Warrior, after all, just like they are. Brynhildr had made sure of it. She touched the portal and felt the zap through her body. Of course, the answer is right in front of her.

~⚔~

Wolfric shifted to his human form and growled in pain. The giant had come out of nowhere and tossed him halfway down the mountain. He had seen the Pegasus land by the portal and hoped Darius got their Psychi through.

“Wolfric,” Malique said as he walked up to his injured friend.

“I’m all right,” Wolfric said, grinding his teeth together.

The giant swept a club at them, making them jump apart to avoid it.

“How do we plan to kill it?” Malique asked as he dodged the club again.

“You can’t.”

They turned to replace Darius joining them.

“Where’s Akira?” Wolfric asked.

“She’s through the portal,” Darius said as he helped Malique to his feet.

“Thank Zeus,” Wolfric said with a groan; he grunted as he placed his hand over his broken ribs.

“Why can’t we kill him?” Malique asked.

“Because he’s not a normal giant,” Darius said, looking up at the angry giant. “He’s a Jotnar.”

“Holy shit,” Wolfric said, staring up at the giant.

“How can you tell?” Malique asked.

“Look at his face,” Darius said.

Wolfric and Malique looked closely at the giant’s face. He had long, pointy ears, and two of his bottom teeth came up out of his mouth like tusks. His skin was tan but had a hint of blue blended in. It was dark enough outside that if they did not have night vision, they would not have noticed any of that, and killed the giant, and felt the wrath of the Gods.

“Then what do we do?” Wolfric asked.

He knows the Jotnar will not let them through the portal, and they cannot kill him. What will they do to distract him?

“I will distract him while you two follow our Psychi through the portal,” Darius said, walking toward the Jotnar.

“No,” Wolfric and Malique said at the same time.

Darius stopped and turned to them. “She has had you two longer. She loves you. She won’t miss me.”

“That is where you are wrong,” Malique said as he took a step toward their new friend.

“You don’t know her very well—if you think that,” Wolfric said, watching the Pegasus.

“I’m easy to replace,” Darius said with a shrug.

“This isn’t one of your harems, Darius. I care for all of my Warriors, no matter how new they are.”

The three men turned to Akira.

“I thought you said she went through the portal,” Wolfric growled.

“She did,” Darius said with annoyance.

Akira grinned. “And I’m back, baby.”