Awakening: His Huntress.

5.

Clara's POV.

My Nana words alone were always enough to fuel the fire, burning within my soul, tempering my strong resolve, and sharpening my focus.

I knew and understood that the road ahead would be treacherous and I might end up like most hunters, DEAD.

But I was ready to face whatever challenges laid in store for me, driven by my unyielding commitment to avenge my Nana's death and protect the innocent from the forces of darkness.

My alarm going off was a reminder that my tactical and weapons session was completed. I looked over at my trainer who was cleaning sweat from her face and shoulders.

She turned towards me and smiled at me with obvious pride shining in her eyes and that was the only compliment I was going to get.

Even though I was her favorite trainee, the woman had never said a single word of compliment to me, so I'd learned to understand her small gesture of approval and disappointment.

Her lack of words didn't dampen my spirit because I'd finally broken her record in weaponry. I was determined to break all of her records and become better than her.

My admiration for the woman went beyond just the fact that she was the best huntress in her generation. I admired the way she'd always carried herself with confidence and grace.

Though she could be a real b***h sometimes but it was always for a valid reason. I admired the fact that she never allowed anyone to one-up her in anything.

She was a force to be reckoned with and I wanted to have that power without the burden that came with being the wife to the head of the hunter organization.

At the age of fifty seven, the woman looked like she was just in her late thirties or early forties. She stood tall, a testament to her unyielding dedication to her work.

At fifty seven, her physique defied time, after being honed from decades of relentless training and battle-hardened experience.

Her athletic build was a masterpiece of toned muscle and lithe agility, forged from a lifetime of pushing her body to its limits.

Her dark hair, a rich, deep brown, was held up in a tight bun, stretching the flesh and skin on her forehead to highlight a face that was both fierce and beautiful.

Her eyes, a piercing brown, shone like polished onyx, gleaming with a fire that seemed almost otherworldly.

Her features, chiseled from years of discipline and focus, were a map of her unyielding spirit.

Her skin, a warm, golden olive, glowed with a subtle sheen, as if infused with an inner radiance.

The beautiful curves of her body, toned from years of combat training and archery practice, seemed to ripple beneath her skin like the gentle lapping of waves on a summer shore.

As she moved, her muscles flexed and released with the fluid grace and ferocity of a wildcat stalking its prey.

Her every step and every gesture, seemed to embody a quiet confidence, a sense of authority that was both commanding and beautiful to behold.

And yet, despite her formidable presence, there was something undeniably feminine about her, a subtle vulnerability that lurked beneath her tough, battle-hardened exterior.

It was a vulnerability that only added to her allure, making her seem more human, more relatable, and more beautiful.

It was that very feminine feel that drew me to her. Her presence in my life had filled up the gaping hole of motherly affection that I'd lost too early from my life.

As my personal combat and weapons trainer, she was a force to be reckoned with, a mentor and a role model who inspired awe and admiration in equal measure.

Her beauty, both inner and outer, was a reflection of her unyielding spirit, a spirit that had been tempered in the fires of battle and emerged stronger, more resilient, and more radiant than ever.

"Not bad, keep that attitude up and you might just successfully break all my records. It's becoming harder to keep up with you, Clara." She said and looked at me with a small smile playing on her lips.

To say I was shocked that she spoke to me would be an understatement and from the playful glint in her eyes, she had done that on purpose.

My trainer whom I'd been training my skills from for more than a decade was actually wording her words of compliment to me for the first time. My inner fan girl was practically doing backflips.

"You know, usually when a person is given a compliment, the courteous thing to say or do is usually to reply with a 'Thank you'. I only see you jaw on the floor young lady." Mrs Hazel said with a smirk on her face.

Her words successfully snapped me back to reality and I scrambled to my feet from where I'd slumped on the ground.

"Ummmm.... I..um...thank you Mrs Hazel. I was just no expecting you to say anything as usual and then when you did, I was too shocked to comprehend it quickly. Sorry for being rude". I nervously replied her. I can't believe I was stuttering. Since when did I ever stutter? Heavens, this was embarrassing.

"Relax child, I'm not angry. On the contrary, I'm very proud of myself that I can make you lose your composure so easily. My son I quite right I guess." She mused, again shocking me. It was. the very first time I had ever seen or heard the woman use that tone.

"Ma'am, please stop teasing me. I may just have a stroke from how shocked I feel right now, if you keep this up." I said pleadingly and the woman just shrugged before bidding me goodbye as she strode out of the training facility and a small smile slowly formed on my lips.

"This day is begining to look quite promising." I mutter to myself as I walked to the restrooms attached to the training facilities where I usually took my showers after every training session, but I felt too good about myself at that moment to continue further with my schedule.

With that thought in mind, I'd decided to give myself a day off from the usual training schedule and just relax and revel in my achievements. So I headed home straight.

I was in a rare moment of joy and celebration, after all, I'd just broken my trainer’s long-standing record in archery, and after years of enduring the strict, unyielding training, my mentor had finally given her a compliment. The woman had even teased me.

It was a significant moment, one I'd been waiting to hear for years, but my trainer was a woman who took great pride in her abilities for being stingy with her words.

As I lounged back in my forest green plush couch in the living room of my childhood home, I swirled the glass of some very famous and ridiculously expensive wine that I'd stolen from my best friend's most treasured collection.

I savoured the moment of praise and basked in the glory of my victory and the rich taste of the wine on my tongue with my eyes closed as the euphoric yet calming music of nature played all around me.

My phone rang with an incoming call, successfully shattering my reverie. I glanced at the screen and my good mood instantly evaporated into thin air.

I was expecting the call to be from Chris so I could brag about my latest achievement since the boy had never managed to snag a compliment from that woman despite being his own mother.

But to my utter displeasure, the name that flashed on my screen made my expression harden. It was Alphonso, the council representative.

My relaxed mood instantly shattered, still, I had to reluctantly pick up the damn call, despite my obvious irritation. It was considered a crime to ignore a call from the council without a good reason.

Clara: “Hello Mr. Alphonso. To wat do I owe the utter displeasure of this call? Seriously, You couldn’t wait for just ten minutes?” I answered the phone, my voice a mix of irritation and disbelief.

Alphonso (Council Representative): “Clara, it's always a pleasure to hear from you. We need you to drop everything and report to HQ. You’ve got a mission. You should be excited.” He said, voice calm but with a tone that brooked no argument.

Clara: “Urgent you say? High-profile? Really? I should be excited? I'm not. I just shattered my trainer’s record, old man. She actually complimented me for the first time, after a whole ass decade of being her trainee. And now you’re interrupting me from properly basking in this euphoric experience for a mission? What could possibly be more important at this moment? I just singlehandedly took out a bunch of high profile targets the entire weekend. I was expecting at least a single day off from the field. ” I lashed out in exasperation.

I had stood up from my seated position at some point in my rant and had started slowly pacing up and down angrily. I went to throw my hands in the air but realized I had holding something in my right hand.

I Looked down dumbfounded, I had just realized I wasn't just pacing. I'd subconsciously packed my weapons and picked out my field outfit.

I was either losing my damn mind or this felt almost as though, I'd successfully conditioned myself to react like that once a mission was mentioned.

Alphonso: “Little Clara, I know this is an inconvenient time, but we don’t have the luxury of time. There’s a group of rogue vampires on a killing spree at Ridge Bay town. That's too close to home for u to feel comfortable. There are five of them. We need you to track them down and eliminate them before they cause any more damage. Clara, this is urgent and very high-profile.” He explained with no hint of apology in his voice.

Clara: “Five rogue vampires? Seriously, that’s it? And you’re calling me, the one person who has actually just gotten a moment to breath, for this? Why not send one of the other hunters? Hell, you’ve got a whole squad of elites. Why me?” I said despite knowing why the chose me but my frustration had gradually boiled over at that moment. Someone dead or undead was going to pay a very high price for this interruption.