NationalReader
The Hunt
I'm laughing at how bad this is.
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As we slowly crept up on the enormous animal, I couldn't help but wonder why it was so important to catch one. Was it really worth all this trouble just for a head on a plaque? I shook my head, and reminded myself that Princess Jill had promised to marry the leader of whatever hunting party could capture one of these magnificent beasts.

I had eagerly taken my party, and set out to find one of the creatures. It would change the luck of my peasant family. We would be royalty.

I thought it would be easier than it was to find one. This was the first one we had seen in our two week journey. I had heard the beast was good at hiding, but I didn't realize how good. Once we had seen it, though, there was no mistaking it.

The Gronkalo has long, knobby legs, and sandy brown fur. It also has a very peculiar, giant lump on it's back. Many people also mistake the Gronkalo for a camel, but camels don't live in the dense forest. And camels don't gronk.

The gronk of a Gronkalo is deafening . You can hear it from over a mile away, so we needed to do this quickly, or else other hunting parties would hear it's cry, and follow us.

I signalled to Reyton, flicking my wrist at him. He nodded, and gave a loud moan.

Reyton really was good at imitating the Grinkalo, the Gronkalo's worst enemy. I felt the blond hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was so... eerie.

The Gronkalo's head shot up from where it had been grazing, and it backed away from the sound. Right into our trap. Reyton made the grink noise again, and the camel-like creature backed up even further.

I knew my team would make quick work of it, but they even surprised me at their speed. The jumped out of the bushes behind it, throwing the mesh net over it's head. The Gronkalo started to run forward, but remembering the "danger" that was there, it started to panic. It started gronking like crazy, whipping it's head back and forth in a desperate attempt to throw off the net.

It was my turn. I jumped out of the tree I was perched in, knife in hand. As I neared closer to it, it started gronking even more loudly. I silently cursed the ear splitting screams.

     I lunged at it, and dug my knife into it's heart. It gave one last gronk, and then collapsed. It was dead.

     I gave a wicked grin, as I realized what this meant. Princess Jill was mine.
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Jill's POV

Princess Jill?" The voice called from the back of my castle bedroom. I swung around, plastering on a fake smile to hide my annoyance.

"Yes, what is it Max?" I asked my butler. He cleared his throat.

     "One of the hunting parties has returned. They have the Gronkalo." He informed me. I gave a little squeal of delight and twisted my black hair around my finger.

     "Which party was it?" I asked eagerly. He sighed.

     "That's the thing," Max started. "It was the peasant party. My heart sank. Oh no... Now I'd have to marry some useless peasant. I was suddenly regretting promising more than money as a reward. But there was nothing I could do about it now. At least I have the rotting carcass of the sexiest beast alive.

     "Alright." I sighed. "Take me to them."

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     I had seen him before.

     Those eyes... They had cheated me.

     His hands... They had wounded me.

     "Hello Princess." He smirked. "Looks like you're mine."