What few hours Dandelion was able to snatch only made him feel all the more tired when his valet, Arthur, came to rouse him for his morning training session.

“My prince, you have a fitting with the castle tailor. The lady Maevena Is most impatient that we fit-” A large hand came over Arthur’s pale face and shoved him off to the side. The tall and wide shouldered form of the king stood over him.

The king put a hand on his son’s shoulder, shaking him. “Wake up. We have many things to do today. We must prepare for The Hunt, but first, your Omen awaits.” Dandelion sat up, nearly colliding with his father’s head. Oh… I’d forgotten about that… He rubbed his eyes, stretching and yawning. His stomach growled loudly.

“You can eat after you’ve conqured your Omen.” With everything that’s been going on I haven’t had time to think about that.

Dandelion stood, rubbing at his eyes with a hand. He padded after his father, stopping when the king stopped. Oberon walked towards the wardrobe, his boots clicking against the pale marble floor.

Dandelion crossed his arms, expression curious as his father pressed his fingers against the dark wood of his wardrobe. The king’s silhouette glowed green, his wings fluttering madly. Dandelion threw an arm over his eyes as the glowing became too intense to withstand.

A moment later the green subsided, leaving a dizzy prince and a stern king. Large hands gripped Dandelion’s shoulders, pulling him forward. The world tilted, Dandelion watched his father double and triple before his vision returned to normal.

“Climb into the wardrobe; I’ll be here when you return.” His father’s voice was light. Dandelion’s brows scrunched together, his mouth turning downward. This is a test of what I am capable of. It was foolish of me to expect him to hold my hand. He looked to his father. The king of the Summer court was smiling.

Dandelion swallowed, nodding. He squared his shoulders and strode up to the wooden doors of the wardrobe, and opened them. There isn’t much choice but to complete this challenge. I won’t be able to take the throne or participate in The Hunt tonight if I can’t conquer my Omen. An image of Ashara weaving and dodging through the trees, evading him as he chased her flashed in his mind. Dandelion took a breath, shaking thoughts of the hunt from his mind.

Dandelion looked at his father, slightly nervous, his legs feeling weak; The king stood to the side, his eyes on Dandelion. The king gestured for him to go inside. Dandelion inhaled, letting the breath go before stepping inside the wardrobe. He moved the clothes aside, running his hands along the walls as he went deeper. The folded piles of clothes gave way to the semi-soft floor of a forest, it’s leaves crunching under Dandelion’s bare feet.

Two slender trees blocked the path between Dandelion and what lay beyond the wardrobe. He gently pushed the branches of the pine tree aside and took another step. Tall green trees hid most of the blue sky from him. Somewhere beyond his view a bird called out. As Dandelion raised his foot it caught on a root and he stumbled forwards before flailing and toppling backwards. He hissed, feeling behind him for the wood of the wardrobe so he could have some assistance getting up, only to find it gone.

“It probably won’t return until my task is complete.” He sighed, standing and dusting off his bare legs. At least I’m hunting as the gods intended: As bare as the day I was born. A wild scream startled Dandelion, making him whip his head back and forth.

Twigs snapped and bushes rustled as something came in his direction. Whatever that is it must be large to move so loudly and clumsily through the forest. Dandelion searched for a fallen branch. Spying one laying a few feet away, he lunged for it.

His hands wrapped around it and he rolled to his feet as a girl came crashing out of the thick treeline, leaves clinging to her hair. Dandelion barely stopped himself from hitting the girl when she opened her mouth to scream. He took hold of her and clamped a hand over her mouth, dropping his branch.

“Shhh! We don’t want to alert whatever was chasing you to find you…” The girl continued to thrash in Dandelion’s hold. He tightened his hold.

“If you stop thrashing and promise to be quiet I’ll let you go.” She nodded. Dandelion let her go. The girl turned to face him, blushing when she saw he was naked. She looked away.

“There’s not much I can do about that.” The two of them were silent for a while.

Dandelion took some time to look at the girl. She was almost as tall as him. Her hair was a dirty blonde and her eyes were bright hazel with a black ring around her iris. Her eyes were almond shaped, her nose was a little wide and almost too short. This led to full red lips. We’ll need to make shelter before nightfall and find food.

“Come on. We need to gather large fallen branches like this one,” he said, picking up the branch he’d grabbed earlier. Hopefully we’ll get everything we need before my Omen makes an appearance. I need time to make a plan to subdue it…

The sun was high in the sky, marching steadily toward late afternoon. Dandelion and his companion had decided to stay close to where they’d stumbled upon each other. We have logs for a fire, kindling, and the shelter is built. All we need to do is find a small creature. Dandelion looked around the modest campsite, feeling a cold shiver rack his body as he locked eyes with the blonde girl. I don’t think her eyes have left me since we met.

Dandelion frowned, rubbing his arms in an attempt to subdue the prickling sensation of gooseflesh along his arms.

Dandelion smiled, feeling his teeth grind against each other. The girl stared at him, unblinking. She’d stayed sitting in the same spot since all the work had been completed, her legs folded underneath her and her hands in her lap. Dandelion breathed in deeply. Something isn’t right with this girl. Maybe some hunting will help take my mind off her. Dandelion stepped to the side, looking for the spear he’d made. His stomach clenched with nerves.

Dandelion took his spear from beside the flickering fire, ignoring the girls’ curious stare and tilted head, and disappeared into the treeline. A weight Dandelion hadn’t known was there lifted from his shoulders as the sounds and subtle mechanisms of the forest enveloped him.

A few hours later, Dandelion returned; A fat rabbit that had been a bit too slow for his spear in his hand. His eyes swept across the small campsite. She’s gone…  Dandelion almost felt guilty for being relieved. Almost. He tried not to wonder where she could have gone, focusing instead on skinning and gutting the rabbit in front of him.

When that was done and the rabbit was roasting over the fire, Dandelion cast his gaze around the campsite once more. Why am I bothering? If she left she probably isn’t coming back. I need to worry about my Omen. Dandelion couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss. A sigh breezed past his lips

He propped his head up on his knees and watched the sky fade from middling blue to soft streaks of purple and dark blue. The rabbit was picked clean, it’s bones buried at the edge of the campsite, the fire dampened out. There’s no sense in waiting for someone who won’t come back.  The stars gave him something to stare at whilst he drifted in between sleep and wakefulness. His eyes fluttered for a beat before finally closing.

The air was hot, large wet dribbles making slow tracks down Dandelion’s face. He swatted them away, grimacing when the viscous liquid stuck to his finger and hand. What is this? Dandelion opened his eyes, more worried than annoyed. He felt a shriek rise in his throat before dying. His heart hammered in his chest as he scrambled backwards.

The stars and full moon shone down on an angry, lithe, gold mountain lion. It’s hot breath washed over his face, with the scent of a fresh kill, and he cringed. This must be my Omen. A brief vision of the girl flashed in his mind's eye. Dandelion sighed, feeling a little let down and foolish. Gods, I’m an idiot… Dandelion squeezed his eyes shut and attempted to control his wildly beating heart. The mountain lion’s muscles coiled and it released a warning growl. Dandelion felt his own muscles tense; He leapt up and out of the way, jerking his head to the side as he watched the lion pounce, claws extended where he’d been only seconds before.

Dandelion watched, in fascination and horror, as the beast slowly turned towards him, it’s yellow eyes flashing. He turned to face the lion, extending his hands towards it. Mayhap it can be reasoned with.

The lion crouched again, a loud yowl erupting from it’s throat as it launched through the air. Dandelion ducked, his hands flying above his head. His teeth clenched, grinding against each other. His pale hands scrambled against the dark dirt as Dandelion struggled to get up. I am the prince of the Summer court! I will not be defeated! I just need something to strike back with...

Dandelion looked for his spear, attempting to keep the lion in his sights. He saw the spear, stuck in the soft earth, a few feet from the fire. The Omen’s tail twitched. Taking that as a sign, Dandelion charged for the spear. The sound of air lashing his back and an irritated growl made him run a bit faster.

His hands grasped the spear and he grinned.

The lion’s claws dug into his back, bringing it’s weight down with them. White hot pain buried itself deep into his flesh. Dandelion fought for breath as the lion flexed its claws. His grip on the spear slackened. Maybe I’ll just rest a bit…

The world spun, shaking as darkness crept in at the edges of his vision. With a heaving sigh, Dandelion let go.