ShootingStar

✨️❤️‍🔥Kingdom 1 originally written 2024
A frequent critique of Hunter Nick Vale is that his character appears overly polished and excessively patient. This perception stems from the fact that audiences primarily encounter Nick after he has attained the status of a Prime, drawing upon thousands of lifetimes of experience, while his formative years remain largely unpublished. Consequently, I believe it would be beneficial to provide insight into his development by showcasing an afternoon of training under Jake's mentorship.

Jake found Nick asleep on the training-room floor.

The controller rested on his chest. One boot lay beneath a chair. The other was still on his foot, which suggested that whatever ambition had begun the evening had failed halfway through.

“Get up.”

Nick opened one eye. “Medical emergency.”

“What kind?”

“Morning.”

“It’s afternoon.”

“Worse than I thought.”

Jake held out his hand for the controller.

Nick looked at it, then at him. “We could discuss boundaries.”

“We discussed them yesterday.”

“You discussed them. I was present.”

Jake took the controller.

For a moment Nick remained on the floor, contemplating the ceiling with the solemn attention he rarely gave instruction. Then he sat up.

“Kate here?”

“She has her own responsibilities.”

“That wasn’t the question.”

“I noticed.”

Nick rubbed both hands over his face. Jake watched him find his missing boot, pull it on, and leave the laces loose.

“Again,” Jake said.

“I haven’t done anything yet.”

“The laces.”

Nick looked down.

“Oh.”

---

Kate arrived while Jake was correcting Nick’s stance.

Nick turned before she spoke.

The change was small enough that someone else might have missed it. His shoulders loosened. His weight shifted toward her.

Jake tapped his ankle with the practice staff.

Nick hit the mat.

Kate stopped in the doorway.

“Excellent entrance,” she said.

“Thank you. Been working on it.”

“Clearly.”

She crouched beside him. Nick reached for her hand, and she let him catch it.

“You’re bleeding.”

He touched his lip. “Apparently.”

Kate glanced up at Jake.

“He turned away during an exercise,” Jake said.

“I felt her coming.”

“And your opponent remained in front of you.”

Nick’s smile faded a little.

Kate brushed her thumb along his knuckles. “He has a point.”

“Whose side are you on?”

“I’d like you to keep your teeth.”

Jake stepped back and waited.

Nick looked at their joined hands.

“When she’s close,” he said, “I keep wanting to check.”

Kate’s thumb stopped.

“Check what?”

“That you’re still there.”

She studied him for a moment, then squeezed his hand.

“I do it too.”

The room went quiet.

Jake lowered the staff.

“Choose somewhere to sit, Kate.”

She settled against the wall, close enough for Nick to see her.

He stood and finally tied his laces properly.

Jake gave him time to finish.

Then he raised the staff.

“Again.”

This time, Nick kept his feet.

#NickVale #JakeRyker
#katestarborn #starbornstories
#shootingstarbooks

Where’s the 1st book of the Hunter Moon series? 🥺🥺🥺💕💕💕

Thank you so much! I appreciate you!😝😜😍❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥳🫶🫶🥹🥹🥹

🥳🎂🥂Forty-three years, and twenty-seven books later. We used to wonder if the words would hold weight. Now, we look back at a horizon filled with breathing worlds and characters who demand to be heard. Velora was once just a quiet spark; today, it’s a living galaxy. We’ve navigated the blank screens, the plotting traps, and the late-night edits, building an empire of ink and perseverance. We didn’t just find a voice along the way. We built a universe. And we're not done yet.👑😏💜

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Hiii.nice to meet you ♥️ if you have some time plss read my story and give your love to my story it's my first work ever ur opinion or love will motivate me to continue

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