Shirou in Another World.

Volume 1: Beginnings CH2

Shirou silently knelt on the forest floor. In his hands, a beautiful red longbow primed to be shot at a moment's notice. A couple dozen meters away from him stood a lone deer feeding on some grass from the meadow. This deer was the last target the hunting party found for the day. If they stayed for more, they would be arriving back at the village after sunset. It was unanimously agreed by everyone that it was best not to push their chances.

The reason was due to the news of a new roaming pack of wolves that had established themselves in the area. Unlike the other packs, these wolves were aggressive and wanted to stake their own territory. The usual packs in the area have long since learned to avoid the common hunting grounds of the villages to avoid bloodshed. Likewise, the villagers respected the boundaries of the canine packs and travelled around them.

Shirou, blanketed by the forest canopy, aimed for the eyes of the feeding deer. Despite his new-found skill with the bow, he didn't want to risk missing the shot and losing the last target of his hunting group. A few more gobbles of fine mountain grass and the deer jerked its head to the side. Alarmed, Shirou figured out that the direction of the sound came from another hunter on the other side of the forest glade. With no other choice, he immediately released the arrow at the large prey. A resounding twang accompanied the string's release of accumulated tension.

The deer's head snapped to his direction upon hearing the sound of the bow. Unfortunately for the deer, that moment was all it took for the arrow piercing through the air to penetrate the center of its skull. A few wobbly steps backwards, and the body crashed onto the forest floor. During the entire exchange between hunter and prey, the peace of the forest remained unperturbed at the silent murder of one of its inhabitants.

"Tamura! You nearly made the deer run, you clumsy idiot!!! If we didn't have Shirou, it would've escaped!" a shout came from the other side of the meadow. "Shut up Yogi! You're not the one who stepped on deer shit! This stench is going to stick to my boot until I find a stream to wash it on!!!" an angry reply echoed back. Shirou giggled as laughter exploded all over the clearing at the remark. Looks like someone's going home smelling like the forest had cursed him.

Yokoyama, one of the group's muscled hunters, was the first to emerge from the surrounding canopy. He trudged across the field towards the fresh carcass of the deer. More hunters started to appear after him, some carrying bows, others carrying swords and hunting supplies. The planned routine of the village hunters was to allocate the transport of supplies based on the strength of the person. Strong-bodied hunters carried the spoils, and the rest shared the responsibility to gather fruits and plants during their trips. Archers were exempted from these activities because they were entrusted to hunt down big targets for the group. They had to be swift and nimble on their feet to chase down wounded prey, while also being cunning to prepare traps and ambushes.

Shirou walked out of his hiding spot and requested for a wineskin filled with water from one of the other hunters. His wineskin had been emptied of water in the past hour and there had been no streams of water nearby to refill from. A leather colambre was handed to him, he twisted the cork off and a stream of nice refreshing water entered his thirsty throat.

"All right everyone, we have a few hours of sunlight left. Let's start heading back shall we?" Yamashiro, the leader of the hunting party asked. Answers of agreement resonated around the men. Yokoyama lugged the heavy carcass over his shoulder and the group started to travel in the direction of the village.

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On the way back, Shirou wondered to himself. A year ago, the thought of him holding a weapon seemed strange. Seeing himself joining the village hunting party was even further from what he imagined then. Now, he was the poster boy of the hunters who provided the main source of meat for the village.