The dragonslayer and his card mage. Cana Alberona x male reader.

Chapter 41

Irene Pov

Wind howled through the trees like a storm in the sea while we sat quietly behind my father with his crossbow pointed forwards. What did we wait for? A deer or any animal unfortunate enough to cross our path.

We were not allowed to utter a word right now as the animals could easily hear us with their sharp ears. We had enough on not to shiver or feel to cold. Right in front of us moved a Roe Deer with antlers. 

The snapping of a crossbow startled us and a pained outcry from the animal filled our body with shaking fear, a noise so unworldly it could only come from being tormented and it caused our stomachs to turn upside down and hair going straight up. 

The Roe deer fell to the ground quickly after being hit with the bolt right between its front leg and lower chest area. A few spasms with its legs and it stopped moving. My father pulled us both towards him. "Its okay, I promise the deer didn't suffer much." He whispered stroking both our heads slowly while keeping his eyes on it.

Little me looked up to him a little upset. "Dad, why did you have to shoot it when it cries out in pain, doesn't it make you feel bad?" Little Irene asked with her hands clutched to her body and in his eyes I could read what he was thinking. As a child I never knew that one look could tell you so much. He did feel remorse for it.

He knelt down to her and stroked her cheek gently. "I do feel remorse Irene I do. I'd feel even worse if I'd only injure it but not end its life with one hit of the crossbow." He replied and looked down. "The pained cry you heard is nothing compared to what you hear when its being attacked by wolfs and while its alive the wolfs eat it and it ends slowly and painfully for the poor animal." He stated and my little self looked in horror at it. 

"So wolfs are evil because they eat it alive?" She asked and he chuckled softly. "Nature isn't evil they just kill and eat when they are hungry, but compared to the giant cats in the mountains who only eat from one animal at a time, wolfs are evil as they often kill for fun and leave some animals dead without touching them." He replied and she sniffed. "Poor little deers." She murmured and my father sighed. "You'll understand it once you are older. "Hunting is done mostly for survival, how many you hunt depends on you." He added and then turned to his right snapping of a small twig.  

He walked out to the animal and knelt down. "May mother nature forgive me for taking a life." He whispered and slowly placed the twig in the animals mouth. He picked it up by its legs and put it on his back. "Lets go Irene we need to go to the others in the camp." He stated and we both headed to him.

It was still clear day but in a few hours we'd be sitting in the dark around here.

 . . . 

A half hour later we got to the camp and my father placed the deer down right next to the fire. "Lilia could you give me the knife." He asked and she happily handed it him. He walked a few feet away from the camp and I could hear him opening up the animal and taking out the insides. He always left them in the forest for the wild animals but never too close to the camp.

A moment later he got back here with an empty deer. Only the pelt had to be taken of now. "Irene would you like to try." He asked my small self and she shook her head in a no. "No, the knife is too big." She stated and he chuckled. "Its okay, you can do it once you are older." He stated and stopped from touching her head as his hands were bloody. "Honey, did you end its life quickly or had it suffered." The queen asked concerned and the king smiled softly. "The hit went right through its heart and only a faint cry came from it." He replied and Lilia nodded.

Cana and Y/n both observed the king as he began to take off the pelt. "Your highness does every man need to know how to skin an animal?" He asked and the king nodded. "Sure they do, even the women know how but most of them would rather let a man do it if they can. The women mostly take the finished piece of meat and take out the bones and cut it into smaller parts before throwing it into the pot for cooking." He replied and the queen gave him a small side eye.