Swords and Dragon Horns

Chapter 1

Silence sits still over the forest like a fog as Katsuki watches the deer graze in the center of the clearing. The smooth yew wood of his light short bow lay ready in his hand. The animal moves forward, unknowingly stepping further into his sights. He raises the bow, level with his eyes, and nocks the arrow with his left hand. Then, with great force, he pulls back the string, the arrow's feathers tickling his nose. The entire world holds its breath except for Katsuki. The deer raises its head, and Katsuki stares into its beady black eyes as he releases the arrow.

The deer's squeal shot through the silence as the arrow did its heart. Blackbirds fled from the canopy and into the yellow-pink of the morning sky.

Katsuki lowers his bow, then emerges from his hidden nook in the bush. He brushes off his gray cotton pants and crosses the clearing to kneel to the earth in front of the fallen deer. Then he lays down his bow and clasps a hand over his fist. Finally, he tilts his head down, raises his balled-up hands to his forehead, closes his eyes, and mutters a few words.

"Nice shot!" Denki cheered, his squeaky voice striking through the air like lightning.

Katsuki raises his head to watch the blond boy scale down a small cliff. His arms wave wildly as if that would help his balance with the heavy bag on his back. Finally, he wobbles down to the level ground and then fights through the hanging leaves of trees and barriers of thick bushes until he stumbles up to the deer.

His simple thoughts flitted across his face as he sized up the deer. "This'll be perfect for your Quirkquest offering!"

"Obviously! Do you think I'd bring back anything less than perfect? You really think that little of me?" Katsuki rises to his feet and brushes the dirt off his pants. "Whatever. Where's Spiderface at?"

"I told you to stop calling me that!" Hanta calls out from atop the crest Denki was previously on. He makes the same journey down, more gracefully, even though he is carrying a bag on his back and one over his chest.

"Are you expecting soon?"

Hanta's brows furrow in confusion before he glances down at the bag hanging over his stomach. Then back at Katsuki with a sour look. "See if I ever carry your supplies for you again!"

Denki shoulders his pack onto the ground. "At least you don't have to carry the deer!"

Katsuki rolls his eyes and jerks a finger at the blond. "You! Go find a good log." Then he points to the black-haired boy. "And you! Get the rope out!"

Denki stands stiff and places a fist over his heart, shouting, "Yes, Chief!"

"Would you just do it already, Dunce Face?"

"You might wanna rethink that whole dream of being chief. You could do the tribe plenty of service by being the first ever Tribe Nickname Assigner."

Katsuki doesn't dignify him with a response. Instead, he turns to find what they need to take his offering home.

He didn't have to go far to find a strong yet light enough log and drag it back to start tying the deer down to it. Denki arrives shortly after with another log, and together, they finish securing the offering with generous lengths of rope. The three of them lift the structure onto both of the blonds' shoulders, then they set off towards their village.

Bright morning light filters through the canopy, casting spotted shadows over the worn dirt path. Sweat dripped down his back and pasted his tunic to his skin. They'd been lucky it hadn't rained during the entire week Katsuki had been away on his Recalling trip, or walking along the path wouldn't have been easy.

The trip had been refreshing, but he couldn't help the sparks that buzzed beneath his skin. Though the ritual was meant to cleanse his spirit before his Quirkquest, his feet now feel like they were in the boots of a man approaching an endless pit. His fists clench over the rough oak bark of the logs. His heart rattles like a squirrel trying to climb out of his chest.