Daldal: Main story

Chapter 158

Once again, winter.

"Now, let's give it a try."

It was a harsh season.

The sky relentlessly spat out snow, and everything was frozen, draped in a blanket of white.

Eun-oh, with his eyes fixed on the prey, raised his bow.

Body straight, face forward. Chin almost touching the string, neck stretched. Shoulders neither hunched nor bent.

Breathe low, gaze on the target.

Think not of throwing but of sending.

One, two, three, four... Now.

Swish-!

The arrow sliced through the cold air, extending forward. However, instead of hitting the deer's neck as Eun-oh aimed, the arrow embedded itself into a tree beside it. The deer, sensing the attack, leaped in place and swiftly darted away into the bushes.

Eun-oh sighed with disappointment, "Ah... what a shame."

Then, Yeoul, who had been quietly observing alongside, suddenly stood up, stared at Eun-oh, and barked fiercely.

Growl, bark, howl, yip, purr!

It was so fierce and intense that anyone could tell he was expressing anger.

Feeling embarrassed, Eun-oh scratched his head and tried to excuse.

"No, I didn't intentionally miss. My hands got stiff because it's too cold..."

Yeoul vigorously shook his head up and down, barking loudly. "Awoo Awoo"

Roughly translated, it seemed to mean

"Don't make excuses like that."

"You little rascal! Then why don't you try catching it yourself!"

Already freezing, Eun-oh, irritated by Yeoul's complaint, snapped back. In response, Yeoul narrowed his eyes and went "Heng!" releasing a snort.

"Did you just snort? Why are you acting like this lately? Always complaining? Do you want to switch places?"

Eun-oh frowned and stomped his foot in frustration, while Yeoul snorted once again. Then, without another word, he hopped away towards something in the distance, leaving Eun-oh behind.

"Hey! Are you sulking? You are angry!?"

As Yeoul's figure disappeared into the distance, Eun-oh shouted after him. However, Yeoul didn't turn around, nor did he bark in response. Instead, he swiftly vanished from sight. With his fur so white, he blended seamlessly into the snow, making it difficult to distinguish him from the wintry landscape.

"...He's sulking."

Eun-oh walked towards the tree where the arrow was embedded, muttering gloomily.

Due to the deep snow, even a short distance took some time.

After safely retrieving the arrow, he inserted it into his quiver. Unbroken arrows were never discarded; they were collected for reuse. Arrows cost money, so wasting them wasn't an option.

"Sigh, darn it. No luck again today. Am I really not cut out for this?"

It had been a month since he courageously ventured into hunting, yet today, like many other days, he returned empty-handed.

It was about time to admit that he lacked skill in hunting.

"Ugh. Still, I could've hit it..."

Though he blamed the failure on his stiff hands to Yeoul, the truth was that his determination weakened at the moment of release, causing the arrow to miss. While he enjoyed eating meat, he preferred it cleaned and cooked rather than directly participating in the hunting.