The Chronicles of a Scalebound Sage: Wandmaker Vol.2

WM [12] A Hunting Excursion

The journey had been slow as the past few days were spent traveling the countryside. There were a few small villages they had to pass through, but most of the journey was spent on the road. Bjorn decided, since he could always sense where Tanisha was at all times, he would go hunting during the day while they traveled in the slow-moving convoy.

They would need the meat for the journey, and it would help him stay active and sharpen his hunting skill. More importantly, it would keep his mind off the fact that he still needed to relive more of his previous life's memories. He didn't want to think about the last thing he saw, but sitting with nothing left him with a lot of time for his mind to wander.

"Be back before sunset," Tanisha called after him.

"Bring back something good," Joha yelled.

Bjorn hissed loudly in response as he trotted off into the forest. It didn't take long before the sound of the wagons faded into the distance. He was left in the serene calm of practically untouched wilderness. He would be traveling vaguely in the direction of Tanisha so he wouldn't have to run too far to get back to her if she needed him or if he caught something significant.

"So, are we going to try to catch one of those horned things again?" Failsafe asked.

"Yep, but we'll be quieter this time," Bjorn responded.

Bjorn and Failsafe had no idea what the creatures they were after were called. It looked almost like a deer, but at the same time, it had two sets of horns instead of antlers. Bjorn tried to hunt them twice now, but both times he came up empty-handed. He quickly found that he was too used to stomping around the city and lost every bit of stealth he had.

The horned creatures would hear him coming long before he could hunt them. Chasing them was not possible because they were fast. After the first poor excuse for a hunt, Bjorn knew they were quicker than a normal animal should be, but it was Failsafe that noticed when they ran their forward-most horns glowed. They concluded that it was some animal magic shenanigan at play.

Regardless, the animals seemed plentiful in their area now, so it wasn't difficult to find them, especially since Bjorn could recognize the scent. He was trying to hunt them without using his breath attacks or letting Failsafe control one of the heads, as it seemed like it would be against the spirit of the challenge of his hunt. He needed to master slow and precise movement, utilizing all of his senses, which, since he had three heads, he could see, hear, and smell better than most creatures.

"There are some up ahead," Failsafe whispered despite being in Bjorn's head.

"I know," Bjorn replied with a thought.

"Go slowly."

Bjorn was low to the ground as he slowly snaked around a tree. Heads focused on different things since Bjorn wanted to practice splitting his attention. His left head navigated the dense forest and ensured he wasn't about to step on any particularly crunchy sticks. The middle head watched the horned deer things grazing in the small meadow. Finally, his right head was in charge of scents and looking out for other things of interest. Bjorn knew he wasn't the only predator in the forest and would prefer not to be caught off guard.

"I know," Bjorn said.

"We can probably fit around that bush up there; it would be a good ambush spot."

Bjorn frustratedly responded, "I know that is where we—"

Failsafe cut him off. "Oh, watch out for your antlers."

Bjorn was so distracted that he failed to notice when his left head's antlers scraped against a bush and got partially tangled in the branches. The whole bush shook loudly which announced his presence as every one of the horned deer turned to face the noise. Bjorn had to decide right then and there, so he leaped at the closest one with all his might. It didn't matter, though, as his jaws snapped shut on empty air, and the deer ran off with impossible speed.