His bellow alerted the entire encampment. He sprinted around the pavilion and we all chased after him with beams on our faces, as well as many women and children who had heard Lou’s cry.
I turned the corner to see ten or fifteen figures emerge from the trees, the one in the front holding the ebony and copper engraved horn we had heard. The only men of the camp had returned, with animal carcasses hoisted over their shoulders and hand drawn by ground sleds or hanging around their necks. I smiled widely as I saw all the great hunters of the camp stride awesomely home and their families come to embrace them. They had been gone for a week, though they are usually gone for much longer and come home with much less than I saw today. I saw Everest get jumped on by Evvadine and Evan and many of the other men receive bear hugs from the children, especially Aaron, behind the front man who I knew to be Jett, who held the horn. Aaron was bombarded with children who knew him well. By the time he got to the tents, a boy was half on his shoulders, half on his back, a small girl tot on his hip and Ellie had bobbled past me and now sat on his foot grabbing his shin, with many others surrounding him, Billy being one of them. Many of my guys raced to Aaron as well, including me. On top of all the kids he had to carry, he also had a wooden sled with a fat buck lying dead on it behind him being pulled by a rope harnessed around his chest. Yet, he smiled on and answered the children’s eager questions and greetings with vigor. Then Vivian weaved through the tents to Aaron and stood chuckling as she watched the crowd of vivacious children around him. Soon his eye caught hers.
“Hiya, Vivi!” Aaron called to her by her small name with a dashing beam. “Come on, there’s room for you, love!” Aaron held his arm out for a spot for her slender form to fit into. Vivian came running to him and fit perfectly into his arms. She took his face in her hands and kissed him passionately. Some of the boys looked away with mocking gag faces, like I saw Billy do. I was one of the few who were more mature.
The returned hunters scattered to their tents with their families. Supper would be good tonight. There would probably be a feast for the return of the hunters and some of the fresh meat would be roasted for us. I trotted up to Aaron too, where the other boys were and could speak with him from over the heads of the children in front.
“Hey, Aaron!” I greeted him. He turned to me and clasped my shoulder.
“Thomas, lad! How are you?”
“I’m well, thanks. Aaron, how on earth did you manage to get so much meat in a week?” I inquired astonished at the massive buck he was pulling. I saw at least seven whole points to its antlers, which means it’s a full grown one. Not that its size didn’t already clarify that.
“We stumbled upon a large herd three days in. Then a couple of wolves scared them right into our archers and we got at least five of these things. Not only that but the other usual game and fowl we always get too,” he explained. Now we had all arrived at Aaron’s tent. “Alright, everybody off.”
“Aw,” many of the young ones exclaimed.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be at supper tonight,” he reassured them. Just then, Jett, with four rabbits over his shoulders, passed by Aaron and the scattering children, though I hovered.
“Aaron, you want me to take that to the dining pavilion?” he asked him.
“Yeah, thanks, Jett,” he handed the deer over to Jett and he headed off. I turned and looked around, the guys were strolling off slowly but I saw Billy walking off too, casting glances back at me suspiciously with his friends who were all around his age of eleven too. He knew he was in trouble.
