Born of the Gods

Chapter One- Home and Hunting

"Damn," I whispered a little too loudly. I'd almost fallen to what could have been my death. Again. I was scaling one of the larger pine trees surrounding my forest town and only about halfway up my hands already ached from the labor. Reaching above, I grabbed hold of one of the larger branches, bark crunching as I quickly pulled myself onto it and rested my back against the tree.

The moist air was cold, too cold considering where I lived. The southern forests of Graceland were typically warm, and even in the winter it didn't snow. This year was different. What should have simply been a rainy day was now a snowy day, and what should have been an easy climb was now a slippery, painful mess.

I sighed, not understanding how the northerners could stand such weather. I reached onto my back and repositioned my bow. The edge had been digging into my skin for far too long. I stopped. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something. Movement. Slowly I reached over my back and detached my weapon. Despite the cold weather, the longbow felt powerful in my hands. I slowly and quietly removed a long arrow from my quiver on my leg. I placed the arrow on the string and looked around. I heard crunches, what sounded like hooves on snow. I got excited, probably over excited, but I was hungry. I needed a kill.

My eyes widened as a large white-tailed deer came into view. I quickly drew my bow and aimed just behind the shoulder. The deer walked slowly until it came to a halt. I aimed and quickly released in a fluid motion. The tip pierced the side of the deer and went directly into its heart. My prey kicked its back legs and ran. I quickly strapped the bow back onto my back and began to descend the tree. It was much easier than going up. I hopped down and went to where I hit it. Blood covered the ground and I knew it had been a great shot. I began to track the splotches of blood that covered the ground. The snow, while cold and annoying, made the dark colored blood stand out. Within minutes I had found the deer. I counted the points: five. Not the best, but I couldn't complain; meat was meat. I carefully removed my arrow and cursed silently. The tip had broken off inside the deer, probably snagged on a rib. I'd have to get it when I skinned the kill later. It was early, probably not nine in the morning yet. I considered bringing the deer back to town to begin cleaning, but quickly changed my mind. I had plenty of time to spare, and if I went in now, Mother wouldn't let me return to the forest today. I grabbed the antlers and dragged it over to a large tree where I could remember to find it.

Hoping to find some berries, I trudged off in the snow. It wasn't too long before I came across one of the many bushes the forest housed. Black berries, the best. I made a mental note to draw a map of where these were. I quickly stripped a few of the ripe ones from the bush, careful not to squish them in my hands. I filled my leather jacket's pockets with a few and popped one in my mouth. I began to walk away before I stopped. It might be best to take some extras for home. I quickly removed the undershirt I was wearing and slipped my other clothes back on. I filled it with black berries and tied the sleeves together, making a bag of sorts. I silently hoped none of the berries broke inside my shirt.

I began to walk back to my deer, snow crunching under my feet as I ate the juicy berries. They were good but a little overripe. I placed my make-shift bag in the snow next to my deer and tried to think of something else to do. I wished I could go fish in the stream nearby. I'd left my fishing pole in town. I had an idea.

It probably wasn't the best idea but one nonetheless. I began searching around, looking for some materials. I crunched through the snow, until I finally found what I was looking for: a long, sturdy stick. It wasn't too thin that it would easily snap, yet it was sensitive enough for fishing. I pulled out a ball of string I carried for tying squirrels and other small game together, and used my skinning knife to cut an appropriate length of string and carve a notch in the tip of the pole. I tied the string tightly to the stick and began to wonder what to use for a hook. I searched my pockets and found what I needed. It was a thick piece of wire I used for poking holes in the mouths of game so that I could string them together. It easily bent to shape and scraped I it along my knife to give it a fine point. I bent the top into an "o" to tie the string on and my fishing gear was ready. I pushed the snow off the ground by my feet and dug for worms.