Shadows Peak |✔

Chapter 2: Casey

Okay. Nice and steady, Case. You got this.

Casey stood from the perfect vantage point. He was at the top of a slope, the sun behind him, the forest floor covered in rusty orange and brown leaves, even the many tall and slender trees gave no obstructions to his view, and with very little wind, he knew his aim would be true.

He had spent a lot of his spare time the past week breaking in the new bow he made that every unique flaw it had he used to his advantage. How his bowstring had a lot more resistance to it than the average bow made him work harder. Though he was already one of the best bowmen in the village, he reveled at the new challenge. And he loved the feel of a custom bow. This one was the first he made completely from scratch and he loved it, the good and bad about it. His favorite part, however, was the little carvings of his initials that he could see when he focused in at the arrow rest. "CG".

Casey Graham.

It was a constant reminder of who he was, and made him think of who he wanted to be. And in this moment, he wanted to be the guy who brought back this buck.

In his sight was a big ruddy buck lapping water by the nearest stream to his village, LeHorn. It's coat was light, fawn brown, spotless. The only visual imperfection Casey could see was the left antler. It was broken. And next to the right antler it was a shame to look at.

Maybe this guy won't mind dying today. Maybe I'd be doing it a favor.

But, Casey also felt like it was doing him a favor. It had been over two weeks since anything brought back was bigger than a hefty rabbit the size of a lady's satchel. Casey needed to bring this back home. He desperately wanted to lift everyone's spirits, and venison stew was their favorite. It had been too long since the whole village ate a meal together.

"So I was wonder-

"Shhhh," hushed Casey. Even if every other element was perfect, if he lost his concentration for even a second, he could be returning home with yet another rabbit.

He sent his best pal, Reid, a sharp look. If looks could speak, then Casey's was saying, "Shut the heck up!" With one quick nod of the head, Reid assured Casey he would be silent, and just like that, Casey refocused on his prey.

Okay. Steady breaths. One...Two...Thr-

SNAP!

The sound of a twig breaking under Reid's foot triggered a spooked buck's retreat, and forced an early release of Casey's arrow, which impaled a tree trunk rather than the deer heart he was aiming for.

"Are you freaking kidding me, Reid!?" Casey exclaimed. He was never good at hiding his temper, but with other things pressuring him, Casey needed this win. "What part of 'Shhhhhhhh', don't you understand?!"

Casey watched as Reid stared off at the spot the buck was just at. He assumed his friend was trying to will the buck back but he knew that catch was long gone. As Reid wiped his sweaty black bangs out his face, Casey started thinking of their next move. They had been out hunting for hours before coming across game that big, and he wasn't sure when they'd come across another.

"Case, mate, I'm sorry," Reid said, eyes still glued to the same spot. "You're so good at the hunt, and I'm just costing you chances to gain favor among the elders."

"Dude, seriously?" Casey scoffed. "I don't care about the stupid 'favor among the elders' tradition right now. I just want everyone to eat tonight."

Casey, accepting that the buck was gone, headed to the tree his arrow was stuck in. Securing his bow on his back, he hopped across the little stream the buck was just drinking from and pulled the arrow out, leaving a deep mark in the tree.

"Case, I think I'll just head back in, you know? Get some work in by the farm." Reid stated. "Who knows. You might actually catch something when I'm not here."

Even though Reid joked the last sentence, Casey could tell his friend was frustrated with himself. Whether it was the hours of hunting, with nothing to show for it, or the thought that he cost the tribe a meal, Casey could tell it was best to let his friend go home.

"Alright, Reid." Casey said. "But I'm pretty sure that when I get back you'll be busy trying to shuck Brooke rather than shuck corn," Casey teased.

Reid's laugh filled the area around them as he headed back home. "Okay, okay. Good one, mate," Reid laughed, facing back at Casey. "But you and I both know that if she wasn't already into me, you'd be trying at her too."

"Whatever you say, buddy." Casey chuckled under his breath. He's sat through many nights of Reid telling him his next plans to get Brooke's affection. His most recent plan was to be a great hunter and bring her back game everytime he returned.

Looks like you're going to need another plan, Reid.

Casey laughed to himself, but soon after, he got back into his hunting mode. If there was one thing he refused to do, it was show back up with another rabbit.