Season's Change Winter's Plight Book 1

24 The Hunt

Avis was settled and relaxing. A small fire was banked and burning in the fire pit of his new chamber, the smoke rose to the ceiling and was whisked away through an unseen hole in the rock above. He didn't question it. He just sat for a moment and collected his thoughts. His joy threatened to overwhelm him. His nerves did the same. He shook off his fear of failure and returned to Katana in the main cave. He had spent the time he needed learning the art of a bow. He hadn't mastered it. He wasn't certain that he ever would. But he was no longer a novice, and each day his skill increased. Still, he wondered if he was good enough to fell whatever game, if they found any, out in the wilderness beyond the cave. The bow they crafted for him was very different from the ones he used to hunt within his homeland. Very few hunters actually use bows to hunt up North. One could never get enough draw to force the arrow through the thick hides of the larger prey. The large animals he hunted back home had to think dense fur and plenty of fat to help keep them warm through the winter. He recalled preparing for hunts on cold winter mornings and using the fats of the animals to protect himself from the harsh cold winters. Oh, the tails he could tell Katana about winters back home and all the uses for animal fat. He was excited to share. When hunting back home, they used a thick-headed spear driven home by the strength and weight of its wielder. He used the much smaller bow of his homeland when he was hunting small prey and a spear when hunting larger. Though he was not nearly a large as most of the men in the north he was powerfully strong. What he lacked in sheer girth and height he made up for in wits and will. He was a gutsy boy and a very lucky one. His smaller frame allowed him to move much faster than others and his ability to see what others did not, was a gift straight from the gods. He employed all of his skills when he hunted back home. But that was back home. He knew what to expect, how the animals reacted and moved. He understood them and could anticipate their movement.

He was concerned that he would not hunt well at all in the unfamiliar lands. It had been months since he had hunted, months since he had the strength, he once took for granted While out there in the wilds of the southern plains he would have to rely on the non-verbal communication Katana had taught him as they trained and shared each other's languages. Hers came with a complex set of hand movements and gestures that allowed silent communication.

Earlier she had questioned him about winter food stores, and he explained the process to her. They could safely fell a small deer and eat well for weeks, he could cure the meat, plus ice lined the back rooms of the cave. If they sealed the room with a blanket, they could mask any smell, keep the room cold to avoid spoiling the meat since he did not have salt to cure it, not draw predators towards their cave, or stink up their home. She set it all up while he settled into his own chambers.

When they stepped outside the cave, he was barely able to contain his excitement. It didn't die when he looked around, but several thoughts came to mind. The first was the blazing cold. It was cold up on the ice flows and the tundra of his homeland, but the cold in the south was wet and heavy. It stuck to his bones in a way the dry cold of the North did not. The second was the deep snow. The wind often blew what snow fell across the tundra to pile around rocky outcroppings and other natural windbreaks. He had never seen snowfall accumulated in such widespread devastation. How would they cover their tracks? What game would they find in a snow-covered wasteland?

Katana immediately took to the heavy branches of the trees. Her lithe form moved lightly over the thick branches. She stopped, turned, and bade him to follow.

He wasn't so sure he'd have the grace to move as she did, but he would try and hopefully not fall to his death. He was a little more than shocked to find that his feet knew what they were doing even if he didn't. He followed her closing the distance between them with graceful ease then stood beside her. What had she been teaching him that he could move like that?

"You must be careful Kotas, your weight is much greater than mine." It was the only warning she gave him. They moved through the trees quietly and found a clearing where some winter grasses still grew, and the trees created a break in the snow. The forest under the trees had a thick dusting of snow but it was only a dusting. They both notched arrows and waited. He scented a deer, likely a buck, on the wind and looked at her to see her hands moving. She scented it too.

The buck moved into the clearing unaware of its fate. A single arrow spliced the winter air and drove straight into the heart of the buck. It fell immediately. Katana moved about the trees and positioned herself on the opposite side of the clearing. Avi went around to the other side. They both sat and watched over his kill, waiting to see if any predators or scavengers were near. When they felt it was safe, they jumped down from the trees to claim their prize both landing lightly with little to no sound.

Avriel knelt in the snow. He lay his hand over the creature's lifeless eyes and closed them. "Peace be with you brother. I thank you for the life you have given that we may continue. I return your spirit to the place from which we all came that you may be born again into this world."

Katana sat in silent reverence of the ritual. When Avriel was finished offering his prayers she took hot blood from the heart of the beast and gently painted two solid lines on either of Avi's cheeks before leaning forward and gently pressing her lips to his forehead as they knelt before their fallen brother. She thanked the goddess for the gift of the deer's life that it would nourish and sustain them. She called upon the Goddess to watch over and bless the hunter as well as the hunted. Moonlight parted the heavy clouds to shine down upon them as they prayed and gave thanks to the gods for the gift they had been given.