The Mazari

Chapter I - The Alpha

        Just outside of the forest of Izatel, a small group of mouse deer were grazing on the wide plains of frog grass. They were just the right size and skilled enough to detect any predator that comes within twenty meters around their herd. But Eranith Tyro does not need to be that near.

        The young Chorran hunter slowly pulled an arrow from his quiver and with a prayer to Akry, the Numina of hunting; he loaded it on his ivory bow. Trained in bow hunting by his father, at an early age; Eranith spotted the group. Under his father's tutelage he lays his eyes on the best deer to shoot down.

            "The alpha is the best mouse deer to put on our dinner table son."

He remembered every minor detail that his father taught him. The fact that the alpha always runs around to keep its group together "...this makes its meat leaner and less greasy."

It is also a selfless leader, as it gives the easy to eat grass to the frail members of the herd and instead lives off a diet of poisonous, yet sweet, berries and salty herbs giving its meat "...a unique taste."

Eldarik, his father, also pointed out that because the alpha is always beat around by other creatures as it tries to protect its herd, its meat becomes tender and much easier to cook.

 "Aim for the alpha, son..."

Eranith pulled his bowstring. The arrow of death has chosen its target and like the needle of fate, the alpha is fixed on Eranith's sight.

"...It's a difficult task being the selfless leader. But by sacrificing what you have for the welfare of others, you become special like the alpha..."

Eranith released his arrow, and with Akry's grace, the sharpened steel finds its target.

"...someday son you will be the alpha. And just like the deer, make sure that even in your death you benefit others."

No poison or magic is needed to slay the poor soul; a shot to the head is enough to put an end to it. The other mouse deer, upon the death of their alpha, flee into the woodlands in order to escape the arrows of the hunter. Eranith approached the carcass and knelt before it. He placed his bow right in front of him and pulled out the arrow from the deer's head. Eranith then recited Akry's prayer after hunt;

"We thank thee Numina of the hunt,

for the blessing of thy divine aim.

Thee has granted this creature death,

and in return,

has granted thy subjects life."

After the prayer Eranith picked up the carcass and carried it on his shoulders. The average size of an adult mouse deer is slightly bigger than a common hound; its small stature made it fragile to exterior forces but it makes up for its swift speed and stamina.

Eranith travelled eastward to a small river in order to clean the dead deer's carcass. He first slit the throat vertically and ran his small knife downward to the deer's genitals; He then peeled off the skin, washed it and hung it to dry on a nearby branch. The skin can be brought to the Izatel's city tanner and have it made into a hat or bracer. It can also fetch a high price when sold to the trading caravans.

The next parts to be removed are its innards. Intestines, heart, lungs and other organs are pulled out of the poor creature. Eranith remembered a certain pungent meal that his father used to make. It consists of all of the parts he just pulled out from the carcass.

The Chorran lords banned the dish because it desecrates the body of the deer. But this did not stop some Chorrans from cooking the said dish. Especially since mouse venison is expensive for folks who rely on markets and are unable to hunt for their own food. Every part of the deer is cooked; brains, hooves, tongue and all.