Adventuress Emergent

Part I: Training

Sera inhaled sharply, a futile attempt to calm her racing heart, and drew the arrow back to her shoulder. The weathered wood of her bow curved and creaked softly in response. Ahead, past the edge of the treeline and just beyond the mossy boulder than dominated the small glade, her quarry continued grazing. The doe's ear twitched in response to some unseen pest, but its head remained lowered in oblivion. Sera was certain it hadn't seen her.

"Little higher."

She felt a familiar hand on her outstretched arm, gently adjusting her aim. At this distance, the arrow would drop slightly before it reached its target. Sera mentally kicked herself. She should have known better, she thought. But she was nervous. Nervous and almost sick with anticipation. Her arm began to tremble from the strain of holding the shot, and she redoubled her efforts to hold the bow steady. Then slowly, deliberately, she released the breath she was holding and relaxed her grip on the arrow. It slipped from her fingers and hurtled toward the doe.

A tense silence fell over the glade. Thin rays of dwindling sunlight trickled through the verdant canopy overhead, casting patches of orange across the forest floor. Somewhere in the distance, a bird sung pleasantly to its mate. All Sera could hear, though, was the slight whistle of her arrow as it soared past the deer's neck, followed by a delicate snap as it shattered against a tree. In an instant the deer was gone, leaving nothing but hoofprints and disappointment in its wake.

The young huntress heaved a sigh, and slung her shortbow over her shoulder. There would be no time to track the animal any further today. It had taken hours just to find it the first time.

"It was a good shot," Brylee said warmly, placing a hand on Sera's shoulder.

"I didn't get it," Sera mumbled.

"No, but knowing you could barely draw a few months ago, that was a good shot," Brylee countered. "A really good shot."

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you."

Brylee let out a sigh of her own. "I know you're disappointed. I know you want to be out in the world, hunting things a lot bigger than deer. Helping people. But it's progress, Sera. These skills don't just come to you overnight."

"Yes, ma'am," Sera repeated. She knew Brylee was right, but she was in no mood to be reassured. She wanted to land the shot, and she wanted to land it a week ago.

Brylee gently turned her back toward the city. "C'mon. It's getting dark. We'll track it down another time."

Sera nodded and idly ran a hand through her long, black hair. They wouldn't reach the forest's edge until past sundown, which meant a lecture when she got home. A lecture that may have been worth it if she were coming home with a fully-grown doe; enough venison to feed them for at least a week, something to prove she wasn't just flittering around in the woods for hours on end. Instead, she'd have to answer the scolding with nothing but a meek apology.

The final threads of sunlight faded as they walked. A chorus of chirping crickets replaced the sound of birdsong. The sky dimmed to an inky blue, and the evening's first stars glimmered into view. Sera heard rustling leaves to her right and slowly wrapped her fingers around the hilt of the long, curved dagger on her belt. That was enough. From the corner of her eye, she saw the shape of a hunched, ratlike creature dart from a nearby bush and flee deeper into the forest.

It was common knowledge that the Gullweald was home to all manner of wildlife, many of which preyed on unsuspecting travelers. Fortunately, the outskirts of the forest were relatively safe. The gnawers and other small beasts were skittish enough to turn and run at the gleam of steel, and the larger, more dangerous creatures made their lairs deeper into the woods than most folk dared to venture. Every so often, though, rumors of a giant spider, werewolf, or man-eating tree would make the rounds in Downside. Such stories were always unsubstantiated, and died out as quickly as they spread.