On a hunt (Kiragi x Selkie)

Chapter 1

Kiragi quietly made his way through the forest, he'd been following this deer for quite some time and had no intentions on giving up now. He hid against a tree and calmly waited for it to look somewhere else. He peeked out and smirked as he saw his game lower its head and chew leisurely on some plants.

Kiragi nocked an arrow then drew his bow and aimed carefully at the heart. All he needed was a clear shot to end its life in a quick, clean kill, he closed an eye and held his breath. A little to the left, down just a bit, near the legs, almost there, just need to-

"Hey Kiragi!"

"UAGH!"

Startled, Kiragi flinched and accidentally released his grip, the arrow sailed right past the deer and instead embedded itself firmly in a tree, startled by his scream the animal bolted away into the forest's depths, leaving the archer alone with the one who spooked him for company.

"...Did I startle you?"

Kiragi turned to the source and saw a familiar face looking at him with a curious smile; Selkie. Kiragi shook his head and snapped out of his stupor. "What was that for!?" He said irritatedly, "I'd been following this deer for so long, why would you do that? And what are you doing here?" The hunter paused and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down.

"I was just wandering around and happened to see you so I decided to drop by and say hi!" Selkie answered innocently, causing a sigh from the archer. "Well, it's good to see you but, couldn't you have waited for me to take the shot before coming to say hi?"

With the revelation that came from those words Selkie's eyes widened in realization and her ears drooped in deflation of spirit. "Oh... I..." She sheepishly scratched the back of her head.  "Sorry about that." She said, dispirited. Kiragi simply shook his head and shrugged. "Ah well, it's just a deer, we can always try another time."

Just as quick as it left her, her mood rose again. "Actually, I think I still have an idea to where it could've went." She said.

He perked slightly upon hearing those words. "You do? But how?" He asked, not having given up.

"It's simple! As a kitsune, my senses of smell and hearing are naturally more developed than yours."

"Huh," Kiragi uttered quietly. He gave her a friendly pat on the back and motioned for her to go. "If that's the case, then lead the way! we still have a chance."

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By stroke of luck, the path the deer took happened to lead them directly to a small shack Kiragi used to store supplies. Selkie had taken the opportunity to procure a bow and quiver for herself.

The girl tapped him on the shoulder and raised a finger to her lips, asking for silence. "Kiragi, there!" She whispered, pointing towards something ahead. He followed her hand and his eyes settled on the game before them, it was the same deer they'd tracked tenaciously for the day.

"I see it, get your bow; on the count of three we shoot, got it?"

"Got it."

The duo gave the other a wide berth and carefully drew their brow in utmost silence, Kiragi held his breath and aimed for the heart. "Three..." He started.

"Two..." She continued.

"...One."

Selkie suddenly aimed elsewhere mere moments before both fired at the same time, Kiragi's aim was true and the deer collapsed dead with an arrow firmly planted in its heart. Selkie's however, went flying in an entirely different direction and struck something he couldn't quite see.

"Gotcha!" He smirked.

"Yes!" Selkie pumped a fist in victory.

Mildly intrigued, Kiragi kept an eye on the kitsune as he walked towards his prize and retrieved the arrow. "You missed the deer!"

"I wasn't aiming for the deer!" She called back as she headed off in the direction of her arrow. The girl picked something up and the realization made him laugh heartily and earned her a round of applause; the girl held proudly in one hand a rabbit with an arrow sticking out of its throat.

"Nice one!" He said heartily, then beckoned her forward with his arm. "Now come here and help me dress them before it's too late!"

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With her help the hunter dressed and skinned both animals without a hitch. Both walked the way home with their prized game in tow.

"For a moment I genuinely thought you whiffed your shot on purpose." Kiragi reminisced with a quiet laugh.

"Ha, you wish!" She laughed and tapped his shoulder. "You had your target, I had mine, simple as tha-AAAAAAAHH!" the girl screeched frightfully as a trap sprung up, she was suddenly ensnared in a net and suspended high in the air without warning. The suddenness of it caused the archer to stumble back a few feet and fall flat on his rump with a yelp.

Kiragi jumped to his feet and called out to her. "Shit, are you all right?"

"I-I'm okay," She answered, unable to hide the fear still present in her voice."Please get me out!" She begged.

"I'll get you out as fast as I can!" He reassured her and rushed towards the exposed rope holding the trap together. Kiragi unsheathed his knife and kept a hand on the rope as he sawed through it while the girl looked on from above.

"Almost done... whoa!" The rope snapped and dropped the net down with a 'thud'. The tension forcefully yanked it out of his grasp causing him to wince from the small friction burn.

"Ow..." Selkie lamented, tangled under the net. Kiragi then promptly helped her out of its clutches and onto her feet. "Never again..." She shook her head.

"Everything alright?" He placed a supportive hand to her shoulder.

She answered by nodding her head and beaming.

Kiragi smiled in return, "Good to kno-oofgh!" The girl suddenly dashed forward and tackled him onto the ground. Selkie then wrapped her arms around him and clung tightly. "My hero..." she said jokingly(?) and buried herself into his neck. An unsure Kiragi returned the hold, surprised by but not rejecting her affection. A hand glided to her head and scratched behind her ears eliciting a pleased moan from the girl.

"This isn't so bad, I could get used to this." a satisfied Kiragi thought to himself.