The Adventures of Gally and the Roundtable

Where We Think the Adventure Begins

We pass the treeline and according to our village's borders, we are now officially in the wilderness or the outer perimeter. Percy is slightly ahead of me, deeper into the woodland. He crouches down amongst the long grass and looks out over a clearing. Intently looking into the distance, he gestures for me to crouch beside him, his pack is already resting on the floor. We haven't come to hunt anything big, so I wonder what he is looking at.

He pulls his cargo jacket open with breast of the jacket falling to the side, revealing his large hunting knife. It rests against his chest in its conveniently manufactured holster. The morning glare from the sun bounces off the steel, creating a reflection on a nearby tree.

"Percy, no. That's not why we're here," I plea to him. We aren't to veer off our planned duties.

"It's fine, we can leave it here until we come back later." Not up for debate, he crouches forward. His knees move in an exaggerated motion, kind of like a crab.

Just as he enters the clearing, I spot his target. In the middle of the open grassy area is a deer, a juvenile, can only a year or so old.

He'll never get it with his hunting knife

I watch for a few minutes as he approaches ever nearer, the deer still has no idea. Obviously hasn't been taught to be aware in its surroundings. Time for a moment seems to stand still, the breeze stops, and no sounds are carried. My heart rate slows with it and I see Percy getting ready to attack. His knife is now out of its sheaf and rests outwards against his thigh. It's as though my vision tunnels and concentrates on the deer, its smooth brown coat of fur flows in the wind. With each movement or sound its ears flinch from back to forth, it must be hearing something. Watching Percy, hell bent on catching this deer and going against our duties today, I can't help but the impulse that searches through me. As though I am being hit with a search of power or energy, I pick up a stone next to me, twirling it between my fingers. Reflexes kick in and I throw the stone towards the deer, not at it but close enough to startle it.

The silence is broken by the stone hitting the ground just ahead of us, it rolls a few inches through the dirt before coming to a stop. Stunned, the deer raises its head in our direction. Its eyes big and dark and aimed right at us, the ears on either side of its head upright scanning for further sounds. Without any warning it bolts towards the other side of the clearing, not even looking back for confirmation.

Out the corner of my eye I see Percy, stand up and make a move forward further into the clearing. The knife still in his hand and shirt dishevelled hanging off of his shoulders. The atmosphere changes as my focus releases allowing the sights and sounds of the woodland to come back into play. I have never noticed how loud the chirping of birds can be, I instinctively look up into the trees for confirmation it is our feathered friends making the noise.

"What the hell Gally?" Stunned and confused Percy stands with his arms out by his side, knife now precariously in his hand.

"I told you, we are not here to hunt today," I tell him like a reprimanded child. For a flash of a moment I heard my mother's voice reverberate from between my lips.

"Who died and made you boss?" He snaps with a little huff in his voice. He slides his knife back into the makeshift sheaf, pulls his shirt back over his shoulders and walks over to his pack. Slinging it over his shoulder his strides past me, with not so much as a look.

"At least you are stropping off in the right direction," I appreciate it isn't the most helpful thing to say but I found my sense of humour was always an ice breaker.

Aside from the crunching of leaves under foot, the only other thing I pick up is the recognisable sound of Percy's tongue clicking against the top of his mouth. I walk slowly behind him not to aggravate him anymore. He begins to carry out our checks on the Eastern perimeter.Checking the fence for instabilities and the undergrowth for any signs of potential visitors, not just deer's either. We find the odd footprint, broken branches and leftovers from something dinner, but thankfully nothing as a result of other humans.