Rise Of The Hunters - Chapter 44

With a selection of curses, the three boys turned tail and ran, not even noticing Xun as they passed. The wolf looked at them curiously as Xun caught up with Hayden. When it decided they weren’t very interesting, it turned and disappeared back into the trees.

“Beautiful!” breathed Hayden with a small smile. His whole face lit up with delight.

Xun smiled too, glad that the wolf had decided they weren’t impressive enough to attack. It had looked like an old wolf, possibly a leader of the pack to the south, or maybe an outcast that lived by itself. It probably had a lot of experience with people.

“Have you seen other wolves before?” asked Xun. Maybe the wolf recognized Hayden and decided to leave them alone because of that?

“Only from a distance. They normally notice me long before I can get close enough to hunt one. The older hunters used to hunt them a lot so they avoid the valley for the most part now.”

Xun nodded, then followed Hayden as he quickly made his way across the river.

“Thanks for helping me with those three. They are always following me and trying to cause trouble. The fletchers had told me that if I didn’t stop breaking my arrows, they would stop giving me any at all. I don’t have the time to learn how to make my own, so that would have had me kicked out.” Hayden was stepping carefully on tree roots and bȧrė patches, avoiding the snow as best as he could.

Xun was relieved at the explanation. He didn’t want to think bad of him.

“That’s okay, I don’t mind helping out when I can. I’ve had my fair share of bully problems.”

“Really? How did you get rid of them?”

“I broke them.”

Hayden looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, perched on top of a fallen tree stump.

“Could you teach me?”

“I could, but I don’t think the parents of these particular bullies would appreciate my form of re-education. It could get you kicked out of the compound.”

Hayden was quiet for a few minutes, thinking about that as they moved through the forest. Xun was pretty impressed with him, at how well he moved.

“I was only ever allowed to learn to use a bow and arrow. My parents were terrified of letting the hunters teach me a close combat weapon. They thought that I would be safer if I could only attack from a distance.”

Xun didn’t say anything. If Hayden felt comfortable enough to share, he would let him.

Hayden paused to examine some tracks, and Xun glanced at them too. He needed to get back to the ledge with some wood and start smoking the meat he had, but he couldn’t seem to pull away from the opportunity to bond more with Hayden.

Keeping an eye on their surroundings, Xun let Hayden lead the way. He was tracking a couple of deer that were intent on the annual mating dance all deer participated in. The buck would have a very strong flavor, but the doe would be good. The meat would be better at most any other time, but if he had to choose, Xun would always prefer the meat of a doe over a buck. He refused to kill them when they had babies, but otherwise, they were his favorite.

Hayden followed the tracks for half a mile, before they finally spied them near a rock wall. Xun was curious because he had never seen deer deliberately place themselves in a corner they couldn’t escape from, but Hayden seemed to lose interest in them.

“While I don’t mind the help hunting, I don’t normally hunt with other people,” Hayden said, moving away from the deer.

Xun looked back at the two, but they seemed to have disappeared. Turning to follow Hayden, he made a note to himself to check it out later, if he had a chance.

“Want to help me gather wood for a fire? I’ll help you get a couple deer or something?” Xun needed to get his meat smoking before it too became a lost cause. The sheep was a sore point in his mind.

“Why do you need to build a fire?” asked Hayden surprised.

“I still need to finish smoking the meat from the other day. The kitchen people didn’t like when I took extra food while hunting and I want to make sure I can eat when I want to.”

Xun made sure that he found two nice deer for Hayden to take back. They were bucks that were too busy fighting to pay much attention to them as they snuck up on them. Hayden was grateful to be able to use the wagon to haul the deer back with, and Xun didn’t have to return to the compound immediately.

It was late when they parted. After checking that his meat was doing alright, he began exploring the valley in depth. He needed to find a suitable place to call home that would protect him from the cold, and any predators that might become interested in him as winter dragged on.

As the last of the light drained away, Xun finally gave up his search. He returned to the smoker, taking some of the meat that was done, and place it in his bag. Sitting on the ledge of the cliff, he ate a few pieces as the stars began to shine. They covered the entire sky in a beautiful display of indifference. In the distance, to the south, he could hear the local wolves begin to howl, their cries drifting in the sky.