Cold air rushed through the thick pines as the sun dropped behind the distant miles of trees. Freezing air filled my lungs as one breath after another became farther apart. I stalked my prey as my father taught me, low to the ground, quickly and quietly. I watched carefully as the stag lifted and lowered its head eating what grass it could find under the snow. Watching its ears perk back and forth listening for even the slightest sound.
I raised my bow slowly marking my target, taking my time. I pulled the arrow back taking careful aim not to miss my target. As it dropped its head again I loosed my arrow hitting my target perfectly. It cried out and fell to the ground, I quickly rushed to it to not let it suffer long. Placing my hand on its neck I grab my knife and whisper to the winds as I bury it into its heart. "So to will I become one with the land as you do, when my time has come."
The stags eyes close slowly as it becomes at peace with its passing. "A fine shot Ysellian, your father would be proud." Helika, prime hunter of our village strides up next to me as I remove my knife from the stag. "I learned from the best after all, so I can only preform the best." He kneeled next to the kill examining the arrows mark looking for any improvements to be made. He smiles and stands only after a few seconds, "Your arrow staggered when it pierced it, you didn't put enough strength into your pullback." He says with a half-assed grin, raising his arm.
I quickly came to my feet and smiled back lifting my arm to meet his. "Then I guess I should have learned directly from my father. Perhaps he would have shown me to use more strength." He laughed to himself as we tied rope around our prize. "So I noticed you were slightly, distracted, in the village before we left." I paused and turned my head enough to meet his eyes to mine. "I noticed something today, why did you bring that up?" He smiled and turned back to his rope, "Something? Or someone?" I felt my cheeks go red and hot in the mountain air. I quickly turned back to finishing my knots in the rope. He laughed again and slapped me on the back, "It's ok Ysellian your coming of the age where you will start looking for a woman to bind to. The one you were looking at today, what's her name?" I sighed into the cold mountain wind and smiled, "I don't even know."
Hours passed as the moon fell upon the mountain. Our walk home was as lively as our hunt, quick and quiet. Even a fool knows not to make too much noise at night. The mountain wolves are not something easily handled. As we passed through the thick line of trees a familiar light shined through its branches, home. We walked through a clearing onto the outskirts of our village. Torches flickered trying to stay lit in the cold winds. Other hunters came to greet us as we walked. "It's about time you showed up Helika, we thought you would have left Ysellian out there to die." Shavis, one of the younger hunters only 22 years of age yelled smiling at us both.
Helika smiled and pushed me almost knocking me over. "I tried but the little shit kept finding me." The other hunters laughed and began slapping me on the back. " I guess that means that even a child can track you Helika, perhaps it's time you handed your bow over and let me take your place as prime." I said as I kicked him behind the knee sending him staggering forward. He laughed and stood placing his hand on my shoulder. " You will have to pry it from my corpse Ysellian, besides you would miss me too much." The jokes and laughter continued as we finished our long walk to our mountain home of Telith.