Siderius and Ashe moved alongside the river banks. Siderius brought the sling and hunter's knife with him while Ashe did not have anything with her.
"Maybe I should have a knife with me?" Ashe said.
Siderius shook his head. "Your task is to follow along and learn, my apprentice. You need to have knowledge before taking action. Or else it will be pointless."
"I understand, Master."
Siderius came to the previous place where he had hunted the buffalo. It was an open clearing with tall grass on either side of the rivers. Further in were the trees.
"One of the easiest big game in the wilds is deer. Hunting deer is the safest as most of the time it will run away from you. It also has quite a lot of goods on its body. Meat, hide, antlers.
Now, to hunt deer. You need to know where it would be. Or in this case, where it would choose to sleep.
You do not need to overthink it. Just ask yourself, if you are in the wilds, where would you like to sleep? Which traits would be the most important in choosing your shelter?"
Siderius stopped at the middle of the path, looking at Ashe.
She thought carefully before answering. "If I was to choose a place to sleep. First is I probably pick a location near resources because water and food are critical. Second I need to pick a safe location so probably somewhere hidden or hard to notice. Lastly, I will probably pick somewhere that can shield me from the harsh weather, so probably somewhere with thick foliage."
Siderius nodded. "Follow me."
He led Ashe to the tall grassland next to the river. The grass here was high, higher than even Siderius. If there were any predators here, they wouldn't even know it.
"You were pretty spot on about how a deer would choose its bedding location.
They will pick a place near water or food. So if you find a river, you can be pretty sure that a deer will be around somewhere.
The second point you make is also correct. But you are only half-correct. A deer will choose somewhere secluded to lay down. But that location needs to have something else."
Siderius led her to a spot on the edge of the grassland. From there, they could see the entire landscape surrounding the river banks. But on the other side, it would prove difficult for anything to spot them.
Siderius dropped down to examine a patch of dry grass that was stomped on. It was exactly at the location he picked.
"See here. This was the bed of a deer in the past. It lay here and crumbled all the grass."
Then he stood up and looked around in a circle.
"Not only a deer wants a hidden area. It also wants a location with a vantage point. This is a perfect location. If it spots a predator on the river banks, it can turn its back and disappear into the grassland without the predator even notices."
Ashe nodded repeatedly. She's trying her best to dissolve all the information Siderius was giving.
Siderius continued on his path. They left the river banks and entered the woods. The grass here was lower but still provided very sufficient cover with the thick layer of trees.
"As for the third point you made. Yes, a deer might consider that aspect. In cold weather, they may find a place with lots of sunlight to keep warm. In hot weather, a shady spot is nice. In rain and storm, a dense foliage of trees will be perfect.
But I would not be concerned about this if I were you. Not until I become more experienced in tracking a deer.
Instead of that, what you need to be concerned about is wind."
"Wind, Master?" Ashe furrowed.
"The best defensive and survival mechanism of a deer is its sense of smell. It can detect other animals and humans from a mile away."
Siderius squatted down in front of a small plant. Its body was upright like a pole with big, blossomed leaves on either side. It had a tear-drop pod on the top. When Siderius popped the pod, a group of brown seeds poured out.
Each seed was attached to an umbrella of bloomed silky white hair. The wind carried the seeds away, painting its path visible to the naked eyes.
Siderius snatched a dozen pods and put them inside his pocket. He also gave a few to Ashe.
"Milkweed. They probably have another name for it here. Its seeds are dispersed exactly by the path of the wind.
By releasing it, you can find out exactly the wind direction and position yourself to be hidden away from a deer's sensitive nose.
We want to pick a location downwind where our scent will be carried away from the deer, not to it.
If we're able to do that, we will become invisible to the deer.
Come. Let's follow the milkweed."
The pair continued on, using the floating white seeds as their navigator.
"This is how we will be able to find a deer. We find an area where resources are near. Then we narrow it down to the most concealed location that has a vantage point. After that, we pick a place downwind and wait for the deer to appear.
Soon or later, it will show up."
Siderius and Ashe sat down in a bush near the river banks. This place was close to the original grassland that Siderius had previously examined. But that location was upwind and if they bushed there, the deer would definitely detect them.
The new bush Siderius picked was farther from a deer's ideal place but guaranteed their smell wouldn't expose those. They also had a good vision toward the entire landscape of the river banks from here.
"Speak low and soft from here on out." Siderius whispered. "Deer's hearing might be worse than its nose but it is still very sharp. If we spot a deer, do not speak as we might scare it away."
"I understand, Master." Ashe whispered back.