Mantrin Imperial Guard - 004 Homestead

Chapter 7: The Hunt, Part I

Weyan, Thylun, Itan, Syrran, Trezka and Nami

"Stay..."

"Very..."

"Still."

Nami did not flinch for a moment when she heard footsteps behind her, focused on her target instead of the strain in her arms, or anything else for that matter. Holding an arrow positioned against the tensed string of her handcrafted wooden longbow, she stared down the shaft at her target; a deer-like animal commonly found in the forests of Solbrecht's called a churii.

She had crafted the weapon herself. It was in her third try of paying meticulous attention to the dimensions, quality of the materials, the woodwork and the cycles spent in perfecting it that she had created something that satisfied her. After countless cycles of training, alone and with her mother she had mastered the art and she often longed for these kinds of moments where she could put it into practice.

The churii had not seen her, but its sense of smell was strong enough for it to detect danger from a distance. She had kept this distance, using a tree as cover to retrieve her weapon and remove an arrow from the quiver on her back. After making sure she hadn't ruined her chances yet, she had left cover and now pointed the tip of the arrow at the lone animal grazing on a patch of grass at what she estimated was at least a hundred steps of distance.

Fortunately the person standing behind her was as experienced as she was and obeyed her command, keeping his or her mouth shut, while ceasing to make any kind of sound. Her keen eyes noticed the churii chewing on a mouthful of grass as it raised its long neck up to look around while not moving from its position.

This was her chance. She felt it. The animal was still unaware of the huntress. It was not yet startled by any other sounds. Her breathing calm, her chest moved up and down with a perfect even rhythm as her strong arms continued to hold the bow steady. Until...

...release.

She heard the feathered arrow whiz through the air, the energy inside the tensed string launching it toward its target at an incredible speed. Her sharp ears picked up the 'chok' sound as it hit flesh and bone. Heard the moan of the churii as it stumbled on its four legs, before hitting the grass with a dull thud.

Lowering her weapon after confirming the hit, she allowed the edges of her black beak to curve upwards. I still got it.

"Wow, you're great with that."

The male voice belonged to Weyan. When she looked over her shoulder he stepped closer to her, his face a picture of joy. The Mantrin with his skin a dark brown color and splotches of black, his mixed Sogowan-Logri blood being responsible, had been looking forward to this trip for a long time or so he had told them at least five times on this single day.

He was dressed in the same two-part hunting gear as she was, which closely resembled poetyo in the way the parts of their body around their groin and chest were covered, making it comfortable to wear by maximizing freedom of movement. The only difference from the traditional version was the use of a high-tech fabric which further improved heat dissipation to allow their bodies to stay cool, even on Solbrecht's hottest days. Although part of the set, they had currently left off the ear dress as the dense canopy above them provided enough shade to prevent sunburn. They were going to need it later as local weather predictions had announced high temperatures for the next two days of their trip.

"I accept your flattery," she said, a smug smile on her face. She pointed with her beak in the direction of the kill. "You think you can carry that on your own?"

Weyan rubbed his hands as he flexed the strong muscles in his broad shoulders.

"Let me handle that."