The Life Of A Demon Warrior

Chapter Eight - Deliberation (pt. 1)

The day after Sandra Quills offers to enroll me in the school I'm out in the forest hunting for food and gathering mushrooms and berries on the way {You know.... we wouldn't have to worry about hunting and gathering if we went to that school...} Ember starts as I start making a snare for small animals and I roll my eyes {I like hunting} I say back {So do I - just not all the time} Ember counters and I shake my head at her {Lazy} I say as I finish making the trap and set it then move on {Hey!} Ember says defensively as I climb a tree {Just because I don't want to spend my time hunting and gathering doesn't mean I'm lazy! Besides we're being hunted ourselves remember?} she continues and I pause in my climbing {Yes Ember I am aware of this} I say before I continue climbing up the tree.

I continue to travel about the forest around the bunker, gathering berries and mushrooms and setting a few hidden snare traps for small animals on the ground and a couple up in the trees. Once I've finished setting the traps I head deeper into the forest to try and catch bigger game. After a couple hours I find a small deer so I creep up behind it before I tackle it and break it's neck {There - you see? fun} I say to Ember as I pick up the deer and start heading towards the river by the bunker {Yes Alex I see - but wouldn't it be nice to NOT have to hunt and gather all your meals?} she says and I groan in annoyance {Seriously Ember? I thought you hated being around other people more than I do!} I say as I walk over a fallen tree.

When I get to the river I take the deer to a tree that hangs over the river and I take the remains of the rope I had brought with me and I hang up the deer by it's back legs and slit it's throat so it starts draining it's blood into the river {There a reason you're doing that?} Ember says {Yes - it's less messy, easier, and easier to cook this way - and it'll put off less of a scent} I say as I step back from the deer and look around. I spot a black berry bush and start picking and eating berries. After a bit I stop eating the berries and go over to the deer and look at it {Hm.... this'll be awhile} I think to myself {Well yeah-} Ember starts and I cut her off {oh you be quiet} I say back as I start walking towards the bunker.

Once I get back to the bunker I go down and get Growler, his harness, and his leash and go back out then put the harness and leash on Growler and start walking him back towards the river where I left the deer, Growler occasionally stopping to sniff and growl at a bush or rock. When we're almost there Growler stops and sniffs at a bush and doesn't move as he growls "C'mon Growler...." I grumble as I lightly pull at the leash. Growler plants his feet and the fur along the ridge of his back stands up and his tail fluffs out and I frown "What are you going on about fox?" I mumble before I close my eyes and take a deep breath to try and figure out what he's growling at. After a few seconds I laugh and pick him up "It's a porcupine dude - trust me you don't want any of that" I say right before the porcupine comes walking out. Growler sees the porcupine and growls louder and I put a hand on his snout as the porcupine freeze and raises it's quills slightly "Shut your mouth cub - if I get quilled because of you I will shave and muzzle you" I say in a low voice and Growler whines softly but stops growling and I let go of his snout. After a minute the porcupine starts walking away again.

Once the porcupine had gone out of sight I set Growler back down and start walking towards the river again "C'mon Growler let's go" I say as I pull at the leash and he follows with a yip and I chuckle. After about ten minutes we get back to the river and I take off his leash before I go check on the deer. I examine the deer then go back to Growler who is chasing his tail. I call him to me and he comes bounding over while I chuckle "Alright Growler - time for you to learn a thing or two" I say and he tilts his head to the side. I go over by the river and grab a rock  that I had seen a frog on earlier and bring it to him "Smell" I say and he sniffs at it and starts growling.

I pull away the rock and lightly tap his nose and he stops "Good boy" I say before I offer the rock again with the same results from him and me. I do this a few times then he stops growling at it so I go grab a branch and offer it to him and when he starts growling at it I tap his nose again but this time I say "Ffft" and he stops and looks at me. I continue to offer him things that he growls at and I keep tapping his nose and saying 'Ffft' until he stops growling with just the verbal command then I take him on a short walk around the area by the river and whenever he stops and growls and something I just say "Ffft" and he stops. Afterwards I pet him for awhile before I go back to the deer again.

I take out my knife and start skinning the deer. Once I have the deer's hide off I take it over to a large boulder and drape the hide over it before I start scraping the inside of hide clean using first my knife then a rock. After I've finished doing that I take the deer skin into the river and clean off the outside and rinse the inside. When I've finished cleaning the hide off I set it out to dry then get to work on gutting the deer. While I'm pulling the innards from the deer I see Growler playing with a flower near the tree I strung the deer from. I smile and continue cleaning out the deer then I start to pull the meat from the bones.