The Hunters of Sian

The Hunt

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Chapter Twenty-Six

The Hunt

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Nell had a lot of trouble getting his breakfast down the next day. Awkwardly though, he needn't have been so stressed. Despite leaving the cabin early and making several long looping circles deep into the forest, they didn't come across any Nightmares. They did find another herd of quilldeer and camped by them for several hours, but the trees were very thick in this part of the forest and the chance of a Nightmare being able to burrow between them was slim.

Finally, almost numb from head to toe with cold, Nell had been relieved when Sallos had simply removed his spear and aimed for one of the bucks. Nell imitated. He missed his target but thankfully Sallos didn't. The demon decided to leave the entire kill to the hungry dracks and even allowed their mounts to stop by some thick moss.

Nell sat shivering in the saddle, watching in fascination as the two dracks set to scrapping the moss and fungi off the bark with their claws and teeth.

'The snow is much like the desert in some respects. Trapped here, it always better to ensure that you mount is well taken care of. You may pass out in the saddle and Thorn will carry you home. If he goes down, you will both die out here,' Sallos said sagely as he stroked Shade's powerful neck. Nell nodded though he was sorely tempted to point out that Thorn would probably try to eat him if Sallos wasn't there.

Still, Nell tried not to show his excitement at the lack of Nightmares. Finally, stiff and feeling almost frozen to his saddle, they went back to the cabin. They refilled and warmed the water for the large reptiles before slouching off to the cabin where they revived over a strong sweet cup of tea and a large helping of quilldeer stew.

The next day came with even less light then usual as a strong evil wind picked up the loose snow crystals and threw them everywhere. Nell had to wear his muffler. Sallos would not be deterred by the weather and rode out confidently, Nell and Thorn at his rear. Their only goal each morning was to hunt down the quilldeer herd. Without the herd, there would be no hunt. Sometimes they found the herd tightly packed into a thick tangle of trees and scrub. This meant the day was usually a loss.

'Can't we just chase them out into the open for the Nightmares to find?' Nell asked, the first time this happened.

'No. The tremors of a fleeing herd would attract a Crawling Nightmare, but they are not mindless beasts. The only creature to cause a herd to flee would either be a demon or another Nightmare. No other large predators live in the Hoarfrost Forest in winter. Either way, the Nightmares know this and would be unlikely to come. No, the Nightmare must find and hunt the herd on its own.'

Today's conditions seemed even worse than usual. Leaning into the wind, squinting through the huge trees, Nell only had a faint idea of where they were going. He was thankful for Shade and Sallos' dark hides because he could barely see them as it was. The two dracks proceeded slowly, weaving in and around the enormous tree trunks, noses to the wind as they tracked the herd.

Thankfully, it only took an hour before the found the quilldeer, huddled together in a clearing. The does were closer to the trees but the bucks were moving about away from the protective timbers. With the wind whipping and the light so bad, it was perfect conditions for a Nightmare hunt.

Nell and Sallos waited.

Time seemed to crawl by in that howling wind and spinning snow. The dracks huddled close together to protect themselves from the harsh wind chill. Even with his thick furs, Nell's ears were beginning to ache with cold. Sallos unhooked his weapon and Nell did the same, his hands so cold that he could barely work them around the glaive's handle.