The Rule of Succession

Chapter Five

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Chapter Five

Artemis stalked through the woods, slowly and quietly observing the stillness of the nature around her. The rain fell quietly, the leaves of the trees blocking most of the brunt of the ongoing thunderstorm. The floor below her was entirely mud, having never been given the time to dry in the last three years. It made animals both easier and harder to track. Animal tracks were more likely to stick in mud, however the constant rain made it more likely for the tracks to be washed away.

She slowly crept forward, drops of rain splattering on her face. Raindrops dripped off of the bow slung over her back. She jerked her head to the right as she caught the scent of prey. Moving slowly, so as not to alert the bear that she was near, she climbed an oak tree. She perched herself on a branch that overlooked a cave.

She pulled her bow off of her back and slowly, with care, nocked an arrow. She drew the bowstring back and fired at the dirt in front of the cave opening. The arrow dug itself into the mud with a wet 'schleck'. Heavy footsteps echoed inside the cave, slowly drawing closer to the entrance.

Artemis shifted her weight as she drew another arrow and pulled the drawstring back. She lined up a shot, predicting the actions of the bear. The feathers of the arrow grazed her nose as she held her breath. She watched.

In the darkness of the cave, a large grizzly bear emerged. It moved slowly, cautiously as it spotted the arrow in the mud. As the bear came into the open, the rain matted its fur. It sniffed the arrow before growling lightly. It looked around, its fatal mistake.

Artemis let the arrow loose. It sailed through the air, piercing the hide of the beast, entering the lungs as well as the heart. The bear dropped dead instantly. The Goddess of Hunting dropped down from the branch, rolling as she met the ground. She slung the bow over her back as she came up.

She approached the dead bear. Above the corpse, she could see the faint blue outline of the bear. She reached her hand out. The bear sniffed her hand before nuzzling it. Using her free hand, she pet the spectral apparition. Slowly it dissipated into silver specks. Elsewhere in the forest, a grizzly bear was born.

She looked down at the corpse and knelt down. She grasped the arrow and lightly tugged at it. The arrow barely budged. She sighed and pulled the hunting knife from her belt. She slowly cut around the arrow, avoiding damaging the meat. She tried pulling the arrow again and this time she was able to pull it out.

She pulled a cloth out of a pouch tied to her belt and wiped the arrow down, removing the blood from it before placing it back in her quiver. She put the handkerchief back in her pouch. She turned to the corpse again and rolled the bear over. Using the corpse's legs as handles, she picked the bear up and slung it over her shoulder.

As she turned to return back to her Hunters, she felt a presence near her. She thought it was Apollo for a second, before remembering he was still mortal. She never thought she would see the day that she missed the idiot. Instead, she turned to see Hermes standing there. He was soaking wet, his hair matted and flat. He was slouching and leaning against his caduceus. He looked tired.

"Hermes?" She asked.

"You've been summoned. All of us have, except for Father and Uncle."

Artemis blinked twice. "A meeting?" They hadn't had one since the war started. Not even on either of the solstices. They'd all been too busy minimizing the damage to the mortal world caused by the clashing Gods. All her time and energy had been dedicated to persevering the forests of the world. "Has someone finally come up with a solution?"