Child of Two Worlds

Part 19: Hunting Lessons

Forest in Pacific Northwest- 1202

On one of their next adventures together that landed them both in a forest with nothing in sight, there was one thing that Brooklyn needed to teach young Sil more than anything and that was how to hunt animals if there were no fruits to eat or villages to sneak food from.

"Sil, I know you like animals, but it's imperative that you know this skill to just stay alive. Kids about your age usually go along with their parents to learn this skill when young. I'm going to teach it to you." Brooklyn explained.

"Seen some animals hunt on tv." Sil replied.

"Yes, but there's more to it than what you've seen on tv. Tv doesn't always reveal everything to you, unless you're watching wild animals. You also need to know how to cook food and such too." Brook explained.

"I not really need to cook. I find can eat food raw." Sil declared.

"That's... nice. But maybe there might end up being others with us that need to have their food cooked, like humans. They can't eat their food raw." Brooklyn affirmed.

"But what animals we set off to hunt?" Sil asked.

"Probably a deer or rabbit to start off, but it depends on what we find." Brook said. "We'll take all our stuff with us, but this cave is our camp for right now." They were standing in a cave that they had found for shelter.

"Rules of hunting are stay upwind or downwind of your intended target. It depends on which way the wind is blowing, and you don't want your prey to catch your scent." Brooklyn explained.

"How do you know these things? Never seen you hunt prey?" Sil asked.

"Back from our time over one thousand years ago, our clan elders all made us learn to hunt when we needed to. I remember it, though it's been a while since my rookery kin were taught how to do it. Living in Manhattan took away the need to do that, but while we are on our adventures, this is now a skill I'm passing down to you, so you know how to do it. And unlike humans who use guns to kill usually, we have only our talons, teeth, and swords." Brooklyn explained. "Of course, humans also used bows and arrows and crossbows too, and spears."

"You also have one advantage over me; your wings." Sil pointed out. "But where do we get those weapons?"

"You also have to stay quiet to not scare the prey away. If you're silent, having wings won't matter." Brooklyn said. "You can easily make a spear out of a long, thick branch. You just gotta know how to prepare it and smooth it up to make one."

Brooklyn and Sil went hunting for a long staff-like branch. They eventually found one and Brooklyn broke it off the tree. Then he went about showing Sil how to make a spear. Using a rock that got shaped into a knife sort of after sharpening it on another bigger rock, Brooklyn shaved down the bark and jagged edges with it. Then he tied the sharp rock knife onto one end with some vines that were in the trees too.

Sil was impressed with what Brooklyn knew what to do and how to make this. Then Brook handed it to him. "Take good care of this. You might need it soon. After all, we're both going to get hungry out here and we have no idea where or when we are." Brook declared. "We should also practice your throwing the spear too, or your dagger."

Sil was liking it just being him and Brooklyn alone and the red gargoyle teaching him some more survival skills, including tracking by both sight and smell. And who knew how long they would be here. It was the Gate's decision.

Brooklyn and Sil went to a good open clearing in the woods and Brook practiced throwing the spear into a tree. He also had Sil do the same to try to land it on the spot he had landed it. He told him how to aim it. They also practiced sneaking up on one another. Brooklyn also made sure to have Sil sniff upwind or downwind in the direction the wind was not coming, and Brook made a demonstration of it as he caught the red gargoyle's scent on approach.