The Mender

On the Hunt

Nagar and Zura were alarmed. What was happening? Was someone attacking them? Zura stood up. Saba held up her hand, "No, it's all right. We found antelope tracks! Kai and Esri are going after them."

This was indeed hopeful news if the large animals were coming back. They would have better supplies of meat and bone marrow again. They were trapping some small animals but they only provided meager amounts of meat.

Fenti-Dumu was anxious to go, "I want to hunt too!"

Nagar told him, "Not this time, Fenti-Dumu. Your time will come. If the large animals are back, the hunters will start taking you and show you what to do."

Kai and Esri were experienced hunters. And though the two had never hunted large animals together, they often talked about it and practiced using their spears and working together should the opportunity ever come. And now, here it was. They could not contain their excitement. If they could start finding and killing large animals again, it would make everyone stronger and happy to have bigger, satisfying meals once more.

It would be difficult to make a quick kill with just the two of them. They could possibly run down one of the antelope, but that might take days and bring them too far away from Flat Rocks. They worked out their plan as they ran back to where they saw the antelope tracks. They followed their traces. It appeared to be 4 or 5 antelope feeding on some of the new plant shoots growing by the river. The small herd would likely be following the river for a while. Esri and Kai split up. Kai circled away from the river and ran as fast as he could. Esri kept moving behind the tracks.

Their best opportunity would occur if Kai could get ahead of the herd to the large tree that hung over one of the well-worn animal paths coming up from the river. The tree was a favorite hunting spot from the days before the Ash Rain. The track was narrow and rugged at the point where it passed beside the tree. Even an agile antelope needed to slow slightly, allowing a skilled hunter hiding in the branches of the tree the opportunity to thrust a spear into a fatal spot.

Kai raced to position himself in the tree and wait for the antelope to navigate the track underneath and, hopefully, be able to thrust his spear into one of them as they ran by. Coming up behind, Esri's job was to encourage the herd to go in the direction of the tree and be there to finish off the kill if need be.

The tracks were fresh and if the herd moved quickly, it would be difficult for Kai to get far enough ahead of them. Hopefully, the antelope would continue to stop and feed. Esri moved swiftly and silently. She needed to come close enough to spot them, follow them, and, at the right moment, startle them up the narrow path, running under the tree where Kai was perched. The antelope could easily decide to move off in many directions that she would not be able to control. This would be far easier with a larger hunting party.

Esri slipped over the next rise and stayed low. There below stood the herd. Four antelope, two adults and two calves, were grazing near the river. They looked small and underfed but, still, far bigger than any animal she had seen in a long time. She was sure Kai would try for one of the adults if she could steer them up the path. The wind was in her favor. The herd did not notice her and kept eating.

On several of their pretend hunts, Kai had shown her the tree over the path. Esri knew exactly where it was and how long it would take him to get there. If only the antelope would keep eating a little longer.

The adults took turns looking around. One started to move away from Esri. They didn't seem alarmed, just wanting to move along. She watched them go up and over the next rise before she moved away from her cover. If she startled them now, they might take off in the wrong direction. Creeping along, she was relieved to spot them again when she crested the next hill. A little farther and they would have few options but to go up the path by the tree. The herd moved on, still ambling. When they turned away from her, she moved quietly from one bush to the next, making her way closer to the river.