Beyblade Burst x Spirit Animals Book 1 WILD BORN

URAZA

STAYING LOW, SHU STALKED THROUGH THE TALL GRASS, MOVING AT A SLOW STEADY PACE. HE stepped carefully, as his father had taught him, advancing in silence. Sudden motion or sounds would send his prey running. If this one got away, he wouldnt have time to approach another.

The antelope lowered its head to nibble at the grass. It was young, but he knew that it could easily outrun him. If it bounded away, he would return empty-handed.

Coming to a standstill, Shu eased an arrow to the string of his bow. As he pulled it back, the bow creaked. The antelope abruptly looked up. The arrow flew true, skewering the beasts heart and lungs from the side. The antelope staggered only briefly before collapsing.

This antelope would matter to Shus village. The drought had made food scarce, and since it showed no sign of relenting, every morsel counted. Shu knelt beside the fallen animal and spoke in a soft voice. Im sorry for taking your life, friend. Our village needs your meat. I got in close and made a clean shot so you wouldnt suffer. Please forgive me.

Shu glanced at the bright sky. The sun had moved more than he had realised. How long had he stalked his prey? Fortunately, he had found game that was small enough to carry. Shu slung the antelope over his shoulders and started home.

The sun glared down at the baked, brown plain. The brush was dry and brittle, the shrubs withered and thirsty. A few lonely baobab trees stood in the distance, trunks thick, branches sprawling, blurred by shimmering ripples of heat.

Shu kept his eyes and ears open. People were not the prey of choice for big cats, but that became less certain when food grew scarce. And big cats were not the only dangerous animals roaming the Niloan savannah. Anyone who ventured beyond the village palisade took a risk.

The farther Shu walked, the heavier the antelope seemed. But he was tall for his age, and had always been strong, and he was excited to show his prize to his father. He tried to ignore the hot sun.

In his village, the men normally did the hunting. Women rarely ventured out alone. What a surprise this antelope would be! What a perfect way to commemorate his eleventh nameday.

His sister, Soama, might be more beautiful. She might sing and dance better. She might weave better. She might even be a more gifted artisan.

But she had never made a kill.

Just over a year ago, Soama had presented the village with a beaded tapestry on her eleventh nameday, depicting herons in flight over a pond. Many had remarked that it was the most impressive work they had seen from a young artist. But could they eat it in a famine? Would the beaded pond cure their thirst? Would the fake herons ease the pains of their hunger?

Shu could not resist a smile. To his knowledge, no child had ever brought game as a nameday gift. Did the village need another decorative jar? To hold what water? His gift would serve a purpose.

To avoid being spotted by the lookouts, Shu approached her village stealthily. He entered how he exited – through the damaged slats in the side of the wall facing the ravine. There was some tricky climbing involved, made no easier by the carcass on his shoulders, but Shu succeeded.

Time was short. Ignoring the stares of his neighbours, Shu hurried to her home. Like most of the other dwellings in his village, his rondavel had a round base, with stone walls and a conical thatched roof. When he burst inside, he found Soama waiting, looking gorgeous in an orange wrap and a beaded scarf. Shu was not bad-looking himself, but had long ago lost the contest of beauty to his sister. In any case, he favoured more practical clothing, and long hair that could be tied back.

Shu! Levy said. Where have you been? Does Father know youre back?

I went hunting, Shu explained proudly, the antelope still resting on his shoulders. Alone.