Raven's Heart: The Isle of Mists

1.1. - The Hunter and the Crow

"You are dead" she reflected though he didn't seem to realize it, not yet.

The deer was nibbling at the grass leisurely, just on the edge of the forest. Every now and then he would raise his head, crowned by majestic antlers and listen. At times, it seemed to Lirr that the animal was looking right at them, as his eyes as black as shiny pieces of obsidian, surveyed the surroundings thoughtfully but with no trace of fear. It was just an illusion though. They found a perfect hideout among huge ferns and the delicate breath of wind convinced her that they were on his leeward, and there was no way the cuckold could sense them.

„You are dead," she thought again, with sadness, clutching her fists nervously. She did not want to watch this. For the hundredth time this morning she promised herself never again to touch roasted deer.

Cael ducked his head in his arms even harder now and kneeled deeper in the ferns looking for a better support for his shot. He was an accomplished hunter; one good bolt was enough for him to knock down even such a powerful animal. Involuntarily Lirr imagined how the shiny black eyes freeze in fear of death and felt a sudden, stabbing anxiety.

Ever since she lived on dry land, she would venture out hunting with Cael on countless occasions. She even taught herself to use both the bow and the crossbow and she could shoot decently enough, she never really shared his passion for hunting.

She bit her lip, suppressing a sigh when a single ray of light pierced through the thicket of trees and lit the dark golden antlers for a moment. The stag looked as if he was wearing a crown of gold. He was far too magnificent, too innocent too... thinking to die. It seemed to her that she could see a flash of soul and something more in his black eyes, something hard to grasp, mysterious, something that hypnotized her and took away her reasonable thinking. She felt like an intruder.

Oblivious to her thoughts, Cael seemed to be in his element. Noiselessly, he stretched himself forward in the ferns and clung to the ground, leaning his face on the trunk of a fallen tree, covered in soft, emerald-green moss. Lirr was crouching so close behind him that she could feel how he freezed suddenly, focusing on his crossbow and his aim. The forest seemed to freeze as well, holding its breath and going quiet. The girl leaned forward, unconsciously and lightly touched his arm.

„Run away!" she thought, clenching her teeth to calm herself down. Suddenly the stag looked right at her. She would swear that he was looking directly and deliberately into her eyes as he abruptly stopped his slow chewing of the grass. Finally, she took her eyes off him and looked fidgeting at Cael's back wondering if he would hold her guilty if the deer should run away. There were few things he would take as seriously as hunting and such majestic antlers would definitely elevate the rank of the prey.

The girl moved closer and squeezed Cael's arm, dead-still in his shooting position. He stirred slightly though not moving his crossbow even by an inch and glanced at her sideways, his sapphire eyes revealing a peculiar expression of amused curiosity. He raised one brow and smiled at her from behind a fern. He seemed in high spirits today. Lirr started frantically debating what she should do next. "Whaleshit...!"

„Run away!" she repeated in her thoughts feeling that some bizarre tension was now hanging in the air. At the same time, she could not tear her eyes of Cael, whose even one look was usually enough to make her feel dizzy. She could not help smiling back at him, even though, the racing of her heart was rather due to the deadly danger of the crossbow and the premonition of death.

The stag stirred as if alarmed by a sudden noise, but strangely, the forest was overwhelmingly quiet. He shot a side glance in the direction of their hideout and waggled his ears. Without any sound, Cael propped himself up and glanced at Lirr. The girl bit her lip and felt blood pounding in her ears. „Now or never!" the thought crossed her mind in a flash and then something completely unexpected happened.