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It was late in the season and Dravite saw no reason in disrupting the man's plans, "it's settled then," he smiled, driving his heel down against another warren in order to force it in on itself, "this fall, you will come and camp with us, your family too if you choose. I’ll recommend you to The Watch and hopefully we will be assigned the same missions."
They had gone some way before Dravite realised how fruitless his efforts seemed, even with Lian's help, "why didn't we bring the dogs?" He piped up, "that might have been smarter."
The hairs on the nape of his neck prickled and Dravite, having detected something, turned around slowly to look into the tussocks; eyeing the tall grass in an attempt to spot whatever it was that had set his senses to high alert. With slow, measured footsteps he edged towards the thick undergrowth, spear raised as he crept forwards to investigate the area ahead of him. Something small, fast, and furry darted out from under his shadow, causing the man to strike, driving his father's bone spear down through the tussocks to pin something on the point of his weapon.
A high pitched screech saw the man fall backwards before he rolled away from the area and danced across the ruined warren to join Lian, abandoning his spear. The smell that permeated the air was unbearable and Dravite couldn’t help but laugh until his ribs were sore, "it got my foot!" He complained, disgust, horror, pain, amusement, regret, shame, quick to set his hands in motion, "a skunk!" He growled and hurriedly bent down to shovel dirt onto his riding boots with his bare hands in order to mask the stench, dulling it a little.
His bone spear moved as the animal was slowly overcome by death, sighing its last breath only a few metres from the hunters. Dravite was just about to go forwards and collect his weapon when he noticed something lunge skyward at the edge of his vision. A rabbit had become trapped in one of his snares and was struggling desperately to free itself as the wire tightened around its neck. The horse lord ran down the edge of the warren, avoiding all of the holes they had come across to claim the rabbit's life on the edge of his dagger. He drew the blade across the creature's neck swiftly to end its suffering before he realised that this was the exact rabbit that had escaped death once already on the edge of his spear.
The two rabbits were tied to the man's leather belt before he worked to unset his second snare and returned to where he had left his weapon. The area still smelt terrible and Dravite wondered how difficult it would be to clean his spear. He kept the skunk impaled on the far end of the weapon and walked with it at arm’s length, "you win," Dravite laughed, "I think I might call it a day and get these lot skinned and cooking."
He looked at the yvas bag stuffed with the rabbits that Lian had caught, "remind me never to put any money on our little bets; my wives would kill me," he laughed then, but quickly stilled to point out a rabbit in the distance, "go on, one more for luck," he told Lian, remaining still so that the man could take the shot.
.
.
.
They had gone some way before Dravite realised how fruitless his efforts seemed, even with Lian's help, "why didn't we bring the dogs?" He piped up, "that might have been smarter."
The hairs on the nape of his neck prickled and Dravite, having detected something, turned around slowly to look into the tussocks; eyeing the tall grass in an attempt to spot whatever it was that had set his senses to high alert. With slow, measured footsteps he edged towards the thick undergrowth, spear raised as he crept forwards to investigate the area ahead of him. Something small, fast, and furry darted out from under his shadow, causing the man to strike, driving his father's bone spear down through the tussocks to pin something on the point of his weapon.
A high pitched screech saw the man fall backwards before he rolled away from the area and danced across the ruined warren to join Lian, abandoning his spear. The smell that permeated the air was unbearable and Dravite couldn’t help but laugh until his ribs were sore, "it got my foot!" He complained, disgust, horror, pain, amusement, regret, shame, quick to set his hands in motion, "a skunk!" He growled and hurriedly bent down to shovel dirt onto his riding boots with his bare hands in order to mask the stench, dulling it a little.
His bone spear moved as the animal was slowly overcome by death, sighing its last breath only a few metres from the hunters. Dravite was just about to go forwards and collect his weapon when he noticed something lunge skyward at the edge of his vision. A rabbit had become trapped in one of his snares and was struggling desperately to free itself as the wire tightened around its neck. The horse lord ran down the edge of the warren, avoiding all of the holes they had come across to claim the rabbit's life on the edge of his dagger. He drew the blade across the creature's neck swiftly to end its suffering before he realised that this was the exact rabbit that had escaped death once already on the edge of his spear.
The two rabbits were tied to the man's leather belt before he worked to unset his second snare and returned to where he had left his weapon. The area still smelt terrible and Dravite wondered how difficult it would be to clean his spear. He kept the skunk impaled on the far end of the weapon and walked with it at arm’s length, "you win," Dravite laughed, "I think I might call it a day and get these lot skinned and cooking."
He looked at the yvas bag stuffed with the rabbits that Lian had caught, "remind me never to put any money on our little bets; my wives would kill me," he laughed then, but quickly stilled to point out a rabbit in the distance, "go on, one more for luck," he told Lian, remaining still so that the man could take the shot.
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