Closed More than we bargained for

[Naiya]

15th Day of Fall, 515 AV

The hunt had started early, leaving home late at night so that when morning dawned the keen noses of their animals had already picked up the fresh scent of the Olidosapai. The herd had been sighted earlier in the season, tracked carefully in the webbing, so they had a general direction to guide them. All the same, it came as a relief when the animals began to track, noses to the ground.

Naiya dismounted, climbing from Wildfire's back and quickly drawing out cloth scraps to further muffle the sound of the horses hooves. One click on a rock could startle the entire herd. She wove rope through eight pieces of cloth, then lifted Wildfire's hoof to ty the first piece on. The sight that found her reminded her that he was growing long of hoof. She needed to take him somewhere where they would teach her how to fix that. A simple bow, two loops twisted one beneath the other, formed a sufficient knot to hold the cloth in place.

She repeated the process on the three remaining hooves, then did the same for Aani who had come along to help carry the fruits of their hunt. She was tied on a long line to Wildfire's yvas, just in case the hunt startled the mare, Naiya didn't want her to flee. She tied the careful loops onto her hooves then checked the knot on Wildfire's yvas, tugging against the stallion to see how the knot held. Wait, slow follow. Her signs were for Wildfire, he would watch the others, at least, those that needed watching.

Preparations taken the hunters set out in careful formation, Shahar, Snow, and Tuka took the lead, Naiya and Banti branched off, seeking a different angle to follow. They moved through the grass with ease, each mindful of their steps.

Banti was nearly invisible, only her occasional circling around back to Naiya's side let the woman know she was still with them. Naiya was crouched in the grass, her body mimicking the prowl of the cats, her eyes turned to the ground and sky in equal parts. Careful steps fell more quietly as they circled the herd from a distance, Naiya had her bow ready, strung with an arrow nocked, but not yet drawn for firing.

The herd was scattered, small groups silhouetted on the horizon where most of the creatures still slept. The sight of the large creatures chased away any of the weariness Naiya had felt as they crept through the grasses, excitement drawing her to wakefulness once more. The creatures were giant, even from the distance that was clear. She wondered if the extra heavy arrows she had purchased would even make a dent. She would just have to aim for soft spots, the neck would be best, most likely.

LedgerBroad Arrows (20) - 15GM

[Colt]

The day began earlier than most, to the point that it had technically begun late if one was counting the night before. Quiet travels and careful camping had marked a large part of their efforts in beginning the hunt, and it had not gone awry; with their closer proximity, an early start would have much more weight.

Shahar joined his wife in her binding of the horses’ feet, seeking to muffle as much sound as possible. While it certainly wouldn’t be silent, every advantage on a hunt was something to be coveted; it would at least give the horses and riders more leeway when it came to being detected, and could spell the difference between coming home triumphant or empty-handed.

When the hunting party was yvased and ready, Shahar took point. Tuka and Snow made their way just ahead of him, cutting strafing patterns into the grass with their noses to the ground. Snow was shivering with barely contained excitement; she had never hunted something so large, and Shahar made sure to keep up a semblance of confidence for her sake, and for the sake of everyone else. If he didn’t believe they could do it, then no one else would, either.

There was more than one herd waiting for them, brought together by fortune and food. Cows and calves made up the majority of their number, with a handful of larger bulls spread about. The herds had not conflicted––there were more than enough resources here for them all––and they were peaceful as the day began to paint its dawnfire across the silver canvas of the sky. Night was reluctantly retreating before them, and in short order the herd would be waking up, moving to water and then making their slow, grazing way down the pastures of the plains and into the south.

In terms of formation, it was the calves that would be the theoretically hardest to reach, along with their mothers; the most vulnerable members of the herd stayed towards the middle of the cluster, while the few cows without children lingered in another, looser ring surrounding them, while adolescents and bulls had weathered the night closest to the outside, the first defense if danger arose.

Which would suit the hunters, as it was a bull they were searching for.

Shahar summoned his fanged companions back to him, taking note of his fellow hunters’ positions. They were on the west side of the herd, and had moved that way to deliberately take the wind in their favor and avoid announcing their presence prematurely with a stray scent.

There was an older bull on the west side of the herd, scarred with triumph and utterly massive; his size and strength had allowed him to live into his prime, and to even approach the tail end of it. He was powerful, and he had held his status for a long while, and the Drykas would be the ones to take that status from him this day.

He would be their honored prey.

Shahar signaled to his companions. That one, he said. Still asleep, wake soon. All wake soon, and move. Separate him; this one, take away from herd, make him alone. Come close, listen, I have a plan.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

Seirei felt more than a little useless as she followed her friends out into the Sea of Grass. Simply putting the yvas on Kairi had been a challenge for the inexperienced girl. She had watched Naiya and Shahar closely as they had put their yvas on their striders. And watching them had taught her how to put a yvas on a horse. But Kairi hadn't made it easy for her.

At first, the mare had snorted, pinned her ears back, and danced away every time Seirei had tried to approach her with the yvas. After much petting, and complimenting the mare on how wonderful she was, Kairi had deigned to hold still. But she still glared at Seirei every time she had tried to touch the yvas. It had taken several handfuls of grass offered as bribery in the form of treats combined with more being fussed over and complimented before Kairi finally relented. She held still long enough for Seirei to place a blanket over her back gingerly. Then she lifted the yvas, and placed it on Kairi's back, as well. Kairi snorted sharply in irritation, but allowed it. Seirei fumbled with the strap awkwardly, trying to fasten it around the mare's belly. As she did so, Kairi took a deep breath, which caused her chest to expand. Seirei noticed this, but she didn't think anything of it. She was too flustered, at the difficulty she was having with such a simple task. How old were Drykas children when they learned how to put a yvas on a horse? Two? Three? Seirei didn't know, but she felt pathetic for not being able to do something that Drykas were practically born knowing how to do.

Seirei managed to get the strap fastened around Kairi's belly, even if it took far longer than she would have liked. Mounting the mare was somewhat easier. She had done that once already, the day the mare had come to claim her foal. Unfortunately, when she did manage to mount, and settle herself into the yvas, the thing slipped under her weight. With a startled cry, Seirei found herself dumped unceremoniously on the ground. Kairi turned to look at her. Then she snorted sharply.

Kairi was laughing at her. It was obvious even to Seirei, who knew very little of reading a strider's mood. But the mare's actions couldn't be more obvious. Seirei sighed ruefully. The fall had startled her more than it had hurt, but it had knocked the breath out of her for a few chimes. And she knew that she would feel it later. She would be very surprised if she wasn't bruised from the sudden impact with the hard ground.

When Seirei picked up the blanket to try again, the mare danced away from her with mischief in her eyes. It had taken several chimes more of making much of the mare, and grass treats before Kairi relented and let her try again. As Seirei tried to buckle the strap around her belly, Kairi inhaled once more. This time, Seirei made the connection, and realized what had happened. By inhaling, Kairi's chest and belly were bigger, so when Seirei tried to fasten the strap around her, it loosened when the mare released her breath. The loose strap had been what caused the yvas to slip, which in turn had resulted in her fall.

The problem was that Seirei didn't know what she could do about it. She was about to beg Kairi to cooperate when Thunder approached his mother. The expression in his eyes was a watchful one. To Seirei, it almost seemed as though he was scolding his mother when he whickered softly. The mare eyed him for several ticks. Then she sighed, and released her breath. Seirei quickly took the chance to tighten the yvas strap. With any luck, she wouldn't fall again.

She didn't, but to call what Seirei was doing as she followed her friends riding was being very generous. She sat...very stiffly in the yvas, clutching Kairi's mane tightly as the mare followed the other horses. It was painfully obvious who was in control. Kairi walked where she pleased, which fortunately happened to be with the other striders. Seirei was just along for the very uncomfortable ride.

When Seirei saw her friends dismount and wrap their striders' hooves with cloth, Seirei tried to do the same. If they were doing it, there must be a good reason for doing so, after all. But Kairi would have none of it, jerking her leg away each time Seirei tried to pick it up. Finally, she had had enough. With a sharp snort, she pinned her ears back, and landed a sharp kick to Seirei's right thigh.

Seirei managed to bite back her cry of pain, but it was a near thing. She balanced all of her weight on her left leg, and rubbed the injury gingerly. It didn't seem to help much. But their prey had been spotted, and Seirei was determined not to betray their presence to the gigantic animals. And they were huge. Seirei wasn't sure she had ever seen an animal that massive before. They looked powerful. And dangerous. Seirei wondered just how badly her presence was going to mess things up for her friends. Were her arrows even going to be any use against such a creature? Not that it was likely that Seirei would actually be able to hit one. Then again, they were so big, that that was actually in her favor. With a target that big, it would be harder to miss.

A rustle in the tall grass nearby startled Seirei. She tensed, and tried to ready an arrow. She fumbled it, and scrambled to pick it up when she dropped it. She tried again, and this time, she was successful. But it proved to be unnecessary. Seirei recognized the hunting cat that appeared in front of her as being one of Shahar's. Kabek, she thought. What was he doing out here? Had he followed them? What was she supposed to do now that he was here?

Seirei didn't have much time to think about the hunting cat's sudden arrival. Shahar signalled that he had picked out their prey. He wanted them to separate it from the rest of the herd. It was too bad that Seirei had no idea how to do that. She would have to follow the others' lead, and hoped that she didn't do something to mess this up.


Word Count17,485 words.
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[Ife]

In terms of falconry, Ife had been thrown into the deep end. Not only had she been asked by her employer to take one of their finest birds out on a hunt, but the animal which was the target of said hunt was an Olidosapux. Enormous, cantankerous and far from an easy kill. Their hides would be too thick for even a Cyphrus eagle to pierce with their talons, though Ife had been promised by Faren that the eagle she had bought along with her would be more than capable in contributing to the hunt.

The Cyphrus eagle was a female, and thus the larger of the two sexes. Her feathers were dark brown, her eyes sharp and gold. There was a sense of regality about the bird, twinned with an intense dangerousness thanks to the four, five-inch long, talons on each of her feet that that wickedly long beak. The bird had been kept on a small perch that Ife had bought with her from the Hunter's Rest, and was attached to the wooden stand by a thick leather jess strapped onto the eagle's right foot.

The eagle watched Ife keenly as she prepared herself for the upcoming hunt. Copying the other riders, she began to tie pieces of cloth to each of Tizi's hooves in order to dull the sound of the Strider's steps. The horse patiently waited, twisting her head to watch her mistress with mild interest. When Ife had finished, Tizi bumped her skull affectionately into the Inarta's stomach, half-winding Ife but nevertheless making her smile. Her earlier nervousness slowly began to wash away, and as always Ife found her worries and stresses eased by Tizi's quiet companionship.

"We'll do good today." The redhead murmured, scratching the horse's forehead tenderly. There was a lot riding on the success of today's hunt: Ife's confidence in handling an eagle being her foremost concern. But also she was working with a family of Drykas she had not met before now, and Ife did not want to portray herself as a clumsy hunter, in order to save her pavilion the embarrassment and her ego the bruising.

First, though, she would need to prepare the eagle. Faron had insisted that, unlike with smaller flightier birds such as falcons, the eagle would not require a hood. She would instinctively select the largest prey available, especially if the Drykas hunters had already arranged themselves around the selected prey. Still, the bird needed to be fed first and a small bell attached to her feet, also borrowed form the Hunter's Rest. The former would prepare her for the upcoming hunt, whereas the latter would indicate to Ife where the eagle was -- there was no way the Inarta would allow herself to lose this precious, prized eagle.

Whilst she throwing pieces of dried meat to the eagle for her to consume, Ife glanced around those around her. The Dawnwhispers had been the perfect hosts to her so far, friendly and welcoming. She had no doubt that the family would work incredibly well together -- Ife could only hope that the addition of her company would not make a mess of anything.

As with the others, Ife moved towards the head of the family, Shahar, after he signed that he had a plan. She listened and watched intently, determined to do her best and not make a fool of herself.

[Erikal]

They were gorgeous. It was as if Caiyha had fashioned their clothing from the surrounding grasses and trees. Their very bodies serving as a trellis for nature's expression. The trio insinuated themselves into his presence with alluring movements that made even him blush. But he turned his head away from their attentive gazes, searching for the Goddess. "Caiyha are you near? What of my path? How can I help my people if I am lost in the grasses?" he said, his voice lifting an octave with his yearning to understand. Only the soft giggles of those around him answered his call. The Goddess was no where to be seen.

Erikal chuckled and tried to extract himself gently from their hold only to find he was stuck! Suddenly and strangely he realized they were not even human anymore, but had become vine-like, entrapping him in a network of briers, rope-like roots and smothering sedge. "Let me go!" he demanded. On the ends of the encircling tendrils, buds extended and blossomed into flowers which began to squirt in his face, one after the other. Covering his face in a strangely fragrant liquid. "Aaah. Stop it! Caiyha....why?"

***********

The Drykas snapped his eyes open and quickly shut them again when his vision was blurred with water droplets. He growled and raised a hand to shield his eyes from the downpour. Betwixt fingers he noticed a beautiful yet impish face regarding him. "Curse you Jevasel! What in Zulrav's breath are you doing?!" He glared at the woman, sitting up and whipping his slick brown mane back before claiming the offending hand and more importantly, the clay water vessel she was presently attempting to tip over again.

"Don't blame me, horse boy. I would have you know the Ankal himself bid me to wake your slumber. So don't bite the messenger's hand. I was simply doing my duty."

"The Ankal? What in the blazes should he want at this hour?" His bewilderment turned into a scowl. "And your methods for waking me seem a little drastic. Uncalled for even. Anyway, do you know what he wants?"

Jevasel gave an unconcerned shrug of her shoulders, hopped to the pavilion floor of mats that made up his quarters and said rather casually over an embroidered shoulder. "Oh just something about you having the memory of a donkey and that he would be very very angry if you do not attend the hunt. You know, the one you were supposed to be headed to before dawn?" She laughed and hurried out.

"Shyke!" Erikal began to hastily buckle on his leathers and rush about his room. "I forgot all about that," he muttered to himself. . In spite of the wet awakening, he was glad for the reminder. How exciting it would be to actually hunt Olidosapai. That was not something one got to do everyday. He wondered how many arrows and spear thrusts it would take to fell such behemoths.

Chimes later he was outside the Sunspear pavilion, readying Korvas for the hunt. His father, stood close by. Offering some last minute advice.

"Remember my son, those beasts are not to be taken lightly. They may appear docile and slow, but once they are in fear for their lives and that of their herd, they can be quite brutal. A bull's horn can drive through any armor if one is not careful."

"I know father. I promise to be careful. And bring honor to our Pavilion. 'Sides, Korvas here has my back. You aren't afraid of any old cow are you, Kor?" The massive bay stallion gave a shake of his head and snorted dismissively. Erikal chuckled and mussed the steed's mane. "See father? I'm in luck. Kor isn't even interested."

Telkar smiled and embraced his son. "You just get the biggest damn one you can find. I heard it said that the winning hunting party will be rewarded a weapon of their choosing."

"Funny, I heard the same thing. I could use a better spear...." Erikal mused. Korvas was now loaded with yvas and bags that contained his hunting gear. He gave his father a sign of love and farewell before mounting Korvas and wheeling him about.

Telkar reciprocated the sign of love and offered luck for the hunt.

Erikal waved and rode away from the pavilion grounds, riding as quickly as the muddy paths of Endrykas would allow. He hastened toward the Wind-knotted Gates, hoping to catch the hunting party before they left the city behind.

Much to his relief, he met the group just outside the gates, falling in line with them after a jovial greeting. Erikal steered his horse to a position just behind the tall rugged man he knew as Shahar atop his powerful black bay strider, Akaidras and a coppery-haired woman of somewhat pale skin he guessed was Shahar's wife. Erikal also noted a short girl he did not recognize and the always virbrant Ife among the company. Erikal offered each a warm welcome and introduced himself to those who knew him not. "I'm Erikal Sunspear. It is an honor to share the hunt with you," he said with a gesture of respect.

The group spurred into motion and left civilization behind them and entered the Sea of Grass. Erikal paid close attention to all that was said and done. He had never hunted Olidosapai before. And honestly knew very little about what tactics might prove useful against such beasts. One such tactic, as it were, was to muffle the stomp of hooves with stretches of rope and cloth scraps. Erikal puzzled over the method for several chimes, observing Shahar's wife fit her horse. He attempted to copy the design with some rope he had brought along and borrowed scraps....

It seemed he had gotten it mostly correct. Korvas appeared less than impressed with the things wrapped about his hooves. Erikal just hoped the damn things would stay on. Erikal could now make out the enormous shapes of the horned beasts. Zulrav's breath! There were so many...A great herd to behold! Wait, no. Two herds, close together. Erikal observed how the young and their mothers were protectively placed in the middle of the herd whilst the more formidable bulls filled out the herd's edge. Blue-gray eyes surveyed the gathering of bulls closely. Which was the largest among them? He wondered.

Erikal steered his attention to Shahar. The man's gestures directed his gaze to a particularly gigantic bull. He swore under his breath at the sheer size of the creature. It had to be the biggest of them for sure. Big and scarred as if it had been tested by other hunters in the past and.... had survived. The Drykas huddled close to hear of Shahar's plan.......

[Colt]

Shahar waited until all of the hunting party was gathered and listening. He took a moment to lay eyes on each of them in turn, again outlining their task in his head; Erikal, spear-capable, rider, able to assist in combat. Ife, the falconer, possessed of skill with a shortbow and burdened by the weight of a truly massive Cyphrus eagle. Shahar didn’t quite know what the eagle would do on their hunt, but it appeared an exceptionally well-behaved bird; if anything, he doubted that it would get in their way. Seirei, non-combatant, to help with the processing of the animal if and when they felled it. And then Naiya, his wife-of-fire, who was rider, archer and herder all.

It was an odd collection of skills, but it was their hunting party. In terms of up-and-front risk-taking, Shahar was inclined to prefer Erikal at his side; the Diamond clansman possessed both a spear and the ability to use it, which had the greatest damage potential of all of them. Shahar’s javelins came second; they were smaller, but had longer range and could be used both from afar and, if situations were desperate, from up close. It made the most sense then for Shahar and Erikal to be the primary attackers of the bull itself, while the Naiya and Ife could circle at a large enough range for their bows to be ideal. And the bird… the bird could do whatever it wanted.

“Erikal,” Shahar began. “You and I will be closest to him.” Close-quarters attack, risky, most damaging. “Naiya, Ife, you will hang back so you can shoot and keep sight of everything.” Agile, movement, circling, long-distance damage, accuracy. He turned to Seirei. “Seirei, you must watch, and keep yourself safe.” Very important, listen carefully. “If one of us falls and cannot take ourselves from the hunt, you must be the one to take us to safety.”

With the basics of everyone’s role lain out, Shahar turned and gestured once again at their quarry.

“The first thing we must do is separate him. He will wake soon, and the herd will begin to move. If he is threatened, he will defend the herd first. Do not threaten them.” No one but him. “Erikal,” you and I, “We will circle behind him.” Push him away from them, small minor injure him. “He will move away from pain, and if he hurt him in between him and the herd, he will move away.” Slow, not easy, will take time.

Then, to Ife and Naiya, “Watch for the other herd. Don’t let us threaten others, so no more bulls come for us. If more do, tell us. When there is enough space, help us separate our prey.”

He gestured north. “That way, there is a gully. It is small enough for a strider to jump, and big enough to hold our bull. Once he is away from the herd, we must move him that way.” I will lead the way, at that point. “If we lead him into the gully, we will have the high ground on both sides and can reach him with bow and spear.” He will be trapped, have difficulty, slow-moving, easy to keep him in there.

Shahar shifted his entire body to face the herd, which was beginning to murmur sleepily as the rising sun drove the creatures into wakefulness. Intent was clear in the lines of his body as he brought Akaidras to attention and summoned Snow and Tuka to either side.

Questions?

[Naiya]

No question, understand Naiya signed in response to her husbands directions. She glanced across the grass, their quarry was large, scarred from past battles. She would be far back, safe, her strider beneath her as they shoved the bull towards the gully. Shahar would be up close and personal, dancing away from the creature's horns and feet. Be careful, Love she signed to him, catching his eye to emphasize her words.

To Seirei she signed a similar cautioning, then Come, to the horses, the woman would stay back, ready, but out of the heat of danger.

She caught Ife next, Come, ready mount, we need high up to see. She smiled at the woman, caught somewhere between kindness and an excited baring of teeth. She moved quietly as they went for their mounts, she would wait until the others began to They would likely only threaten the one herd, the one the bull protected, but should the others get close, they needed to be able to warn the men, and perhaps ward off the other bull.

The sun would awaken the animals all too quickly, it wouldn't do to waste time. She stood beside Wildfire, attempting to quiet the stallion with hands that shook with excitement. It did no good, but he knew that her energy was not one of fear, and he met her thrill with excitement of his own.

She look to Ife, the woman not too far away, the two would stay close, at least in the beginning, so that they could watch and shape the tide of the battle. Cautious excitement[i] shaped her as she waited for the right moment to begin.

Banti appeared back at her feet, having returned from some other cycle of her own hunting. Naiya scratched her head, the cat had grown fairly large in the past seasons, hunting larger and larger prey on her own. She would be useful in the fighting on the ground. She signed to the cat, her hands casting about for a quick moment. [i]Not too close, distract, danger she wasn't sure how much the cat understood, how much was just her own instinct, all the same, it reassured Naiya when she laid things out for the cat. Help, circle north, caution.

The cat blinked at her, whether in understanding or confusion was impossible to tell. Hunt Naiya signed finally, something she knew the feline understood. She slunk off into the grass, following the other hunters, her brother at Shahar's side.

In moments she could no longer see the cat, lost in the grass tinted the colors of sunrise. Movement caught her attention, the party had gathered themselves and now they were on the move. Naiya swung herself up into the yvas, settling into her seat quickly enough, mindful to be light as she landed on his back.

Silent but for the gentle footfalls of the others, she urged Wildfire into motion with a squeeze of her calves around his girth. She rode out, away from the small group so that she could keep the other herds in sight, watching the other bulls with a careful eye as she moved along.

[Seirei Dawnwhisper]

Seirei listened closely to Shahar's instructions. Watching the hunt from a distance was something she could do. Keeping a close eye on the hunters, so she could get someone to safety if they needed help was, too. She was a little worried about whether Kairi would cooperate or not. The strider had shown Seirei that she would only cooperate when she felt like it. But a hunt was a far more serious matter than an attempt to work with the mare back at camp. And Seirei knew that Kairi was protective over her for Thunder's sake. For that reason, Seirei was fairly certain that Kairi would help her if she needed to get an injured hunter to safety. So she nodded to show that she understood.

No questions. she signed.

She was more than a little relieved to know that she wouldn't be needed to help with the hunt itself. Although she had gotten a little practice with her composite short bow, she had no confident in her ability with it. And these creatures intimidated her more than a little. Seirei had serious doubts that the arrows she had would even do any damage to them. While she desperately wanted to be useful to the others, she was quite happy to leave the hunt itself to the people who knew what they were doing.

Naiya signed a caution to her, and told her to come over to where the horses were waiting. Seirei obeyed quickly, signing a quick good luck to her friend. Then she settled in to wait. She had a good view of the area, so if someone needed help, she would be able to see it, and respond quickly. But if things went well, no one would be injured, and her help wouldn't be needed for that. With luck, she wouldn't be needed until it came time to butcher their kill. And maybe she would even learn something by watching the others.

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[Ife]

Divide and kill. It was a well thought out plan, and Ife was mightily impressed with Shahar’s thinking. If all went well, his tactics would result in minimal risk to the lives of the Drykas hunters, but maximum effective killing.

She considered what role would best suit her feathery charge. A Cyphrus eagle was an impossibly strong raptor, and one as well trained as the female Ife had bought with her could be phenomenally helpful hunting assistant. Typically, birds were trained to kill and receive on order of blowing whistles, and this method was incredivbly effective when hunting small prey, such rabbits and deer, where there was not a specific target. For this hunt, however, the technique would not be suitable. There was a small chance that the eagle could attack the wrong Olidsapux – risking her life and ultimately becoming more hindrance than help.

No, for this hunt Ife would need to use a second method, to mark the chosen target out for the eagle to focus on. This was achieve by using an arrow decorated with a very specific swath of material of a certain colour – in this instance, red. When Ife blew her whistle, the bird would know to search for that red flash of material, and attack which ever animal it was attached to.

Understand, she signed to Shahar, nodding firmly and allowing an excited smile to bear on her lips. But then she retracted something from her quiver – an arrow with a streak of red material attached to the feathered end of it. Shoot at target. Bird will know which to kill, she shaped into the air, her head jerking back towards the Cyphrus eagle. Until then, she will help us separate. Then, to avoid coming across as domineering or too serious, she added with a wink: don’t miss, hunter.

As they dispersed, Ife followed Naiya back to the horses and the precious eagle. To the latter, she gave a final piece of dried meat and then whispered. “Fly high, be safe, hunt well.” It was the miniature prayer she said each time she released such a magnificent bird. The eagle, now free from her jess, rose in the sky, her giant wings impressively large and obviously powerful. For now, the eagle kept relatively low, gliding along with Ife as she followed Naiya out into the grasses.

[Erikal]

The young drykas saw the excitement of the hunt mirrored in the others faces. The dawning light stirred a fire in his veins for what was to come. They were actually going to hunt these mammoths! Erikal tried his best to tame the wild emotions swirling through him and heed Shahar's wise council. The plan seemed worthy of praise to him. But he did have questions. Potential disasters warred with his eager need to hunt.

"I understand my role, brother. But I do have a question. What if this relic of a Olidsapux we hunt today gives warning to his fellow bulls?" Erikal shifted his gaze to Naiya, Ife, and Seirei. "If they distract the bulls from us, the danger will be theirs to contend with won't it? I wish to be successful more than anything and claim the prize. But I would gladly come up empty if it means everyone returns home safely. Should I not leave our quarry to protect any that fall into peril?"

Erikal hoped his concerns were valid. He didn't have the experience Shahar and his wife had on such hunts. And never before had he hunted beasts such as these. Perhaps it was silly to fret over such things. Maybe they were nothing more than sedate herd animals and there was little danger involved. Still, he'd rather not have to answer such questions when the hunt was in progress.

The massive animals began to stir when the dazzling light of the sun broke the horizon, shining brightly on the grasses and reflecting brilliantly off the water. Erikal inhaled the morning air strong with the scent of earth and the leavings of these enormous beasts. Their quarry seemed so peaceful, to him. He almost felt sorry for what they were about to do. If things went their way, a mighty warrior bull would relinquish his watch over the herd.

He knew such reflections would soon depart him. He would give himself over to the hunt. It was required. The hunter must be strong and have no hesitation lest it be his last hunt. It was Caiyha's will that each play their part in survival. It had always been the way. And so it would be today. Erikal whispered a prayer to her for luck that he and his fellow hunters survive the trials of the day and return to Endrykas with a bounty worthy of tale.