There was a fervor sweeping the mountain, something so powerful it had not been experienced since the Djed storm nearly a decade prior. Though the inhabitants of the mountain always worked together to secure their survival, something the Valterrian had necessitated some five centuries prior, there was a common spirit behind each individual’s effort. Wind Eagles and Endal had died, and now other Inarta as well. Wind Reach was calling for the death of the Beast, and the season had seemed to be a preparation for that hunt. The Inarta were confident this would be the end of the creature.
Oresnya, however, was reminded of a story, one every Symenestra child grew up with. Symenestra heroes had hunted a creature, heading out of Kalinad with confidence, but they had ended up the hunted. Many Symenestra lives had been lost before that creature was killed. Oresnya sensed the same fate for Wind Reach, the Inarta, and the Beast. After all, this was a creature that had hunted and killed Wind Eagles. This was no monster to take lightly, and though she was sure the Inarta were doing no such thing, Oresnya was certain they were not prepared for the hunt to come.
Even if Oresnya thought them unprepared, they had spent the season doing just that, and due to the extra draw on resources and the increase in work to be done, Oresnya found herself inundated with tasks to do. Though not one to overachieve or brown nose with her superiors, Oresnya found herself getting to work earlier and earlier every day, just to keep up with the work that came in. Eventually, she found herself arriving before anyone else.
That was where she was this particular morning, up before dawn and stepping lightly through the halls so as not to disturb the majority of the inhabitants who were still sleeping. Her rising was so early today that Bob was not waiting for her when she stepped out of her apartment. It was odd to her, not to begin the day with their usual greeting full of false hostility and masked affection. She liked him, in a way one might enjoy the company of a much older or much younger sibling. That he wasn’t here felt like the beginning of bad omen, and it made Oresnya sullen.
She contemplated the soft way the slap of her feet echoed off the empty hallways and realized those footsteps were about as insignificant as her existence here. Sure, they were the only thing present in the hallway, aside from herself and still air. And emptiness and loneliness. But even though they were there, there was no one to witness them and care, and so they went unacknowledged, insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Just like her efforts at Felicity’s Fabrics. She was handling a heavier load this season than any season prior, but it was still the little things. All the things the apprentices handled were far more important, and so Oresnya’s work went overlooked. That didn’t mean she was about to shirk her duties though.
When she stepped into the shop, she froze in surprise when two faces looked up from their work at a table. Both were faces she was quite familiar with. One was Felicity, her boss. The other was one of Felicity’s apprentices, Hacaw. She and Oresnya had not had the best of history together, but things between them were being slowly mended. Each was making efforts to help the other. Hacaw even flashed Oresnya a tired smile. Felicity just nodded in acknowledgement and went back to working on whatever it was that had brought her in early.
Hacaw whispered to Felicity, but it was loud enough for Oresnya to hear. The Inarta never did anything quietly. “It’s as ready as it’s going to be.”
Nari was still too rapid for Oresnya to catch much of, but she did get the gist.
Felicity looked at the cloak, realized Hacaw was right, and nodded sleepily before standing up and moving to her Symenestra underling. “The hunt begins today, Widow.”
Nodding, Oresnya couldn’t help but get sour about the idea. “It is a bad thing.” She wasn’t sure if her stuttered Nari got the point across. Judging by Hacaw’s proud response, Oresnya guessed it did.
“Don’t worry, Widow. Our hunters will bring it down.”
“Nyranel had that much confidence,” Oresnya muttered in Symenos.
“What?”
“Symenestra story,” Oresnya explained. “It remind me of what is here. Now. Brave hunters. A beast. It end with death. It always do. Lives are the price to pay for the life of a beast. This hunt will end in death, not all of it the Beast’s.”
Felicity tipped Oresnya’s chin up so their eyes met. “Don’t say that. At least, don’t let the Endal hear you say it. Either way, don’t let the hunt end in yours.”
“Mine?” The haze of sleepiness that always began the day melted away in a moment. “What do you mean?”
“Vosin requested your presence on the hunt.”
“Why? I am no use.”
“Exactly! That’s what I said. She’s useless.”
Oresnya glared at that admission from her boss.
Felicity glared back. “You know what I meant. You’re useless on a hunt. But I have use for you here. That’s why I tried to convince them not to take you. Vosin said he saw potential, that there was some use for you. Just come back in one piece. Or at least in enough useful pieces that you still do me some good.”
“Thanks.” Oresnya was still too stunned by the fact that she was being sent to register whether or not Felicity’s words were an insult or a compliment.
Felicity pushed the cloak into Oresnya’s hands. “This is something to help ensure that you do make it back. If it comes down to it, run and hide. You won’t be able to save anyone anyhow.”
Felicity’s words were filling Oresnya with an overabundance of confidence. The Symenestra turned the fabric over in her hands. “What is it?”
“It’s to help you blend in if you end up being hunted rather than doing the hunting.” To demonstrate her point, Felicity took it from the Widow’s hands, threw it around Hacaw’s shoulders, and pulled the hood over the younger woman’s head. As Oresnya watched, the color of the shape mutated, molding itself into something similar to what lay behind it until it was nearly an exact match. Only the odd shape juxtaposed against the ones behind it and the slight sway of Hacaw’s body betrayed her presence. “See?”
Oresnya nodded. “Yes.”
Felicity shook her head as she took the cloak off her apprentice and handed it to her Chiet. “No, you don’t. That’s the point. Now go get whatever else you might need. Don’t keep Vosin waiting.”
Only a few chimes after she had arrived at her place of work, Oresnya found herself being pushed back out the door.
A quick ‘Be safe’ followed her from Hacaw. Oresnya knew she wouldn’t. This was a hunt, a monster hunt to be specific. The point wasn’t to be safe. The point was to bring about death, and anytime anyone tried that, they opened themselves up to the most dangerous aspects of whatever it was they were hunting. The slap of her feet sounded even more insignificant now. She was a fly droning lazily toward a spider’s web, doomed in its existence from the beginning. She tried not to think of Nyranel’s story, of the many lives that beast had required, of the many failures that came before end, but the world had a way of smothering optimism in its crib before it even had a chance to grow.
So Oresnya arrived back at her room in the Darniva Commonrooms, feeling sick to her stomach at the thought of her impending death. She didn’t have many possessions, and most wouldn’t be of use in the wilderness. Unsure if she would be stuck overnight, she unwrapped her hammock, rolled it up, and shoved it into the bottom of her pack. She packed the silk rope she had and her water skin and put her new cloak in top above it all. Not much else she owned would do her any good. She considered the darts, figured they would do nothing to a creature that could eat Wind Eagles, and instead grabbed the shepherd’s sling she had purchased earlier in the season. There was the obvious care and craftsmanship of Benshiran hands. A small sack of smooth, heavy river stones went with it, and she closed the bag.
Feeling like she ought to be bringing and contributing more, she stared blankly at the walls, nearly falling asleep as she did. Shaking her head to try to shake the haze of sleep away again, she splashed cold water from her wash basin on her face and made her way out the door, making it several steps down the hall before remembering the backpack she had just packed. She stepped back into her room, retrieved the bag, then took a quick peek at the piece of skyglass Malto had given her in Lhavit. It told the weather by a light within the glass that appeared behind certain etchings on the surface. Today, it practically lit up her room with how bright it shown behind the etching of the sun. It was going to be hot, very hot. Not that that was any different from the rest of the season. She left it, stepped back into the hall, and kicked up her pace to a brisk walk.
Don’t keep Vosin waiting.
By the time she made it out of the mountain to where the hunting party was gathering, it was light, and the prediction of the skyglass was proving itself correct. The heat was not as oppressive as it would be midday, but it was already uncomfortable. She scanned the gathered Endal, meeting several appraising glares before she found the face she was looking for. Flashing Vosin a smile, she made her way to him, avoiding the few giant Wind Eagles between. While they were not worried by Oresnya’s presence, they were aware of it and seemed annoyed.
When Oresnya arrived at the Endal’s side, she greeted him with a single question. “Why me?”
