ONE
SweatslickedthebackofAloisia’sneck.Strandsofdarkhairstucktoherskin.Herfootstepsmadenosound,notevenrustlingtheleavesunderfoot.Sheheldthebowsteadyinherhandsasshemoved.Aglancetoeithersidereassuredhertheotherhuntresseskeptpace.
Ahead, the trees opened upon a small clearing. A cluster of grey rocks framed the banks of a stream. The waters bubbled and frothed as the torrent journeyed through the forest. A doe bent to drink whilst a stag cast its watchful gaze to the woods.
Aloisia pressed her back to a trunk. Bark scraped against her leathers. To her right, Huntress Kaja arched a brow in question. Her pale blue eyes flitted towards Huntress Morgan, and Aloisia turned. Morgan brushed her deep brown braids over her shoulder and signalled for them to take aim.
Drawing the bowstring taut, Aloisia brought the arrow level with the doe. As the deer lifted her head, she raised her aim. She kept her sight trained on the creature as she awaited further signal. The stag stalked forth with a regal arrogance, ears twitching as they caught the sounds of the forest.
A seemingly ordinary birdcall trilled. Aloisia released her arrow in tandem with the other huntresses. The doe bowed to drink again, and the shaft clattered into the rocks surrounding the stream, startling the deer.
She cursed under her breath, readying another arrow.
The stag stumbled to his knees, two arrows protruding from his hide. The doe scarpered across the stream. Aloisia took aim, releasing another desperate shot which glanced the doe’s side. A second arrow came from the right, piercing its eye.
At least it hadn’t escaped.
Shame burned Aloisia’s cheeks as she watched Lead Huntress Dhara emerge from the trees to claim her kill. The kill which should have been hers.
Morgan clapped her on the shoulder. “Come. Aid us with the stag.”
She gave a nod. Honour was not for the individual; it was for the collective. Such was the creed of the Huntress. A creed Aloisia had struggled with for the nine years she had been part of the guild.
Kaja knelt beside the stag, a palm pressed to his chest and a dagger in her other hand. “In the light of the Huntress, I thank you for the sacrifice you have made this day. May your soul rest in the Celestial City, at the side of the Huntress herself, whilst your earthly body sustains those who endure poverty.” She slit his throat, swiftly ending his suffering.
Aloisia aided Morgan in plucking the arrows from his hide whilst Kaja tied his hooves, readying the kill for the journey back. Across the clearing, Dhara heaved the doe over a shoulder, blood dampening the ends of her copper hair and smearing her pale neck.
“Back to the mares,” the lead huntress called. “We shall join the others.”
Morgan and Kaja lifted the stag between them. His antlers dragged along the forest floor as they went. Aloisia strode behind them, her bow still ready. Bears and wolves roamed the woods of Teneria, and one could never be too careful. Especially when carrying such a lure.
The huntresses picked their way amidst the trees until they reached a broad glade. Their mares still grazed on the grass, unbothered by their arrival. Dhara placed the doe on the ground and gathered some threadbare sheets, handing one to Morgan. Meticulously, they wrapped the deer in cloth to protect the mares from blood still weeping from the wounds.
“Take those antlers out,” Dhara said, indicating to the stag. “We don’t want the mares getting hurt.”
“Yes, Lead Huntress.” Morgan drew her dagger.
Aloisia helped Dhara bind the doe, wrapping rope around the cloth to secure it. The steady beat of Morgan’s blade echoed in the clearing. Across the glade, three more huntresses emerged. Strings dangled about their necks, rabbits hanging from the ends.
Lead Huntress Mavka grinned as she approached. “It has been a successful hunt.”
“Indeed,” Dhara answered, heaving the doe onto her mare’s back.
“Let us return with our bounty,” Mavka said. “This is enough.”
The antlers broke with a decisive crack, coming apart in Morgan’s hands. With their haul secured on their mares, the huntresses set off for Littlewatch-by-the-Sea. Hooves pounded upon the compacted dirt path winding through the Great Hawk Forest. As they drew nearer to the town, the familiar salt breeze filled Aloisia’s lungs.
The scent of home.
The thicket of branches parted and Littlewatch came into view. Fields of wheat and cattle lay either side of the road. Wooden structures littered the outskirts of the town, obscuring the stone buildings of Littlewatch. High above them all, the spires of the Temple to the Nine Divines pierced the clouds. And singular against the skyline, the Watchtower rose as a vigilant guardian.
With the way clear, Lead Huntress Mavka pushed her mare into a gallop. The other huntresses followed suit. As usual, Aloisia brought up the rear, with Kaja at her side. As the younger members of the guild, they would take the lower places until they earned the right to move up in rank.
She watched the other huntresses bolt to the town, keeping pace at the back. Her dark hair, interspersed with braids decorated by engraved iron beads, billowed behind her.
Dirt tracks turned to cobblestones as they entered the town. Cheers chased them along the streets. It was tradition to honour the return of the huntresses in the light of the Nine Divines, particularly the Third Divine, the Huntress herself.
They made their way to the Temple to present that day’s kills. The priests would bless them before taking them to the butchers. As they followed the curving street towards Temple Green, they slowed, bringing the mares to a halt before the towering walls of the Temple.
