January's Featured Thread: Hunting With the Pack

by **Colombina** on December 31st, 2010, 8:06 pm

Featured Thread: January, 2011

Within moments of birth a Symenestra has committed its first murder, destroying what has nurtured it for so long. From there the Symenestran child is made to understand the desperation of their species. Eventually they must answer the question of who will they value more: their people or the faceless others? They are born and bred to poison, but the journey is not without bitterness.

In this month’s featured thread, Vendaril Ixora begins the numbing necessary for his eventual burden of the “Harvest”. Filled with youth’s enthusiasm and blissful ignorance an eleven year-old Vendaril leaves the comfort of Kalinor for his first hunt.

A group of elders guide him through the forest in pursuit of a small band of travelers. They teach him philosophy of the hunt and techniques as if the outing is no darker than a fishing trip.

Longing to make his stern father proud, Vendaril does all that is asked of him. But his father’s approval is bought at a wretched price, and Vendaril is compelled to make decisions grown men could not bear.

This thread is worthy of reading for its bittersweet prose and nuanced expression of feeling. It is a reverse fairytale working from the perspective of the big bad wolf (or should we say spider?). We follow the “villain” and are forced to understand if not pity his actions, while red-riding hood is little more than a tragic footnote.

Without further ado, I submit to you:

Hunting With the Pack

As last month's winner, Sondra chose this month's Featured Thread. The torch is now passed to January's honoree. Happy thread hunting, Vendaril.

by **Cathan** on December 31st, 2010, 10:34 pm

That's totally one of my top three favorite Symenestra threads :3

Congratz

by **Vendaril** on January 1st, 2011, 8:07 am

Wow, I wasn't expecting this! I'm glad other people are taking an interest in my solo thread, I certainly didn't expect any attention! Utterly gobsmacked...