| Winter 39 511AV The winter had moved over the land gradually, Ayah had prepared for it and built effectively a nest under the shelter of a tent. Leaves and twigs were piled under the thick canvas with a bit of bedding over top of it. This is what Ayah called home, nestled at top a plateau surrounded by mountains and hills that rolled all around him. He loved the area of land he had escaped to. Pine trees and forests where wonderful, but he preferred the hilly and mountainous region much more. His camp was located somewhere several miles outside of Alvadas, or the city of trickery as Ayah liked to call it. He still remembers the hell he had as he flew over it. His camp was bare minimum, not even a fire pit set up, just somewhere to live. The snow didn’t bother him much, in fact while he hunted as a human, he often wore little more then a cloth wrap around his feet and ankles. He’d also tie a heavy blanket around his torso to wrap around the majority of his body. It was only natural for him and helped to ease transitions. That is what he wore now as he stood under the cover of some trees, bare and skeletal, a light snowfall powdered the branches with fresh white. Next to his body were three arrows dug into the snow, which acted like the cork at the base of a quiver. He had a long bow, one of the few common folk items he owned, which he used often in hunting things bigger then sparrows. Being a small bird, he sometimes needed a little extra help to take down larger game. A hunter at heart, he exorcised incredible patience. He strung an arrow into the bow and began to look out over the hill side and down at the wide step below. His vision was slightly blurred, a defect he had grown used to through the one and half years of his life. It inhibited him greatly, but he could still see a faint glow of his prey when they appeared out of their burrows but nothing more then blinding white. He relied on this discovered on ability to help aid him in the location of potential prey. Both green eyes, one hazed with blindness, scanned the small open snow field in front of him. When he hunted he’d choose a spot and focus on that area for long periods of time until something appeared. If nothing made its presence known, Ayah would continue to another spot and continue the process for hours at times. But when a slight glimmer of an aurora caught his eye, he’d find the beast and watch it very closely. Much like what he was doing now, through the blindness a subtle flicker of an animal drifted into his vision. It was very close and began to fade as it grew further away. He began to shift his focus to his good eye and soon could see what appeared to be a rabbit as it hopped through the snow. A rabbit would make a great meal. Ayah, focused on his prey and followed it as it traveled down to the flat land. Ayah stood rigid in the snow, he began to draw back his arrow slowly. It was only a short distance between him and the prey down below and when he let the arrow fly, it sailed swiftly through the air. The arrow embedded itself near the rabbit, who jumped at the sound that manifested close to it and began to run away. Ayah cursed and kept his eye on the rabbit while he loaded another arrow. He began the process once again, his eyes never strayed far from his goal. Ayah stood silently and waited for the next opportunity to take out his prey. The arrows he used wasn’t meant for penetration, but instead the tips were heavy and blunt meant to crack skull or stun an animal long enough to come out and kill it. The air began to move faster and it seemed another heavy snow flurry was on its way. Soon the brown rabbit could be seen as it slowly, cautiously, began to venture back toward its burrow. Ayah drew the arrow back and took aim. He breathed slowly and took his time despite the bitter cold that had begun to sting the nose and skin. As the rabbit moved into range, Ayah released the arrow. It flew with great speed and struck the rabbit at the base of the neck. The shot stunned the rabbit, which was enough for Ayah as he dropped his bow and leaped into the air. A strange, water like veil surrounded his body; the strange barrier rippled like rain drops to a mirrored pond. When clarity returned a small bird darted downward and toward the rabbit. Black spotted, the brown bird’s wings contrasted the white that covered the ground. Though it only looked like a blur as Ayah went in for the kill. Ayah flew through the air almost as quick as the arrow, his strong talon poised and ready. Under normal circumstances, it would of been to grip his prey but at that moment it was in preparation to land. The same ripples began to manifest once more just as the rabbit gained enough composure to start to run. But it was to late, Ayah’s momentum helped him as he pounced the rabbit. His hands gripped the animal tightly and received a hard bite that began to bleed almost instantly. It didn’t phase Ayah as he quickly snapped the animals neck. He panted and stood up with his kill. He looked at the bite, it wasn’t to bad, just hurt. His body was covered in scars, possibly from the rough use of his body, but as Ayah stood naked in the snow he began to become painfully aware of the cold. His feet no longer wrapped, the cloth had fallen away during transition and stung now in contact with the ice. Quickly he rushed back up the embankment to retrieve his last arrow, bow and blanket, rabbit in hand. He made his way back to his tent and tossed his kill in before himself. When inside, he quickly covered himself and laid low in the nest. He could hardly wait to eat the fresh rabbit meat as he brought the carcass to his mouth and bit through the fur. It was lunch time for a hard working hunter and he intended to savor his kill. |
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