Solo Happy Hunting

[Weylin Quickshot]

37th Winter, 512 AV
The mountains around Zeltiva.

Weylin had lain in the undergrowth for a while now, keeping her form low and hidden. Her front was caked in mud, her joints stiffening, but she could not move yet. She had spotted a few wild rabbits, quietly pushing through the damp to graze on the limited supplies, her only issue at the moment was that they were staring at her, unmoving and not giving her a single chance to move. So far she had tracked them down easily; tell tale signs of their presence had been left in the ground. She watched their heads turn away, momentarily distracted by what sounded like than an eagle screech.
“Damn bird,” she cursed under her breath.
The rabbits scattered, and in a flash Weylin was up; arrow nocked and taking aim. She went for the one that was closest to her, and let the arrow slice through the air, a low whistle followed by a dull thud as it hit the rabbit’s rear. The creature gave out a squeal but continued on, it’s run now a limp. Weylin did not waste a second. She darted out the undergrowth, chasing after it, barely keeping up as she weaved around branches. She grabbed the squealing animal and watched it struggle for a moment before placing a hand either side of its neck. In a swift, focused movement she broke it, the sound of bones popping sounding out. She looked at the dead body, unbothered by the killing of the animal and removed the arrow that had pierced through. Weylin looked about herself, before holding onto the foot of the dead animal and continuing on. She had to make pace, the daylight was against her in the winter, just like it was every winter. She brought her cloak hood up and stared out into the winter light, eyes checking to see where to continue her hunting.

She was grateful to get out of the maze of Zeltiva and back out into the open land, it gave her a sense of freedom that she had craved for, and most importantly to do something she desperately wanted to do; hunt. Weylin gave one last scan of her surroundings before heading in deeper. She kept an arrow ready, her eyes constantly watching and waiting for something to fall into her line of sight, be it prey, friend or foe. Animals, were scarce this time of year, hibernating away during the winter or vary rarely coming out to feed. It was around this time that the more carnivorous ones became vicious and desperate, much like the hungry that lived in the city. The sound of rustling and snapping twigs caught her attention. Lowering herself she scanned the area, ears twitching as they took in every possible sound. She took several quiet steps forward, carefully avoiding twigs and branches. Even the slightest noise could startle prey, and she was not about to lose an opportunity.

Carefully she poked the arrow head through a gap in the branches, scanning the land before her. She pulled back the bow string, the sound of wood groaning, string tightening. A rabbit strayed out from its cover, and the instant it did the arrow flew. No sound escaped the creature other than the quiet thud as it dropped to the ground. Rabbits, easy to kill but hard to keep out of sight of, once they’d caught even your scent it would be a near failure.
Weylin stood, and stepped through the wood land to her reward, picking it up by the hind legs and studying the broken arrow that impaled into it. She frowned and gave a sigh and pulled the broken wood out of it before tying the second rabbit to her belt along with the first one. She turned about her surroundings, ears pricking before heading back towards the thinner wood. The sun glided overhead, the shadows of the trees changing and growing longer as time went on. By the late afternoon and in the dulling light, Weylin found herself crouching down again, watching a rabbit warren carefully. She had little luck in snagging many more, but even she knew that a few kills was better than no kills. But since her second kill she began feeling the bitter wind of the mountains come racing down upon her. She let out a held in groan as she watched her cloak become tangled in the surrounding undergrowth, but she kept her focus.
Just a little while longer, little while longer now.

[Weylin Quickshot]

The moment the rabbit emerged, Weylin's arrow flew. It barely had time to let out a squeal as the arrow struck its flesh, jolting its already dead body. She heard the quiet whimpers, of the others in the warren, but for the moment she ignored them. Quietly the Drykas untangled herself from the branches, tugging her cloak around her. When she finally did manage to free herself, Weylin took slow, heavy steps forward, her eyes becoming hawk like as she scanned her surroundings. The last of the daylight was fading, and soon a variety of monsters would emerge from the depths of the land. She claimed her kill, removing the arrow and returning it to her quiver.

It would be best to retreat now, to return to civilization before the shroud of darkness took hold. So Weylin began retracing her steps, remembering places where she hunted before, small signs, previously laid tracks. Small broken branches, snapped twig, her own footsteps, the small gnawing marks upon the undergrowth. She took a pause, her eyes scanning, looking for a final creature she could hunt. She crouched to the ground, studying the earth with her sharp eyes.

Her ears twitched as she listened to a bird screech, her dark eyes scanning the sky as listened carefully. Something was not right, she could feel it. She picked up her pace quickly; not waiting to see what it could possibly be that was against her. At first it was steps, but as a low growl met her ears it broke into a run. The beasts of the mountains had come out to play. Her footsteps pounded against the earth, tracing back her steps down the slope. She felt herself tumble, her feet snagging on the roots as she ran. The echoing howl broke out between the trees, the cry of the hunt, and the call of the beasts. The trees shot past her as she ran, aching legs crying out she darted past. The hunter had become the hunted in a matter of seconds, no doubt to the smell of the rabbit that was upon her. Blood attracted so much, but the Drykas could not afford to let it go. She needed it, the people needed it.

She took a leap over a collect of branches; a brief glance back at what it was that chased her down. Their outlines danced in the distance, the shapes of beasts, something that Weylin had to desperately escape. If it was a hunting party, no doubt they would have turned round a fought. But she was a single woman; she knew she had no chance against a pack. She tripped and fell, skidding across the ground, collecting a new set of bumps and bruises, before scrambling up to her feet. She ensured she held onto her kills, before pushing herself off again. There was too little time, she had to move faster.

The Drykas picked up her pace, the trees thinning. Her strides became larger as she covered a greater distance. Soon she would break out. The dipping rays of the sun burst between the trees, their shadows being cast across the ground. The hunting howls grew quieter as she made her distance. Her pace slowed, and she caught her breath, but she prepared herself to continue her pace. She needed to make time and return to Zeltiva before the last of the light left the sky. Once there she would attempt to skin them, but for the meanwhile, her priority was returning. So shifting the weight of the dead rabbit so her shoulder Weylin returned herself to the worn path. With one final glance Weylin looked back, the hunt was over.