9th of spring, 513 av
between morning and noon
The weather had warmed, and for that he was glad.
Syna had climbed high in the sky, marking the end of the morning and getting good and ready for noon. But it was not hot; what little remnant of winter still clung managed to send a cool breeze now and then to tickle the grass that was rapidly turning from a brittle brown to weaving and whispering green-gold. Animals frolicked in the new growth, stuffing themselves after the lean times of the cold season and teaching their newborn young to do the same.
The hunter, too, enjoyed the newly arrived spring; he was a five-minute’s ride away from Endrykas, where the commotion of the city did not reach. Whether he was thinking of hunting grounds or of himself, he was not quite sure, but he spared little time to reflect on it.
He was kneeling in the grass by a well-worn trail that had been freshly used, by both hare and fowl if he had read it correctly. A snare set here would almost certainly prove fruitful.
He hadn’t quite gotten the hang of trapping, but he knew that he was on the right path. Every day brought a new discovery, leaving him with a feeling of, of course! Why did I not think of that earlier? And he certainly did not mind the extra quarry it granted at the end of the day.
He stood when the snare was set, eyes already scanning for more trails. He wanted to get his second set up quickly; he had seen the tracks of a hard of gazelles nearby, and once the snares were primed he wanted to see if he could bring one down.
He took a moment and inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of new flowers and grass shoots, then set off into the underbrush.
between morning and noon
The weather had warmed, and for that he was glad.
Syna had climbed high in the sky, marking the end of the morning and getting good and ready for noon. But it was not hot; what little remnant of winter still clung managed to send a cool breeze now and then to tickle the grass that was rapidly turning from a brittle brown to weaving and whispering green-gold. Animals frolicked in the new growth, stuffing themselves after the lean times of the cold season and teaching their newborn young to do the same.
The hunter, too, enjoyed the newly arrived spring; he was a five-minute’s ride away from Endrykas, where the commotion of the city did not reach. Whether he was thinking of hunting grounds or of himself, he was not quite sure, but he spared little time to reflect on it.
He was kneeling in the grass by a well-worn trail that had been freshly used, by both hare and fowl if he had read it correctly. A snare set here would almost certainly prove fruitful.
He hadn’t quite gotten the hang of trapping, but he knew that he was on the right path. Every day brought a new discovery, leaving him with a feeling of, of course! Why did I not think of that earlier? And he certainly did not mind the extra quarry it granted at the end of the day.
He stood when the snare was set, eyes already scanning for more trails. He wanted to get his second set up quickly; he had seen the tracks of a hard of gazelles nearby, and once the snares were primed he wanted to see if he could bring one down.
He took a moment and inhaled deeply, savoring the scent of new flowers and grass shoots, then set off into the underbrush.