Summer Day 6: Dawn
The sun moves gracefully up into the sky, the morning dew making the scent of the surrounding area sweet and comforting. Looking back at Riverfall's gates and tall formidable walls sends a sense of ease through Ketrien, sighing peacefully he began moving again heading towards the far off patch of forest where he decided to hunt this day. His skinning knife lashed to his simple sash and his double bladed dagger strung to his hip for easy usage if the need arose. The path narrowed and became more worn with each passing step.
As he neared the tree line the sun was just above the trees and he closed his eyes calming his anxiousness at the thrill of today's hunt. Attuning his senses, Ket found himself drawn to the sounds of the woods, the flapping of wings and the other bustling residents. 'Oh yes, inhaling deeply 'It's going to be a good hunt today. he thought. Taking a slightly nervous look around with his acute eyesight and seeing no one, he began disrobing tucking his clothing and knifes into his small pack, next he undid his arm and foot wrappings also placing them inside. Removing his mother's pendant slowly and gliding his fingers softly over the etched engraving of the crouched tiger, whispering the saying his mother taught him before the hunt. "The forest is not your friend, neither is it your enemy, never take more than you need and always remember to give back." a small smile stretched across his face as he spoke softly to the amulet, "I will be safe mother." Kneeling, Ket then securely placed the pendant in his pack under all his items and closed it up. Ketrien then embraced the allure of the wild, feeling her warm embrace and shifted in to his Myrian Tiger form, picking up his pack in his powerful jaws and bounded off into the woods.
Ket searched with his eyes and especially his nose until he found what he was looking for, a tall tree with what seemed to be a foxhole long abandoned, where he could securely place his human gear. Gracefully bending down Ket tucked it away and marked the tree for an easy find later. The woods were teeming with life, as he stalked through the trees looking for prey.
Moving deeper into the forest a slight breeze rustled through his fur feeling cool on his skin under the thickness of his black striped orange-red fur, Ket finally narrowed in on the scent of a few deer one male and two female. Following intently Ket focused on the sweet smell of sweat and a few fresh droppings, he finally managed to track them to a small cropping of reasonably high grass.
Aware of their skittish nature, he circled slowly not only focused on his surroundings and his prey but also the direction of the wind. He crouched keeping his different colored eyes fastened on the grazing unaware deer. The wind shifted and Ketrien leapt taking the male under his weight, his powerful claws digging deep into the creatures sides. The deer bucked trying to gain its freedom to no avail. Ket used all of his weight and brought the male down and with lightning fast reflexes snapped his jaws around the creatures neck, the taste of its life's blood spilling into Ket's throat sent an exhilarating feeling through him as he crushed its neck. 'More' he thought roughly the free feeling of being outside, in the woods his home, invigorated him. The blood coursing through his very veins, propelled him to the next, time seemed to slow down for him. The first doe was already bounding towards the edge of the cropping and the second was still struggling to get up from its resting spot, he could hear her heart thudding with overwhelming fear.
Ket released the males body and darted for the struggling female, swiftly he was upon her, Ket's muscles tightened as he extended his razor sharp talons and swung missing her head by mere inches, overcompensating. Ket snarled in anger at his misfortune. The doe startled even more, found her feet and bolted for the treeline following the other. Thrilled and also angered by his mistake he took off after her evading trees as he sprinted, closing the distance quickly he leapt throwing his powerful build into the deer his claws ripping into her shoulders. With a little work Ket tackled her to the ground, using his weight to throw off her balance, his hind legs raking her sides and thigh muscles, his talons slicing deep into tendons with ease.
Ket stood the doe's bleats of panic and pain called out to him as he circled his dying prey 'Not a flawless kill, but sufficient' he thought, the smell of the carnage and spilled blood ravaged his senses and overcame him. With wild savagery like nothing he had felt before, he lunged taking her throat in his jaws and tore away the pitiful squeals of the dying creature. The sound of fleeting hooves echoed in his ears, craning his neck his breathing becoming heavy with excitement as the thrill of the hunt started taking over again, but Ket abandoned the last, for his mother's voice came to him through his over excitement. 'Take only that which you need and nothing more my son.'
Turning back toward his prizes, Ket licked at the blood pouring from his prey's death wounds and gorged himself on the parts of the deer he couldn't use back in Riverfall, and the parts he mangled. Tearing at the necks and undersides of the beasts, ripping at their innards; lungs, livers and intestines alike. After he had taken his fill, he stalked back to the tree where he stashed his gear and grabbed it. He ran fast darting through the trees left and right feeling the cool wind rush through his fur yet again, hurrying, for the scent of freshly spilled blood would attract other predators to his location. As he entered the small parting of trees he shifted back into his human form, life blood stained on his hands, face and chest. He knelt beside each and grabbed his skinning knife and began his work.
Ketrien Skinned the doe first, trying to salvage some of the creatures hide, he severed along the muscles slipping a few times. Ket steadied his breath and his hand adrenaline still pumping through him. By the time he finished Ket had carved more of the doe than skinned it, clumps of hacked off meat dangled from the hide, he rolled it up and reserved to cleaning it up more when time allotted. Standing he moved to the buck beginning again slowing down and calming himself, 'Steady, focus'. Ket slashed sections, hoping it to be easier to track. He slipped the knife between the muscle and hide slowly moving it across.
The adrenaline still ricocheted through his veins, his heart still pumping from excitement. His hand slipped again severing the hide, 'This is taking too long, I'm going to need advice if I can find someone to teach me.' he looked towards the sky and shook his head the sun was hours past the tree lines meaning night fast approached. He cut into the meat and rolled up the strips of hide and laid it skin side down on the ground and began hacking small bits of meat off throwing them on the skin.
Reaching into his bag and produced his sash tying it around the lips of the hide tightly, then he produced his clothing putting them on one by one arming himself again as an after thought, until all that remained was his necklace. 'Remember to thank your prey for nourishing your body' he spoke then the words of thanks, 'Remember to speak peace to the spirit of the prey you have hunted' Ket bowed his head and spoke the words of peace, 'And always remember to thank the forest and the earth for accepting and nurturing the spirit of a fallen brother.' Ketrien knelt kissing the ground thanking it like he was taught. Then he stood grabbing his pack and meat sack and started towards the edge of the forest back tracking his foot steps.
