Lian kept a close eye on the boy, but since he wasn't the one following the trail, he allowed himself to drift into thought now and again. Most of his thoughts were of how to teach the child once they found their prey. Assuming that they did, of course. If the boy was learning how to use a short bow, Lian knew he would be able to help. But what if he were using another type of weapon? Lian knew nothing about any other weapon. It took several chimes of worrying about what he'd do if that were the case before Lian realized that he didn't actually know what kind of weapon the boy used.
"What kind of weapon do you use?" Lian asked, feeling foolish that he hadn't asked at the beginning of the hunt.
The boy paused, and looked up at Lian.
"I use a short bow. Should I be using a different weapon, instead?"
Relief swept through Lian, and he allowed it to show as he shook his head. With the boy using the same weapon he did, he wouldn't have to try to figure out how to teach him something that he himself didn't know.
"No, a bow's fine. I use a short bow myself. It's a good weapon for hunting."
The boy grinned, seeming to like the idea of having the same weapon that Lian did. Or perhaps he was just happy to hear the bow called a good weapon for hunting since he used one. In either case, he went back to work quickly. As they walked, their striders followed close behind them. It was easier for the boy to follow the trail on foot so he could see the tracks more clearly. After a while, the boy stopped, and began staring at the ground closely. Lian realized that he must have lost the trail. He took a few chimes to slip into the Web and look for danger, but he returned quickly when he found none near by. When he recovered from the transition back to his body, the boy was staring at him in annoyance.
"Warn me when you're gonna do that, will you?" he asked.
Lian flushed, embarrassed that he had forgotten again. The boy had been so focused on what he was doing that Lian really hadn't expected him to notice.
"I'm sorry. I will let you know when I'm about to use the Web from now on." he promised.
"Have you found the trail again?"
When the boy shook his head in frustration, Lian studied the ground closely. It looked as though another animal had crossed the trail as it came to the river to drink. The prints were small, but they looked like those a dog would make, so Lian guessed the animal in question was likely a fox. The fox's prints were clearer than those of the rabbit, so they were the fresher ones. The trail was muddied beyond his own skills to follow it, so Lian gave up, and turned to the boy.
"I will be able to figure out which way we need to go, but I'm going to have to enter the Web in order to do it." he informed him.
The boy nodded. With that, Lian allowed his mind to slip into the welcoming embrace of the Web. He searched for pools of djed in the nearby area, and found twenty five small pools that indicated small creatures. They did not have the flavor of a predator, so Lian figured they were likely the rabbits they were looking for. And judging by the sheer number of them, they had found a good sized warren. Lian was glad that the creatures were not living closer to Endrykas. A warren of this size would be hazardous to man and horse alike, creating plenty of holes for a foot or hoof to find, and cause a bad stumble.
"I found them." Lian told the boy after he returned to himself.
"They're not too far from here, but the warren is further away from the river. That's probably why you couldn't pick up the trail again. It heads away from the river here. It's a large warren, too. With luck, we'll be able to catch enough rabbits for your family to make a nice stew tonight."
The boy grinned. Lian took the lead this time. When he found another set of rabbit prints, he pointed them out to the boy, mentioning that they were likely from the same rabbit they had been following until now. As they moved through the tall grass, the boy practiced moving with stealth. Lian had to resist the urge not to laugh as he watched the boy's efforts. Finally, he showed the boy how to walk by putting his heel down first to minimize the sound of his footfalls. He also cautioned the boy to avoid stepping on dry grass if he could avoid it. In turn, the boy told him that his father had taught him how to backtrack along his own trail by walking backwards and carefully putting his feet in the exact same place he had put them before when he walked the other way. Doing so would hopefully avoid creating a second, more recent scent trail for a predator to follow. It also had the benefit of confusing humans since there would only be one trail, and it would be leading away from where he was going. The boy explained that it would be useful if bandits ever attacked and tried to follow any survivors. It might even confuse the zith if they attacked. It sounded like it might work, so Lian decided he would have to practice it later.
After roughly a quarter of a bell, they found the warren. Rabbits were everywhere, spread out in small groups as they fed on the grass. A few at the edges were sitting on their hind legs, ears twitching back and forth as they searched for danger. Lian knew that at the slightest sign, they would warn the others, and their chance of a successful kill would be gone.
Lian gestured for the boy to stop, and remain silent. Then he looked around, taking note of where the rabbits were. Firing a shot into the larger group in the center would likely frighten them all into bolting for their holes. But there were several individuals, and smaller groups that had spread out around the edges, going further out than the rest. Going after these would hopefully allow them to bring down more rabbits before they all fled. Especially if they chose groups further away from the ones guarding them. The wind was in their favor, blowing their scent away from their prey. After taking all of this in, Lian drew the boy back a bit.
He quickly made the hand signs for "look," "small groups," and "distance." Then he pointed at the groups of rabbits that had spread out from the others. The boy studied the positions of all the rabbits, and nodded. When Lian was sure the boy understood what he was trying to show him, he made the signs for "watch," "wait for me," and "shoot them." The boy nodded again to show that he understood.
Lian reached for his bow, and pulled an arrow from his quiver. He kept his movements slow so he wouldn't startle their prey. Once he had an arrow ready, he selected his first target, a single rabbit at the far edge of the group. It was at an angle where the path of his arrow would not pass over the other rabbits, which was good. It was quite possible that even the small shadow of his arrow would make them think a bird of prey was near. After he had chosen his first target, Lian chose five more. With luck, he would be able to kill at least three rabbits before the whole group fled.
Lian carefully checked his aim, then released the first arrow. It flew true, killing the rabbit instantly, even before it could scream a death cry. Lian didn't wait to see if he had hit his mark or not. In rapid succession, he shot two more arrows. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the boy taking a shot of his own. By then, the rabbit sentries were thumping the ground with their hind legs. As the rabbits bolted, Lian took one last shot at a fleeing rabbit. The arrow pierced the rabbit's flesh, causing it to scream in pain. It collapsed, but it was clearly still alive. Lian walked over, and slit its throat with his hunting knife, ending its suffering. The rabbit went limp within ticks as it bled out into the grass.
The boy had managed to bring down two rabbits of his own, one of which was a clean kill, the other was still twitching, so Lian walked over, and slit its throat as well. Then he slipped into the Web for a few ticks to locate his arrows. When he knew where each of the arrows he'd shot had landed, he went to gather each one. In doing so, he found that each arrow had found its target, and he had four dead rabbits to show for his efforts. Added to the boy's two, they had six rabbits total. That was more than enough to make a nice stew that would last the boy's family a few days.
Lian allowed the boy his moment of triumph. As he removed his arrows from the rabbits he'd killed, he was amused by the boy's antics. The boy cheered loudly, and danced around a bit in victory over his kills. The boy's joy was well earned, but after a few ticks, Lian shushed him. The scent of blood was already a powerful lure to any predators in the area. They didn't need the boy's shouts to pinpoint their exact location to the predators.
He worked quickly. Talise and the boy's strider stood near by. Neither of them were happy about the scent of blood, but their humans' presence kept them from panicking over it. The rabbits went into one yvas bag, and the bloody arrows went into another to be cleaned when he returned home. When the boy saw what he was doing, he followed suit. Lian slipped into the Web once more to check for predators, and found none that were close enough to be a threat to them. But a small pack of something was moving towards them, likely attracted by the scent of blood. Lian wanted to be long gone before they arrived, so he checked to see where Endrykas was in relation to where they were. Then he mounted, and chose a roundabout course that would hopefully throw off any predators if they decided to follow their trail. Then it was time to return home.
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