58th of Fall, 515 AV
It was a cold, frosty morning, and Graham wanted nothing more than to pull Cato around and head back towards Endrykas and his warm tent. Instead, he soldiered on, well aware of the importance of what game he may take today, both for his pavilion and for himself. His winter stores were fairly well stocked so far, but he was determined to see them even better equipped, and he had a fair portion left of the season to do so.
A light frost covered the ground around Graham, though he suspected that it would melt fairly quickly as the sun rose higher into the sky above. The frost was light enough to be of no bother to his Strider, Cato, and she moved along at a steady canter, Graham sitting tall on her back. The pace was steady, but quick enough to cause Grahams body to rock back and forth slightly. To counter the rocking, he gripped Cato with his thighs, though was careful not to squeeze too hard, lest the mare mistake his grip and think instead that Graham was attempting to urge her in a different direction. He rocked with the movement instead of attempting to fight it or sit still, and he found the slow roll the Striders movements caused to be quite relaxing, stretching out tense and tired muscles.
He had left Fader at home for this trip, for once wanting instead to hunt without the dog to use as an aid. He was beginning to suspect that he relied too heavily on the hunting dog, for tracking, retrieving and much more, so for this hunt at least, he was determined to do it all on his own. Fader was growing old in any case, and he could do with a day to do nothing more than snooze in the sun. Sighing, Graham craned his neck around, searching for a suitable spot to dismount and leave Cato. For the most part the plain was bare, but the further he moved in from the coast, the more he noticed the scrub and undergrowth growing thicker. A small smattering of trees to his left caught his eye, and with a stronger squeeze of his thighs and a gentle pull on the Yvas, Graham urged Cato in their direction.
Reaching the spot, Graham dismounted, letting Cato wonder off to graze after he retrieved his bow and arrows from the Yvas. The few tree’s spread over the area would provide some shade for her should the sun become too hot will he hunted, and the thought comforted Graham slightly, though he still disliked leaving his Strider unattended in the wilderness.
With a sigh, Graham moved off in the opposite direction, eye’s scanning the ground carefully for any tracks or signs of wildlife. He wasn’t a particularly skilled tracker yet, but it was a skill he needed to develop, and one that would help him in many aspects of his life, not just hunting. Picking his way quietly through the undergrowth, Graham eyed the shrubs and bushes, searching for any he knew of, and particularly any that he knew was a preferred food of the ground animals. His aim for the afternoon was to bag a few rabbits, maybe a prairie dog or two, though he wasn’t picky. He’d be more than happy with any animal he wondered across, assuming that he was able to kill it and it was edible, or at least worth something.
A small bush speckled with little red berries caught Graham’s eye, and he drew closer to it. It was a plant he knew was favoured by rabbit’s and other small rodents, and as Graham crouched down beside the bush he could see that some such animal had been grazing here, and recently too, if the fresh droppings were anything to go by. From the droppings Graham could guess that it was probably a rabbit, though the ground was too hard and dry for Graham to make out any prints it may have left. It seemed the rabbit was out looking for a meal just as he was, and it was fairly easy for him to follow the trail of nibbled leaves and droppings further into the undergrowth.