CHAPTER 288: FIRST HUNT

Seldom did a hare run without a reason to do so.

As Irene pulled tight her bowstring and released in what seemed to be the same second, she very nearly leapt forward to stop the arrow, but it was much faster than her and hit its intended target.

However, her reason for panic was the white fox who chased the bunny. She had been told in the past that they were one of the rarest to see in the north because of how well they blended into the snowy environment.

However, this place was shadowed by thick, never bare trees. The snow being shallower inside the forest made it so that it was more hidden than it would be if it were running across the amazing, flat plains that offered the most snow in the area.

She would have felt awful to hit such an animal. Who was she saving it for? She wasn’t sure. She simply wanted other people to see it if they ever wandered in this direction. As far as she could tell, the north was a ghost town. Everything seemed abandoned. It was all devoid of human life while the animals took over.

Perhaps the most surprising part of the whole situation was the way the fox stopped in its tracks and stared at her where she lay in the snow after trying to stop her own arrow. It acknowledged her more as something odd than something that was a threat to its life.

Its dark eyes looked from her to the dead hare before it bounded off in another direction.

If she wasn’t mistaken, its face seemed to express that it was slightly inconvenienced because she had taken the dinner it was intending to eat.

Since the animal didn’t fight for the fallen hare, she assumed that it must have had other ideas for a meal. Perhaps it knew where the rest of the hares were, which was why it wasn’t so worried about it.

Regardless, it was going to be enough for her for dinner. She might even be able to freeze some of it overnight and have food for tomorrow as well. It was a sizable rabbit, which was why she was so pleased to get it in the first place.

With a small sigh of relief, Irene assessed the forest. Seeing nothing else, she went to the rabbit and took back her arrow. She wasn’t going to waste arrows there. Everything she brought, she was trying to bring back with her.

By that point in her experience hunting and taking care of herself and the other knights she usually camped with, Irene was able to clean the rabbit with her small, sharpened hunting knife as she walked.

By the time she had gotten to Sammy, the skin and meat were entirely separate from one another. She had even left most of its organs behind for something else to take care of. Undoubtedly, something else could eat it, and she wasn’t starving enough to worry about meat that wasn’t easy to prepare.

Finding a leather pouch she could put the meat in for the meantime, she put what was left of the rabbit away and tightened a leather rope around the top so that nothing could escape.

After that, Irene absentmindedly washed her gloved hands and knife in the snow. It took away all traces of blood. However, she couldn’t do it for too long, or her body heat would melt the snow, then her gloves would be wet. Fortunately, she had packed five pairs of gloves, but she didn’t want to have to go through them quite yet. They weren’t only necessary in protecting her hands from the reins she undoubtedly had to wear her hands down on each day, but the freezing temperatures could cause her to have to lose pieces of her hands if she weren’t careful.

The hand that was no longer connected to her father’s body even had evidence of frostbite when he was much younger. The top of his pinky was removed as the skin around the bone tightened and withered away.

The thought caused her to shiver.

That wouldn’t happen to her that trip, which was why she couldn’t go through her gloves simply if they were dirty.

"We’re off," she told the horse she mounted.

The girl squeezed her knees, and they went on.

She was tempted to keep going through the forest and see if there was something like a cove or cave she could sleep in for the night. However, she had been warned to avoid caves even if they would likely be warmer. That was where the monsters lay waiting in the north for the few months of the year when it didn’t feel like perpetual winter in this region and seemed like a brief spring or autumn instead.

Irene had another idea as they went north and on the lower part of the foothills, avoiding the forest altogether. Surprisingly, she was going back towards the mountain, but it was only to take advantage of the large rocks that could give her and her horse cover for the night.

Once on the other side of the forest, she realized that they would have more shelter than she expected altogether.

Against a large rock wall couldn’t have been described as anything more than a hut. It was an A-frame whose roof touched the ground. All that could fit on the front was a door and a wall. It went back quite a way. It was using the rock for support to hold it up, and the snow on top of it made it seem like it could fall apart at any moment. The entire triangular structure seemed to be leaning ever so slightly, and she hoped that didn’t mean it would collapse if she decided to sleep there.

Irene slipped off of Sammy after stopping him, and she cautiously went forward. Her first order of business was getting the snow off the roof. It had been one of the warmest days of the trip, which made her recall how heavy and wet the snow was on the way down.

If the dwelling wasn’t leaning, no snow would have likely gathered on top of it in the first place. It was meticulously designed for its original purpose, but it had likely been many years since it was perfectly upstanding and able to slough off the snow on its own.

As Irene worked on the snow, she started to realize that what was covering the roof was grass. It practically looked like the grass grew over the top of the structure. Towards the back of it, as well, it seemed there was a space for smoke to escape.

Perhaps it would be the warmest sleep she had had since leaving Chemois. The thought caused a smile to appear on her mouth, hidden by the scarf that covered the lower half of her face.

After making sure nothing was inside, Irene then went to the horse and gently pulled him closer to the structure. Since there was space next to the house and close to the rock wall, it would do a fine job of blocking him from the wind entirely. She was pleased to see that both of them would likely have an easy night of rest in that case.

After removing her saddlebags from her horse, she gave him a gentle pat on his head and scratched his jaw. She left him behind a bit of hay and oats so that he would be satisfied with his own meal.

Once inside, Irene didn’t bother closing the door before she lit the fire. It always got darker so much more quickly than she thought it would, and if she didn’t get a fire started, she wouldn’t be able to see anything at all.

Finally able to shut the door once her light source was created, Irene looked around the space.

There was a wooden platform for a bed, a chest, and a table. Along the walls were the raw beams of logs that held the structure up. To her surprise, there was a square with a metal ring on it and she realized it was a window that she could push open and see Sammy. There was one on each side.

Not finished with her exploration, Irene couldn’t help moving to the chest and cautiously opening it since it didn’t seem to be locked.

Revealed to her were mostly rusted items. There were pots and an axe. She noticed an old mug.

Fortunately, she had everything she would need and wouldn’t have to seek out others’ unused items. It felt strange taking from people she didn’t know.

It was a feeling she knew she would have to get over if they went to the largest town in this region, and it was as abandoned as it looked from far away.

The girl only used about a third of the rabbit’s meat and a few bones to make a broth. She salted it for flavor and added a mix of spices given to her by Sir Sven, a long time before, who always made the best camp meals.

The meal was filling, and she was satisfied. The rest of the meat went out the door, where it would freeze. She would probably have a similar meal on future nights.

Before she could open her Sünstoian book and read, Irene decided she would take a look at the map and try to see a few more details of the area she was in. After the foothills, her knowledge of the area declined, and she needed to brush up on the trail ahead.

To her surprise, the forest was labeled "hunting forest," which meant that where she was could be the hunting cabin. If more than three people went there, it would certainly be too crowded. The hunting parties must have been small.

Because of how cozy the hut ended up being, Irene started nodding off, unlike her usual self. She snapped awake before appropriately putting her things away and finally getting to rest.

It invigorated her for her journey ahead, which led her for a few more days before she saw something worth stopping for.

Ships off in the distance.