The forest around Leaf was still. Even in the wane of winter, most of the fauna within its depths still slumbered. His ears twitched from the occasional padding of snow from smaller animals, but it was not enough to break the stasis of the chill that surrounded them. Snow remained thick upon the ground and on the dead branches around him, surrounding him in a nearly blank space.
A blank canvas.
Ether filled the hunter’s body, his Technique adding a perception to his skin that set the chill and layout of the surrounding terrain firmly into his mind. His hearing sketched the trees and their locations around him, and whenever something tried to move through the lower brush, he added that to the picture as well. With a deep inhale, he let the crispness of the air fill his nostrils, finding scents of snowberries as well as the fading smell of deer as an accent that drifted deeper into the woods. He licked his lips, his tongue’s sensitivity also enhanced by his power, and could taste nothing unusual in the air that would indicate any stalking beasts nearby. Finally, he let his eyes tie it all together, turning the vast sea of whiteness around him into clearly defined paths that cut through its expanse.
More important were the hoof prints that were in the snow, almost fully covered by the fresh snowfall that still drifted to the dirt. He knelt down at the prints, giving them a rough measure with his hand. It was larger than the length from his wrist to the tip of his finger, which made the hunter give a whistle.
“A big one, not as large as Alatash, but it’ll keep us goin’ for a while…” he frowned at the mention of the Enlightened stag. He knew that the empowered beast would have raised no objections to him hunting one that was only separated from him by an oddity in the Cycle. It was the way of nature, after all, but the idea still left an odd taste in his mouth.
Both Snow and Shadow joined him at his side, their small eyes filled with concern towards a frown that was setting deeper in his expression. Shadow tilted his head as if to ask what was wrong, but rather than answer Leaf could only laugh.
He rubbed the black cub’s head and scratched his sister under her chin. “It’s alright you two, we’ll be bringin’ home dinner tonight. I know the both of you are lookin’ for fresh meat anyhow.”
He rested his hands against their forehead and focused his thoughts on a singular concept, one that involved images of the two wolves circling around him and hiding within the bushes. He pushed this intent forward with his will, letting it form threads between him and the cubs. When he removed his hands, the two wolves nodded and sifted into the trees. While he could easily find them with his own senses, he kept a conscious hold on the threads that formed between them. It was not near enough to the proficiency that Merida had, but he had grown comfortable enough with the practice that maintaining the link between him and the beasts was far easier than before.
The thought of the Druid, and her smiling face, sent a pang through the hunter’s heart. With a sigh, he stood up and drew his bow.
“You just had to get bloody smitten, didn’t you?” he murmured to himself.
Out of the corner of his eye he spotted Shadow stalking under a shrub. The black cub had a much harder time blending into the snow than his sister, but there was a certain craftiness to the beast that quirked the corner of Leaf’s mouth up. After he spotted Snow, he continued on into the trees, letting the hoofprints guide him.
He kept his pace slow so his footsteps remained quiet, and he kept his eyes focused ahead of him. A foolish move for anyone wandering wilderness, but The Hunter’s Canvas allowed Leaf to monitor the area around him constantly with his other senses. He may not have been able to physically see everything around him, but his senses kept an accurate picture of his surroundings within his mind at all times. The first few times that he had done this, it felt jarring and was prone to giving him a headache, but now he had trained the technique enough that it became reflex.
Occasionally, he would stop his tracking to scratch a mark near the roots of one tree. He started with a circle first, keeping it blank to indicate that the surrounding area was free of danger. On top of that, he carved a triangle on top of the circle that pointed towards the direction the deer tracks took him, and another at the bottom that pointed back to where he walked from. When the shapes were clearly defined, to observant eyes, at least, he pulled a notebook from his satchel and flipped it open to its most recently used page. In that he added the symbols to a rough map of the forest, making sure that the path he drew through it would take him all the way to the back to camp, which was marked by a square on his map. Thankfully, there were no circles on his sketch that had to be marked with an X, which would have indicated a hazard of some kind.
But, he remained vigilant. A lack of caution almost always preceded tragedy.
As he continued walking, he took notice of another set of tracks. These were smaller, and spaced out like the hooves that made them were on shorter legs. A musk permeated the air as well, more pungent than the faint scents of a deer. He recognized the smell as that of a boar, and judging from the size of its prints, a rather large one as well. His interest shifted upon that realization, partially from greed and motivated by the remnants of his earlier guilt. He passed this intent along to both Snow and Shadow, who returned an acknowledgement of their own through the thread.
Just around this time, however, Leaf’s ears twitched from the sound of footprints behind him. They were faint, so distant that when he turned around to face the noise, he could just barely make out vague shapes through the trees, even with his enhanced sight. Given where they were, he already knew who they could be, and rather than try and hide from Logan’s men, he instead signalled for the cubs to come to his side and leaned against a tree while they approached.
Duren led two other men through the trees. The burly man was surprisingly proficient at navigating the brush, even managing to disturb it less than those with him despite his massive size. There were a few mistakes he made that Leaf couldn’t help but notice, such as being too slow to move in some aspects when swiftness was required, but the hunter’s vision was focused on other aspects. He directed Ether into his eyes, making their sky blue irises flare brighter as he peered at the center of Duren’s torso. Within it, seated just next to where his heart would be, was a yellow orb the size of a small ball, the Core of an Awoken.
Second Layer and still a Journeyman…
He looked at the men next to Duren, noting they too held Cores of a similar color, but these were the size of a marble, marking them as First Layer Journeymen. He’d already done a distant evaluation of Logan and his men back at camp, but he was keenly aware that Awoken were able to suppress their Cores to a certain degree, even against his enhanced perceptions. Here, where the men had not yet noticed him and were less likely to be on guard, he confirmed his initial evaluations. This most likely meant that Logan was also just a Second Layer Journeyman. Given recent experiences, to meet people that were actually lower in proficiency compared to him was almost refreshing.
Though he knew far better than to judge someone’s ability based on power alone.
The three men finally noticed Leaf when they were within a stone’s throw away. Their movements slowed, and Duren held a hand up as they approached.
“Ho there! Spotted the boar tracks too, did you?” the larger man said. He stopped in front of Leaf, and the hunter had to look up to meet his eyes.
“Aye.” He looked over the men’s armaments, seeing that one wielded a spear, another a bow that was decisively shorter than his own, and in Duren’s hands, a rifle. This one was different compared to the firearms that he’d seen in Geldervale. This one was also made from wood and pieces of metal, but rather than the rustic, mechanical simplicity of an Osgilian rifle, the one instead blended the materials into a flowing design that swept across it in a flourish. Not so much that it was an eyesore, but just enough for brief admiration. The barrel was longer as well, and he noticed that instead of a receiver for a clip, this one had a smooth cylinder at the back, though he was unable to tell how many bullets it could hold.
Duren spotted Leaf’s interest and held up the rifle with a grin. “A fine piece, isn’t it? Got the piece a while back from Renoon.” He popped the cylinder out, revealing seven holes, all of which were filled with bullets. With a flick of his wrist, the chamber spun, so smoothly that it gave no noise. He slapped it back in and tapped the hammer at the back of the weapon, lightly so it was not set back. “It may be a slower single action, but it’ll put a bullet right where I want it.”
Leaf snorted, “And wake the whole damned forest.”
The mercenary grinned. “Well, we are hunting a boar, this will get far more results than a bow.” He looked at Leaf’s weapon and back at his companion. “No offense, of course.”
Leaf kicked off of the tree. “None taken, but I think you’re underestimatin’ what a well placed arrow can do.” He tilted his head towards the tracks. “We should get a move on, boars are restless creatures, who knows how far along it’s gone.”
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Duren’s brow rose. “Working together? Here I’d thought Kali would have forbade such a thing.”
“To the team before, maybe,” Leaf admitted, “But what binds us here isn’t some contract, and that gives us plenty of leeway.”
That was only half the story.
“We should build a friendly relationship with them,” Helbram had told him before he set out. “Kali may be antagonistic towards them, but we do not need to be.”
Leaf had mentioned that there was a chance that such amicability would no doubt be picked up by Xanchil, but Helbram had only one thing to say to that.
“That is what I am hoping for.”
In truth, the hunter would have preferred to continue on with Snow and Shadow, but he knew that his friend was up to something. The least he could to was ensure that went smoothly.
Leaf followed after the trail. “Just be sure to keep quiet, I don’t need you lot givin’ up the game when we find it.”
Duren gave a huff. “I think you’ll find that we’ve done our fair share of hunting.”
“Your huntin’, maybe,” Leaf looked back, “Not mine.”
He kept an even pace as they navigated through the trees. His eyes were focused forwards, but he kept all others monitoring behind him. Logan’s men may not have appeared to be that malicious, but it was foolhardy to drop his guard entirely. Even with this and after slowing down a couple of times, the hunter had to pause frequently to allow the other men to catch up. During these times, he carved more symbols into the trees and sent Snow and Shadow ahead to scout. The cubs relayed what they saw through a series of images, ones that he double checked with his own enhanced sensitivities. In truth, the wolves’ presence was not for his benefit, but instead to make sure that they did not let their own senses grow dull from comfort.
“Those beasts… they’re wolves, aren’t they?” Duren asked as he closed in.
Leaf looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, we had only seen them from far away before, and thought they were dogs.” He scratched the back of his head. “Though up close that was a bit of a silly assumption to make.”
The hunter snorted. “Just a bit, but it’s not as if there aren’t dogs that look similar. Yes, they’re wolves, and crafty buggers at that.”
“Quite an unusual lot, your group is…” Duren mused, “Well, except for… Helbram, was it? He’s quite… normal.”
Leaf frowned. “In what way?”
The mercenary raised his hands. “I just meant that he just doesn’t stand out like the others of your party. I mistook him for a sharper fellow when we first met, but he just sort of… stands there when the lot of you are in camp.”
The hunter clenched his jaw to smother the smile that nearly formed on his face. “He’s always been a bit of an oaf.” He pointed towards the sky and twirled his finger. “Head’s always in the clouds, but he’s a good sort, so we keep him around.”
Duren smirked. “I know the type. Isn’t that right, Colin?”
“Oi, I take offense to that!” the man in question said.
“Then don’t fall asleep during watch,” the other man ribbed.
“It was one bloody time…”
“A week,” Duren chided, “Once a week. It’s like flaming clockwork. One day you’ll learn your lesson.” The larger man tilted his head towards the forest depths. “Shall we?”
Leaf nodded. “Movin’ on.”
They continued on for a few more minutes at the pace set before. The tracks started to become more pronounced, and Leaf could see more signs of the boar’s disturbance in the forest. Multiple indents were in the ground from where the beast had snooted, and he could see some traces of its fur clinging to low hanging branches and underbrush. Its musk permeated through the air at a much more pungent degree, smelling of mud and wet fur. His nose wrinkled at the sensation, especially since it was magnified so much by his Ether.
However, rather than letting that smell pull at him immediately, he allowed Snow and Shadow to pick up the scent as well and let them lead the group deeper into the forest.
“So… how’s Kali?” Duren slipped under a branch.
“Awful,” Leaf said in a blunt tone, “I’ve dealt with dwarven nans that were less of a shrew. But, I’m guessin’ you’re wonderin’ about her safety.”
The mercenary said nothing.
“She’s safe, I can guarantee that.” The hunter scratched his chin. “You can tell Logan that, too.”
Duren snorted. “He that easy to read, is he?”
“Now he is.”
“...oh, you are a clever one. No wonder you’re the leader.”
That label left a sour taste in Leaf’s mouth, but he smothered it. “Flattery is not gonna get you anywhere and, honestly, what business you lot have with Kali is of no interest to me, unless it puts us in danger.”
“It doesn’t… I can’t say much else, but in that I speak true.”
Leaf gave him a dubious look, but shrugged. “Fine enough by me. Now, let's hurry along, all of you are slowin’ me down enough as it is.”
They continued after the boar, and once the smell was thick enough that Leaf felt like he was swimming through it, he spotted the beast in the distance. It was a massive brown furred beast, at least up to Duren’s waist and three quarters of his width. From where they stood, it had yet to notice them, and was busy snootting the ground with its snout.
“There.” Leaf pointed the beast out through the brush.
Duren narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Hells, it was a smart move, going with you. I can barely see the damned thing.”
“Just keep quiet and move with me.”
He guided the men closer, taking the time to make sure they did brush up against anything to make any noise. Snow and Shadow skulked around them, but when they were at a distance that even Duren could see the boar clearly, he signaled for everyone to stop.
As they did, the mercenary readied his rifle. Leaf was tempted to let the man take the shot, but just when he settled a different scent drifted into his nose. This one was stronger and sliced through the boar’s smell like a razor. He glanced around and saw scratchings in the trees, large ones, like they’d been carved out by blades.
“Hold.” Leaf whispered as he gently pushed Duren’s barrel down.
The mercenary gave him a questioning look, but that switched to realization when the hunter pointed out the markings around them.
“Don’t need you to drawin’ notice of anythin’ big enough to make those.”
“So, do we just leave it then?” Duren asked. The man held an even tone, but there was an irritation to his voice as he kept glancing at the boar. That, combined with the small rumble Leaf could hear from his stomach, elicited a sense of pity.
“No, leave it to me.” He said. With a mental signal to Snow and Shadow, he separated from the men and crept closer to get an angle not so disrupted by the brush. The cubs were close by his side, but once Leaf was in position, he signalled for them to approach the boar. Snow crept towards the beast’s flank, while Shadow circled around towards the rear. The wolves waited in position, though Shadow was not shy about letting his irritation slip through the thread.
Impatient bugger…
Leaf readied an arrow in his bow and pulled it back. He did not fill the projectile with Ether this time, as doing so would most likely make it hit something it didn’t need to, but he did use the power to smother all senses except his sight and hearing. As he did, the boar became even more defined against the backdrop of the forest, and its small snorts sounded close enough that it was like it was right next to him. With a final signal of intent, he let the wolves loose.
The canines sprinted through the brush, their charge disturbing it enough that the sounds startled the boar and made it break into a dash itself. It turned away from Snow and Shadow as they came into sight, facing its front towards Leaf. The hunter stood and loosed his arrow right as that happened, aiming at its heart. The projectile struck true and sliced through the boar’s thick hide with ease. Life left it in an instant, and its body skidded to a halt in the snow. Excitement flared through the threads, but Leaf signaled for the cubs to keep quiet, which they did with clear reluctance.
He signalled for Duren and the other men to approach, who did so while remaining silent.
“We’re gonna need to make a spit,” Leaf said as he searched around. He eventually found a long, sturdy branch. “That one.”
Duren pulled a hatched from his waistband. “On it.” He noticed Leaf walking deeper towards the forest. “Where are you going?”
He pointed at the markings on the trees. “To see what we’re dealin’ with.”
Snow and Shadow accompanied him further into the forest, though the hunter told them to keep behind him at all times. Tracking the beast that marked this territory was a simple affair, for Leaf only had to follow the scent deeper into the trees. Eventually, he came upon a dense gathering of vegetation and fallen logs. They formed a ring of sorts, one that enclosed an area big enough for a pack of beasts.
Or one large one.
Leaf climbed a tree and perched up on a branch that looked into the enclosure, and dread filled the pit of his stomach as he did. Within that mass of logs and overgrowth, lay a beast more than three times his size. Its body was that of a mountain lion, covered in a beige fur that darkened as it grew closer to the large, spear-like stinger that replaced where a tail should be. That was covered in a black, chitinous material, a shade that matched the massive-bat like wings that spread from its back. Its slumbering face was that of a mountain lion as well, but twisted and malformed, like it had attempted to grow into the shape of a human one and failed.
Even with the beast sleeping, Leaf took extra care climbing down the tree and quickly carved a circle with an X through it at its base. He and the cubs sped back to Duren and his men as quietly as he could. Thankfully, they already had the boar tied up on the spit and were hefting it over their shoulders. At first, the mercenary’s expression was jovial, but it switched to caution upon seeing Leaf’s own.
“What’s wrong?” He asked.
Leaf urged them to start moving. “Manticore.”
Author's Note: Well, we got another chapter that I intended to take only a short time, but I just kept filling with things.
While each adventure is meant to be relatively self contained, I do try to leave some lingering effects from them carrying on from one to the other, just so it feels more interconnected by feeling but no necessarily plot. This is one of those chapters, examining Leaf's development from the previous arc while also revealing a few more things about the current one.
As always, let me know what you think!
Till next update! Have a wonderful time ^_^
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