[Closed] The Hunt

[Ketic]

 Karou Plains   //   

The cloaked man moved quicker across the open grass, sighing gratefully as he slipped into a hiding position behind a tree. He inhaled deeply, pinpointing the location of what he was looking for. Moving quickly away from the tree he stayed low as his feet expertly navigated across the grassy terrain towards a small hill. Ducking down just below the top of the hill, he checked his surroundings, making sure he was alone. Quietly proud of himself for remaining unnoticed this long, he poked his head over the top of the hill.

The small valley, or more accurately small crater, was crawling with horselike beasts. They neighed to one another, quietly chatting while munching on their favorite grass. Migration was always tough for this particular tribe but they always made it to the falling grounds relatively intact. The tribemaster, Kiplen, watched expertly for danger, expecting hunters to come over the hills at any moment.

The crater beneath him was formed long ago, he remembered. Something about a rock falling from the sky and instilling the grass with a special taste after many years. The man had been tracking the tribe for weeks, waiting until they stopped at this crater. He knew from experience that they would bed down here for a few hours, then run the last stretch to the Ringing Forest.

His eyes searched the tribe tirelessly, looking for his goal. There it was. He spotted the small rock next to a calf that was grazing with its mother. He kept his eyes trained on the rock, blinking only every few minutes. He was oh so close to finally achieving his goal that he nearly shook. The man looked at the sky and sighed, only a few more hours until it would be his. He closed his eyes in quiet celebration. The sun was warm on the plains, but the small breeze brought with it the quiet promise of a winter soon to arrive. A coughing noise made him open his eyes, and he swore quietly.

Kiplen trotted over to the small calf, who was having a furious bout of coughing. He neighed to the calf's mother and she explained to him that her baby had eaten a rock. Kiplen laughed and neighed reassurance. The rock would not harm a strong child like that, he promised the mother. He cast one last searching glance around his tribe, then neighed to signal it was time to rest.

They were bedding down. It was so close still, but now his task was much more difficult. He would have to cut the rock out of the calf without alerting any of the tribe guardians. A bit of blood spilt would not harm the tribe, just scare them. He waited another few hours until the moon sent beams of light dancing across the plains. Hefting a totally ordinary rock in his hand, he swept himself down the hill like a ghost, stopping next to the tribe. His boots made no sound at all as he stepped carefully through the group of sleeping mammals. The man stopped next to the calf. It seemed to be restless. That made sense, considering what it had just ingested. He prepared himself quietly, calling on all his skills. Adrenaline pumping, he hit the calf with the rock as hard as he could. A dull clunk was the only sound to be heard except for the soft whisper of the wind on the grass. He waited anxiously, searching around him for a head to rise and an alarm call to sound. Nothing. Grinning in triumph, he pulled out his knife and proceeded to retrieve his goal from the stomach of the calf.

[Ketic]

 //   Ringing Forest 

Kiplen awoke to the smell of blood and fear. He jumped to his feet immediately and looked around. His tribe was waking peacefully, but something was wrong. Then he spotted the body of the calf that had eaten a rock the day before. Kiplen's eyes searched the calf's body and he realized a man had killed him. Eyes wide, Kiplen neighed his tribe awake.

"Quick! To the falling grounds! Run!!" He shouted at the top of his lungs.

Immediately the tribe burst from the crater and galloped across the plains without a second thought. Only Kiplen and the calf's mother remained in the crater. He slowly trotted over and sniffed the calf. From it's scent he guessed it had been killed a few hours after they had bedded down. So the man is long gone.. Kiplen turned to the calf's mother.

"Go. We must both go." The mother hesitated and Kiplen spoke again. "Your calf is dead. Now run with the tribe."

The tribe was nearly to the forest when Kiplen and the mother caught up. Taking his place at the front of the group, Kiplen set a faster pace, and in no time they were at the edge of the forest. The tribemaster turned around and faced his people.

"The falling grounds are a safe place. No one need be scared once we arrive there. Now in the forest there is still danger, so once we enter, run as fast as you can. Do not stop for anything. Man seeks to hunt us.. do not let him succeed." Kiplen nodded to his tribe then took a deep breath.

Whoosh! The tribe thundered through the woods like a wildfire. Kiplen ran with two of his tribemates, speeding across the leaf covered ground. Out of nowhere an arrow whizzed past Kiplen and connected with one of his tribemates. The tribemaster didn't stop to help the injured beast, just kept running. He could hear other bodies hitting the ground but he still did not stop.

Without warning, Kiplen burst down the edge of the ravine and skidded to a halt at the bottom. He had hoped it would not come to this.. Everywhere he looked, there was a man with a bow and arrow. A few of his tribemates thundered in behind him, and the men at the top of the ravine slowly closed in. They picked off the rest of us in the woods.. We are all that is left. Kiplen's eyes filled with despair as he spun in a 360. He could see no way out.

"No fear." He whispered to his tribemates. Then he charged at one of the men.