Demesne Patron EX SS 7 - To Hunt Beasts (Patreon)

It was Ralii's turn to hunt this time, while the others stayed back and took care of the fiddly, disgusting work that needed to be done to turn beast hides into proper leather, and seel skins into proper furs for when the winter came. They'd also have to help the little ones properly butcher the food for eating and storage. Most could already be trusted to do the necessary cutting to drain them of blood, and a few could even gut and clean, but most still weren't able to do that without gagging and retching. Still, they'd learn.

But that wasn't Ralii's worry today. Today he got to relax, go out with some of the northern militia people, and bring back some beasts for food. He had his beast spear, the head made by the Dungeon Binder of Lorian from beast teeth and claws shaped into a wicked point into a triangular tip, with a crossguard so that it wouldn't penetrate deeper and potentially let a beast get too close. The shaft of the spear was long, enough to keep him out of tail range, even if beasts seldom attacked with their tails. Besides, you didn't want to damage the tail. There was good eating in those.

It was always risky, hunting beasts, especially in the colors. They were all covered in the stuff unless it had just rained, making them easily blend into everything, and you needed a watchful eye to see them before they made their presence known by coming at you and gutting you open with their toes. No hunter was ever allowed to hunt alone until they had that eye, otherwise it was practically murder.

Still, you learned. That quick, jerking way they moved their heads always stood out, and the sound of the colors being crushed could be heard if it wasn't windy. The shaking of leaves being pulled down, causing the colors on them to fall as the big ones ate them, the vibrations coursing through the ground as they stepped…

It was a pity they couldn't hunt the really big ones, but they were just too big to hunt and kill without her Bindership, since even with everyone in the village, they wouldn't be able to carry the carcass into the demesne, where they could butcher it safely. Butchering it on the spot would have been too dangerous, since all that blood would draw in the predators.

Still, it wasn't like they didn't have options.

Each hunt started, as always, at the edge of the demesne, where the stark dividing line between life and slow death was cut sharply into the world. It wasn't unusual for beasts to be found there, curiosity and animal intelligence making them prod at the edges even as pain made them draw back. They hadn't had time to plant shrubs at the edge to act as a draw for plant-eating beasts, but the green, colorless leaves from the trees insides proved to be sufficient draw, and there'd sometimes be some loitering there, eating the foliage.

There wasn't any, so they went towards the next likely place, the river.

They were in luck there. Just over the edge of the demesne was a small group of waddlers, tall beasts that reached up to four or even five paces tall. They looked like like fat teardrops twice the height of a man, their thick, shaggy feathers giving them an illusion of mass and hiding the knife-long claws on their forelimbs. Their long necks supported a round head with a wide, triangular mouth, and unlike most beasts, the stood as if upright, their hind legs straight and long beneath them like men. The birds were drinking, some bending down to lap at the water while others stood straight, head as high as they would go, keeping watch for predators. They noticed Ralii and the other with him, and blinked at them curiously, but beyond that made no move. The beasts still hadn't learned to recognize them as a threat. That would probably change with time—they were already avoiding being people-baited—but for now it helped them get close like this and observe.

Ralii gestured the militia with him to stillness as he crouched down and watched the waddlers and the woods around them for movement. It wouldn't be the first time that the prey they found already had something hunting it. At least this time they had a demesne to hide in and weren't in the middle of grassland anymore. The fastbeasts were as canny as their kin from the old continent, and bigger besides.

He took his bow, nocking an arrow in place but not drawing as they waited, watching the woods for any other interference. In a way, they were doing exactly as the waddlers were, looking out for danger that could get in the way of getting what they needed.

Vibrations thought his feet barely felt. Movement.

Ralii didn't tense, reminding himself he was in a demesne as a large beast lumbered into view, still distant. Its body seemed huge, and actually needed its forelimbs on the ground to support the beast's weight. It moved in a sparkling cloud, every step causing some of the colors coating its body to fall off. Others followed behind it as they trod towards the river, obviously planning to drink.

If their resemblance to hadonbeasts wasn't enough—though they were smaller than the hadonbeasts he was familiar with, which herders grew for meat in demesnes—the way the waddlers didn't immediately run or risk diving into the water to get away from them told him these at least weren't dangerous predators. Well, they were still dangerous, since they outweighed him several dozen times over, but they weren't anything that preyed on waddlers.

Further proof they weren't predatory revealed itself as they bent down to drink in the river. Their mouths were small, opening to a hole instead of the toothy maw of many predators, with flat teeth instead of wicked curves.

For a moment, Ralii was tempted. One of the big hadonbeasts considerably outweighed the waddlers and they were close enough that they could probably drag the corpse into the demesne before any predators came, particularly if they managed to scare off the rest. More food was always and good, and—

He stifled the greedy thought. Greed got hunters killed. Go for the sure thing, not the big thing. His master had repeated to him over and over again, and he was going to do that same for whoever he passed on his skills to.

Besides, it would be just their luck if there was now a fastbeast hiding behind the bulk of the hadonbeasts taking a drink.

He gestured to the militia to get their attention, keeping his movements subtle and low to keep from exciting the waddlers. Ralii pointed at their target, a rather plump waddler behind the one closest to them. The animals on the edge of any group were always the most flighty and excitable. He gestured for them to spread out, spears at the ready, held low and ready to brace into the ground. Many of them also held a beast spear, intended for keeping beasts at a distance so it could be bled to death. Some had ropes ending in loops that could be thrown and tightened around a beast's neck. They didn't have any catchpoles yet, since there was no wood strong and flexible enough, nor the metal to spare for it.

The militia readied themselves to pounce on their target, which Ralii would be choosing. He finally drew his bow, the triangular tip of his arrow carved and fire-hardened to allow beasts to bleed out faster. He breathed in. Held his breath.

His bowstring cracked the air as he released it, and an arrow seemed to suddenly appear at the base fo a waddler's skull. It let out a cry of pain, a cry that was immediately repeated by the other waddlers around it, who all quickly broke into a deceptively fast, sideways-waddling run.

Ralii's target, however, stumbled, its brains addled by the arrow and the blood now pouring down from its neck as the militia charged in, avoiding the other waddlers to stick their spears into the injured one, their boots kicking up clouds of colors and occasionally revealing the bare, dark ground beneath. Ralii carefully put down his bow and grabbed his own spear, joining in.

They didn't wait for the waddler to die as they used the spears and rope to haul and push the waddler into the borders of the demesne, where its cries of alarm increased in volume and agony. A rear guard of militia stayed back, spears held in case the cries attracted a predator, and they were the last to reenter the demesne while their fellows struggled to bring the waddler down. They grabbed hold of the rope around its neck, pulling to both choke and unbalance it until finally it fell to the ground on its back, and they had to be careful of the long, curving talons on the end of its legs as someone rushed forward with the axe…

The crack of the axe against the waddler's skull and its throes of panic nearly drowned out the high-pitched clicks and whistles of the fastbeasts. The rear guard pull back into the demesne, spears raised and ready to brace them on the ground, but the cries remain distant.

Eventually the clicks and whistles faded away as they dragged the waddler deeper into the demesne so as not to press their luck if the fastbeasts decided to stalk in silently. Ralii cut open the side of the neck, and they pulled it up by its feet to let the blood drain.

Ralii checked the angle of the sun as two of the militia readied the carrying pole to take the beast back to the village once it had been drained. Not even midmorning yet. They still had plenty of day ahead of them in which to hunt…