A Hunting We Will Go!

Hunger gurgled in her stomach as Aerndis crossed the border into the Orchard. She'd been off exploring and now that she was back home she was ready to feast. She meant to see if she could tempt her brothers or grandfather into hunting with her but the scent of a herd of deer close by as well as the sounds of the fall rut held her attention. Hmmm… perhaps she'd scope it out first and then look into calling her family to join, or maybe there would be an injured animal she could pick off. She'd been practicing solo hunting for a long time and she sorely wished she could figure out how to pick off a larger animal solo instead of relying on small prey and scavenging when she was by herself. Aerndis set her nose to task to track the scent.

The colorful woman slipped through the orchard to a small clearing overgrown with a variety of grasses and small saplings. A good sized herd was spread out in the clearing and well into the Orchard. No doubt they were seeking to eat as much as they could of the fallen fruit before winter time. Aerndis settled down to watch the herd when she noticed a large brown bird perching on a fallen trunk, it was preening itself but suddenly it stopped and stared right at her with large golden eyes. The bird had an intelligent gaze but when it saw her its eyes grew wide.  It cocked its head and stared at her, moving in the way birds do when they aren't sure what they're looking at. Suddenly, it started hopping towards her!

Aerndis' fur stood on end as she backed up. "Hey," she hissed, "what are you doing?". The bird stopped and squinted at her for a moment then gestured with its wing for her to come closer. She eyed it suspiciously for a moment before creeping closer. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. It's just, I've never seen a creature that looks like you. I thought you were a spirit or something."

She shook her head, keeping her voice low. "Naw, I'm a wolf, just a unique looking one. My name is Aerndis Aeris-Imperialis. Were you watching those deer?"

The bird nodded, marveling at the woman's name. That was quite a mouthful. "My name is Rudolph.  There's a young buck whose been putting on quite a show. I don't mind watching them sometimes. Seems a stupid way to go about getting a mate but what do I know. You certainly won't see me bashing my head into anyone."

Aerndis eyed the deer and an idea struck her. She turned to Rudolph.  "Say, I have an idea. There's a lot of brush in the way and its hard for me to get a clear picture of what I need to do to get some lunch. If you can survey this herd for me and help me with a hunt I'll share my spoils with you. What do you say?" The young eagle seemed to consider her question before nodded eagerly. "You know, that sounds like a good idea to me. I could use a good meal." The eagle took off into the air and Aerndis noted, with just a touch of jealousy, the grace with which he flew.

Soon, Rudolph returned and landed next to her. "There's about a dozen deer in the clearing. Three males but one is injured pretty severely. It's sheltering at the north end of the clearing, it's laying down so it's hard to see but if you walk along the edge of the clearing you should be able to see him. He's laying beneath that large pine tree." The bird gestured to a large pine nestled among bare fruit trees. Aerndis nodded. "That's our target then. I'll get to work." The bird flew up into the branches of a tree above them to watch over his new hunting partner. Aerndis began a careful trek along the edge of the clearing though she stayed within the trees, relying on the shadows. Her coat patterns helped her to blend in and thankfully her quarry could not see shades of red and so she would appear to be a piece of shadowy forest floor rather than the bright, stunning creature she really was.

As Aerndis came around the east side of the clearing she spied a set of antlers and a graceful head poking out from the tall grass. There was blood dripping out the creatures nose and she saw puncture wounds on the creatures neck. Apparently someone did not get his head down quickly enough to block a rival male's advance. Aerndis sunk low. There was no wind, the air was still and she took advantage of it as she crept closer. When she was about as close as she dared she bunched her limbs and sprang forward in a ferocious burst of speed. The deer stumbled to it's feet and tried to take off but it didn't get far as Aerndis' teeth caught it's right hind leg, just below the knee. The deer bleated and tried to kick at her as the rest of the herd suddenly took off. The kick proved a mistake as the exhausted creature misjudged and stumbled forward, falling to its knees. Aerndis moved swiftly forward, her jaws latching onto its throat, just below the corner of it's jaws, right when the deer tried to stand. It stumbled and she felt her front legs lift off the ground but soon her weight dragged it back down to its knees. She twisted and thrashed her head, opening large wounds. The deer tried to kick one of its front legs toward her but it just couldn't get back onto all four feet. The buck swiftly weakened and soon passed away. Aerndis released her hold on its throat, panting as she licked the flood off her maw.

Rudolph soared over and grinned up at her. "Good work, Aerndis." The bird began to pull at the flesh of the belly and Aerndis moved over to join him. This seemed like the beginning of a beautiful relationship.



"Talk" "Rudolph" Think